JC MSFL DIVISION FOUR
SPEC FC 2 BRADY MACCABI B 3
Brady B came out on top in a well fought match up against SPEC FC at Hatfield today to keep up their 100 per cent league record.
It was the home team who came out of the blocks quickest, with Brady keeper Dan Korn being forced into a couple of smart saves early on.
However, somewhat against the run of play, Brady took the lead after just after 10 minutes. A lofted through ball from creative midfielder Jerome Colmans picked out the run of Daniel Hildebrand, whose first time chip over the onrushing SPEC keeper from the edge of the area rolled into the net.
SOEC continued to boss the midfield, with a combination of good defending and agile goalkeeping keeping the home side at bay.
Brady threatened on the counter, with Hildebrand a constant thorn in the side of the SPEC defence. Indeed for all of SPEC's possession in the middle of the park, it was that man Hildebrand who registered his sixth goal in three games for Brady, putting Brady two up, albeit in controversial circumstances. As Hildebrand took aim to strike from the edge of the area, he was pulled back. From the resulting free kick, as SPEC were reorganising, quick thinking from Colmans played in Josh Dagul, whose acrobatic ball into the area found Hildebrand unmarked in the box, and the in form marksman volleyed home smartly.
After half time, it was SPEC who struck first. In a controversy that matched Brady's second, another quick free kick resulted in a goal. After being adjudged to have fouled his man, Jason Davis lay on the floor injured, as did Alex Bosier. As Brady sought to attend to their casualties, the referee did not stop play as SPEC took a quick free kick and a lay off was met by a neat curling drive into the bottom right corner.
Brady reacted to the loss of talismanic midfielder Davis well, asserting some pressure of their own, without ever really creating any clear-cut chances.
When Brady's third did come, it came from a very unlikely source. After a corner was not properly cleared, some trickery from Reiss Mogilner earned him half a yard of space, and he laid the ball back for centre back Ollie Kay, who drove a sidefooted thunderbolt from just outside the penalty area into the top corner, sending the crowd into raptures.
SPECpiled forward as they attempted to get back in the game, and they pulled one back with three minutes left on the clock.
As they exerted more pressure, Brady's defence held strong, and keeper Korn was forced into more decent stops, giving Brady a gritty and well fought win.
After the game, Brady assistant manager Josh Black reflected: "It was far from our best performance of the season. We know we may have rode our luck at times against a very good SPEC side.
"But the important thing for us all is that we proved we can win a game like this without being at our best, and that is something that gives us optimism for the rest of the season."
Man of the match: Oliver Kay - a rock at centre half, and the match winner with an uncharacteristically accurate and powerful strike
