CD Murada 3 CD Montesinos 0 – Match report by Steve Robinson.
It was a much changed CD Montesinos side that travelled towards the mountains for this clash with CD Murada. With rumours of confusion between players and coaching staff as to travel arrangements before the game, would ‘Los Rojos’ maintain their recent fighting form that has seen them start to climb away from the threat of relegation?
With the influential midfielder Maccan missing due to a nasty injury incurred during last week’s clash with Rafal, and bustling striker Liam still sidelined, there were a few new faces for the travelling Monte faithful to get used to. In addition, there was a change in goal for Monte, with number 13 Carlos starting between the sticks in place of the missing Michael. Once again though, it was the hard-working Vaz ploughing a solo furrow up front with up to 3 marking defenders.
The game commenced in a business like fashion with both sides looking busy with possibly Monte just about edging it. The first twenty minutes came and went without much action in either box. At this stage a fairly evenly matched encounter, but all that was about to change.
It was Murada who first prised open the Monte defence with a free-kick that came to nothing, quickly followed by a whipped cross from the right resulting in Carlos making a smart save at the expense of a corner for the hosts. There was a growing sense that the tide was beginning to turn for the home team who began to enjoy some space down the flanks, putting the Montesinos defence under increasing pressure.
Disappointingly, it took until the thirtieth minute for Monte to have a clear shot on goal when Diego thumped a drive goal-wards that was smartly saved by the home keeper.
However, from then on it was Murada who were definitely in the ascendancy with Carlos having to make a string of brilliant saves to keep the marauding Murada forwards at bay. The final ten minutes of the half saw Montesinos firmly on the rack, with the ball constantly coming back at their defence with neither the forwards of the midfield able to make any progress against a well drilled home team.
It was with some relief that Monte trudged back to the dressing room at half-time, level.
Sadly, the second half started with more of same. Wave after wave of Murada attacks being just about repelled by an increasingly panic stricken back line and midfield. Again and again, Monte had to thank the skill and agility of keeper Carlos for allowing them a slender hold in a game that looked as though it was slowly slipping away.
So it was on the 53rd minute that the stubborn resistance was finally broken. Monte, following another failure to clear their lines effectively, didn’t cut out a cross to the left stick which was met with some power by the Murada winger, who blasted an unstoppable volley past the despairing Carlos.
Coach Ruben made immediate changes in an effort to both shore up the leaky Montesinos defence and try and get a foothold back in the game, substituting Dario and Omar for Patri and Macia. But these changes failed to stem the almost constant flow towards the Monte goal. With the game starting to open up for both sides, it was still Murada who set the tone and pace and Ruben was forced into another change with German replacing Patri (who was a substitute himself).
These changes were further confused (not only by the very poor floodlighting at the ground that made cross field vision very tricky) when in a bizarre change, goalkeeper Carlos swapped with sub keeper Steven and then returned to the field wearing the number 23 shirt!
All this seemed to confuse the home team (along with most of the Montesinos fans sat in the growing murk) who mysteriously fell back on their slender lead and allowed Monte to apply greater pressure than they had during the previous seventy five minutes. Vaz was desperately unlucky not to get a touch on a whipped free-kick that would have both been scant reward for his tireless efforts up front but would have flattered a clearly confused and patched up Monte side.
However, with the away side pushing further and further up in search of an elusive equaliser it was with a cruel inevitability that Murada should break from defence in the last knockings of the game, with a quick cross over to the right to an unmarked forward who applied the coup-de-grace.
The game was now clearly up for Monte, who had showed very little of the fight on display in previous games and finally succumbed to the killer blow when, the Murada number seven skipped and danced his way past some despairing tackling on the right and lobbed the hapless Steven to make the score 3-0. From the resulting kick-off the referee blew time, to the cheers of the home fans and the groans of the long suffering Full Monte supporters.
There is an old adage in football that says you are only as good as your last game, clearly on this occasion Monte had broken that rule and were not even “at the races” let alone “good”. There is a growing need in the team for some strong leadership and organisation and soon, before the club suffers the ultimate ignominy of relegation.
Monte’s next game is at home against Callosa Deportiva “B” during the weekend of 22nd/23rd December. Full details will be published on CD Montesinos Facebook page, and by e-mails when known.
Team:- Carlos, Fernando, Manuel, Morante, Alexis, Omar, Dario, Daniel, David, Vaz, Diego.
Sub’s:- Steven, Macia, Patri, German
