30. Trying To Grasp The Nettle

 

After an indifferent run of form which has seen us drop off the pace, it is time to grasp the nettle and get back to winning ways. It's fair to say that the month long gap did really mess with our momentum. Young Tuy Oudom who was at one point the leading scorer in the C-League with seven goals has simply not been the same player since he came back from injury. Chanraksmey and K Udom who killed it last season have been missing chances, while young Taboula blows hot and cold. The only constant is Veasna who has been brilliant, but he cannot do it all himself. We have a better squad than last year, yet for whatever reason it is not clicking in the same way, We look loose at the back, especially when up against pace and the full backs, Bairaing aside have not been up to the standard of last year. It is exactly the halfway point in the season so there is certainly time to pull things around and mount a serious title challenge. 

Match 14- EDC v Vishaka

We are back round to the start of the return fixtures. Vishaka are surprisingly down in the relegation zone this season and so I expect nothing less than a win. They are full of Cambodian youngsters and should be there for the taking, but our form is inconsistent and we need to get back on track, starting today.

I’m going to start with a slightly new formation 4-4-1-1 with Sung Rot playing just off Keo Udom. Veasna returns on the right, while I am giving young Molly Unmoll his first start on the left after scoring a hat trick for the Reserves and excelling in training.

Team: 4-4-1-1 Kong Rafat, Ratana, Daravon, Khemarin, Bairaing, Etim, O.Udom, Veasna, Sung Rot, Molly Unmoll, K.Udom.

EDC 3-1 Vishaka

Veasna 29                        Noron 5 (pen) 

K.Udom 45

Taboula 87

A much needed win over Vishaka, of which we got better as the game went along.

Things didn’t start well though. Their striker Noron has the ball near the edge of the box and seemingly no danger. He pushed it past Khemarin who tripped him. Penalty. They convert 1-0.

We are dominating possession, but they look dangerous with the long hoof down field, while we are playing beautiful tika taka style football but not scoring. Veasna hits the post, the team is getting annoyed. I tell everyone to calm down and demand more. Veasna listened. He’s had enough and gets his head down and just runs from inside his own half and whacks it petulantly past the keeper for 1-1.

Then from the halfway line, Maul Daravon hits a rather hopeful ball into the penalty area. Young Molly Unmoll does well and flicks it back to Keo Udom on the corner of the area. He nonchalantly places a shot past the keeper into the corner.

Direct from Kong Rafat’s goal kick, the ball was taken down by Pelap Taboula who ran into the box and smashed it home to put the gloss on a much needed victory.

Match 15: Angkor Tiger v EDC 23/07/21

Angkor Tiger will be "tough to beat" mused my Performance Analyst, Keo Sambo. (Yes we do have one, he lives in a cupboard and spends all day watching football matches) I think we are two evenly matched teams. They lie in 5^th while we are in 3^rd and have fallen off the pace a little in the title race, so we need a win to keep up with Boeung Ket and Nagaworld. We line up in a 4-4-2 with Tuy Oudom preferred to Molly Unmoll, and Veasna moves over to the left wing. Ratana drops to the bench after a poor run of form and Roeurn Channroeurn comes in at right back.

Team: 4-4-2 Kong Rafat, Channroeurn, Saren, Khemarin, Bairaing, Etim, Sung Rot, Veasna, Oudom, K.Udom, Taboula 

Angkor Tiger 3-0 EDC

Dara 33

Darapitch 38

Srin 57

This was a miserable performance and we simply couldn’t defend against a lively Tiger side, nor could we hit a cow’s backside with a banjo going forward. At least our midfield was good enough to create some chances, but overall this was a dire performance.

We got off to a decent start and Sung Rot almost put us a goal up after he hit the post. Something told me then it wasn’t going to be our day. Then we succumbed to a strange goal. The ball was cleared from a cross and then played into the area while my entire back four just stood like lemons in front of the keeper, playing everybody onside. All Chan Dara had to do was control the ball inside the area and smash the ball home. Odd goal that and even worse statuesque defending. Then after a couple of chances from us, Tiger broke away and scored, Darapich, who tortured Bairaing all afternoon with the finish. In the second half, from a corner Srin rose unchallenged to power a header home. We did create some chances ourselves with Taboula and K Udom going close, but they knew where the back of the net was and we didn’t which was the difference between the two sides.

Match 16: EDC v Chhma Khamo 30/07/22

Currently we have slipped to 4^th in the table, due to our recent inconsistent results, with Boeung Ket and Nagaworld having a game in hand on us, so while we are not completely out of it I would hardly make us favourites for the title. Chhma Khmao have had a decent season and the newly promoted side lie in 8^th place, ten points away from trouble. A must win if we are to keep pace with the three teams above us and have a say in the title race. I line up in a 4-4-2, with the old firm of K.Udom and Chanraksmey upfront. Ratana and Daravon return to the back four, while Sos Suhana starts on the left hand side of midfield.

Team: Kong Rafat, Ratana, Daravon, Saren, Bairaing, Etim, Sung Rot, Suhana, Veasna, K.Udom, Chanraksmey

EDC 3-1 Chhma Khmao

Chanraksmey 2 (pen)

Sung Rot 5

Taboula 87

We were excellent today and fully deserved to win.

We got off to a great start after a bit of scramble in the Khmao penalty box resulted in a penalty. Up stepped Chanraksmey who powered the ball home for 12 yards. 1-0. Then from a poor clearance from their defender, the loose ball was picked up by Sung Rot who ran forward, dropped his shoulder past the defender before slotting home confidently for 2-0, with only 3 minutes on the clock!

Just before half time, Khmao halved the deficit when a far post corner was headed home by Long Pheng.

In the second half we dominated proceedings with Veasna providing a constant supply line of crosses for Chanraksmey and Udom, neither of which could capitalise, with their keeper pulling off a world class save to deny the former. Substitute Taboula did rather better and volleyed home yet another Veasna cross to make it 3-1 in what was a comfortable victory in the end.

Today was also a fan day, so the ground was full of families and potential supporters of EDC, who will sure to have been impressed by today’s performance. We are now in third place, just three points behind leaders, Nagaworld.

Bizarre Friendly Result

EDC Reserves 3-15 EDC U21s

A strange result has emerged from a kickabout between my Reserves and U21 sides, which ended up with a rugby score of 15-3 in favour of my U21s.. Perhaps some of these players are in the wrong squads, including 7 goals for my young forward, Morgan Laurent and 4 for Sary Chainuth.., remember their names! 

Match 17: National Defence v EDC 05/08/22

The poor old National Defence are bottom of the league, so despite their name they have not been defending very well. We will hope to cash in and take three points today. They play a strange formation which consists of them filling up midfield, so I go with a 4-4-1-1 with Sung Rot playing just off Chanraksmey, plus attacking wingers and full backs to try and exploit their lack of numbers in wider areas. This may change if they prove tough to break down.

Importantly, Boeung Ket lost their game in hand to Phnom Penh Crown 2-0, meaning I can leapfrog them into 2^nd with a win today.

Team: Kong Rafat, Chanroeurn, Daravon, Khemarin, Bairaing, Etim, O.Udom, Veasna, Sos Suhana, Sung Rot, Taboula

National Defence 3-3 EDC

K. Panha 41                                    Taboula 27,33

M. Panha 50                                    Khemarin 58

Pidor 91

There are times when you simply have to grasp the nettle and make it count and we failed to do that today. Bottom of the table National Defence looked useless and clueless for the first 40 minutes of the match as it was like an attackers v defenders training exercise.

After completely dominating the first 20 minutes we were rewarded with a goal. Veasna received the ball from Channroeurn and ran down the right, before feeding Sung Rot in the inside right channel. His cross was met by Pelap Taboula with an acrobatic volley into the corner of the net, 1-0!

Etim cut out the Defence’s clearance. He fed attacking full back Sam Channroeurn whose cross was diverted home first time by Taboula for number 2! Lovely.

Then we hit the self destruct button. A rare attack from National Defence resulted in Daravon conceding a free kick on the edge of the area and getting sent off for a second yellow card. Panha lashed in the resulting free kick for 2-1. Oops..

Just after half time we self destruct again. A pretty passing move by us is broken up by a huge Wimbledon style hoof down the pitch to the onrushing Panha in acres of space, who slotted past Kong Rafat 2-2, in a game we should be winning comfortably.

As the water bottle I had just kicked on the touchline slowly regained its shape, Veasna flighted in a random free kick and Khek Khemarin rose like a salmon to nod home with a firm header. 3-2. Then we hung on Sven-style as National Defence suddenly turned into Spain c2010, we just could not get the ball off them. The Panha brothers in midfield may as well have been Xavi and Iniesta..

They piled forward outnumbering our defenders and carving out chances, which but for some horrendous finishing and some fine goalkeeping from Kong Rafat they could have easily outscored us. I introduced Leap Bo to add some stability to the midfield and told my full backs to stay back in order to contain them. By the 90^th minute I felt we had a measure of control again and had done enough to cling on to an ugly win. Then, a right wing corner was fired in and met full on the volley by Pidor to equalise.. An opportunity missed..again… We remain in 3^rd.. The nettle we were trying to grasp had a nasty sting...

A last minute equaliser by bottom side National Defence prevented EDC from closing in on the top of the table, but all is not lost as we head into the closing stages of the season. Can EDC mount a serious title challenge, or will they be once again the bridesmaids in the 2022 C-League.

Read Part 31 Keeping Up with the Nagaworld here