FC Samba Online

Samba were on cup duty again, this time in the quarter final of the league cup against Gedling Southbank, extending the number of weeks without a league game to 6. Samba had a perfect record going into the game with 8 wins out of 8 in competitive fixtures. G.Taylor in particular boasted an impressive stat of scoring 15 times in those 8 encounters, or put another way 8 goals more than the back three had managed in a combined total of 314 appearances for Samba. With such a good record and coming off the back of a great victory against Netherfield, Samba had every right to be confident, perhaps the only negative being that Samba had failed to get past a cup quarter final since their inception in 2003.

Samba made a couple of changes to the side victorious against Netherfield, Dollochin came in for Brewer in midfield, who took his place on the bench, whilst C.Taylor was restored to the starting XI in the absence of Jones.

The game started with form and Samba took an early lead when Dom Misiuda shot looped up off the goalkeeper and into the net for the opening goal after an assist from Gaz Taylor. For a short period it seemed that Samba may overrun Southbank, with Rose getting in behind on the left hand side on numerous occasions.

However, they began to lose their way as Southbank become more composed on the ball and started to create chances of their own. A raking ball over the top had the Samba back line in trouble, with the striker peeling off at the back post but failing to connect after sliding for the ball 12yds out. Southbank also hit an outside of the post in a spell when they could and should have equalised.

However, Samba always looked likely to add to their tally and so it proved when Rose was fed by Wilford on the Samba left, before shooting low from an acute angle which went under the keeper for 2-0.

When Gibbons added a third, confidently side-footing home from 6yds following a G.Taylor cross, it looked like game over and Samba had finally broken their quarter final hoodoo. They went into half time with a commanding lead without playing well, or anywhere near their potential.

Half Time: FC Samba 3 v 0 Gedling Southbank A

At half time the discussion was based around enjoying the match more as Samba hadn’t played like they were winning 3-0. For a good proportion of the second half Samba improved, looking more solid in defence and better in possession.

Gibbons upped the ante when he drove at the heart of the Southbank defence, before shooting low and testing the keeper. The ball was pushed well wide but G.Taylor pounced to score from an acute angle to keep up his record of scoring in every game he has played this season.

Gibbons put the cherry on top of the cake when he chipped the keeper from 35yds, who despite getting a good hand on the ball couldn’t prevent the score being extended to 5-0.

Samba frustratingly took their foot off the gas and were lucky to escape when the Southbank forward was put through on goal, following a misplaced pass in midfield. The striker hit the top of the bar when he should have punished the home side. However Southbank got a goal when their substitute who added pace to their attack, cut in from the left and shot low to Nicholls right, who got a hand on it but couldn’t keep it out.

The goal-scoring was far from finished and worryingly the next goal went to Southbank who were just about threatening to get back into the game. As the ball was cleared from the Samba box, the Southbank man was allowed to carry to run into a shooting position and although his shot was wayward it found a Gedling man and he finished to make it 5-2. G.Taylor resumed normal service when he made it 6-2, after an initial shot from Brewer on as sub for Rose.

However, Samba again let themselves down in the final five minutes. conceding two more goals. The first was extremely harsh, after C.Taylor was penalised for handball, with the striker chipping the penalty in with the confidence of man who was 6-2 up, not the opposite. The 4th Southbank goal was very similar to the 2nd, with the ball finding its way to the right of Samba’s box before the GSB man finished well in the bottom right hand corner.

The final whistle came as a bit of a relief to Samba who had ‘comfortably stumbled’ into the their first semi final.