Season 2012-13

EW FOSTER CUP FINAL

So, Leicester Polska were thrashed by MDH Knights in an embarrassingly one sided cup final, and it has to be said that whilst Polska looked terrible, MDH were exactly the opposite, and the best side on the night by far won the game. When MDH scored after just 3 minutes, there was a horrible sense of deja vu with memories of the controversial September league game coming flooding back. Not only did MDH score early just like they did that day, their constant long ball over the top for the pacy offensive players to attack worked wonders. With man of the match Spider Pajak saving a goal bound shot with his feet, the pressure just kept on coming, and we have to feel for Alan Chater who sliced an MDH cross down Polska's left into his own net on 27 minutes. And when MDH went 3-0 up on 32 minutes, it was already game over. Two half time changes saw Max Sieczka and David Wasik replace Maciek Wysoczanski and Radek Gaglewski respectively, with Jarek pushing on into Polska's midfield. In fairness, Max made an immediate impact and gave the MDH right back something to think about all game - probably about the only MDH player on the entire night that actually had his hands full. But it didn't stop MDH making it 4-0 on 62 minutes. Marek Dziopa then scored from a direct free kick on 77 minutes to give Polska the tiniest moment of cheer, but MDH would come again and rounded off the 5-1 scoreline on 84 minutes.

So, where do Polska go from here, and what went wrong on the night? There are many reasons. Of the 14 Polska players used on the night, arguably only 6 played anywhere near their true ability. The early goal seemed to drain the players' belief away, especially as MDH kept up their attacking intent, and it is true to say that the bulk of the Polska players just froze at 1-0 and then 2-0 down, the occasion clearly getting to them. Good, neat players with skill on the ball were giving the ball away all over the pitch - in fact at least 3 of the MDH goals were indirectly caused by Polska players giving the ball away to their opponents. Secondly, there is no doubt that Polska were missing the mercurial talents of Przemyslaw Przerma, whose injury was felt the most. And with Lukasz Tabaka playing despite medical advice, it was also noticeable that he too was far from fit. And fitness also told elsewhere. 3 players had their worst ever games in Polska shirts, and it took us 21 minutes before we had a shot on goal, and 38 minutes for Maciek Wisniewski to get his first cross in. But what we really lacked was a hardman anywhere on the pitch. There were simply no crunching tackles, and MDH were given the freedom of Holmes Park and were not put under any pressure.

On the upside, the 3 subs who came on gave Polska much more effort in the second half, and Max Sieczka in particular should have started the game. The 3 youngsters did well, and are the future of the club. The fitness of many of the players looked limited, but MDH were allowed to dictate the game which was also unacceptable. Spider Pajak was in tremendous form - he couldn't be faulted for any of the goals, and pulled off some stunning saves which would have made the scoreline even worse than it was - he was man of the match by a mile. The last 12 months has seen Polska win 16 and draw 5 of their 26 games, so to lose just 5 out of 26 games is a great achievement, and shows the club has had a good 12 months of improvement. In the same period 12 months prior to that, they also played 26 games and won 11 and lost 12, so you can see the improvement we have made. Polska's ability to not lose games has improved by roughly 30% in a year. The unfortunate fact is that the players froze on the night, but should also be aware that their fitness is not brilliant. But it is also the case that some of the senior players did not perform, and the youngsters need to get more game time for their energy and purpose. It is hoped that Polska can get back to Holmes Park in quicker time that the 11 years it took between their last 2 finals. The spirit is strong, and the support was good last night, but the players deserve another chance to show their true selves. The kind of performances that saw us beat Reem Team twice and Fairfield and Saff Lounge once were missing, so lets pick ourselves up and keep going.