Chonburi 2-1 Bangkok Glass - Match Report: 2010

TPL

Chonburi 2-1 Bangkok Glass

IPE Stadium

Attendance: 10,978

Sunday 23rd May, 2010

Match Report 

When you're 2-0 up at home, playing against ten men and being roared on by a large partisan crowd you don't expect to be hanging on for the best part of an hour. However, this is what happened to Chonburi yesterday. After a scintillating start we simply lost our way as soon as the visitors had a man red carded in the 33rd minute. And there's no logical explanation for it. For the first half an hour we looked like a team at the top of the league, as our swift speedy play and crisp passing were causing Bangkok Glass all sorts of problems. Then suddenly, with a numerical advantage we looked completely clueless. It wasn't just the players, the coaching staff too seemed confused as how to cope with having an extra player. Baffling.

The visitors seemed to have so much space and time in the middle of the field and, when we did manage to get hold of the ball, we gave it away cheaply and put ourselves under pressure. Baga was having a nightmare up front. I can only remember him winning a couple of challenges and his first touch was poor throughout. Admittedly losing Pipob didn't help - he was stretchered off in the aftermath of the incident that lead to the penalty - but we really should have been able to capitalise when everything was stacked in our favour.

All credit to Bangkok Glass who, I felt, deserved at least a point from this game - and I wouldn't have complained if they'd taken all three. They launched wave after wave of attack and made the most of their possession. Our tactics (such as they were) certainly helped their cause as we defended deep and showed very little in the way of attacking intent. Anyone coming in late would have been surprised to learn that it was the team in green and white who were one short.

The best (only?) chance we had in the second half fell to the substitute, Supasek Kaikeaw. He showed an astonishing burst of pace to beat two defenders but somehow managed to screw his shot wide from a good position. The fact that he himself was substituted a few minutes later - replaced by a midfilder - speaks volumes about the kind of evening we were having. And wy no Michael Byrne? If he was fit, and the fact he was on the bench rather suggests he was, why wasn't he used? Yet another strange decision by the management.

I don't think that I've ever felt this disappointed after a win before. However, when the dust settles I'll come to terms with the fact that we've finally managed to beat our bogey team - at the fifth attempt - and still proudly sit three points clear in the TPL. We'll have to play much better than this on Friday. My only hope is that other teams don't start deliberately having players dismissed as this possibly presents them with the best chance they'll have of beating us!