Ascension : Ascension Island Football
Submitted by The Islander (Mario Anthony) 15.08.2013 (Article Archived on 03.10.2013)

VC Milan 3 vs 0 Raiders

VC Milan 3 vs 0 Raiders

Geordie Peters 13' 65'

Cody Harris 88'

MOM: Andrew Kingston

VC Milan are crowned League Champions 2013 winning back to back League Titles as Cox scores another brace to lead the way.

The match was set both teams knew what was needed, Raiders who had lead the league from the start needed just a draw and Milan needed a win to lift the trophy. It could’ve been compared to the Man United and Man City title race a few seasons ago, one team in blue the other in red, one team signed many new players the other with slightly aging group of regulars. Raiders lined up 4-5-1, with Dewy playing the lone forward, Lyndon sitting in front of the defenders and Shonray and Peaches the wide men whilst Milan lined up 4-4-2 pairing their dependable forward line of Dutch and Cox for the first time this season, Sercy playing the holding midfielder and the daunting central defence pairing of Bryn and Picky. Milan were quick out of the blocks knowing it was all or nothing if they wanted to retain the title, with Cox finding himself inside the box chasing a bouncing through ball but waited too long before striking allowing Clingham to clear. Minutes later Dutch was able to stretch his legs running through the centre of the field with only Simeon to beat to get in on goal but a crunching 50-50 challenge sent Dutch spinning to the deck and it looked like his game was over. This would be a huge blow to Milan and an even bigger boost for Raiders who were struggling to get a foot in the game early on. But Milan prayers were answered when a little treatment from the magic sponge saw Dutch back to his feet and play continued. 15 minutes had passed and despite Milan dominating possession both teams had not created a clear cut chance. GOAL. Cox found himself in space for the first time within the box and a scuff volley allowed him to beat Bagley. Raiders restarted quickly and a through ball into the 18 yard box looked like a comfortable claim for Errol but the keeper slipped and missed the ball and a moment of panic saw the ball cleared. A quick one-two between Cox and Dutch, saw Dutch in on goal but he was matched for pace by Shonray who appeared from nowhere to deal with the threat. A Gustus corner saw Myles reaching for the header but he could only make slight contact which lead to the ball finding its way to the back post that Picky volleyed in at goal which Bagley could not get to but Simeon was able to clear of the line. Raiders central midfielder’s Mario Ben and Consey were finding it difficult to supply Dewy with any useful balls and Shonray was being played out of the game wide on the right wing which lead to him switching with Dewy to see if he could grab the equaliser. But it was Cox who was in on goal again when he shrugged of Simeon but another scuff shot from the forward saw the ball trickle pass the far post. Shonray finally looked to have the beating of the Milan defence when he skipped around Picky only to have his shirt tugged for a free kick. Dewy line up his shot at an angle that would favour his left foot but his shot was high over the bar. Soon after another free kick was awarded to Raiders this time Shonray stepped up, but he shot straight down the middle for a comfortable save from Errol. The two free kicks seem to give Raiders the lift they needed they were finally starting to threaten, Dewy broke down the right wing and into the 18 yard box with the Milan defence caught napping and trying to catch up, but Dewy took an extra touch to bring the ball back onto his left foot allowing the Milan defenders to recover and pressure Dewy into a tame effort. Errol was called into action again when his clearance was blocked and he had to make a double save before pushing the ball out for a corner. The half time whistle came at the worst time for Raiders who now looked a bit like the team we had seen for the whole season although Shonray looked increasingly frustrated as he was made to go in search of the ball.

Milan started the second half quickly knowing that a one goal lead was not enough with the likes of Dewy and Shonray capable of scoring with little opportunity. Dutch was on the ball again, spraying it wide to Cox who crossed into the box to Dutch who had continued his run, he brought it under his spell with his first touch but his attempt to dink it over Bagley’s head with his second was too high and it sailed over the bar. Raiders responded positively with Shonray starting to get on the ball following another switch between himself and Dewy who was also causing problems for Boot but still no decent attempts on goal were made. A Route one ball from defence by Bryn, saw Cox beat the offside trap bring the ball under control in the area and looked certain to score but fired at Bagley who spread himself well for the save. GOAL. Minutes later Kingy broke from midfield and squared it to his left to the unmarked Cox who was about 25 yards out directly in front of goal, who unleashed what has become this season a trademark half volley into the top corner of the net beating the diving Bagley. At the restart Raiders made a change, taking off Kimbo replacing him with Puck 2, the game was soon brought to a standstill when Sharvarn cleared the ball from defence and out of the ground over the beach and into the ocean, it was last seen heading towards the MOD freighter! Cox was then replaced by Cody to add fresh legs to attack. Shonray created another chance for himself, when he dribbled into the box beating Shavarn and Bryn for pace before blasting across face of goal. Philly was taken off for cramp and replaced with Jonah. Milan continued to attack but Raiders captain Clingham and defensive partner Tiddie Bum defended bravely to keep the score at 2-0. That almost changed when Dutch found himself in space with loads of time in the area but he placed the ball wide of the post. Mario Ben, made a rare break forward latching onto a loose ball before playing in Dewy but he shot a fierce shot wide. GOAL. Dutch was through on goal and skipped pass Lyndon and Puck 2 before a late challenge from Lyndon caused Dutch to react with a push, time stood still as the players protested but the whistle never came, meanwhile Cody was on the ball in the area waiting to see what would happen before realising the ref had not blown his whistle, he continued towards goal and slipped the ball between Bagley’s legs for Milan’s 3^rd.

The match ended minutes later with VC Milan retaining their title, crowning them League Champions 2013.