VMFC vs HotScots, 21 August 2010
| Venue: | Edinburgh |
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| Competition: | GFSN Cup |
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| Team: | Hall, Bridges, Leary, McPherson, Clifford, Curtis, Clayton, Ransom, Rushton, Mullender, Kurucz, McNaught, Jones, Golds, Smith |
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| Subs: | GFSN Roll-on Sub Rules |
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| Score & Scorers: | 2 - 4 Loss. OG, Ransom |
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Second Half
Dave Clifford replaced John Bridges at half time but unfortunately arrived on the pitch at a time when HotScots found an extra gear and Village saw their passing game fall to pieces.
The Edinburgh team had already seen two shots stopped by Hall and a last-ditch block by Ransom before taking a 3-2 lead on the hour mark. Sadly the goal came as a result of a bizarre decision by the referee to not award an offside decision against a player who had run to flick on a long ball from 5-10 yards behind the Village defence, despite the HotScots linesman raising his flag. They took full advantage with a looping cross/shot that went over the goalkeeper and into the far corner.
Village pushed further up the pitch in pursuit of an equaliser and nearly found one when a curling shot from the edge of the area by Steve Clayton was pushed around the post by the keeper. A further strange decision followed when Jones was booked for deliberate handball, despite the ball being out of play, before the Edinburgh team caught Manchester on the counter attack and Paul Fleming's run and chip saw Hall stranded to effectively end the game with five minutes to go.
Jones, who had a frustrating second half with very little service, finally had a good chance arrive in the final minute following good work down the right by Clayton, but his 12 yard shot flew over the crossbar.
Final score 4-2.
Village will be disappointed with the final scoreline. Despite a first half in which they more than matched the Edinburgh team, HotScots dominated the second half with a display that saw more energy and much better passing. However, encouraging signs continue to show with a good first appearance from James Leary, a hard-working performance from Paul Golds and a typically intense display from Rob McPherson. With many more fixtures scheduled for this season, the second team will have plenty of opportunity to develop and improve. Their next trip is the annual Leicester 6/side competition on September 5th.
First Half
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