A Shorthanded Stand

Red card elicits stalwart performance out of the defence in season opener.

Watson Sent Off

The moment that changed the course of the match was the straight red card to Watson in the 30th minute.

Trying to deal with a high ball, Watson’s first touch was a little heavy, allowing Marvin Chavez to pounce on the error and be clean through on goal. The captain stuck his arm and leg out catching Chavez on his way to what would have been a clear one-on-one with Van Oekel. With perhaps a little embellishment, Chavez tumbled over, but Watson’s fate was sealed moments before by his errant first touch.

Digging in

Faced with the prospect of playing a full hour without their captain and down a centre back, questions were asked about how both those roles would be filled. The captain’s armband found itself wrapped around Ledgerwood’s arm in the aftermath to answer the first question.

It would appear that Miller and staff decided to pull one of the midfielders back, with Raudales turning into a makeshift defender. This would prove to be a temporary measure, as the left-winger Cruz was replaced by Roberts after 8 minutes. The time elapsed between the dismissal and substitution seemed like a long time for a change that seemed inevitable. Roberts was said to be fighting the flu and maybe needed more time to warm up.

And so the trenches were dug for the onslaught that would come.

The Grind

With the advantage, OKC played a very patient possession game, with Michel as a playmaker and Boateng as a crucial midfield cog, trying to grind down the Eddies defence. Perhaps they were a little too patient, as over the course of an hour, they managed to produce 12 shots on goal after the dismissal, with only four being on target.

This is not to say there was a lack of danger in any of those opportunities. Credit must be given to the Eddies’ defence for being almost perfectly disciplined when it counted. OKC only needed one, were made to work for it, and were ultimately found wanting.

I said “almost perfectly disciplined”, didn’t I?

Papé Diákité was by far the man of the match for Edmonton. Producing 12 clearances and seemingly winning most of the headers he was contested for. If there is an unsung hero for FCE, it might be Eddie Edward for putting in a near equal performance on the right side of the pitch.