Scorpions campaign off to a flyer

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Sunday 12 September 2021

A beautiful sunny day greeted us at Deanery Hill as we approached kick off in what was our first ever match in the top flight as we hosted our old foes SWF reds.

The game started well for our opponents who played the ball around well and it was obvious from early on that we'd be in for a tough match. Poyraz and George were being called into lots of action and Poyraz in particular was making some great tenacious tackles and winning every 50/50.

The blues, in their shiny new home kit, slowly warmed into the game with Jake B and Jayden combing well. A resulting shot/cross from Jake B went just wide of the far post but much better from the hosts
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The Scorpions gained some confidence from that move and although a lot of emphasis had been put into improving our passing game, it was a fabulous long kick from Tor that created the chance for the opener, with Jayden running through and slotting home a delightful finish to score on his debut. 1-0

SWF Reds were undeterred and kept playing the ball around well and it wasn't long before the game was level - a world class finish found the far top corner giving Tor no chance. 1-1
Some good interplay between Jake M and Mason was rewarded with a corner but it came to nothing, and as superstar referee David Blaylock whistled for half time, the game was level 1-1.

At half time the blues were told to concentrate more on their passing and to commit more in the tackle. The effort wasn't lacking but we knew we had better quality.

The second half started much brighter for the Scorpions. Patrick and Lucas were breaking play up in the middle and Jake M, Jake B and Jayden were all seeing more of the ball and getting into threatening positions. It wasn't long before we created an opening and a good 1-2 between Mason and Jayden left Mason free to shoot, but his shot was saved onto the post and out for a corner.

The blues kept pressing and Mason, around 20 yards out, hit a high looping shot towards goal. The keeper jumped and parried the ball and as it dropped a run from deep saw Jake M in position to dive and score a deft header into the corner. A smart finish to make it 2-1.
The Scorpions almost scored an instant third goal but Jake M's glancing header from Conner's excellent delivery was glanced just wide
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SWF reds were not finished, and with their very tall and strong striker kept causing lots of problems. As they broke out on the counter a great shot looked to be heading into the corner only for Tor to pull off a world class save with his legs to keep the scores level.

Some more excellent defensive play continued to keep the Reds at bay and it was another good break, this time from the Scorpions, that almost saw us wrap things up. Mason again getting a shot away from distance which was saved and as the rebound fell into Jake M's path he blasted the ball against the bar, unlucky. 2-1 FT.

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A very close and competitive match today against strong opposition. The effort from the Scorpions was immense and that determination to win was the difference today. We must continue to work hard on the quality of our passing, be braver in the challenge and concentrate more with the final ball (look to switch play when we are in space and keep our heads up looking for those killer passes in attack), but a promising start and a great win today.

All of the team worked hard and our shape was very good even when out of possession which was good to see. Well done.

Scorpion of the match - Tor
As I told Tor in the warm up, it's not always going to be about making saves at full stretch that get him recognition. Although he made one outstanding save today it was his bravery,handling and distribution that got him the nod. He made his defence feel comfortable, passed the ball out well and looked really solid.

An honourable mention to Poyraz too who was outstanding in defence today. Well done both.