Match Report - Magpies v Badgers

We started the game missing a lot of key players and needed other players to step
up to the plate, and manage to put in a performance to keep our spine solid.  We started
off well putting pressure on the badgers defence. 

They held out well for a little while, but then new Magpies superstar Javi broke past them,
and walloped a peach of a goal over the keeper and in cue mass celebrations as we were looking to end our 4 game win less streak.  

We only managed to control the game for a little bit after this mind you, as the Badgers pressing, commitment to the cause and work rate really didn't give us much time on the ball and always kept us having to play quickly which at times we struggled to do, because the Badgers were doing all the pressing very well.  Yes they are a physical side, and put tackles in, some are late, some are not.  Football is a contact sport and some teams in this league need to learn that.  

We coped with this quite well for a decent period of the game, then the Badgers got a free kick that was not really that much of a free kick (how many times can you say that about free kicks in this league) and then Fred from the Badgers stepped up and curled a peach of a free kick right into the top corner of our goal.  He could not of got it any further into the corner.  Great free kick, this put the Badgers back into the game.

Before this goal we did actually have a perfectly good goal ruled out, as the offside decision was utterly appalling.  Their defence passed it to each other, Mag superstar Javi sprinted past the first defender, got the ball of the second defender then scored!  The ref and linesman decided to give it offside!  Awful!  We are coming to learn to deal with how awful the referees are and are a lot calmer about it which is a good thing.

Things seemed to be getting a bit tense for both teams then something magical happened.  We scored from a corner!  Michel pinged in a good cross from the corner, and Eivind popped up at the back post to smash it in.  We were back in business this was it, we were 2-1 up and could kick on from here.

Well not likely.  Like Newcastle back home nothing for the Magpies of Taipei is simple, the Badgers won a corner, it came across they won the header, cue mass scramble, and then BOOOM it ends up in our goal!  Oh Oh!  Now we're in the shit because they was not much time to get back in the game!  We popped on some more strikers to chase that god damn third goal.  It was looking less and less likely, and then Michel played the ball through to superstar Javi, to run onto it he steamed past Geordie in the Badgers defence who did his best to grapple him down, by neck, shirt, head, whichever way possible.  He did try with all his Geordie super powers, but Javi wriggled away from him and placed it past the keeper with the last kick of the game a superb ending to a pretty even game.  Was tough on the Badgers, and they are improving a lot.  They will cause more teams problems for sure and add more teams to the list they have beaten not just Daan!.