Gladesville Ravens - Raven Report

Here we go, here we go, here we go... The draw for the 2006 season is here, with Ravens resuming their quest for their first ever 1st division premier league premiership in the ten team GHFA Premier League. Stay tuned for regular updates and breaking news. If you've got a spare five hours, you can access our 2003 and 2002 and 2004 and 2005 archives right here.

Check out www.ghfa.com.au and try negotiating their tricky results and tables feature..

The Man of the Match awards, handed out by the captains after each game, is the most coveted of awards - a trophy at the presentation night awaits. Table up Pennant Hills (H).

First Grade	Total Pts	Reserve Grade	Total Pts
Nathan Hickman		Johnnie Kosmidis
Aman Ramrakha		Phil McNamara
Dean Meek		Paul Galanos
Bradley McIndoe		Paul Fotofili
Shawn Maple		Texas Pete Smith
Robbie Valpato		Craig Newell
Nick Zorbas		Paul Purcell
Matty Roberts		Harry Papandony
Joel Hardaker		Brendon Harden
Costa Hrysanthos		Nick Christou
Chris Mahar		Ben Shine
Chrissy Bryant		Keith Lambourn
Stevie Zalalas		Glenn Robineon
Will Newton		Chris Mahar
Keith Lambourn		Will Newton
		Simon Payet
		Georgie Valas
		Marty Tzikas
		Adz Bryant
		Reggie Bryant

The 2006 season kicked off with the Ravens being handed a tricky away fixture against Epping Eastwood at Boronia Park. A ground which has yielded very little for the Ravens in recent seasons. With some new faces in the 1st grade line up however, the Ravens were optimistic of getting something out of the 2006 curtain raiser.

The Ravens team that took to the revamped Boronia Park pitch had a mixture of youth and experience, with young Pete Crawford and Pete Galante making their debuts, whilst the ageing legs of Nathan, Kosi and Joel took up their customary positions in defence. The midfield was star studded, with a heart of Meeky, Zorbie and Robbie, with some speeder flankers in the form of Ross Kethel and the afore mentioned Pete Crawford. Brad and Pete Galante started up front with Paul Purcell starting in between the sticks. A strong bench of Foto, Spiro, Steve, John and Aman would provide able support for the starting eleven.

If the first half was a boxing match, the Ravens would have won on a unanimous points decision, as they out played their oppositon with superior passing, movement and aggression. The Ravens defence stood tall and strong, with the Epping Eastwood attack barely getting a sniff of the Ravens goal. This had alot to do with the Ravens midfield who worked extremely hard, tracking back when needed, sliding across the park with ease and out enthusing their midfield counterparts as they constantly got to the ball first.

Ross was a constant threat on the left flank, as time after time he conned his marker into committing before skipping past him like a Kangaroo hopping a rusty barbed wire fence. It was Ross who tested the keeper with a vicious swerving right footed shot from well outside the box, which was pushed behind for one of many corners by the scrambling Epping Eastwood keeper.

It was from one of these corners that the Ravens opened their 2006 account, with Ross drilling in a delightful right footed cross which was met with a typical McIndoe header as he peeled away from the keeper to head home from close range at the back stick.

A 1-0 lead at half time for the Ravens, and one which was thoroughly deserved, who had remained disciplined and calm despite a flurry of rash challenges from a clearly frustrated Epping Eastwood side. One of these challenges was to unfortunately bring an early end to the game for Kosi after he hyper extended his knee as a result of the ill directed challenge which brought Foto into the game just before half time.

The second half started in a similar fashion, with the Ravens enjoying the better of the possession and creating a few half chances, with the two Petes both testing the keeper. The momentum started to shift however, as the Ravens started to tire a little in the middle of the park and the Epping Eastwood Tigers started to press for an equaliser. The Ravens defence was still giving very little away and Purcy was still yet to make a real save, but an increasing number of goal kicks for Joel, was an indication that things were getting a little busier in the Ravens half.

Some fresh legs were brought on to help combat the changing tide, with Pete Crawford making way for Spiro and Pete Galante being replaced with the ever green Steve Zalalas, but still Epping Eastwood continued to press.

The long throws were starting to cause a few headaches, with Ravens failing to clear the ball further down the field, giving Epping Eastwood good field position to send throw ins into the Ravens 6 yard box. With about 20 minutes to go, Epping Eastwood drew level, after a lapse in concentration saw a free kick sail into the 18 yard box towards an unmarkerd EEW attacker. Joel lunged desperately at the ball, but could only get a toe on it and with Purc unable to get off his line quick enough, the unmarked player was able to slide the ball past the stranded Purc.

1-1 now the score and the Ravens had a tricky period of play to negotiate against a now resurgent Epping Eastwood. With 5 minutes to go, the travelling Ravens fans had their hearts in their mouths as a lazy looking shot floated over Purcy only to strike the cross bar and bounce back into play. Fortunately for the Ravens, Joel was their first to hook the ball away from goal and avert the danger.

Nathan then went down in agony with cramps in both his calves, which was a surprise to some who weren't sure if he had any. This brought a fine performance by Nathan to an end, as John the Scottish import, was brought on to the park in his place

The full time whistle blew not long after and despite the disappointment of conceding the late goal, the Ravens could be well pleased with their performance and the bonus of an away point, something which hasn't been achieved in these parts for many years. No song to sing maybe but the beers at the Bowlo were still well earned and well deserved.

This is what it's all about this is Premier League. A warm yet not too hot afternoon on the famous dust bowl of Boronia Park that has suddenly acquired a decent turf coverage in the off-season, a Ravens squad bulging with talent and extra squad players, and a long awaited return to Epping after last year's heroic victory.

Ravens had a virtually full strength squad to choose from with only hat trick hero Vatalis and midfield stalwart Tex out with injury and illness, and it was a first league start in the reserves for Aman, continuing on from his success of the previous week, who played behind a back three of Joey, Nico and the returning Phil Mac. The two wing backs were Mousey and the evergreen Nick. The midfield comprised Georgie V, Gal and George, while up front it was the hard running of Reggie partnering the enterprising play of Nathan. A healthy bench of Bri, John, Stevie, Simon and player manager Stuey would give Ravens plenty of options.

The game was five minutes old before Ravens got hold of the tussle, and a pattern emerged of Georgie V taking possession in the middle of the park and looking to spread play with his vast array of passes. The midfield was sitting very deep, isolating the attack. Reggie was looking full of running, but it was Ravens who were caught out, conceding a sloppy goal on ten minutes when nothing looked on. A long ball was thumped over the top of the defence, giving Joey and Nico something to chase, but the ball instead fell perfectly to the Tigers forward who took the ball on and clipped the ball past a stranded Aman, the ball hitting the inside of the post and rolling in.

A stunned Ravens had to react, and they started to battle hard, although Reggie and Nath were isolated as they battled for scraps. Georgie V fired in a long range effort that tested the keeper, then Reggie found a turn of speed to beat his man down the left but the cross was intercepted. Mousey was finding the most space on the narrow field and was putting in the kms, setting up Nath and Georgie V who tried in vain to get through the defence.

Phil Mac was replaced after pulling up lame with his knee injury, John coming on to make his league debut at the heart of the defence. Aman had to be quick to snuff out another route one special as Epping threatened, but the chances were few and far between and Ravens went into the break frustrated by their opponents.

The second half was a different game altogether. Ravens had made a sub at half time, Mousey having run himself ragged to be replaced by Stevie, and the shape of the team changed to a more attacking style. Stevie was finding space down the right, and from one of his forays a cross came in for Reggie who wasn't far away with the effort.

More changes as Simon replaced Nick, and Simon was almost in with his first touch latching on to a cross from Gal to side foot wide, and things started to look promising. Reggie was subbed as he looked to get into a scuffle with his marker and was less than impressed about it, Stuey coming on to relieve the tension and to avoid any cards.

Just as Ravens began to step it up a notch, the goal arrived, and what a corker it was, Georgie V through ball to Nath down the right who took the ball on, skipped to the byline around his man and delivered the true Beardsley cross for Stuey Lineker to pounce and send the Ravens faithful wild. Ravens were level and deservedly so.

The Ravens rearguard were then put under the test, Joey and John coming up trumps as the Tigers pressed, and Nico found himself marauding forward in search of a winner, unlucky to see his mazy run and through ball halted by the offside flag. Ravens though were undone seconds later as a cross found its way through the whole defence and the shot deflected off Joey and beat Aman at the near post for 2-1. Disaster.

Worse almost came as a two against one situation saw the ball flash past Aman but the Epping striker couldn't find the empty net from five yards, the ball skewing wide of the post to the relief of the Ravens. Bri came on to replace George as Ravens threw caution to the wind; the intensity was high by now, but Ravens couldn't find the finish, and despite a frantic last five minutes couldn't find a way past the stubborn defence and had to settle for a 2-1 reverse.

Ravens were understandably disappointed after the match, but what a great spell in the second half when 0-1 looked to be turning to 2-1, but Ravens were stopped in their tracks. A home game with Penno at Fortress Peel comes next. Ravens continue to be almost at full strength, and a performance like this one will see them favourites to get something out of what has traditionally been an unpredictable encounter.

After a well earned draw the week before against Epping Eastwood, the Ravens were hoping to take their good form into their first home game against premiership favourites, Pennant Hills. There was only the one change to the starting line up, with Foto being drafted in to replace the injured Kosi at stopper.

The opening 5 minutes belonged to the Ravens as they set up camp in the Penno half and looked likely to find the back of the net first. Young Pete Crawford was played through on the left, but he hit his left footed shot weakly and the advancing keeper was able to deflect it behind for a corner. Rosco flashed a shot just wide from distance and a couple of Ravens corners tested the resolve of the Pennant Hills defence.

Nothing was to come of this period of dominance for the Ravens and slowly Pennant Hills, who were playing in strip that resembled the early Australian one day cricket outfit, started to get on top and the pace of their strikers started to cause the Ravens back three a few problems.

A series of free kicks were given away just outside the 18 yard box, and Purcy had to be at his sharpest to keep the scores level at 0-0 as he pulled off two fine saves. Moments later, what looked like a harmless enough through ball, floated into the box and struck Meeky on the arm as he prepared to control the ball and run it to safety. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot.

It was the Ravens faithful who came to the rescue of the team, as a chorus of boos and whistles rang out behind the goals as the Penno number 6 stepped up to take the spot kick. Inan "Spandini" Koktas even left the bbq momentarily to perform some sort of a crab dance just as the penalty was taken, and the ball was blasted into the crossbar before being hooked away to safety.

Pennant Hills kept pressing however, and with 7 minutes to go before the break, disaster struck. Another long ball was switched from the right to the left towards the Penno striker. Foto seemed to have everything under control, but just as the ball was played he caught a whiff of the lamb souvlaki being turned on the bbq and stopped to take it all in. This momentary lapse in concentration allowed the striker to nip in front of Foto and flick the ball beyond the reach of Purcy and into the back of the net.

The Ravens almost drew level on the stroke of half time as Nick lobbed a cross into the path of an unmarked Robbie Volpato at the far post. The ball was a little high and fell to Robbie's right foot and he was unable to keep his volley on target as it sprayed wide of the post.

Some stern words were spoken in the Ravens dressing room at half time as Joel tried to lift the players for the second stanza. The midfield was dead tired as they had done nothing but chase the Penno shadows for the majority of the 1st half. Emphasis was put on the team keeping possession and playing through the midfield rather than going long all the time. Pete Crawford was replaced with the ever green Steve Zalalas as the Ravens looked to grab back a goal.

Barely 10 minutes had gone when Penno went 2-0 up as a free man popped up in the box and sweetly headed home a cross from the left. Poor marking was to blame and the Ravens heads started to drop.

With 20 minutes gone it was 3-0 and the Ravens were reduced to 10 men, as Purcy pulled off a beautiful bootlace tackle to prevent the Penno striker from scoring. I'm not sure how he wasn't called up for offside as he had a jump of at least 10 metres on the Ravens defence, but the linesman's flag stayed down. Purcy was shown a red card for a tackle Billy Slater would been proud of and Steve took the keepers jersey for the penalty kick but could do nothing to stop the shot.

Vatalis came on in place of Brad to take up his spot in goals as the Ravens changed formation slightly to cope with the send off. Being 3-0 down however, meant caution had to be thrown to the wind, and after Ross rounded the keeper to slot home after running on to a Robbie through ball, Joel dragged himself off so Courtenay could come on up front in a bid to further reduce the deficit.

Spiro was then sent on to replace a tired Peter Galante and his pace started to cause the Penno defence a few problems. The last 15 minutes saw the Ravens pick up the game as the ball started to go through the middle of the park and a couple of chances were created.

Meeky saw a well hit volley saved by the keeper and Ross's header just couldn't find the target. In the end though the score remained at 3-1 and the Ravens were well beaten. In saying that it was a good team that the Ravens had come up against and with a bit more possession and some tighter marking things could have been different.

A beautiful sunny day welcomed the new look Ravens Premier League Reserves to Peel Stadium for the first time in this year's campaign. The pitch was for the most part looking great, except for some last minute repairs to the morrison road end goal still taking hold. Playing against the team on the top line with Centre Bet to take out the 2006 title, the Ravens were going to have to lift to take this one out. An inspired pre match talk was delivered from a fired up Stuey, looking the part as Reserve Grade manager in a shirt & tie that would have made Alex Ferguson jealous.

A much changed side compared to last week with plenty of competition for places in a strong squad. Aman again in goals, Bryan making his starting debut at sweeper, John & Joe stoppers. Simon & Greg were the wing backs, Gal, Vallas & Nico in the middle of the park. Spiro partnered Vatalis up front. A full bench with Phil Mac, Mousey, George & Nick eager to get on the pitch.

A frenetic pace was set early on with the Ravens enjoying the bulk of possesion and field position. Spiro & Vatalis were causing havoc up front, Vatalis smashing through the defence like a wrecking ball. Their small and slow defence no match for the Greek BBQ king's size or Spiro's darting runs and sheer pace.

One of Spiro's runs into the box resulting in a bad tackle, the referee pointing straight to the spot. In a scene quite strange, no one seemed to claimed the penalty so it was Gal with ball in hand stepping up to take it. And it it was a shocker. Missed to the left of the post and bouncing along the ground. Still 0-0 but the Ravens were continuing to press forward in attack, plenty of top quality ball sent through by Vallas & Gal through the centre and especially Greg out wide.

The Penno number 25 carried on like a goose as he usually does, copping a well deserved card for a late tackle. A few heated moments from here as the pace continued at a high and chances either end went begging, although Ravens still had the upper hand to this point.

Brian came off midway through the first half after a very late challenge by that absolute tool in number 25 that should have seen him sent from the field. Instead it was Brian leaving the field, replaced by George and forcing a few changes with Nico returning to sweeper for the rest of the game.

A lapse in concentration at the back and Penno were in 1-0 up against the run of play. The backs, otherwise solid to this point left shaking their heads. But there was more head shaking to follow after Penno hit the post and then twice had shots hit defenders in the space of 10 seconds near half time. A fairly calm and patient talk at half time, and the Ravens knew this game was far from over. A fired up Phil Mac came on for John.

A few chances at either end with no change in the 1-0 score for the first 20 or minutes or so of the 2nd stint. Simon made way for Nick, and the scores were soon to be level. And it seemed so simple... A short corner played to George, keeper off his line, and a beautifully crafted shot into the top corner of the goal. Back in the hunt.

Number 25 was finally taken from the field and 3 fresh strikers were brought on in the space of 10 minutes, really testing the Ravens fitness at the back. A combination of a well timed run, tiredness at the back and possibly doubious 'no call' from the linesman gave Penno what would prove to be the match winner. Aman having the ball knocked from his hands then put in the back of the net.

A couple of Ravens free kicks in the dying minutes proved to be unfruitful and the score remained 2-1 for the 2nd week in a row. While it may have been the opposition singing today, on this showing it won't be long before it will be the Ravens in full chorus again. A weeks break for Easter before a tough ANZAC Long Weekend Double Header. Come on Ravens!

A stunning left footed finish from coach Joel helped Normanhurst on their way to a 2-0 win over the mighty Ravens, despite a late surge from the black and whites.

With the Ravens looking to post their first win, Stevie Zed was brought into the side on the right wing, whilst Courtenay came back in to partner Brad up front and a young Anthony Vatalis made his debut in between the sticks. A strong bench hosted household names such as Speedy Spiro Courtis, the ever present Con Hrysanthos and the skillful Pete Galante.

From the kick off the Ravens were under the hammer, as Normo spent most of the half marauding into black and white territory, and the feathered fans who had made the journey north had to settle for a few counter attacks, which came close to unlocking the Normanhurst defence. A neat passing move down the left and Ross was almost in behind the defence, as was Courtenay moments later.

Despite their glut of possession, Normanhurst were yet to fashion a proper chance on goal, and required the sublime skill of yours truly to break the dead lock.

A ball was played through from the middle of the park which split the Ravens defence, and with Joel unsighted as to wear the Normo attacker was running, he lunged at the waist high ball with his outstretched left foot to try and knock the ball to safety. At this point in time, goal keeper Vatalis moved out to collect the ball, but his call came a second too late, as Joel was already in mid-air and committed to the ball. Proper contact was not made however, and the ball flicked the outside of Joel's left boot and cruelly spun past the advancing Vatalis. It was travelling at about 2.4 kilometres an hour, but the big frame of Anthony Vatalis resembled that of a road train carrying cattle up the Stuart Highway, and he was unable to perform the 5 point turn in time to stop the ball trickling over the line. No fault of Anthony's though, and this was just another example of the kind of bad luck the Ravens always seem to be dealt.

The Ravens were dealt a further blow, when Nick was forced to limp from the field with a pulled zorbial ligament with 10 minutes still to go until half time. Ross moved into the middle of the park, and Spiro came on to play right midfield with Steve switching to the left.

Nothing more of note occurred prior to the half time whistle, well nothing that I can remember anyway, and it was a tired Ravens that jogged from the field after a tough first half with not much possession.

The 2nd half started better for the Ravens and they started to find some space and possession as Normanhurst sat a little deeper, inviting the Ravens into the game. A great ball from Courtenay sent Brad through on goal, but the ball ran away from Brad a little and he had to stretch to shoot and the ball was well saved by the Normo keeper.

A great ball from Ross was then headed goalwards by McIndoe, but with the keeper beaten, a Normo defender somehow managed to deflect the ball to safety. A lack of luck once again.

Then disaster struck, as Spiro collided with Joel as he went to head clear a long high through ball which saw the ball evade both of them. It fell to Roidsy fortunately, or so it seemed, who had come on for a tiring Foto, but his attempt at clearing the ball turned into one of the best air swings you will ever see. The Normo striker, who was somewhat surprised to find the ball at his feet, lobbed the ball over the advancing Vatalis and into the back of the net. 2-0 the score.

The Ravens continued to attack however, and Spiro was starting to find plenty of space on the right. With 20 minutes to go Pete Galante was brought on for Stevie, in a bid to grab a couple of late goals. Once again the Ravens appeared to be rorted when the Normo defender handled the ball inside the 18 yard box. The referee waved away the Ravens claims however and probably carded someone for asking what show was on channel 10 at 8.30pm. The referee, who was having a blinder, must have thought he was officiating over a game of netball, as any contact made (only when it was the Ravens) was penalised.

The seconds ticked down, and the Ravens failed to trouble the scorers, but not from a lack of trying. A spirited second half performance however should leave the team with the confidence to get a result at home to St Andrews on Tuesday.

A tremendous effort from the Gladesville Ravens saw a worried Normanhurst throw on a selection of first grade stars in order to snatch a late win.

Searching for their first point of the season following two narrow defeats, Ravens fielded a strong side; Aman was once again in goal, behind a back three of sweeper Georgie V, Nico and Phil Mac. Pete Crawford took the right wing back spot and Sydney FC's number one fan Greg took the left as Ravens went for width on the immense pitch. A late change saw Tex come in for his first start of the season in midfield alongside George and Gal, and the front two of Nath and Reggie looked to add to the Ravens tally for the season. A strong bench comprised the youthful Nick, Mousey, Simon, Stuey and the late arriving John.

The opening exchanges saw Ravens in the ascendency as they got to grips with their marking jobs. The miniscule winger with the unenviable nickname "Chimp" was the biggest worry, and Pete had the task of keeping him in check while creating space himself as Ravens attacked, and the midfield was locked in a chess-style battle of wits and strategy.

Ravens were restricted to the counter attack, but they were looking dangerous whenever they had the ball, Greg seeing a great deal of ball down the left and Nathan battling hard to feed off scraps up front. Some uncompromising tackling from Normo saw them concede a flurry of freekicks in dangerous positions; Nico rifled in a cracking shot from thirty yards that flashed just over before George curled one over. A short corner from George saw Tex lift in a cross that Reggie did well to challenge for, and Normo were rattled.

At the other end, Aman showed safe juggling skills coming out of his area to deal with a long through ball, and did well to save with his feet from a glorious chance as Normo pushed to get into their stride. A corner from Ravens led to the Ravens overcommitting up front and were caught in a five on two situation at the back, luckily though the wasteful finishing from Normanhurst saw the ball smashed wildly over the bar.

Gal was having a blinder in the middle of the park, even managing to get on the good side of the referee who was managing the game very well. The half ended with Normanhurst looking the stronger, but with Ravens having the bulk of the quality possession.

A post mortem of the half in the sheds saw Ravens go out with renewed vigour, and they started to fire on all cylinders. A twenty minute period of dominance then ensued where Ravens found their rhythm and the chances began to come.

A weaving run from Georgie V through the middle saw Pete brought down outside the area, and his quick thinking set up Tex with a good chance from twelve yards, but his low shot was saved by the legs of the keeper. Normo's defence was at sixes and sevens, and the resulting corner was hastily booted behind for another as the corner count rose dramatically in Ravens favour.

With George making way for John and Reggie coming off to be replaced by Simon, this freed Pete to move up front and make his presence known. A quick free kick by Simon then set Tex up to lift a neat cross in to the near post where Nathan expertly turned the ball goalward only to be denied by the post when a goal looked a certainty.

Normo began to get into the game when they replaced some tired legs with some fresh first grade legs. Ravens survived a scare from a corner, Simon heading the ball off the line and the game began to swing. Mousey replaced the injured Gal and was immediately on the offensive, swinging in a cross that evaded everyone, but fell for Nathan at the far post who smashed a shot in that was cleared by a defender.

With Georgie V pulling up in what is now a familiar hamstrung limp, Nick came on, but Ravens were powerless to prevent the opening goal - three missed tackles leaving Simon exposed, and the shot whistled past his foot and past the outstretched hand of Aman to nestle in the very bottom left hand corner of the goal. A sickener for the Ravens, six minutes left on the clock.

Ravens couldn't get out of their half, and it was no surprise when a diving header from a corner caught Ravens wanting, and the final nail was in the coffin. There was time for a bit of nonesense involving the Normo attacker and Nico as the game threatened to descend into turmoil, but the referee blew for time right on time to diffuse the situation.

Ravens beaten for the third game in a row, and another tremendous 70 minutes undone by a lack of concentration in the final stretch. Ravens can be proud of the way they held their opponents and what a different game this would have been had the Ravens had luck on their side and scored first. An Anzac Day battle at Peel to come; Ravens will attempt to reverse the trend with a win against old foes St Andrews.

With the Ravens minus Nick Zorbas through injury, a new formation was adopted to try and take advantage of the abundance of fire power available to Joel up front.

The 3-4-3 formation saw Vatalis keep his spot in goals, whilst Joel, Nathan and Foto continued as the three amigos in defence. The midfield consisted of Ross on the left, Steve on the right and Robbie and Meeky in the centre, with Pete, Courtenay and Brad positioned up front.

A moments silence was observed prior to kick off, perhaps as much for Meeky's last game as it was for ANZAC Day. The game got underway with Ravens dominating possession, St Andrews appearing quite happy to sit deep and defend and hit the Ravens on the counter. This seemed to suit the Ravens as they carved out numerous chances, but were unable to turn these chances into goals.

Firstly Meeky was played through, but his shot was smothered by the advancing keeper just outside the 6 yard box. Then Robbie ran off Courtenay and into the 18 yard box and with the ball on his favoured left foot a goal was anticipated, but Robbie drove his shot well wide of the target. Galante then skipped inside the box and saw his shot charged down by the defender. Foto found space after a half cleared corner, but his volley was skied over the bar. Two hand ball appeals were once again turned down, one of them somehow going against Courtenay when it was his marker who had blatantly hand balled inside the box. Meeky tried his luck from distance as did Courtenay, but as per usual the Ravens were unable to score.

So after half an hour of dominance it came as no surprise to find the Ravens down a goal, as one of the few St Andrews forays forward resulted in a well taken goal. A long through ball into the 18 yard box, saw Ross out jump his man to win the header, but the ball fell to the St Andrews red headed midfielder just outside the box, and he calmly took one touch before volleying the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

Minutes later Ross picked up a yellow card for a late challenge, as a clearly frustrated Ravens continued to wonder how they were down 1-0 after being the better team for the majority of the half.

So 1-0 down at half time and Joel tried to inspire the troops with a heart felt speech that reminded the boys that they were well in this game and could still win it, as long as they showed some patience and discipline.

Within 10 minutes of the restart discipline was thrown out the window, as Ross Kethel lashed out and fouled the player he was chasing, and was rightly shown a second yellow card and therefore a red card for his offence. Down to 10 men once again, an occurrence almost as common as the Ravens dominating but not scoring and then conceding a goal.