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For this home game, manager Martin shuffled the tried and tested team "Vialli style" to pick the following : Chris (GK), Craig (RB), Glenn (CB capt), Jason (CB), Geoff(LB), Matt (LM), Keith (CM), Mark (CM), Neil (RM), Steve (CF), Rich (CF), Andy (sub), Gavin (sub), Danni (sub), Paul (watching but with footie kit on).
Stoke started the game and began to control the play immediately, passing and controlling well through the midfield. Golden found this hard to deal with, and struggled to settle on the ball during most of the first half. Golden's spirit, however, kept them in the game despite being second to the ball inmost challenges. Stoke attacked well, creating a few chances early on which demanded Chris' attention to keep the scoreline respectable. It was during one of these attacks, with Stoke breaking from midfield at pace down the centre of the park only to be challenged by Jason, that the referee awarded a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box, slightly to the right of goal. Despite a 6-man wall, a fast low shot on target required an exceptional save from Chris to keep Golden in the game.
Golden felt lucky, then, to be drawing 0-0 at half time. Manager Martin continued his "squad" approach to the game, resting top goal scorer Neil to give Andy a run out in midfield. Fired up from Martin's pep talk, Golden began to assert themselves in the second half. With Keith and Craig fired up and winning challenges in the middle and at the back, Golden at last had time to hold and pass the ball.
With ten minutes gone and the match still close, golden won a corner to the right of goal. Matt lobbed in a high ball to the back post, where Steve headed home the first goal of the match. With belief back in their bellies, Golden now stepped up a gear and began to dominate the game. Playing from the back, Golden exploited both wings through super-sub Andy and Matt to deliver many opportunities to the centre forwards. In the end, however, the second goal came from an "over the top" pass from Glenn which Steve beat the keeper to, tapping it in the net with his left foot.
Despite many further attacks, which the forwards struggled to finish, Steve finally gained his hat-trick as a loose ball from the busy box fell to his feet. Despite the many players in front of him, Steve threaded the ball into the bottom right hand side of the net to secure victory for Golden Hill. The last few minutes saw a bit more challenge from Stoke, but this was easily crushed by Danni (on for Craig), and Jason at the back. With the game won, Rich came off for Gavin, who just failed to meet a low cross ball from Mark about two yards from the goal line.
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