Scrappy Fever claim opening day victory
Fever took all the points with a 3-1 victory over INTS FC in an entertaining encounter on the opening day of the Seoul Saturday League Fall Season.
Both teams struggled to establish any kind of rhythm in the opening period, but there were still a number of chances at both ends. Filip Pusnik and Emile De Vos were paired upfront but only had long balls to feed on as the midfield was bypassed too frequently. They worked hard to try and create something from one of the numerous hopeful punts up field and they managed to get on the end of a couple of balls but showed woeful finishing. De Vos, in particular, never gave up harassing the defenders and must have thought he was about to open his account as he powered past a few defenders, jinked past the keeper but was unable to find the net with the goal at his mercy. Pallos Levente, on the right hand side of midfield was the standout performer of the opening period, tackling, passing and tracking back effectively, and nearly found himself on the score sheet, only to be denied by the cross bar. The game was scrappy, but Fever were looking slightly more likely to break the deadlock, before a poorly defended set piece put them 1-0 down. The back line of player/manager Dennis Byrne, Lappin, Argueta and Kilroy, had looked relatively untroubled, but Max Keselenko lost his marker who peeled away at the far post to head home a dangerous corner. After a stellar performance, Byrne then replaced himself with Greg Cross, a more attack minded wing back, who received the first caution of the season a few moments after his introduction with an overzealous challenge which flattened his opponent. Byrne then also made another attack minded substitution by bringing on the pacey Kevin Kim for Stephen Kilroy at left back. De Vos and Pusnik had a few scrappy chances between them but lacked the composure to finish them and at the end of the first period Fever remained 1-0 down.
Both teams struggled to establish any kind of rhythm in the opening period, but there were still a number of chances at both ends. Filip Pusnik and Emile De Vos were paired upfront but only had long balls to feed on as the midfield was bypassed too frequently. They worked hard to try and create something from one of the numerous hopeful punts up field and they managed to get on the end of a couple of balls but showed woeful finishing. De Vos, in particular, never gave up harassing the defenders and must have thought he was about to open his account as he powered past a few defenders, jinked past the keeper but was unable to find the net with the goal at his mercy. Pallos Levente, on the right hand side of midfield was the standout performer of the opening period, tackling, passing and tracking back effectively, and nearly found himself on the score sheet, only to be denied by the cross bar. The game was scrappy, but Fever were looking slightly more likely to break the deadlock, before a poorly defended set piece put them 1-0 down. The back line of player/manager Dennis Byrne, Lappin, Argueta and Kilroy, had looked relatively untroubled, but Max Keselenko lost his marker who peeled away at the far post to head home a dangerous corner. After a stellar performance, Byrne then replaced himself with Greg Cross, a more attack minded wing back, who received the first caution of the season a few moments after his introduction with an overzealous challenge which flattened his opponent. Byrne then also made another attack minded substitution by bringing on the pacey Kevin Kim for Stephen Kilroy at left back. De Vos and Pusnik had a few scrappy chances between them but lacked the composure to finish them and at the end of the first period Fever remained 1-0 down.
After a period to forget, a new team emerged after the break. Fever began to grow into the game, with the midfield and wing backs combining more fluently as Sebastian Auger began to get a grasp of the game, pulling the strings in the centre of midfield. Auger was instructed to shield the back four and begin attacks and he rose to the task as he was constantly looking for possession, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, as Fever began to retain possession. Gareth Fannin on the left of midfield and striker De Vos showed some neat interchanges as Fever’s movement began to trouble the INTS backline. Byrne brought on Jae Sok for Levente, who ran himself into the ground after an energetic first period, and his introduction made a big impact as he brought some physical presence to the midfield and was always looking to make forward runs. Fever were now looking dangerous as Auger time and time again picked up the ball and surged forward, spraying the ball around at will as Fever’s offensive line began to move for each other, looking to get on the end of one of Augers through balls. After raising their performance levels, all that the team needed was a goal, and they were soon to make the breakthrough. Following a period of sustained pressure and patient build up play, the ball fell to the impressive Fannin who dispatched a cool and decisive finish to level the game at 1-1, and became Seoul Fever’s first goal scorer in a competitive match. The Fever back line put a shaky start behind them as they comfortably dealt with any attempt to breach the defence. Kevin Kim at left back was proving a useful attacking outlet, as he repeatedly surged down the wing. However he, and fellow wing back Cross, surrendered possession a few too many times by trying to force the issue down the line when a simple ball inside would have been the better natural option. With Auger making the side tick in the middle of the park, Fever were looking the more likely to establish a lead, which they did through Keselenko. Auger freed in the fresh legs of Jae Sok down the wing, who in turn played a dangerous ball into the box which, after Pusnik had an effort rebound off the post, eventually fell to Keselenko who atoned for his error in INTS’s opener by thumping the ball through a sea of bodies to make it 2-1 Fever. The team looked to be in a confident mood and after another stint of smooth passing, Auger had a chance from a free kick after being felled 30 yards out from goal. He placed the ball, smashing a firm bending effort toward the top corner, only to be denied by the keeper. De Vos and Pusnik again had a few sniffs at goal but the second period drew to a close with Fever leading 2-1.
The first period, from Fever’s perspective, was poor, the second was excellent, and the third was a mixture of both. Auger continued to dictate the play but fatigue was setting in and Byrne decided to freshen things up with a few more substitutions. Benny Ho and Adam Lim came onto the right side and Tae Ho came in at left back, with Kevin Kim pushing forward to left midfield to good effect. Andrew Muir came on to take over the defensive midfield duties, freeing Auger to press forward to try and engineer some more opportunities as Fever looked to increase their lead. There were a few chances, with Auger whipping in a few dangerous set pieces, and Pusnik was denied by the keeper and some last ditch defending, but soon enough they got their reward. After being released by an excellent through ball from Dan Argueta, De Vos found himself one on one after brushing off a defender and finally got the goal his work rate merited. It was clear that it meant a lot to him and his teammates who now hope this will be a familiar sight over the course of the season. With a two goal cushion Pusnik dropped back to midfield to help stem any chance of an INTS comeback with the central core of Lappin, Agueta, Muir and Auger holding position and shutting up shop.
There were a number of positive displays today, with Lappin, Kim and Fannin putting in performances of real quality, along with Andrew Ritchie, who helped marshal the back four, showing big improvement with an increasingly confident pair of hands. Emile De Vos raised his all round game today, as he held the ball up intelligently with his back to goal, distributing it at the right time, as well as demonstrating his speed and athleticism by constantly making runs in behind the defence and down the flanks. But the man of the match award went to Sebastian Auger, as his confidence on the ball and drive from midfield proved to be the catalyst of the teams upturn in fortunes.
Man of the match: Sebastian Auger
There were a number of positive displays today, with Lappin, Kim and Fannin putting in performances of real quality, along with Andrew Ritchie, who helped marshal the back four, showing big improvement with an increasingly confident pair of hands. Emile De Vos raised his all round game today, as he held the ball up intelligently with his back to goal, distributing it at the right time, as well as demonstrating his speed and athleticism by constantly making runs in behind the defence and down the flanks. But the man of the match award went to Sebastian Auger, as his confidence on the ball and drive from midfield proved to be the catalyst of the teams upturn in fortunes.
Man of the match: Sebastian Auger