Game 112: Whitlam - Watts and Mealing Territories (friendly)

Final score: WHITLAM 3 - WATTS AND MEALING TERRITORIES 1
Played in: Erste Communications Stadium, Beazley, Whitlam
Attendance: 46,600
Referee: Alexi Verbatim (Northern Gronk)
Goals: Blacklock (WHI, 30.), Blacklock (WHI, 49.), Whitby (WMT, 61.),
Zaytseva (WHI, 86., penalty)
Yellow cards: Storry (WHI, 21.), Bryce (WMT, 86.)
Substitutions: Whitby for Kean (WMT, 45.), Appleyard for McKimmie (WMT,
45.), Zaytseva for Shring (WHI, 45.), Biafra for Armstark (WHI, 55.)

The FRW get back into the winners circle as WMT gain valuable experience.

This was a quick friendly played in the north-western state of Monash, at the Erste Communications Stadium, Beazley.
Coaches Doughty and Gray negotiated the idea of the friendly while sitting next to each other at an official IVEFA dinner during
the recent Smallick Shootout. The FRW fielded a different lineup to normal, putting on a lot of the young guns expected to
feature off the bench well this year for the national squad. Brian Shring, the reserve goalie played the first half, yet again keeping
the opposition scoreless.

This was a game the WMT Lions played to gain more experience in high-class football, and the FRW Dragons proved to be
just the team. The Lions seemed to dominate play early, putting Shring in a few spots of bother, including a free kick just
outside of the box after a foul from Storry earned him a yellow card. The shot was taken by rising star Séamus Macghileagh,
but was saved by Shring, who tipped the ball over the crossbar, keeping the Lions scoreless. It seemed as though a large
amount of energy was expended by the Lions in the first 25 minutes of the game, leading to their wings slackening off, which
allowed some rapid exchanges down the flank, permitting Blacklock to get a shot on goal, within the box with only the 'keeper
to beat. A shot high and right left the goalkeeper clutching at air, and the score at 1-0, and that's how it stayed at 1/2 time.

A few changes in the squads at 1/2 time brought the usual FRW 'keeper onto the field, in Anatoly Zaytseva. With many fans
from his home state of Jelena crossing the border to see him play for the first time at home, and a few rabid Nomar Serpents
fans from KTZ coming to see the star signing that spent most of his time injured during the KTZ Domestic season last year.
Whitlam had also come back in the second half playing a more experimental 3-4-4 formation, which led to a huge blitz in the
first 10 minutes of the game, with Zaytseva getting to touch the ball only once due to the ball being kept between the midfield
and the forwards for the majority of the time. The gamble paid off, with Blacklock getting another ball down the right flank after
a blitzing movement, where he rounded David Bragg who slipped on a well worn area of the ground, still slick from the quick
scud of rain during halftime, and banged the ball home, making it 2-0.

The rapid assaults on WMT's goal continued for the best part of the 2nd half, with the WMT defences and 'keeper David
Bragg holding firm. In the 61st minute, from yet another goal kick, the WMT midfield caught the FRW with it's pants down,
rapidly feeding replacement forward Brandon Whitby, who had replaced Alan Kean at the end of the first half. Whitby struck
from just inside the box, completely wrong-footing Zaytseva, putting the Lions in with a chance of a come from behind win,
2-1.

With that, the Dragons pulled back into their traditional 4-3-3, and pulled the reins of the game in. The period of attacking play
that was seen though, was certainly something to make the Whitlamite fans, and Coach John Gray happy, and international
teams worried. The game slowed down with the WMT Lions trying hard to break Whitlam's tight four, unsuccessfully. The
Whitlamite tactics began to annoy the Lions who seemed as though they felt disrespected by the cocky Dragons players. This
was all compounded in the 89th minute with Coco Bryce bringing down the forward Armstark on the edge of the box. Debate
continued on this point, as to if it was a penalty or not, but with the assistance of the linesmen, a free kick was ruled at the edge
of the box, with Bryce being given a yellow card. Perhaps the highlight of the contempt shown by the Dragons players was
when goalkeeper Anatoly Zaytseva was brought up to take the free. There was considerable jostling in the wall between the
Whitlamite and WMT players, and Zaytseva capitalised, driving hard and staight into the upper left corner of the goal to score a
screamer! 3-1 was the score, with the agitated WMT players running up quickly to the kick off, seemingly more determined
than ever to score again. After a phenominal attacking blitz, the ball was passed off to Séamus Macghileagh, who struck hard
and low, but found his shot tipped out past the post by Zaytseva. The resulting corner led to an easy catch to the 'keeper who
proceded to belt the crap out the ball as the Referee blew the whistle, putting the final score at 3-1.

The WMT Lions remain without a win, but with a real incentive, and a lot of talent and experience to do well in the upcoming
Copa Vexanova. The Whitlam Dragons get back into the winners circle, and gain some more solid tactical experience with
some experimental play playing off. Word from Football Whitlam is that they aim to expand their domestic leagues by another 6
teams to foster an even better team for the future. Coach John Gray has not ruled out a few more friendlies yet.