Trinity 4 - 3 CCCC

Short of a forlorn hope of catching Downing in the PWC league it was in Cuppers that Trinity maintained a real opportunity to earn some silverware, with Trinity having won five games out of their last six and sitting comfortably near the top end of the table this looked like it would be a walk over. Confident of an easy victory over a Cambridge Chinese Community Centre team with a dubious record and suffering from five injuries, Trinity were undoubteldy the favourites. What ensued however, was a tight game that needed extra time to decide a winner and for most of the match spectators were tempted by a possible David and Goliath story.

Trinity found a team that were displaying far more class and resolve than they were expecting taking ruthless advantage of their complacent demeanor.  Ultimately the first half was dictated by a lack of concentration that left neither team able to capitalize on a plethora of opportunities. Countless times, at either end of the field, the ball would roll tantalizingly across the face goal with no opportunists ready to finish. As the game progressed both teams felt they should have been in the lead and a mixture of frustration and desperation sent a flurry of long range attempts go over the bar and far wide, only adding to the tense atmosphere.

The first half saw impressive performances by both midfields but both were let down by their forwards’ inability to convert the ground into goals. The CCCC keeper was tested early by a shot created by the sheer speed of Dany Gammall. Trinity were however surprised to find an immediate counterattack with a shot from Luang Tran that went just wide, a wake up call that failed to mobilize the Trinity defence into a more rigid structure. Attack after counter-attack resulted in more lost opportunities. Just seven minutes in and Gammall, Merchant and Falder had each had a shot whilst Shu Sasaki and Duo Wai had four shots between them, all had missed. This continued as Trinity were consistently incapable of dealing with high passes fed into their box and were only saved by some silly misses. At the other end Trinity were constantly able to counter and were almost rewarded when some eager keeping left an open goal. The score was only kept level by Dang’s effort; clearing the ball off the line and out of the net.  A game like this was bound to yield goals eventually and half an hour in Trinity found the first when Shati Avwar set up a fine goal from Gammall. Only three minutes later Gammall was given another chance from a clinical corner creating his second goal of the match.

Despite the score, Trinity didn’t look comfortable and continued to play with a lack of precision and drive.CCCC were the far more determined team, with Duo Wai continuing to play despite a minor injury as all three substitutions had been used.  Soon, some virtuosic football from Shu Sasaki gave Luang Tran an opportunity to score, which he duly converted.  After another fast CCCC attack that Trinity countered, Gammall produced a lightning run down the left, into the centre then into the box where James Rutt took the ball and hammered it into the net.

 Even now, with the score at three one, CCCC refused to accept their reputation as a second-rate team and although Trinity were ahead it certainly didn’t feel as though the game was decided. CCCC continued to press through the middle, led largely by the unceasing efforts of Shu Saski. 73 minutes in they got the goal they deserved as their number 10 ran circles round the Trinity defence, setting up Tran, who whipped it into the goal. It seemed now as though Trinity were content to play a defensive game and hope that CCCC would not score an equalizer before the whistle.Their position became increasingly precarious when a collision left Chris Peacock with a broken nose and Trinity with only 10 players. It was now, with only four minutes to go, that Saski displayed some Ronaldo like skill and burst through the centre. With a clear route to the net, only a desperate tackle prevented the goal. Saski was not to be deterred by the foul and the entire Trinity team had to watch helplessly as the perfect free kick curled round the wall and swept directly into the bottom right hand corner.  The score was level.

Trinity couldn’t believe they had thrown away such a convincing lead and were now fighting in extra time to play in the next round, and with only ten players. In the nail-biting half-hour to follow it genuinely seemed as though Trinity would not be knocked out. Throughout, CCCC were on the cusp of scoring the decider from which Trinity would not recover.

 However, despite the pressure, just as David was loading his sling, Andy Garside tried a long shot that just hit the post and rolled past the keeper. Once again Trinity could only play a defensive game. However, with only five minutes to go even the incessant pressure from CCCC failed to find an equalizer, despite a comical effort by the goalkeeper to start a run down the right wing. Even in defeat CCCC seemed to maintain their sense of humor. Richard Falder, the Trinity captain, had to admit after the match that he was “genuinely sorry for them,” whilst the CCCC captain could not help but say that he felt “they were robbed of victory”.