| Match Report |
So often in sport, teams are 'hard done by': losing by the odd goal, a decision that changes a game or missing players. Sometimes, however, luck conspires against you and your chips have well and truly been cashed.
This is the story of the 5th XI's latest tale of woe.
If written by Shakespeare, this would be a tragedy - a tale of woe. In fact, the 5ths could be named Telford's Tempest - turbulent but brilliant; unpredictable but exactly as expected; majestic and graceful, yet ugly and brutal.
Telford's short trip to Newport did nothing to deter confidence taken from their last perfomance against the 4ths, who were left frustrated and stifled for the opening exchanges. However, with International Alan Bain unavailable along with Jim Tranter, it was left to Chris Davies to fill the void by partnering young starlet Kieran Barclay in the heart of defence.
Harvey de Vere returned to the line up, alongside Will Thompson, who was making his senior debut.
It was unclear the calibre of opposition they were to be facing, with Newport's interchangeable selection and wealth of players to draw on - the side may, and did indeed, look very different from that faced at fortress St. Georges earlier in the season. In fact, the side was almost unrecognisable, with a plethora of talent smattered throughout each game line.
It would be hard going, and that was to be the case almost immediately; as a through ball crashed its way past John Higginson and Adam Wheeler in the Telford midfield and found the spritely centre forward who twisted and turned in the circle to win the first Penalty Corner of the match. As Newport packed the majority of their players around the circle, the storm clouds gathered. A slick injection, a slashed hit past Seth Higginson in the Telford goal gave the home side an early lead.
However, when faced with adversity, the 5ths' spirit remains unphased and they responded almost immediately with excellent interchanges between Higginson, George Pittson and Ewan de Vere as they exploited spaces in the Newport defence to win a corner of their own.
The looming figure of Wheeler forcefully slung the ball past the hapless keeper and ducking defenders high into the net: deservedly levelling the scores.
However, this buoyed spirit and renewed confidence would not have much time to settle. Newport's overload in attack once more surged forward and even the efforts of efensive stalwarts Paul Tynan and Jerry Cresswell could not prevent the constant battering down each flank.
Soon, the pressure would tell. Once more, the blue tide of Newport crept into the circle and soon the home side found themselves with a three goal lead going into the break.
This is where the visitors could feel hard done by. The pesky presence of the sun's rays blinding the officials allowed for Newport to extend their lead further and prevent the 5ths from having any form of advantage given to them. Not an excuse, dear reader, for some of the brilliance of Newport's young forward line, merely a commentary on the situation which unraveled in the second half.
Debutant Will Thompson gave Telford a glimmer of light as the blue waves relentlessly assaulted the Telford goal, as Alan Brannen's relentless determination to reach the ball on the baseline led to Thompson's exquisite reverse stick strike from the top of the circle finding its way into the side netting, one again beating a helpless goalkeeper.
Will Chiverton and Harvey de Vere, coupled with Brannen and Ewan de Vere led the line excellently - building on the previous performance and enhancing the 5ths defence from the front, whilst causing a threat when the ball was played into channels and to sticks near the circle. Coupled with the exuberant running of Higginson, Thompson and Pittson, the 5th team engine began to click into gear and fine interchanges could be seen throughout the pitch. However, like the radiant sun hampering the officials, the unfamiliar bounce of the dry Lilleshall surface made fools of Kings; leading to further efforts from Newport making their way past Higginson in the sticks. Despite the final score, it would have been double figures and then some if it wasn't for Seth's athleticism to stem the tide of the home side's onslaught.
No one error, or one performance gave way to the result. A harsh scoreline can surely be felt by the visitors and lessons will be learnt going forward as this side develops and grows together, facing new experiences and different challenges. But positives can and will be taken from today's game too - the resolute defending; the ability to work strongly as a unit down one flank; and drawing on each other's experiences to become better and stronger players.
Next week, the 5ths play host to luckless Stafford 5ths, who are rooted to the bottom of the table at 4.30pm at. St. Georges. Can the team take the lessons learnt over the last few weeks and draw it together into a winning performance?
Roll on Saturday!
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