MATCH REPORT; Madison 4 Milford 2

Madison magic too much for Milford

A bitter wind that chilled you to the marrow and brought tears to the eyes was a timely reminder, if it was needed, that Spring and Summer had passed and that Fall was now finally giving way to old man Winter. But on this day, even as the seasons rushed to pass the baton to the finish line of 2008, this Madison team could now proudly say not here, not ever, no one beats us at our house!
Yes, a final game at home yet again ended with the Madison team standing proud, unbowed, undefeated.....and victorious!

This was a rousing, bracing game that started at a hares pace and to be honest caught the Madison team cold. After five minutes a defensive mix up allowed the Milford team to break down the right, cut a ball straight across the penalty box for the easiest of uncontested finishes. Madison were one nil down and struggling to deal with Milford's aggressive play backed by an even stronger head wind that made a mockery of the Celt's usual passing game. This early set back had added to the pre-match shock of realizing that Madison's top goalscorer was missing from the line up. RoRo would not be there to rescue the team as he had done in many previous games and the team would need to rise to the challenge. Several chances came and went for Madison with shots going wide or high as they struggled to get into the game. But just when it was looking bleak for the Celts, a great move down the left by Jorge allowed him to swing in a great cross which was expertly controlled by Carlito in the opposition penalty box. With the softest of touches he then gently lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper for a great equalizer. But if Madison thought the Magic would now disappear from the game they were sadly mistaken. Milford roared back with a style of robust, aggresive play that blended perfectly with the awful weather conditions and the overt leniency of the referee. It was perhaps no surprise then that shortly before half time a goal mouth scramble resulted in a handball save by Ahmad which rebounded to a Milford player who knocked the ball into the net. The referee thought long and hard about pointing to the penalty spot and maybe a red card for the Madison player, but instead he awarded Milford the goal and the 2-1 lead to take into half time.

Some tough talking at half time reinvigorated the Madison team and they started the second half the stronger team. As luck would have it, the robust wind that they had been playing against for most of the first half had now subsided denying Madison the luxury of the boot and rush play that Milford had employed through the first 45 minutes. Unperturbed, Madison's slick passing was much more in evidence now and their constant pressure was finally rewarded when a Milford defender hand balled in the area to present Madison with a clear penalty. Unfortunately, a superbly struck shot by Jorge slammed against the bar and was cleared by Milford. Madison didn't allow this set back to upset their rhythm and the constant aggressive play by Roniildo through the center of the field allowed Madison to keep possession. Wave after wave of attack by Madison was repelled by Milford until an unholy stramash in the opposition penalty area allowed Roniildo to scramble the ball over the line for the deserved equalizer. Madison were now in the ascendancy and this position was rammed home when a sweet move started off by Carlito was finished off by a stunning shot by Scott for the go ahead goal. After this Madison still had some stout defending to do but the game was neatly wrapped up when Roniildo grabbed his second and Madison's fourth of the day to complete a well earned victory and claim an undefeated home record. Only one game left in the 2008 season and a strong Fall sequence of games has now seen the Madison team rack up many more league points than they managed through a somewhat indifferent Spring.