Steelers can't score

[Chris Taylor]

Advanced stats released by other outlets show that the Middletown Steelers are second in the league in shots on goal with 118 shots on goal, second only to Boston Black Sox with 122. With that in mind it was another frustrating week as the Steelers fired blanks for the third game in a row in losing 1-0 to the 10^th placed Falkirk Scorpions. The 1^st Division of SSL has proven to be a tight league with 3 points separating the top of the table Black Sox with 9^th placed Shurdington AFC meaning the 2^nd placed Steelers are almost as close to the relegation places as they are to the automatic promotion spots.

The game 9 matchup once again pitted the Steelers in an away fixture and compounding the tactical advantage that Falkirk gained, they also saw tactical advantage with Falkirk happy to sit back and counter against the Steelers Passing approach. Falkrik dominated the early goings though both teams had chances to take the lead. It was a bit of a surprise that the half time break came with both teams still tied, mostly due to the impressive form of Martyn in the Leeds Middletown goal. The second half started quite tentatively though all the chances in the first 15 minutes after the break falling to Falkirk. Just after the hour mark Huskey took possession of a loose ball and fed Tombaugh who finally broke the deadlock.

This led to a change in tactics for the Steelers who grabbed the tactical advantage with the rarely used European style and immediately created a few chances though most fell to the hapless young starlet Tony Yeboah who had no answer to Weller who was exceptional in goal for Falkirk. On 80 minutes Falkirk shut up shop and the move proved to be an adept one as they rode out the remaining minutes with little to no threat on their goal. 

The result leaves the Steelers desperately trying to find their identity as a club with talent across the team but lacking the experience and skill to break down opposition defences. In reality the stats show that Falkirk were more than good value for the win with 13 shots on goal against just 7 for the Steelers. The biggest concern remains the form of 'star' striker Boyd who can't buy a goal at the moment. Up next for the Steelers is a home tie against Shurdington who are currently 9^th in the table. A win will give Steelers fans the confidence moving forward, however 3 points to Shurdington will put them level with Middletown and the season could go downhill quickly! 

The only optimism for Middletown will be the knowledge that they have only played 3 of the opening 9 games at home and they still lie in 2^nd place in a tough division. Whether Barnitz stadium can become the fortress that the club need is the big question. So far they have picked up 7 points from their 3 home games and they'll need that form to continue. It will only happen if the Steelers can rely on more goals from Boyd and Jeffords who have shown some glimpses of quality but ultimately have only scored 5 goals in 9 games as a pair. In contract Evan Love for Boston has scored 10 goals in racing away with the golden boot chances. 

Lots to ponder for the Steelers fans as the season continue

Sent from Outlook