BUFC D South vs Gosford Match Report

Out of the team with a broken toe, your correspondent missed the first five minutes of the game, but witnessed no less than three attempts at goal by Terrigal in the next five while waiting for a steak sandwich.

The assault on the Gosford goal was relentless throughout the first half, with two off the crossbar and several more sailing high or wide as Adam Chandler, Chris Peers and Ben Johnson got amongst the Gosford backs, wreaking havoc but failing to convert the pressure into points.

Gosford only got down the Terrigal end four times in the whole half, and keeper Simon Ashley-Binge took care of their shots with some aggressive charging from the goal-mouth.

The Terrigal game plan of a central diamond with wide passing options at front and back was working. Passes stuck, triangulations were executed precisely and, with ten to go in the half and remorseless pressure mounting on Gosford, Tek Tea pilfered the ball from a Gosford player on the sideline, and delivered an exemplary pass directly to the feet of Adam Chandler. Chandler weaved through the defence with some delightful sidestepping and planted the ball in the net.

With five reserves on the bench, Terrigal were substituting regularly and it’s safe to say the everyone in the squad was firing on all cylinders. The mood was a confident one borne out by sideline comments such as “Why aren’t we ahead by six points?”

But oh what a difference a half-time break makes.

Gosford had clearly endured some abuse from their captain over the oranges, and a different team came onto the field in the second half, a team that attacked the ball, passed deftly and turned the tables. Terrigal on the other hand seemed to have devolved into a pack of somnambulists, and allowed Gosford to steal the initiative.

A well-worked charge up the field from a goal-kick, and, despite sterling work from Trevor Husk at fullback, who hustled like a man half his age (then went on to play for the over-45s in the afternoon), Gosford levelled the score.

From that point, Terrigal couldn’t seem to get their mojo back. Corner kicks went behind the goal, players were out of position, and squabbling even broke out during one corner attempt. Up the other end of the field, Ben Johnson almost came to blows with the opposition after putting in a slide tackle, and yellow cards came out for both sides.

With ten to go Terrigal finally got some shape back into their game. Damien Vane-Tempest and Steve Head brought some ball back to Terrigal with aggressive tackles, and co-ordinated passing from Sara Costa gave Brett Fenton, Anthony Broadbere and Justin O’Malley Jones several chances at goal. It was not to be however, as Terrigal seemed doomed to miss.

A strong performance on the whole, but with well over a dozen chances either intercepted by Gosford’s adroit goal-keeper or booted over the bar and into the creek, this game was the one that got away.

Final result: 1-all draw.