The Albury Sharks kicked off against Petersfield having not had a game in 3 weeks. Despite Petersfield occupying a fairly lowly position in the league table, it was clear from the beginning that the match was not going to be a walk in the park for the Sharks.

Missing a lot of our attacking players, the Sharks lined up slightly different to usual, without a player in an attacking midfield role, starting with three central midfielders instead. Ben Gregory and Daniel Mcgraw were joined by the industrious Ivan Iduriaga, while Josh Franklin led the line, flanked by Noah Davies and Luciano Gouveia. As usual, the sharks dominated the ball, but Petersfield had a couple of pacy forwards, and on a few occasions they threatened, as the Sharks looked sleepy when out of possession. A half-second off the pace and positionally awry, one of the Petersfield counter attacks allowed a striker to run through on goal, and he poked the ball past Dexter Williams for 1-0.

Rattled, Albury were slightly under the cosh. Dexter had a pull off a save shortly afterwards and be alert to come and claim a couple of hopeful long-balls as Petersfield looked to capitalise on the swing in momentum. Thankfully the defence began to wake up, with Ali and Gabe making some important interceptions and tackles, while Monty Byrne headed off a few sharp attacks on the left hand side. Thankfully, Albury regained the momentum and dominance in the midfield, with Ben Gregory and Ivan Iduriaga really stepping up the intensity of the tackles, moving the ball intelligently to the wings. Noah forced a couple of corners on the right hand side, while Luciano had a couple of hopeful shots. At one point, right-back Greg Walker slalomed through the midfield with class and parted the defence with a beautiful pass, only for the chance to be spurned. Nevertheless, it was clear to see that the Sharks were frustrated and slightly impatient, snatching at shots that were either saved by the goalkeeper or well off-target. Albury had corner after corner, but failed to find their target despite the goal keeper spilling on a few occasions. The closest they came was from Ivan Iduriaga who rose high to hammer a header off the post, only for it to be agonisingly cleared before any Albury players followed it up.

The introduction of Mackenzie Rose had a really positive impact on the team, playing in behind Josh Franklin and giving the midfield an extra attacking option. He hassled and harried the defence and gave them something different to think about. The signs were positive but Petersfield defended for their lives, blocking every cannonball that Albury fired towards their goal. Despite their dominance, the Sharks went into half time behind.

Half time:
Albury 0-1 Petersfield

Our main message at half time was the be patient and trust in their quality. Albury were clearly the better team, they just needed to keep laying seige to the opposition goal. I was proud of the players because despite their frustration, they did keep playing good football, and didn't resort to desperate football. Nevertheless, Petersfield continued to hold out. Josh Franklin had come alive in the second half and had a couple of shots that were well saved. Luciano Gouveia managed to cut in from the left hand side before curling the ball just over the bar, and Ben Gregory had a long distance shot smothered by the goalkeeper. It took a moment of magic for Albury to get their equaliser, delivered by the right foot of Mackenzie Rose who managed to control the ball far on the right before smashing an exquisite volley into the roof of the net from a tight angle. The best comparison (and compliment) that I can give to those who didn't see it was that it resembled Van Basten's famous strike. A truly brilliant goal that broke the Petersfield resistance.

Ben Gregory and Daniel McGraw were no running the midfield relentlessly, and ben managed to slide a ball through the defence. The keeper began to come out but was intimidated by the indestructible power of Josh Franklin who somehow got their first and poked the ball into the net for 2-1. This is the reason we have transitioned Josh from defence to attack. He absolutely terrifies goalkeepers and defenders with his speed and power, fuelled by a burning inner passion. Josh got his second, and Albury's third with another striker's finish, poking in after the goalkeeper had spilled the ball.

At this point, Albury relaxed, but Petersfield proved that they weren't out of the running yet. A rare corner was fired into the Albury box, and after a bit of pin-ball, a clearance unfortunately rebounded off an Albury player into the bottom corner, giving Petersfield an undeserved second. The defence looked mortified, and heads dropped, but thankfully, Ben Gregory wasn't going to allow his team to concede a third. After being smashed around by the Petersfield defence, Ben managed to curl in a 35 yard free kick into the top corner, an absolutely outstanding goal from the omnipotent Albury captain. Ben continued to run the show and was again brought down, this time in the box for a penalty. Graciously, ben handed the ball to Josh Franklin who completed his hattrick with the last kick of the match, dispatching it into the bottom corner.

Full time:
Albury 5-2 Petersfield

Goals:
Mackenzie Rose
Josh Franklin x3
Ben Gregory

Paul's Man of the Match: Josh Franklin- a superb hat trick for Josh today!
Harry's Man of the Match: Mackenzie Rose- Mac really changed the game today with his energy. His goal was simply stunning!
Captain's Man of the Match: Ivan Iduriaga- Ivan provided some much needed strength and passion to the midfield.

Coaches reflections:
1. It is good to be challenged. Although Albury were by far the superior team, I was pleased that Petersfield put up a fight. Albury had to be patient to penetrate them, and I was really i pressed that the players believed in themselves, and their way of playing enough to break the opponent's resistance.
2. Massive well done to Josh Franklin who has only transitioned to a striker's role recently. He has learned the position well and his positioning and movement has improved so much. His goals today were a result of his tenacity and work rate, and he fully deserved his hattrick.
3. Our defence has been so solid for ages, but they were a little rattled at times today. I think we need to work on positioning a little bit, as there were times that they seemed a little disorganised. Nevertheless, they were unlucky to concede, and diffused the Petersfield momentum well.
4. Mackenzie Rose- what a brilliant goal. This was a special moment that I hope he remembers fondly for years! Top stuff Mac!