NEW!! Trat 0-0 Chonburi - Match Report: 2021

TPL

Trat 0-0 Chonburi

Trat Provincial Stadium

14th February, 2021

Match Report

by Dale Farrington

I appreciate that this crazy schedule will take its toll on the players, but, even allowing for that, this was a poor game. The first half is hardly worth mentioning, apart from pointing out that it took us fifteen minutes to have our first attempt on goal - and we gave the ball away far too often. Other than that, it was an instantly forgettable 45 minutes.

There was a slight improvement after the break and we did show more fight. We certainly enjoyed a lot more of the possession and created a few good chances, some of which should have produced goals. Jaycee John could have done better on a couple occasions, but fluffed his lines when it mattered. There were also times when our forwards were queueing up in the opposition box and got in each other's way. It wasn't pretty and smacked of desperation.

As the match wore on, the home side faded and we looked like the likeliest winners, but the breakthrough continued to elude us.

However, with ten minutes left, Kelic thought he had scored when he appeared to squeeze the ball over the line. Unfortunately, the much loathed VAR ruled the "goal" out - although the images I saw seemed to suggest it had gone in. Who knows any more? The sooner this "technology" is scrapped, the better.

This setback knocked some of the drive out of the Sharks. From this point on, we gave the impression that we knew it wasn't going to be our day and we'd settle for a point. But there was to be one last twist and a nervy few seconds to endure before the final whistle. 

Deep into injury time, a shocking - nay, comical - dive by Mustafa Azadzoy earned Trat a free kick on the edge of the box. He was obviously hoping for a penalty, as he rolled about ten yards into the area, but the ref was wise to his little game (rolls eyes!). Thankfully, the resultant dead ball went laughably wide. It was a fittingly ridiculous ending to a less than average match. That said, I felt our second period display deserved better.

Still, a point is a point and it has ended our run of defeats, but we do need to improve and get a few wins under our belts. It's extremely tight at the bottom, but, as Nakorn Ratchasima have shown, a string of victories can propel us up the table. The fixture list is kind to us for the remainder of February and I fully expect us to take advantage. Don't let me down, lads. Next month will be much tougher.