Season 118 - Are you ready?

[talisman]

Desert Rats FC were finally able to play up to their usual high level without hindrance from the match engine and recorded two very good wins.

The early morning opening League match was a fairly easy affair, new utility attacking midfielder Thomas Arvehed got his full debut and took only 7 minutes to make an impact, scoring from distance. Striker Luis Moules continued his good early season form with the second goal and just before the break, current top scorer Oliver Schenkel opened his account for the season with a long-range shot of his own. Schenkel added a second goal on 56 minutes with a more conventional run and round the keeper, and the final goal came when Arvehad ran out of options with Moules and Schenkel both double marked, but saw the rapidly arriving defender John van Hintum, and provided him with a nice pass to run onto and score.

The lunchtime Champions League match was more difficult, the visiting team set themselves out well and defended stoutly, but their counter play was just as robustly repelled by the Rats defence. Luis Moules was involved in a crazy three minutes just after the half-hour, making a tit-for-tat foul and receiving a caution for his trouble, then supplying a pass for John van Hintum to convert for the first goal. Moules was replaced by fellow striker Jiri Hrubsa just before the hour mark, and slowly the home attack wore down their opponents' defence. Thomas Arvehed had another long range shot find the back of the net on 66 minutes and that seemed to kill the resistance. Hrubsa netted a couple of goals and threatened more but the keeper covered for his increasingly ragged defence with a couple of fine saves.



Nouvion FC had an amazing start to their League season, but struggled to overcome a poorer side in the opening round of Champions League matches.

With a couple of new faces on the bench awaiting their chance to shine, the Nouvion old-guard took the field expecting a tough examination of their credentials in their 5th League Season. After right-winger Gary Sampson's 10th minute opening goal, however, the home side fell apart and Nouvion had a field day. Striker Jelle Popelier and midfielder Chris Mann made the score 3-0 by half time, Gary Sampson scored the second to his brace 5 minutes into the second period, quickly followed by the first of a double from free kick specialist Ibrahim Kodjia. Left-winger David Dorizon made his contribution and then the Management felt safe enough to do a double substitution and introduce left-back Louis Nwodu, recruited from the normal Transfer Market, and trained up Youth Graduate striker Yala Johnson into the action. The latter was the more productive, netting twice, either side of another free-kick conversion from Kodjia as Nouvion racked up a 9-0 scoreline.

With a 32% Quality difference the Management felt that the evening Champions League match should be fairly routine, but got a little reminder that life is not quite as straightforward under the Nordeus sky. 1st choice Goalkeeper Michael Hunter was given the evening off in favour of the previously ever-present Ben Brown and with the new recruits starting for the first time, Nouvion started promisingly, but quickly received their first caution of the season, midfielder Chris Mann being the recipient. It took until a half-hour into the match before the scoreboard was troubled, right-winger Gary Sampson receiving the ball and weaving through the defence before beating the home keeper. Three minutes before the break, Sampson was injured and had to go off, Ibrahim Kodjia converting the resulting free-kick. Sampson's replacement at half time was Junta Kato, and at the same time Mann was replaced by Michael Owens. 2-0 up and coping well, everything seemed to be alright until the home side got a goal back, totally against the run of play. From then on the Nouvion defence had to be on top form as the hosts' attack suddenly woke up and decided to put in a shift, but they held on and the winning run continues.