Season 75 - Are you ready?

[talisman]

Day 24 - Palace Casuals report.

Palace Casuals played at home against 12th place and after an early scare, worked their way to a 7-1 victory. Of course, it does help if the opposing team fails to keep eleven players on the pitch...

The Casuals Management decided to give a couple of forward players some match time, and right-sided attacking midfielder Andy Bayunu and striker Jason Purse came back into the squad, and both gave the Management a headache in team selection for next match.

Bayunu registered early, providing an assist for the 5th minute goal scored by right-back Joao Azevedo, before the visitors struck back out of the blue with a 30 yard shot which evaded the attentions of 'keeper Milan Sedlacek. Then the fireworks started - the visitors' right midfielder fouled and gave Mario Dinamarca a chance with a set-piece, but his cross was handled in the area by the right-back, and he was sent off as a consequence. Andre Faisca converted the spot-kick, then 4 minutes later the right-midfielder transgressed again, and received his second yellow card, followed by the red. Dinamarca's direct free-kick was nudged out for a corner and Bayunu headed home Azevedo's quadrant kick. The Casuals Management then decided to take advantage of the visitors' lack of right-sided players by changing the home team's orders to 'use the left flank'.

Into the second half, and Faisca volleyed home a pass from Purse to increase the lead, then the Management decided to make a striker substitution as Purse, while being a provider, wasn't putting the ball into the net. Ergo, as soon as the 'Save' button was pressed, Purse headed home a corner from Bayunu. Within a minute of coming on, replacement striker Philip Deery had headed in a cross from Faisca and with three minutes to go, a foul on the very edge of the area caused Deery to vacate the pitch injured and Faisca completed his hat-trick with his second penalty of the match.

Palace Casuals stay at the top of the table, and as the previous leaders, now in second, lost their match today, their advantage has increased to four points.