After a wake up call last time out, an awakening this week!

Team Sheet : Coby, EthanR, EthanT, George, James, Jasper, Lewis, Mason, Oliver, Rui, Thomas, Travis

After our last outing, the Iguanas were in need of a strong performance to get the confidence and mojo back. And on a chilly morning at Galleywood the boys delivered.

No Isaac, Sam and Stanley today, leaving the Iguanas down on numbers. Oliver, Mason, Rui, Jasper, James, Lewis, Thomas, Travis and EthanT got the game under way, and it started quickly with the Eagles showing attacking intent.

Some good defensive blocking saw the Eagles win a corner. This looked harmless enough, but an unfortunate mis-tackle saw the ball fall to an Eagles’ player. He struck the shot well, and whilst Oliver parried the ball away, another Eagles’ attacker just managed to keep the ball in play and slip it inside the right post.

Not quite the start we were hoping for, but as usual for the Iguanas they didn’t let this early setback damage their spirits.

The Eagles pushed again from the kick-off, but were caught offside in the attack. Then the Iguanas started to press and string together some superb passing. Travis, Thomas and Lewis all played the ball through the field, eventually finding EthanT on a strong run, which was matched with a strong finish to level the scores quickly.

The Eagles pushed from the kick off, but Oliver was on good form in terms of anticipation, collecting the ball before anything could come of it, and also in terms of his kicking/distribution which would see his players able to build attacks quickly. Travis, Thomas and Jasper were seeing a lot of the ball, holding it well and picking good passes out. When the Eagles did manage to break, their players were being caught offside a number of times to ease the pressure.

A rogue hand gave the Eagles a free-kick in a dangerous position, just outside the Iguanas’ box. Oliver’sinstructions for the wall and his defence could probably have been heard from his grandparents’ houses in Yorkshire, the Iguanas dealing with the kick very well (not very long ago that would have led to a goal, so a big improvement here).

From the goal kick, Lewis created a decisive break through the centre of the pitch. The ball was switched to EthanT, who hit a cross-cum-shot which Thomas picked up at the far post and was never going to miss from mere inches out.

The Iguanas were on a roll now, one that would last until the last 5 minutes of the game.Two Iguanas’ corners were well taken by James, Lewis then forcing a decent save from the Eagles’keeper. Travis was having a brilliant game up the left wing, showing no fear in taking players on and unleashing some quality crosses. Jasper so nearly connected with one shot, the ball looping and falling to EthanT who couldn’t quite convert either.

A throw-in from the right went gently to Thomas, who very quickly whipped the ball across goal to be met by Lewis, who managed a very tricky left-foot conversion to increase the margin.

Despite the increasing scoreline, the Iguanas continued to push straight from every kick-off. Travis again dribbled the ball up the left, looping a lovely cross into the box that was just out of Lewis’ reach. When the Eagles did manage to get out of their own half, Rui was ultra-calm in defence, picking the ball up and taking his time in distribution. If a ball got past Rui, Mason was ready to cover, both players then building up play steadily with Travis.

Mason, Jasper and Travis made way for EthanR, George and Coby. And the tempo didn’t ease one bit.

In fact, the fresh legs saw it pick up once more, Coby straight in on goal and forcing a good save. George was also in on the action quickly, showing real strength and accuracy in his tackling, never letting an Eagles’ player past in 1:1 situations.

EthanR showed his usual resoluteness in the centre of the park, and throughout the majority of this half (the first 5 minutes being the only exception) the Iguanas were in total control and looked dangerous every time they had the ball.

A hard tackle saw Rui replaced with Mason for the last few minutes of the half, and then the whistle blew.

Half time.

Oliver, George, Rui, James, Lewis, EthanR, EthanT, Thomas and Coby saw in the restart, and the Iguanas barely looked like they’d broken their stride from the first half. Coby battled up the left, the ball came into the danger area for the Eagles, and both Thomas and EthanT had strikes at the ball before Lewis put it in the net.

For the next 25 minutes the ball rarely made it out of the Eagles’ half. A corner was taken short very cleverly by James, Rui picking the ball up on the corner of the Eagles’ penalty area and delivering a delicious cross that Thomas just put over the bar.

Another ball that didn’t make it out of the Eagles’ half was picked up by Thomas who put EthanT through, the shot just going wide. Lewis had a shot saved after a quick throw-in from Coby. Then EthanT was the first to the keepers’ drop-kicked ball, passing the ball to Thomas. Thomas looked to be through on goal, but the Eagles defended the ball well, however only into the path of EthanT once more who made no mistake with a calm side-foot past the keeper.

James took a breather to be replaced by Travis…and the tempo picked up once more! The Iguanas were straight on the attack at the restart, and pushing aggressively. A few shots were saved but the Eagles couldn’t clear their lines. EthanR got the ball and pushed through towards the Eagles’ area, slipping the ball neatly to EthanT who wasn’t going to miss after a strong run.

A rare Eagles’ break saw the defensive line beaten with no off-side, but Oliver pulled off a lovely save, tipping the ball out of play with a dive to the left. The Eagles’ corner was very nicely collected (corners being handled much, much better today, showing a lot more confidence and organisation).

EthanT next made an extremely strong run down the right side, jinking past player after player, only to be brought down on the edge of the box. Everyone set themselves neatly for the free-kick, which Travis set at his feet. He then launched a perfect curling shot at the goal and in it went. Brilliant.

The Eagles were having a tough day today, and the Iguanas were intent on keeping it that way. They did try to break, but Mason was solidly holding the line, and then distributing the ball to Coby who was causing the Eagles all sorts of issues up the left wing. On the rare occasions these two Iguanas’stalwarts lost the ball to an Eagles’ player, EthanR would be back to cover.

EthanT intercepted the ball once more, taking it to the Eagles’ touchline. The ball was passed to Jasper whose shot was blocked and looped in the air, only for Lewis to connect with a sweet left-foot volley and take the score even further beyond the Eagles.

Right up until around 5 minutes before the end of the game, the Iguanas pushed and pushed. Coby foraging up the left wing was drawing Eagles’ players onto him and then able to release with great timing to attacking Iguanas’ players. A number of solid chances could not be converted, though it only looked like a matter of time before the Iguanas would score again.

EthanT was replaced by Thomas.

A corner for the Eagles was taken short, and the Iguanas were uncharacteristically slow to close their opponents down. This gave the Eagles time on the ball, of which they’d had precious little for most of the game, and to set up a nice strike that lofted over Oliver to narrow the deficit.

This lifted the Eagles’ spirits, and despite some good, solid defending by Coby, George and Mason, the Iguanas seemed to just ease off the Eagles a little as the game drew to a close. Passes weren’t quite as incisive as they had been the whole game, and the Iguanas weren’t as quick in closing down their opposite numbers.

A couple of minutes before the end the Eagles put together a final break that managed to slip past our defence. An initial shot was saved, and the ball looked like it might go out harmlessly, but an Eagles player was quick onto the ball and fired it past Oliver.

The final moves of the game were for the Eagles, but Jasper and Coby were again solid defensively and the Iguanas weren’t going to let the scoreline be narrowed any further.

An absolutely first-rate performance by the Iguanas, night and day compared to their last outing. They played excellently as a team and rarely gave the Eagles any time or space to play. Top notch passing, a number of players ready to have a strike at goal, solidly organised in defence. A couple of very brief spells at the start and end of the game where the team switched off a little saw the risk in doing this, and narrowed the winning margin by more than the performance deserved (not sure that would have been said before of a 5-goal win!). But THIS was the Iguanas we know from the start of this, and most of last season. A fantastic watch and the boys should all (every single one) be very proud of their performance today.

Iguana of the Match : Coby – great speed and skill on the left-wing, tracking from end to end, creating chances and breaking up opposition attacks.