TPL
Air Force 1-2 Chonburi
Attendance: 1,515
Thupatemi Stadium
Wednesday 25th April, 2018
Match Report
by Peter Reeves
Looking at the league table and results so far, what really should be a practice game for the Sharks didn't quite pan out that way. Air Force, with their one this campaign, against Chonburi, who on the face of it, are improving after a poor start. Reality is different though. Air Force won at Swatcat, not the easiest place to get a result and the Sharks since the departure of their coach, look like they are losing what he had instilled in them.
In the end, the match was between a team that can't really play, against a team that looked like they couldn't be bothered to.
A great start for the Sharks, a loose ball picked up was knocked over what pretended to be a back line down the right, and 0-1. 3 minutes on the clock. We sat back and waited for the floodgates to open.
On 6, a decent appeal for a penalty for the home team, but a free kick was given outside the box. Wasted.
Air Force offered plenty of aimless huff and puff and Chonburi looking like they were out for an afternoon's kick about.
The Sharks were creating half chances, but no conviction. Half chances.
On the half hour, the home team were starting to get into the match a bit. This was more to do with Chonburi's apathy than the home teams ability, but on 40 minutes another display of woeful defending and it was 0-2.
Chonburi still had time to whack the post before half time. It should've been easy, but the reality was that it wasn't, despite the score line.
I expected the 'great white' to use the hair drier on his 'basking' Sharks, but if he did, they didn't listen. The second half got under way and I wondered if Chonburi knew they'd kicked off, as they allowed a chance for Air Force on 49.
And another on 53 minutes. Both really should've been converted. I thought it would just take one home goal in the first 20 minutes of the second half and Chonburi would panic.
Air Force finally got the goal they deserved. A neat bending finish from 15 yards, but coming on 80 minutes, I felt it was a shade too late. They pushed up and threatened for the remainder of the match, but couldn't find another.
Another away win for Chonburi, but hardly convincing. They are losing what improvements the departed coach had instilled in them, some of which had had a positive effect. This is a worrying sign, but more of a worry for me, was the attitude. Not good. Just lazy.
Air Force are going to struggle, but tonight they had been worth a point. Chonburi had too many who didn't fancy an evening midweek match at all and for me that is not good enough. How about a bit of bloody effort, lads. People are travelling and paying to watch this.
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