ac milanda afc

Milanda traveled to darkest Blantyre to meet current league leaders Club Athletic.

Milanda hit the ground running and were 3 up within 20 mins. The first came form crawford after a free kick was swung into the box from Grant. Sime then made it two soon after when he collected a long ball on the edge of the box and he buried his shot past the CA keeper. CA had no answer to the early Milanda play and found themselves three down and the goal again came from the left foot of Sime. Picking up the ball 8 yards out he hit it high and hard past the shellshocked CA keeper who couldn't believe what was happening in front of him.

Milanda then took their foot off the gas and allowed CA to finally get a foothold in the game. Milanda didn't heed the warning sign and a quick 1-2 from CA pulled them back into the game. A throw in from the left was worked to the edge of the box where a right foot shot caught Walker on the edge of his 6 yard box and unable to stop the ball as it flew into the top corner. This galvanised CA and they were further rejuvenated when a mistake by Crawford let them in for their second goal. It was a bit of a disaster for the normally reliable Crawford as a normally simple pass was made difficult by the sun and he lost the ball in its glare and it slipped under his foot. CA's number 11 was on it in a flash and did well to squeeze his left foot shot into the neat with Walker closing the angle down. Walker did get a touch but not enough to avoid it hitting the side of the net on it's way in.

It was now game on and there were a number of meaty challenges flying in as the game became a real contest. Williamson nearly gifted CA the equaliser when clearing a cross but he managed to crash it off his own crossbar and fortunately the danger was cleared. As it was HT arrived with no more scoring but an interesting 45 mins awaited.

CA started the second half much better than the first and tried to push Milanda back into the defence but Milanda held firm and gave little away and tried to get forward themselves using Sime's pace up front to get in behind CA's defence. There was little in the way of real goalscoring opportunities and both defences held firm until halfway through the second half when CA finally got the equaliser they were looking for. Milanda were unable to clear a ball knocked across the 6 yard box and the finish at the back post made the game level and a frantic 20 mins was guaranteed as each side searched for a winner.

There was plenty of tough tackling and hard graft from both sides. As the game entered the last five minutes Milanda finally broke through and should have secured the three points. A corner was played into the box and fell to Crawford. His shot was blocked on the line amid claims of handball which the ref waved away. As the complaints continued the ball fell to Reid outside the box ad his perfect cross was dispatched in to the net via Early's head. This should have been the signal for Milanda to shut up shop and play the game out but all credit to CA who never gave up and attacked Milanda from the restart. Walker tipped a shot from the edge of the box round the post for a corner. As the seconds ticked away it looked as if Milanda would hold out but disaster struck almost on the final whistle. A hopeful cross from the left was flighted to Milanda's back post where a CA player found himself unmarked and with time to put the ball past Walker to make the game all square. There was hardly time for the kick off before the whistle signaled the end of an entertaining and incident packed game.

A hard ending to accept for Milanda but possibly overall a draw was a fair result. Credit to CA for coming back from 3-0 down and then losing one in the last few mins. Milanda can look to being 3 up after 20 mins and not going on to kill the game off and a real opportunity lost. Still if the level of commitment is kept up to that level each week we won't be far away come the end of the season.

Man of the match: Some uncompromising performances all over the park but for his 2 goals and general ability to make a nuisance of himself this week's award goes to two goal Sime.