Match Report Ulverstone v Launceston United

Match Report Ulverstone v Launceston United

Ulvie started well scoring after only 3 minutes when Michael Grey finished a 1 on 1 with a hesitant keeper. We had a few chances to go 3 or 4 up early but didn’t capitalise on these chances. It stayed 1-0 for a while and United’s confidence grew. They equalised with a well taken goal after about half an hour and the game remained even for the rest of the half.

Shortly after the break United earned a penalty, however it was smashed against the crossbar. It was a fairly even contest for the next half hour and United appeared to be the more confident side. Our passing and general skill level was down on the day whereas Launie were passing and moving confidently. We had missed our share of 1 on 1’s throughout the game but a United substitute narrowly missed a 1 on 1 with about 20 to go that would have probably seen them go on to win the game. With about 15 to go, Tom Maine avoided the offside trap and crossed the ball to Michael Grey, who, with his back to goal, was brought down and a penalty was awarded. Ben Foote blasted home from the spot to make it 2-1. This deflated Launie a little bit and with about 7 minutes to go, Ben Foote headed home from a corner with the ball only just crossing the line.

Launceston must be commended for their fighting spirit for most of the game and with a bit of luck they may have pinched at least a draw and possibly even the win. Their ball use was good overall and, with a bit more effort to get midfielders forward to support the strikers, they will hopefully earn their first win sooner rather than later.

We had our issues during the match, mainly through basic skill errors and a lack of concentration. Our main problem was we just couldn’t weight or direct our through balls to the strikers. They were either too close to the defence or balls were going over the top way too far. It was disappointing to see these basic skill errors but we never gave up and got the win eventually in what was a pretty even game after about the first 20 minutes.

I was glad to give Tom Maine his well earned senior starting debut and he didn’t disappoint. He was solid in defence, even though he gave away the penalty. When we needed a spark I pushed him forward where he broke down the right and crossed to Michael Grey when the penalty was awarded. He also delivered a quality corner for Ben Foote to head home. We missed Joel Stone in the midfield today as he was out for a week after accumulating too many yellows.