Osotspa 1-1 Chonburi - Match Report: 2010

TPL

Osotspa 1-1 Chonburi

Saraburi Central Sports Stadium

Attendance: 2,156

Sunday 24th October, 2010

Match Report 

For forty four minutes and thirty seconds this was one of the dullest matches I 've seen in a long time. Dare I say it had a typical end of season feel to it? Jadet had taken the opportunity to rest a few people ahead of next weekend's FA Cup semi final and this showed in a disjointed performance, from a team made up of players who have rarely played together this season. Osotspa weren't much better and most of those in red and yellow gave the impression that they'd rather be somewhere else.

However, the whole mood of the game changed on the stroke of half time when Chonburi centre half Phaisan Pona was shown a red card. I didn't actually see the incident, but there didn't seem to be that much of an outcry from the visiting fans or his team mates. Although, two people I spoke to afterwards said they thought it was a bit harsh.

The second half started with the home side on the attack looking to take advantage of the fact they had an extra man. For the first time all afternoon, the strikers actually looked interested and began to torment the back line. On fifty minutes one of the nippier forwards was put through on goal. Chonlatit Jantakam made a desperate effort to stop him and was adjudged to have done so illegally. Not only was a free kick awarded on the edge of the box but the Thai international was also dismissed, as he was deemed to be the last man. From where I was standing, at the other end of the ground, it looked like there were other defenders around and this time there were protestations from those in blue, but the official, quite rightly, stuck to his decision.

Osotspa scored from the resulting free kick. So, there we were, down to nine men with forty minutes still to play. How would we react? Well, what followed was one the most entertaining periods of play I think I have ever seen. The message from the bench to the players was obviously, "Just enjoy yourselves, we've nothing to lose." And the players certainly set about enjoying themselves with gay abandon.

We seemed to be playing a very fluid 2-3-3 system but, in all honesty, any pretence at tactics and formation went out of the window. We had a left back playing as centre forward, a centre forward playing on his own in defence and a goalkeeper dribbling up the wing. It was pure school playground stuff. Our cavalier approach paid off with about twenty minutes remaining, when Adul's defelected shot found the top corner. The away stand erupted and the players and staff celebrated as if we'd won the World Cup.

It might have got even better, but Ekkaphan's cross come shot defied the laws of physics and somehow bounced out after hitting the inside of the post. At the other end, Osotspa were guilty of missing numerous chances, as they failed to make countless four against one situations count. At the final whistle some of the Chonburi players sank to their knees with exhaustion and others danced in front of their fans. It was a remarkable display and one you won't find in any coaching manuals. But they lads showed great spirit and what fantastic entertainment!