Problems at the back to the front...back and to the front...back...and to the front

West Mifflin 0-2 Wolfpack

Kostovny; Pasternak, Jeffrey, Gasparovic, Winters; Degerolamo, Hasson, Gauss, Lacock; Stinner, Pcholinski

Substitutes: Kieler, S. Hasson

0-1 Some Guy (38)
0-2 Some Guy (61)
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A considerably weakened West Mifflin FC played through a rather drab encounter with Third Division Wolfpack on Sunday afternoon. It was a brisk March day in late April and the Borland patch was rock hard and as uncomfortable as ever. As striker Bob Stinner took a shot in warmups, he jammed his toe into the rancorous adamantine crust and tweaked his ankle. When new singing Dan-O The Man-O Kostovny declared that he would not be diving on the cold, blighted ground, no one in the Blues side could complain much. They knew that the uncompromising pitch was going to be a real bitch to play on...and it was.

The Blues started with a makeshift lineup having been without several key players including James (wage/transfer), Volk (I think the manager may not have included him in the notification text - whoopsies!), Lee (a real job), Kutcher (retirement...so he can play softball) and Straw (training for work...but Mike Hasson seems to think that's a load of old bollocks and he was really hungover...or still drunk). Have I forgotten anyone? I don't believe so. Let me check...hmm, *coughmattbaguetcough*. I didn't think so. Nonetheless, the game kicked off and was initially a quite back and forth affair. A sundry of fans peppered the Borland hillside while two diehard Blue Ladies sat in the bleachers as the chilly wind ripped through.

What can be taken as certain from this game is that if Ark James does not return, the Blues may have considerable difficulty scoring goals. Further, the defense looks like it is going to need some serious work. Both goals were probably preventable but with no one really willing to take on the sweeper role more of the same can almost certainly be expected. Normally a stalwart defender, Jared Pcholinski was tried at forward, pairing him with Stinner in the absence of Lee, James and old-new signing, Tony Volk. The Blues #10 had a few first half chances that didn't really trouble the keeper. The Wolfpack keeper had little to do for most of the first half, in fact. Stinner had the best chance of the first 45 when he picked up the ball on the left, turned, and sent a low shot just the wrong side of the post. The gents talked before the game about the Borland bounce - and it wreaked unholy havoc all game long. The ball would bounce just before a player would control it on one pass, then when the player would compensate for the bounce on the next pass, the ball would roll nice and smooth under the boot and out for a throw. The bastard tries to make you look like a fool. Something Dr Salamander to consider: pitch Fx - the effect of a shitty field on a player's stats. Anyway, it looked like the Borland bounce may have had something to do with the Wolfpack's first goal. I just remember the guy beating two defenders and slipping a shot past Kostovny, who I think got a touch on it.

The second half was much, much better from the Blues. Until the final 10 minutes or so, the ball entered West Mifflin's defensive half of the field maybe four times. Maybe it was because Wolfpack tired, but WMFC played the ball around well. Mike Hasson, Pcholinski, Sitnner and Gauss were a productive four-man hub in the middle of the pitch, with Stinner playing as a withdrawn striker - much like Dennis Bergkamp. Now that I think about it, Stinner is a lot like Dennis Bergkamp. He doesn't like to fly, has dashing good looks, and unbelievable talent that is almost unequal on earth. Ah, he does have brown hair. Otherwise, the comparison holds. The wingers supported that hub as well. When the ball did drop to the defense, they found the open man and worked it up from the back. All was well! The only problem is, the Blues were Arsenalized and could not put the ball into the net. There were more chances in the second half, a few corners that could and should have been put in, a few penetrating runs to the touchline that lacked a convincing final ball, but the Blues inability to score left them out in the cold...out in the cold. Wolfpack added a second goal that was pretty bad so I won't describe it here.

Oh, well. Tis' better to get shit performances like these out of your system now than to have them affect the outcome of your season in say, a game against Century V in later July when you need to win to make the playoffs.

Til next time!