Remyca Utd overcome delays to beat East Villa

A far post header from the towering Dean Siadankay was enough to ensure that newly appointed Manager Alan Brady enjoyed a winning start to his Remyca Utd managerial career. Aside from being memorable as his first game in charge, the match will be remembered for the obstacles Brady and his players endured whilst enroute to Heron Eccles Playing Fields.

Severe traffic delays meant that Remyca Utd had just twelve available players ahead of the 6.30pm kick off with Brady, Kevin Monaghan and Darren Carr all stranded. Interim Manager Dave Evans, who had stepped down from the role on Friday, found himself back in the hot seat as he named a starting eleven from the twelve players at his disposal who had overcome the traffic congestion. Michael Ryan was recalled in goal with Andrew Brito-Coll the sole figure on the substitutes' bench. The Siadankay brothers, Dean and Karl, and Michael Walsh returned to the side that had four changes from the starting eleven that beat Stoneycroft on the previous outing.

In the face of adversity and with a depleted squad Remyca Utd acquitted themselves well in the opening period. It was the visitors who started the game with the greater intensity and verve in testing conditions. A sustained episode of pressure led to the award of a corner kick. The delivery from Connor Webb was flicked on by captain Peter Tobin that found D Siadankay at the back post. D Siadankay guided his header into the net to give Remyca Utd the perfect start and a well-deserved lead their early dominance warranted.

The goal sparked a response from East Villa as the hosts looked for an immediate reply. Straight from the kick off, East Villa broke and it was thanks to some good defending from the goal scorer D Siadankay that nullified the threat and cleared the danger. Another East Villa attack was repelled soon after following a smart save from Ryan.

The game’s most controversial moment came when the ball was played back to the East Villa goalkeeper by one of his own teammates. The goalkeeper handled the ball only for the officials to allow play to continue without the award of a free kick, much to the dismay of the Remyca Utd players and staff whose protests fell on deaf ears.

The arrival of Brady, Monaghan and Carr midway through the first half coincided with a tactical stalemate between the two sides as both teams struggled to adapt to the dry uneven surface and a swirling wind that made playing attractive football difficult.

Remyca Utd’s final chance of the first period fell to Adam Millington, however, he was unable to maintain control and the ball ran harmlessly through to the East Villa goalkeeper.

East Villa finished the first 45 minutes in the ascendancy with three corners in quick succession as they sought an equaliser just before the break. Some resolute defending preserved Remyca Utd’s lead.

A tactical change employed by Brady at half time saw Remyca Utd adopt a 4-4-2 formation at the start of the second half in an attempt to afford more support to Millington. East Villa started the second period as they had ended the first, with Remyca Utd being pushed deeper and deeper into their own half. Absorbing the persistent pressure, Remyca Utd were able to counter attack with a great ball down the left from Webb.

East Villa snuffed out that opportunity and continued to assert their authority and dominance on the game. Excellent defending from Daniel Campbell thwarted another East Villa attack as Remyca Utd held on to their slender lead.

A rare chance for Millington saw him anticipate a back pass and intercept it, as the ball was short of pace on a trying surface. Millington duly rounded the oncoming goalkeeper only for the ball to run out of play after a heavy touch.

It looked increasingly likely that Remyca Utd would require a second if they were to win this game as East Villa were unrelenting in their wave after wave of attacks. A superb save from Ryan saw him tip the ball onto the post at full stretch. Brady responded to East Villa’s control by making his first change with Monaghan replacing Webb on the hour mark. Continued determined defending saw Andy Jones head clear another East Villa corner.

With 65 minutes played a crucial decision saw the referee book an East Villa player after he needlessly kicked the ball away. This act of petulance was strange given East Villa’s apparent desire to salvage something from the game with time running out. The caution provoked a tirade of verbal dissent from the same player to the official who was left with no alternative than to produce a second yellow card and send off the East Villa player.

Carr replaced Walsh with 20 minutes remaining as Remyca Utd looked to prosper from their numerical advantage. East Villa were unperturbed by the sending off and continued to dominate the play and possession as Remyca Utd retreated into their own half. The late introduction of Brito-Coll for K Siadankay ran down precious seconds and allowed Millington to provide a physical presence in a congested midfield.

The award of a free kick to East Villa saw Ryan produce another quality save that typified the solid defensive display Remyca Utd had collectively delivered to hold on for their second successive clean sheet and take maximum points.

Remyca Utd Starting XI: Ryan, Walsh (Carr), Tobin (C), Campbell, D Siadankay, K Siadankay (Brito-Coll), Jones, Westhead, Co Webb, Millington, (Monaghan) Flynn. Unused Subs: None.

View from the dressing room:
“This is a fantastic result against a top side. Since my involvement with Remyca Utd this was the best collective performance from the players in difficult circumstances who worked hard for each other and were resilient under prolonged periods of pressure from East Villa. Whilst there are many positives from tonight’s game, like a second successive clean sheet, there are areas where we can improve. It’s important we become more threatening in front of goal and develop our ability to control possession and games. We can now enjoy the visit of Old Xaverians with a renewed confidence.” – Manager, Alan Brady.