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Saturday 20th September

Battling second half display

Saturdays league opener saw Parma take on the Old Manorians II at Northwick Park. It was a scrappy opening to the game in which Parma failed to really get a foothold and the opposition sought to test the defence with a series of long diagonal balls at every opportunity. The deadlock was broken when the opposition countered a rare Parma attack and a cross from the left was powered home from the edge of the box in what was clearly a well rehearsed routine. The boys rallied and tried to get the ball down and play it and in patches took the game to the Old Manorians. However, all the good work was entirely undone in a calamitous 10 minutes. A horror show of defending allowed the home side 3 guilt edged opportunities to put themselves in total control of the game and a 5th was added just before the break when a defender lost his man on a corner who headed in. There was a defensive reshuffle at half time and after a delayed restart due to some teamsheet confusion the match began again. The second half was as different to the first as night and day. Defensive discipline and shape allowed the team to dominate the 2nd half and restrict the opposition to counter attacks. Zac scored the first league goal of the campaign from a deflected freekick which was well deserved for his tireless midfield display which the Manorians struggled to cope with in the 2nd 45. Ultimately though it was a case of what might have been as further goals illuded the team and the 5 - 0 headstart proved insurmountable. There was also a certain amount of good fortune as a couple of goal mouth scrambles failed to result in any further goals for the home side. It was a hard lesson learned but a result the team can bounce back from in the upcoming home fixture.