FC GNG 2-1 FC KHALSA: REPORT & IMAGES...

GNG Finally Locate The Net & Leave Khalsa Fuming…

FC GNG 2-1 FC Khalsa

GNG midfielder James Ireland shot two very late goals to ease his team to victory in a difficult encounter against the plucky FC Khalsa, who had taken a first-half lead courtesy of Kalis Gore. He had capitalised upon some shoddy home defending on the break. The hosts had fired in a number of shots during the match but visiting goalie Aaron Harris had been redundant in truth, as efforts rose too high or drifted wide of the target, which is, after all, a not too inconsiderable rectangle of 8 yards wide and 8 feet high…

A LINESMAN IS TOO TALL, SO WE CAN'T SEE RICKY GILL...

Sadly, although I was promised a look at the team-sheets several times, it didn’t happen before or during yesterday’s match and thus my video commentary was plagued by players’ numbers rather than their names but fair play to the officials, for they welcomed me into their dressing-room after the game to make copies. Thanks guys… But NO thanks at all to the Full Time website for the league, whose match page had listed the Riverside Ground’s postcode as LE3 3TF, which took me to a housing estate some two miles away. Luckily, after receiving no help at all from a postman and two other people, I managed to find the correct address via Google, LE3 2FD. I was not pleased…

VINAY SIDAR IS TOLD THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BREAK WIND...

Indeed, with GNG unable to work Harris, Khalsa also struggled to engage home goalie Brandon Pickard. Pickard though became a new Mr Man character for Roger Hargreaves during the afternoon: Mr Objectionable, yet he made the all important save from Leandro Jamaal Browne’s very late free-kick and thereby began the attack which brought a dramatic, final moments winner from the white vest wearing Ireland. The guests fired three shots of any note before the break, two by mule-kicker Ricky Gill, the skipper, whose left boot rapped a couple of 30 yarders, one of which was blocked whilst the other rose too high. Nikesh Godhania lifted another drive over the target too. Indeed, Ricky Gill blasted two clearances some way out of the ground after half-time, both balls probably landing on the half-way line at Leicester City’s Kingpower Stadium. I heard the gasps from the Foxes’ crowd during their loss to Everton. Ball retrieval became somewhat of an orienteering event during this match… 

A DEMONSTRATION OF HOW TO KEEP A BALL BALANCED UPON A SHOULDER WHILST JUMPING...

JAG GILL ATTMPTS TO PICK UP A SPECTATOR WITH ONE HAND...

The hosts had struggled often during the opening half, being harried, hassled and harassed by Khalsa’s willing workers. Certainly James Bessey, wide left, was a danger with his fast feet and smart control but he saw a couple of drives blocked and one deflected, as well as firing a rebound shot too high from 23 yards. Vinay Sidar was clever for GNG but was too often crowded out and thus several attacks petered out as the three Khalsa rocks, Jag and Ricky Gill, plus Elliott Phillips, formed a formidable defensive wall. Ireland shot too high, the lithe and speedy right-sided attacker Gurdeep Mudhar cut inside to the right byeline but instead of feeding either Bessey or the lurking Jimmy Rana who were free in the middle, he chose to blast an angled effort way off target.

SPEECH BUBBLES WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR ALL HERE.
ANSWERS ON A POSTCARD TO...

RUVAN SANGRA MAKES HIS CRISTIANO RONALDO STANCE...

JIMMY RANA (YELLOW SHIRT): OFF TARGET ON THE DAY...

GURDEEP MUDHAR HUGS THE TOUCHLINE...

Rana missed low to the left from Sidar’s feed, drove a 27 yard free-kick too high but another low shot from 19 yards actually passed the byeline 18 yards wide of the left upright. All was not going well for the offensive side of the rapid GNG game. They handed their guests the lead too, when a hooked pass from left midfield by Godhania saw tall home skipper Sanjay Modhwadia nursing the ball back towards his advancing goalkeeper but the niggling and quick Gore was at his heels and when Modhwadia fell, the right-sided forward poked a toe-end at the loose ball and it rolled into the open net with Pickard stranded. 

GNG FREE-KICK ABOUT TO MISS THE TARGET...

"WE DON'T LIKES THE F WORD..."

0-1...

JAMES IRELAND CALLS LOCAL RADIO TO ANNOUNCE THE LATEST SCORE...

Generally the home defence had been settled enough, with Kieran Hefford and Amit Chopra looking capable but after the interval a couple of timely challenges by right-sider Josh Virdee were most welcome for a more stretched GNG defence on Khalsa breaks. He wore number 13 and actually, amongst the GNG starters were Ireland (16), and Bessey (20), with numbers 6 and 7 on the bench… All that was contrived to confuse someone covering the match, no doubt. However, the poor finishing continued to plague the home team with Sidar and Zico Thandhi firing wastefully off target, Hefford nodding a right-side free-kick by Sidar well over the crossbeam and Ireland shooting wide of the right stick. Ireland did shoot a decent free-kick across the goalmouth from the right which didn’t miss the goal by much, although Rana also clipped a free-kick just off target and saw a near post jab from Mudhar’s byeline pass blocked by a covering defender.

KALIS GORE (GLOVES, RED KIT, TRYING TO TREAD ON SANJAY MODHWADIA'S FOOT) HAS JUST OPENED THE SCORING...

END OF PERIOD ONE...

BALL CONFUSION AS HALF TWO BEGINS...

Khalsa’s offense managed to cause some panic in the home defence on a couple of occasions and Ricky Gill lashed a superb free-kick just too high from 28 yards. Godhania fell, surrounded by defenders but failed to win a penalty following a run then he challenged Pickard for a bouncing ball, won it but then his shirt appeared to be grabbed by the goalie’s glove… Nothing was spotted by the officials. Good play by the visitors saw Pickard plunge at Browne’s feet as a low centre came in from the right but then Ricky Gill powered his 24 yard rebound way too high. Eventually though, a free-kick was awarded to GNG for a foul by Ricky Gill who was subsequently cautioned and Ireland carefully clipped a curling chest-high shot round the Khalsa defensive wall and into the right side of the net, leaving Harris rooted to the spot and thus late in the game, GNG were level.

MORE SORTING OUT FOR THE REF TO DO...

NIKESH GODHANIA HAS COLLAPSED...
BRANDON PICKARD (IN BLUE) ADVISES THE FALLEN PLAYER: "OH, DO GET UP MY GOOD MAN, I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU HAVE BEEN HARMED IN ANY WAY..."
OK, MAYBE NOT EXACTLY THAT, BUT...

KHALSA'S 4,5 AND 6, THE DEFENSIVE WALL...

JOSH VIRDEE AND BRIJESH LALA (3)...

1-1 NOW & JAMES IRELAND THREATENS TO REVEAL HIS VEST IF HE SCORES AGAIN...

Later still, Browne stepped forward to fire a 20 yard free-kick at the home goal and his shot found a way through the home defence, only for Pickard to save well and actually hold onto the ball which he disposed of quickly. Immediately GNG won a throw on the right flank, Mudhar reached the right byeline and delivered the ball to the unmarked Bessey beyond the far post and he had the vision and composure to spot Ireland inside him, who smacked the winner into the right side of the net from 9 yards. Cue a rush of players, Pickard included, a removal of Ireland’s shirt to reveal his white vest and GNG had won… And Ireland was booked for the revealing of his undergarment.

2-1...

...& HE EXCHANGES A YELLOW SHIRT FOR A YELLOW CARD...

At the final whistle, visiting players surrounded the referee who took some real abuse but in actual fact, the f… word had been commonly heard and yelled throughout this feisty, often verbally abusive encounter, which had been witnessed by a number of children and women. The ball was often told to “F… off…” when badly struck by a player, which always sounded daft but then again, who wants to be accused of poor play? Better to show anger, I guess…

GAME OVER...

An exciting ending then to a tough watch, full of errors, wasteful shooting, inaccurate passes and yet it also included some fine dribbles by individuals and some decent pressing, especially by Khalsa. Sukhinder Johal, Browne and Gore, then later replacement Tamar Clayton-Naute really caused the home defence to cover with desperation on those second period breaks but despite the skills of Bessey and Sidar, Rana and the speedy Mudhar were generally held too far from goal by Sergeant Ricky Gill, Ruvan Sangra, Phillips and Jag Gill, hence causing much of the GNG shooting to be errant from distance.

...AND THE REFEREE GETS ABUSE.
SOME OF THE CHAPS FROM THE DUGOUT AREAS CONTINUED TO USE THE 'F' WORD IN THEIR PARTING SHOTS AT THE OFFICIAL.
NOT TOO BRAVE, REALLY... 

Thanks to GNG for the welcome and I was impressed by the way the club appears to be progressing, although a copy of the team-sheets perhaps on a wall somewhere would have been brilliant for anyone interested enough to want to know who was performing on the day…   

TEAMS:

FC GNG:

BRANDON PICKARD, KIERAN HEFFORD, JOSH VIRDEE, SANJAY MODHWADIA (CAPT), AMIT CHOPRA, ZICO THANDHI, JAMES IRELAND, VINAY SIDAR, JAMES BESSEY, GURDEEP MUDHAR, JIMMY RANA.

SUBS:

NEIL STRINGFELLOW, AMARDEEP SANGHERA, AKASH MAJITHIA, THABO MAKOMBE, CHARLIE PATEL.

FC KHALSA:

AARON HARRIS, RUVAN SANGRA, BRIJESH LALA, JAG GILL, RICKY GILL (CAPT), ELLIOTT PHILLIPS, NIKESH GODHANIA, AMARJIT NAHAL, LEANDRO JAMAAL BROWN, SUKHBINDER JOHAL, KALIS GORE.

SUBS:

KULDIP ATWAL, HARJEEVE BATH, TAMAR CLAYTON-NAUTE, PRADEEP BAHREY, HARDEEP SINGH.