Men's 4s vs Lichfield 5

Telford 4ths welcomed Lichfield 5ths to St. Georges on a cold morning for an important game that Telford needed to win. Chris’ early morning video showed the pitch was playable, more so than last week’s pitch at Bloxwich.

The team welcomed Peter Scales for his first 4ths team match.

Chris wanted the team to show high intensity from the start. This was mostly the case, although sometimes Telford failed to get in front of the Lichfield players to prevent them passing the ball forward.

Telford had most of the possession with good pressure and some good attacking moves. The defence were able to snuff out most of Lichfield’s attacks and Brad easily dealt with any shots on goal.

Telford took the lead 25 minutes into the game when James came in off the left to drive through the centre of Lichfield’s midfield at the D. He played the ball forward into the D where it was picked up by John coming in from the right. From the centre of the D, with what’s becoming a trademark reverse shot, John struck the ball into the net for his 8th goal of the season.

1-0 at half-time where Chris stressed the need to get in front of the Lichfield players to stop them blasting the ball clear to relieve the Telford pressure. He also wanted to see more use of the team’s skill and pace to go past players. Chris was also pleased with the strength and good play from midfield.

The 2nd half saw Telford having most of the play putting pressure on the Lichfield defence. There was a worrying moment when the unstoppable Paul collided with an unmoveable Lichfield forward with both ending up on the floor. There were thoughts of Telford losing another defender through injury, but luckily Paul landed on his head rather than his knee and so he was o.k. to continue.

Telford continued to press for a 2nd goal. Tom volleyed a shot over the bar that could have taken the keeper’s head off if it had been a bit lower.

Telford’s 2nd came in the 57th minute through a new short-corner routine. John injected to Scotty, who slipped the ball to his left where Conor passed the ball across the D to the right for Peter to strike the ball home.

The game finished with a Telford short. Multiple attempts were blocked by Lichfield. One shot did appear to be stopped on the line by a Lichfield foot, but nothing was given.

2-0 to Telford at the end. Chris praised the team for a better 2nd half, putting Lichfield under pressure and getting more chances.

Peter was MOM.

Telford played well with good intensity and getting stuck into tackles. The press was good, and the defence swept up any Lichfield attacks. Lichfield didn’t get many chances, but Brad stayed switched on to make good saves when needed. Telford just need to be more clinical in the D and get more shots away.

A well-deserved win.