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Sharks welcomed back captain Vincent for this crucial game against familiar foes Barclays Capital FC as the continued absence of the manager meant the boys had to motivate themselves without the normally inspirational phrases from the manager. In a tightly contested game, Sharks edged ahead in the start of the game only for Barclays to draw level as the teams went into halftime tied 1-1. The second half saw a 20 minute spell where the Sharks scored 3 goals leaving Barclays shell shocked. They managed to pull a goal back but the boys in yellow held on to claim an important 4-2 victory.
On an unusually wet midday kick off, Sharks started the game determined to steer clear of relegation zone. The game was fairly even until a quick counter attack released Harold down the wing and his cross duly tapped into goal by Heng Li after hesitant defending from the Barclays custodian and defenders. Barclays pressed hard for the equalizer and were rewarded when they equalized in similar fashion off a square ball from the wing and a good finish from the forward. 1-1 as the teams went into half time.
The second half started in similar fashion as Barclays had more of the possession but with Sharks looking dangerous on each counter attack. On one of those attacks, Heng Li broke down the left and his cross was met by Harold at the far post who made no mistake from close range. Before both teams could settle, another quick attack down the right saw a neat exchange of passes between Harold and Isaac and the latter bundled home from close range for Sharks to take a 2 goal advantage. The boys in yellow were defending stoutly against the ever dangerous Gareth Edwards who often had two or three yellow shirts breathing down his neck to starve him off time and space. The defensive quartet of Kelvin, Mohan, Charlson and Osman were putting in a great shift while the midfield pairing of Graeme and Steven were forcing the opponents into hurried passes.
As Barclays attempted to regain control of the game, Sharks were awarded a free kick couple of yards from the corner flag. Coincidentally, the Jabulani ball which was kicked out earlier was thrown back onto the pitch and Nigel decided to use it. With the narrowest of angles to work on, the speedy winger hit the resulting freekick with such ferocity and precision that it slammed off the keeper and into the roof of the net. The team celebrated the turn of events as Nigel pondered conducting coaching clinics for the World Cup stars on how to strike this much maligned ball.
With a three goal advantage, changes were made to freshen up the squad as the stunned Barclays team tried to get back into the game. With 5 minutes to go, they deservedly pulled a goal back but there was to be no repeat of the earlier season meeting as Sharks held on 3 points to pull further away from relegation and make a belated climb on the league standings.
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