Flavovespia 4–4 Dreamplanet
A spectacular match at Highland Road saw Flavovespia and Dreamplanet split 8 goals between the 2 teams equally. Despite the display on football today, Dreamplanet will be disappointed to lose ground in the race for 2nd, and Flavovespia look to be drifting out of contention for any position other than the penultimate spot in the group.
The opening few minutes looked calm and collected as both teams tried to figure out the other. However it took just 7 minutes for an opener, and it was the hosts who got it. Steven Hall showed off his dribbling prowess in the centre of the park, a role he's adapted to well, and managed to get a good ball through the defence. Andrew Mason met it first, and slotted it down into the corner, giving the hosts a 1-0, with their very first attack of the game.
Dreamplanet looked a little fazed, but certainly saw the chance to get back into the game. Just 11 minutes later, and they got it. Luis Silva, ever present in the attack of Dreamplanet, got himself between Mark James and Tony Gardner, and finished with a tidy shot beyond Conor Harrington, equalising the game. 1-1, and there was still a long time to play.
5 minutes later and the visitors had the lead. This time Silva was the creator, as he pulled Harrington out of position, and his dummy shot caught out the keeper. Harrington was left stranded as Aaron Hungar was gifted an open goal to tap into. 1-2 now, with the visitors knocking Flavovespia back in a quick flourish of goals.
Things went from bad to worse after 40 minutes, when seemingly out of nothing, Aaron Hungar pulled off a low long range shot, that Harrington could only get a slight touch to as it rolled into the net. Some blame the error on the Flavovespia keeper, others the defence, but it didn't matter, the visitors had a 2 goal lead, and Flavovespia went in at the break needing inspiration.
The inspiration came from Scott Coleman. On 48 minutes, with his back to goal, a cheeky spin got him goalside of the defender, and his quick shot flew past Filipe Vaz, to cut the defecit to one. 2-3 now, and it felt like everything was to play for, and the game was hyping up to be a classic.
Then in the 67th minute, the game seemed to step up yet another gear. Under little pressure at the back, Dreamplanet tried to build an attack, but a loose pass left Coleman with a 1 on 1, and the Stanmorn striker didn't need a second invitation to bury it in the net, little Silva could do about that. 3-3 now, Flavovespia had completed their comeback.
It took only 60 seconds before Flavovespia managed to take the lead, and Scott Coleman got his and Flavovespia's first international hat-trick. Recovering the ball after the kick-off, Stephen Moore broke down the right flank, and delivered an early whipped cross in to the box. Coleman beat the defence for pace, and got his foot in to nudge the ball past Silva and into the net. A 4-3 lead now for Flavovespia, a dramatic turnaround.
Dreamplanet weren't going down without a fight, and it took them just 4 minutes to get an equaliser. Luis Silva, got himself into a good position on the edge of the box, and was able to dribble past and cut in, creating a clear cut chance that was well taken by the Dreamplanet star. It was an incredible 4-4 now, in a thrilling match.
Both teams wanted a winner, but truth be told energy levels were dropping as the final minutes approached. There were some off target shots, and a few corners, but ultimately neither side could fashion out a good opportunity, and after an intense game, it finished 4-4, both sides thinking they could have won, but ultimately just didn't quite have the finishing touch.
Ko-oren suffered a shock home loss to Freeport, and thus aren't yet qualified to the World Cup. Eura won over Western Bjornaic, to return to 2nd place. The standings in Group M are Ko-oren (23), Eura (17), Dreamplanet (15), Freeport (15), Torisakia (10), Flavovespia (8), Western Bjornaic (0). Flavovespia now travel to Freeport, probably now a big game to need to win to even get close to overtaking Torisakia.
Domestic News
Butterfield Rovers are not the only team rumoured to be looking at a potential ground move. Apsbrooke FC, currently playing at the 9091 capacity Meadow Hill, are also rumoured to be exploring the option of a potential ground relocation. They have the 2nd lowest capacity in the Super League, but only because of the presence of South Maishop and recently Guildwell, and at least 15’000 is the standard for many clubs now.
The move was not confirmed by any of the Apsbrooke hierarchy. However, FFD did not receive a specific denial of any plans, and it’s widely believe that consultancy work on siting a new ground is already underway. The rumoured capacity to be considered is ~20’000, but it remains to be seen if this could be fully financed or not, and whether a less ambitious target should be aimed for.
On the other end of the scale, there is talk of Johns Park, currently in a 15584 seater stadium, “deactivating” at least 1, potentially even 2 stands. Attendances have fallen below 50% at the best of times, and in one game they reached just 2043 in the Eastern League. A far cry from the days of the Super League for the team in purple, their future is not looking optimistic at all.
