MATCH REPORT; Madison 2 N Branford 2

Madison dropped another two crucial points at home in the race for the Division 3 championship. For the second week in a row they had to fight back from a two goal deficit to salvage something out of the game but this time it was only a point.

The Celts started the game much better than last week and seemed confident on the ball and created several chances in the opening twenty minutes. Their biggest failing has been an inability to take the chances that come their way up front and an over reliance on spectacular goals. This would prove to be the case again when in what seemed to be North Branford's first attack they won a free kick just outside the Madison box. The free kick was floated in and the ball was met first by the Branford attacker who back flicked the ball over the arms of the out stretched Hulk and into the net for an undeserved one nil lead. This set back shook the Madison team and it took sometime for them to get back into the groove and just as it seemed they were taking control of the game again, another set back. This time a loose ball outside the penalty box that wasn't cleared allowed the Branford striker to lob the ball over the Hulk who had taken a few steps of his line. Two nil down seemed like a cruel score for the effort the team had been putting in but to be fair the Branford team had been playing hard and Madison were second to most balls in the midfield. Upfront, chances were coming but indecision in the box allowed most of these chances to be cleared. The fight back for Madison happened just before the break when debut boy David ( no nickname yet) burst it the opposition box and was summarily upended. A clear penalty that David strode up to take and slammed the ball past the goalkeepers left hand side. Unfortunately the ref asked for the penalty to be taken again because of player encroachment but David coolly retook the penalty and slammed it into the same spot. The half ended with the Madison team in a much better frame of mind. The makeshift defense had been playing well throughout the half most notably Jodingo!! and BOR.
The second half was a tough affair for both sides as the tackles got harder and the play became very disrupted by stoppages. Branford were holding on to their lead very effectively by defending in numbers then sending long balls up the field when they had a chance. As the half progressed Madison were getting closer and closer to grabbing the elusive equalizer but to no avail. Great defending and attacking play by BOR showed that the Madison defensive line was not under the same pressure in the second half compared to the first but they could not be complacent. As the clock wound down it looked like this was a game too far for the Celts and their unbeaten record in the SASL would be going along with 3 points. But just as the game was moving into injury time Madison earned a corner on their right side. Telat whipped in a great ball that was met flush on the head by Carlos to send the ball thrillingly into the net for a well deserved equalizer. Both teams played out the last couple of minutes to share the spoils of a tough but exciting game. Madison still sit third in the league but are now 3 points behind leaders Orange and Guilford. The next two games are at home against Orange and the Eagles and will be a huge indicator of the ambition of the Celts to win this league.

Man of the Match; BOR. Great defensive work and attacking play made BOR's performance the standout of the day