Match Report
Match Report - 03 May 2015, Maclay Football Club 2015 beat Tring Anchor
SECOND CUP FINAL SECURED IN STYLE
Sunday 3rd May 2015
CSL Invitation Cup at Cow Roast
Maclay 8 (5) v Tring Anchor 0 (0)
Scorers: Dean Gavin (20, 23 & 28 min), Adam Cowland (39 min), Matt Ashby (43 min), Ian Ranger (46 & 52 min) & Peter Hay (59 min)
Maclay produced some of the finest football ever seen from a Maclay team in this match. For a 40 minute period in the middle of the match the blend of youth and experience, plus the power and pace that this team has, made them virtually unstoppable.
The match was very competitive for the first 20 minutes as Tring more than held their own against Maclay. Maclay keeper Chris Young was forced to make two good saves in the opening period or his team would have gone behind.
Gradually the hard work of Peter Hay, the impressive promptings of Man of the Match YUSEF SEODI and the deadly finishing of DEAN GAVIN started to yield results. Top scorer, DEAN GAVIN scored three times in 8 minutes to give his team a real cushion and set them on the way to semi-final success. First of all he turned and shot home in the box from a Peter Hay knock down to open the scoring in the 20th minute. Then Gavin finished off a powerful Seodi surge when he fired in a low hard shot from the right wing cross in the 23rd minute. This was followed by a third goal 5 minutes later when Gavin neatly converted Matt Ashby’s cross for his hat trick and his 26th goal of the season.
Maclay continued to press for more goals and were duly rewarded in the 39th minute when ADAM COWLAND neatly flicked the ball over his opponent and ran through to calmly slot the ball home for the fourth goal. Four minutes later MATT ASHBY pounced on Ian Ranger’s exquisite chip pass to rifle the ball past the keeper for his 24th goal of the season.
In the second half, Maclay continued where they left off. The introduction of Said Hijjawi on the wing immediately paid off as IAN RANGER met Hijjawi’s left wing cross for an easy goal just after the re-start.
IAN RANGER finished off Matt Ashby’s right wing cross in the 52nd minute to give Maclay a seven goal lead. Ranger nearly had his first hat-trick since returning to Maclay when he hammered a shot off the cross bar in the 59th minute - the rebound was met by midfield powerhouse PETER HAY who headed in to complete the scoring.
The last half hour saw Tring come forward at every opportunity as they tried to get a goal or two back. Maclay’s defence, marshalled by the experienced David Hay and the impressive Bevan Gosling held firm and keeper Chris Young was delighted with his clean sheet.
Maclay’s reward for this semi-final win is a final against Premier League leaders, Magpies 91 at Bellingdon on 10th May (kick off 5pm). Maclay 4-2 victory over Magpies in the group stages of the competition a few weeks ago should make this an interesting and challenging match.
Squad: C Young, D Bryan, J O’Connor, B Gosling (capt), D Hay, P Hay, S Hodja, I Ranger, P Hanlon, A Cowland, M Ashby, J Rochford, Y Seodi, D Rennison, S Hijjawi & D Gavin
MAN OF THE MATCH: YUSEF SEODI
Maclay Football Club 2015 8 - 0 Tring Anchor ()