11th Oct 2005 - BCII Vs. MK Utd

Bunky Chollox   2-1   MK Utd

“Trust me”, were the final comments from BC2 player manager Mark Rogers as his team prepared to face MK United in their second Div. 2 match, following his astonishing decision to start with Danny in the centre and drop himself to the bench. 

In an otherwise unchanged line-up, this truly was a game of two halves.

Bunky started hesitantly, but strong defensive blocks through the entire first half meant that Richy A. in goal had little to do – and was certainly not called upon to make a save of any note.

Whilst Danny played deep, protecting the defence, Daz and Ben (returning from surgery on his ankle) looked lively but neither side were creating chances and it looked harmless enough when Daz chased a loose ball down the wing and fired in a speculative shot from a tight angle.

The shot missed the goal, hit the back-board and rebounded on the pitch – except it came back over the bar, which ordinarily would result in a re-start from the ‘keeper, however, no whistle. Ben reacted and put the ball into the net whilst everyone else stood around and, after much protesting (strangely, most of it from Daz, who I don’t think had quite grasped what was going on), the goal stood and BC2 were 1-0 up.

MK United continued to dominate possession but were restricted to long range efforts, seemingly unable to break down the defensive wall that Bunky’s had thrown up.

The second half saw a completely different game.

Changes were made (which never helps) with Rogers and Rich getting into the game and shortly after the re-start, a United attack was broken down and the ball played inside to Daz. Without hesitation, Daz turned, knocked the ball forward and hit a left foot half volley into the far top corner to score what will surely be one of the goals of the season and give BC2 the cushion of a two goal lead.

This cushion was clearly needed as MK Utd. stepped up a gear and the Bunky defence went to pieces. The shape went, panic sent in and MK Utd consistently broke through, only to find Richy A. in top form and he made three superb saves to deny them a lifeline.

This wave of attack also played to Bunky’s strength, however, and they were able to counter-attack with both Rogers and Danny missing clear one-one-one opportunities that could have put the game beyond doubt.

Firstly, in the best move of the game, Rogers and Ritchie Moss combined well down the left with some neat interchanges, allowing Rogers to get behind the defence. Unusually, the man with 6 goals in 3 games failed to convert and the ‘keeper saved with his legs.

With time running out, Danny then intercepted the ball and broke from deep, completely free, only to also find his shot stopped. In between these golden chances, several other attacks had broken down with a shot taken too early or a tired pass not quite finding its way through.

In the final minute MK United did finally manage to grab a consolation goal as the BC2 defence, instead of sitting deep, clearing the lines and playing calm, continued to run around wildly, and when the ball came across the area the resulting shot, hit first time, gave Richy A. no chance. 

Still, an excellent win that saw BC2 go top of the table as the only team with a 100% record …..  tactics from the Manager absolutely right on the night. 

…. And just to allay concerns, yes, we did manage to retrieve the ball from Danny’s shot (taken from his own half I might add (so I did)) that soared into the dark sky. “Time” they shouted when he first collected it … meaning, Danny, time to realise that’s you should be passing from there ….