Pilli Play Balls...but win

LPFC U21's have scraped through the weekend with an unconvincing win against a 10-man Meani Hawks 2 side, with goals from striker Alex Poulos and midfielder Matthew Phipps enough to seal all three points.

After torrents of rain had pelted hapless Sydneysiders the few days prior, it was thought that the weekly ritual of club football that we all know and love would have been called off. Suffice to say it was not, a discovery made by a very few keen beans who sat at their computers at 7am that morning - finger's furiously tapping away at the refresh button on the club's hompage. As a result of previous downpours, Pilli's match was moved to the Ridge 3, where they would play table-toppers Menai Hawks 2 and where they have already played twice before this season.

Wind was the player's biggest foe on an unusually dry pitch at the Ridge, which was recognised by Pilli who decided to run with the element after winning the toss. Menai's lack of numbers was obvious right from the get-go with Pilli comfortably passing rings around their opposition. That being said, it was a matter of seconds before Pilli put themselves in front against a side which they had expected a particularly difficult game from.

Because I'm writing this blog hell late I can't exactly remember how we scored our first - all I know is that is was a simple tap in from Poulos. For the record he didn't go out the night before, but rather spent till 3am driving around banging bitches. Anyway, the usual thing happened where all our fans went into ecstasy, with the camera man zooming into some little kid crying with pleasure until he realised he was on tv and starting cheering and telling everyone, only to not realise camera men hate when people discover they are being filmed and had already switched frames.

After a suprisngly bright start to the match Pilli continued their attempts to pile on the pressure, but consistently managed to lose the ball in the final play. From here it was pretty much down-hill. Lethargy and complacency slowly bled their way into Pilli's play, for which the wingers may be criticised the most of all for not pulling out wider and making more darting runs. A typical Pilli attack consisted of a centre midfielder dribbling the ball up through the middle only for every other player to bolt forward towads the centre/not even move, leaving the dribbler with either a congested path or no options, respectively.

Time after time Pilli's attacks failed, which was not made easier when the opposition did nothing but clear the ball with a massive kick - slowing the game down to about as fast as William Clayden can run. It didn't come as a suprise that Pilli's next goal was a piece of individual brillance from Phipps. At about 20-yards out, Phipps controlled a bouncing pass beautifully and swept a long gliding ball into the opposite side of the goal - silencing his critics who have recently claimed he's shit.

You'd think that a goal would've aroused a poor PIlli side - it didn't. It was only as matter of time before one of their fustrating attacks was flipped on its back and turned into a rapid counter from Menai. A lost ball on the left wing prompted a Menai defender to lob the ball up to half-way where his teammate rounded sweeper Kurtis Thompson and succesfully placed a ball past fill in 'keeper Matthew Burg - leaving no chance for another now famous 'Burg sheet'.

As the referee blew for the end of the first period, an obviously fustrated Will Clayden was reportedly seen backhanding a female fan.

The second half contained no goals, hence we played just as bad, if not slightly better - probably because of the furious rant we were given by Clayden since he's heaps intimidating.

Pilli's win leaves them a mere one point behind both first-placed Menai and second-placed Barden Ridge 1 - with the season only at the half-way point. Daniel Costa received the game's M.O.M. as he at least showed some sort of enuthusiasm. Pilli's next match comes' at home next week against last-placed Bangor at home. We better win or else I'm gunna hit up Bundeena Maianbar.