Two Tough Fixtures Provide Stern Test For Tridents

A long trip to Exeter was always going to prove a struggle for the Southampton Tridents in the SEMLA West 2 league; however another workmanlike display proved just how far they had come from the war against Portsmouth.

A man-light team made the journey missing many key players, notably the Captain Jamie Morton. However, their ranks were bolstered by Club President Ben McMylor who, combined with veteran Gordon Neve, provided the experience to an otherwise almost exclusively fresher team.

By lending them a player, Exeter allowed the Tridents to field an iron man team, something they were becoming accustomed to. Even faced with this adversity, the Tridents began the game composed and calm. Along with the zone defence, this created a slow tempo, which was going to be needed on a boggy pitch with no subs. Exeter saw the lion’s share of possession, yet struggled to break down the zone. Nevertheless, they were gifted the lead by a couple of defensive mistakes, leaving the Tridents trailing 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The 2^nd quarter was a much livelier affair as Exeter pushed harder in an attempt to establish a significant lead. In response, the inexperienced tridents were beginning to find a foothold in attack, finally beginning to exert some pressure. With both defences coming under increasing pressure, Exeter managed to penetrate a further two times before the half was over. However, some inspired attacking play by the Tridents lead to Jonny Chapman finding himself free on crease and with sufficient time to rifle a shot past the helpless keeper, scoring his first goal and becoming only the second fresher to break their duck.

As the game entered the 3^rd quarter, the Tridents attacking strength grew, yet they were unable to carve any more clear-cut opportunities. Exeter only broke through once more, mainly due to an increasingly aggressive defensive display by McMylor, who racked up an impressive six penalties during the course of the game.

For the final quarter, the defensive system was changed to a less familiar man-marking system in an attempt to pressure the Exeter attack, win more possession and salvage something from the game. Tired legs and a lack of composure proved costly for the Tridents, shipping another 4 goals and, despite many well worked opportunities, not registering another goal. Final score 9-1 and a long trek home, but a performance worthy of a lot of respect.

The next weekend would prove another difficult affair, with a home fixture against a very strong Bournemouth side. While the return of Captain Morton and defensive stalwart Will Brittain was a welcome boost, McMylor had returned to 1^st team duties, Neve was unavailable and goalkeeper Cameron FitzGibbon was side-lined with injury. This meant that the keepers for the day were shared between defence man John Ochiltree (who lost a game of danger fives) and Spencer Grant (who turned up late). Still, another encouraging performance was on the cards.

Bournemouth started very strongly and, as one of the few teams in the league with the know-how to break down a zone defence, scored with almost every attack they had. Their coach took to the field and his organisation and knowledge was evident as he played some jaw-dropping feeds. The Tridents lack of experience was again evident, with some sublime dodges from the likes of Morton and Dan Edmonds ending with failed passes, and some very wayward shooting early on. The 1^st quarter ended 8-0.

This was obviously a wakeup call for the Tridents as Henry “Machete” Smith drew first blood in the 2^nd, scoring an opportunistic effort and taking his tally for the season to two. This did not stop the wave of goals, and the half ended with the Tridents at a 13-1 deficit.

Morton then made the customary call to switch to man marking, and again it paid dividends. The tempo of the game increased and, despite conceding another five goals in the next quarter, were now a constant threat.  The midfield were feeding well off of Leander Crocker, who was putting in a Man of the Match display from the face off ending the day with an undefeated record. Smith began taking shots from range in an attempt to catch them off guard, and Jack Connors and Andy Potterton beginning to find room to manoeuvre.

This attacking display continued into the 4th, and only great reactions from the Bournemouth keeper prevented the Tridents adding to their tally. Despite this, it was the defence who took the plaudits for the final quarter. Marshalled by the again impressive Brittain, they provided ample protection for Grant in goal. Cam Davidson provided a passionate and aggressive display, Bradley Durrant was exceptional in his clearing and, combined with solid performances by Ochiltree and Hup Eu Neoh, were only breached once more. The final tally of 19-1 was hard on the Tridents, but much was gained from a gritty performance by Southampton Tridents.