Sylvans Reserves 3 – 1 Alderney Nomads
Report by James Falla
Despite a positive start the Nomads suffered defeat in our first game of our Mauger Cup campaign on a wet Saturday on the KGV 3G surface.
Our last game before Christmas had been a comprehensive defeat of Sylvans on the same pitch but this time the opposition were much stronger.
However we took the lead, some good pressure and build up play saw midfielder Sam White seize on a loose ball and poke home from close range inside the first 5 minutes.
But steadily Sylvans came back into the game though a makeshift defence largely restrained them to efforts from outside the box, capably dealt with by James Taylor, who had a fine game in goal.
Nomads had a couple of chances either side of the half-time interval to extend our lead but failed to take them. However we continued to repel whatever Sylvans threw at us until they finally conjured an equaliser with a superb volley from distance by Tiago Rodrigues, more often seen in the Priaulx League, with about 20 minutes to go.
Five minutes later the same player and another strike from 20 yards left JT helpless to put us 1-2 down and following some over-ambition from a late corner for us, he completed his hat-trick with a long distance lob that JT couldn’t get to.
A disappointing start to the campaign but the Nomads, short of a few regulars for this one, must believe they still have a good chance of making the cup final at the end of the season.
Team: Taylor; Maloy, Albin, J Adamson, Le Poullain; S White, Blackham, Connor, Lawrence; Walker, Toko. Subs: Pritchard, J White, Fernandez.
