A DAY TO FORGET!!!

TS travelled to Oswestry knowing that they beat the new side in their last fixture comfortably, but with no game in the last 2 weeks, injuries, players unavailable due to other commitments & NO SHOWS!! Technical Services did take a weakened side there today but still a side that could have got us something.

Flying in the Alliance league & sitting 5th in the LSPL, TS had it all to play for, no other games were on today in our own league so we could go top with the win, be 2 points clear and have 2 games in hand!!

However, Oswestry took to their game very well piling a lot of un-wanted pressure on our back-line without really testing Archie in the sticks. We looked good when we got the ball down & played. But when the lads try to take the ball that one step further, not using the easy ball, finding that final pass got harder & harder, making it very frustrating to watch & for our forwards. Alan Edwards limped off after only 5 minutes which was a blow, never mind what team you are or what team you put out, the team that starts is setting the stall out and to go a man down its like starting all over again. However, Technical Services did start to look threatening on the counter, Craig Williams actually fired us into the lead after good pressure from the front two Kev Price & Craig "Billy" Williams, the Oswestry rear guard didn't like it and started to make mistakes. The Oswestry goal keeper made the vital one and it ended up at Billy's feet and he finished it well.

TS then sat back, enjoyed being a goal ahead, thinking it was only a matter of time before we'd score again and the fact that the opposition were playing well but never really looked like they'd score TS got too comfortable. Half time came, TS winning 1 nil.

Second half has to be the worst I’ve seen this club play since we first started many years ago, it was like a flash back to the Allstar days!! Watching it, it just looked like the lads didn't know each other, it was a new side or that they just felt that the game was won already! Oswestry soon got themselves level with a cross come shot that was mis-judged to be going wide only to end up hitting the post and in (on another day it may of hit the post and gone out). A matter of minutes after that a shocking penalty decision was given, Oswestry player found himself bursting through the TS defence, took one touch too many taking it out of his control, TS captain Ben Cheadle stepped in took control, Oswestry player ran into him, he fell like he'd hit a brick wall = PENALTY! It was converted and TS heads dropped, frustration set in, players arguing, the game could have boiled over and pushing forward for the equaliser leaving massive gaps for the counter attack. Owestry took advantage of those gaps very well, it has to be said that they really did finish well today, TS finding themselves too far forward; Oswestry broke down the wings and their forwards finished very well. 3-1 down Kev Price had the ball in the net only to be told it was offside by the oppositions stand in lines man "well I had to stop you some how" was heard by all from the lines man. The anger again took control, the shape of the team was lost and it looked as if we finished playing 3-1-6 formation!! With that they got their 4th!!

SHOCKING IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!! Ok, a loss we could of done without, but I will look at this as a blessing in disguise and look to bounce back next week. We did have players missing as it seems to be this year when we have to travel a far distance, which needs sorting, but we had more than enough talent today. The better side won, no question about that did the score-line flatter them? Maybe a little, but we were lucky to find ourselves winning at half time, whatever their forwards eat at half time seemed to work, they couldn't hit a barn door in the 1st half and finished everything in the second! However they shouldn't have even had the chance, penalty? Yeah, it was a turning point, we lost our heads after that but we need to get this - we just have to turn up and we win - attitude out of our heads!