The A's this week travelled to the somewhat waterlogged Waite oval for our away match against Mercedes. Last year at this venue our A's had walked away with a hard fought 1 nil victory and so confidence was high.

As always, there were numerous changes to the squad. With both Matt M and big Dan overseas, Heath returned to goals for us. In defence Gunnar got his first start, as Craig was keeping for the B's (and was our backup today too), whilst Jafar and Long came into the side for big Wang and Nathan further up the field.

In the opening exchanges the Whites really looked switched on and a lovely piece of play by our midfield soon released Sean at the edge of the box, only for his shot to fly wide.

At the other end, Mercedes managed a couple of corners, but Heath was looking as safe as houses (after an early morning spew)... Until at about the 20th minute, a kick-in saw Heath have to be replaced by Craig after straining a driver.

The game then evened out into an exciting battle – with Craig making a couple of very good saves at our end, whilst Ryan and Scott both had chances at the other end.

Late in the first half though, Mercedes took the lead, as one of their strikers broke through 3 successive tackles before scoring. We then had our best chance of the half, with Ryan breaking through on the right, only to hit the side netting - with Scott seemingly free in the centre.

At the half, no change to the line-up, the disappointment at going down to a defensive lapse was noticeable, but the guys were very focussed on getting back into the game.

Early in the 2nd half Nathan came on and as usual made an immediate impact, chasing down a long ball and getting behind the Merc's defence, but his shot hit the side netting. Another long ball almost released Ryan, but their keeper was up to the task.

At our end – Craig again made 2 excellent saves, whilst Gunnar was doing a great job on defensive corners, ensuring the Mercedes tall timber didn't win a clear header.

Daniel Wang came on for an exhausted Sean and looked very good – slowing the play down and finding his team mates feet, but we looked no closer to breaking through (despite a couple of superb Jafar runs).

For the last 20 Mercedes really took over (maybe it was coincidental that this was when Nick Ward came on), but the whites defence worked hard to slow them down. No change to the final score, with a 1 nil loss being the result.

Craig's effort in goals was fantastic and Gunnar, Sunny, Jafar and Crab all had super games. Unfortunately, we've forgotten how to score though and 1 nil probably was an accurate reflection of the game.

SafTop

After a delayed start at the request of Mercedes to allow for some of their late-comers, the game kicked-off in a pool of mud. The weather was fine but the mud was thick. Then after about 30 seconds they attacked down our left, crossed to the back post where an un-marked attacker headed home. 1-0 down and the start of what seemed like was going to be a long afternoon. But we kept our heads up. We got into the game, and for a while enjoyed even possession. Mid-way through the first half we equalised through a strong shot by Ben. He managed to out-pace a couple of defenders and coolly slotted home. Towards the end of the half though we switched off for a few vital moments, as they attacked down our right and took the lead. 2-1 down at half-time.

Most of what we were doing was good, but we were taking too many touches of the ball and in those conditions this is not the way to go. We were also being caught out of position a few times, and assistant coach Michael Williams urged his players to stick to their positions as we had a full half a game still to play.

The second half saw us tire. This lead to openings being created for the opposition, and they managed to grab a few easy goals. The end result was something along the lines of 6-1 down. But Peter in goals produced some great agility to keep the score down. And at the back Kyle and Phil were determined and strong throughout. The spirit was fabulous. The effort was also great. Our fitness though was poor, as was positioning at times. This will all come with regular training and playing, and will come together quicker than you may think. Take heart lads - losing to an experienced team like Mercedes is nothing to be ashamed of as they are a decent side.

LeoTop

Given that we were playing at the Waite Institute grounds, it was perhaps fitting that the pitch resembled the proverbial 'cow paddock.' The Mercedes coach was profuse in his apologies for the state of the pitch, and was assured that we did not hold him personally responsible.

The theme for the day was loss. First we lost our shirts, which were graciously offered to the shirtless 'B' side and presumably accepted by them with equal grace.

As the game progressed, we then lost new starter Pancho to injury, Darren and Buddy to the 'B' subs bench, and Leo to the effects of age. It was a veritable war of attrition.

The game itself was mainly dominated by Mercedes. They scored both early and late in the first half, and there was a flurry of goals during a period in the second. However, despite the early setback, there was much to admire in the efforts of the C's. Phillip and new American import Kyle were (as Craig Foster would say) solid in defence, with Phillip bodying out his taller and heavier-set opponent, and Kyle providing timely interceptions and clearances.

Indeed, the whole team showed considerable resilience. There was plenty of chasing, hassling and tackling (including a stand-out thirty metre chase back by Solomon which so struck fear into the heart of his opponent that he fumbled the ball out of play in panic). It was also pleasing to see our willingness to take the passing option, with a number of very composed 'triangles' and cross-field passes being employed.

Up forward, the highlight was provided by Ben, whose solo run on the keeper was concluded with a cool side foot into the corner of the net, to much obvious rejoicing. Chester and Peter also gallantly laboured away upfront in the face of limited opportunity.

Special mention should go to "goalkeeper" Peter. Despite his stated preference for playing in an outfield position (and who would blame him), he has often answered the call of the gloves. Without his goal-side heroics, we would have lost by double the eventual score, and he thus deserves a special vote of thanks.

Overall, a good effort against good opponents in appalling conditions.

MikeTop