Wednesday of Week 4 saw the second set of first division fixtures in the Carter Shield College Football Championship, with County FC taking on Grizedale. This was County’s first game after getting their by-week out of the way early, and with Grizedale losing their opening match 3-0 to a strong Bowland side, both teams were especially eager for a result.
The game was initially tainted by an unfortunate injury, with the County centre-mid dislocating his shoulder in a jostle for the ball with Grizedale’s left-back. After a long delay and talks of postponing the match, both teams went through their warm-ups for the second time, and play was resumed.
From the restart, it was clear that the sting had not been taken out of the game by any means, with both teams looking sharp and creating chances. After 15 minutes it was Grizedale who were asking questions of County’s defence, with a couple of good saves by the goalie, keeping the score at 0-0. However, the next few minutes saw a shift in momentum, with the County winger causing problems down the left-hand side, forcing some last-ditch defending from the Grizedale centre-halves.
The first goal came after 20 minutes, with the County winger again looking dangerous. This time he got beyond the Grizedale full-back and played a well-timed low ball across the box, where his teammate was waiting for a simple tap-in. 0-1 County.
The remainder of the first half saw County’s defence held strong against a few waves of Grizedale attack, which eventually lead to a foul in the box and a penalty for The Hogs, which was missed after a diving save from the County keeper.
After half-time, it didn’t take long for the equaliser to come. The County keeper let a tame shot from outside the box slip through his hands and drop into the net. 1-1.
Grizedale didn’t let up, again testing the County defence and this time finding their second goal of the game, putting them ahead for the first time. 2-1.
With only a goal between them, the match still looked as though it could go either way. However, after the County keeper was forced to make another save, the resulting corner was whipped into the near post by the Grizedale winger, where the waiting County defender, unfortunately, helped the ball into his own goal. 3-1.
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Grizedale continued to look dangerous, this time being awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Following a powerful strike from the Grizedale attacker, the ball ended up (yet again) in the County net after taking a big deflection, leaving the keeper stranded. 4-1.
At this point, the game was all over, and while County searched for consolation, they couldn’t avoid being caught on the counter-attack, allowing Grizedale to seal the victory with their fifth goal of the game. 5-1
While the score-line suggests a one-sided affair, the ball just didn’t bounce County’s way in the second half. Either way, Grizedale were pleased to get their first win of the season in what turned out to be a comfortable one.
FT – 5-1
