Text and picture from: www.afshinghotbi.com
July 7, 2012
Attendance: 14,133
Happy Birthday to S-Pulse!
Shimizu S-Pulse reached a milestone of becoming twenty years old, and the encounter against Kawasaki Frontale was the celebration of the this special occasion. The temperature of over 26 degrees plus 78% humidity created uncomfortable conditions for the players. It felt even hotter, as our players felt the pressure of delivering a victory as the birthday gift to our fans, registering the 1000th goal, and earning three points to get closer to the top of table. This fixture also had another significance as it marked the half-way point of the season.
The game started with the teams exchanging free-kicks off each other’s crossbar, but we dominated most of the exchanges throughout the night. The best chance of the first half fell for Kawai, as Alex rolled a ball in front of the goal for him. Former S-Pulse goalkeeper, Nishibe, made one of his two big saves on the night to deny us the victory. We increased the pressure and speed of the game in the final 30 minutes, and created enough openings to score several goals. Takahara, Omae and Takagi all had opportunities to win the game, but the clear chances were wasted. Another clean sheet, the best defending team in the J.League, but we failed to score for the 2nd consecutive game in the J.League. A disappointing result for all.
We share the frustration of all of our supporters, as we have dominated and controlled all of our recent games. We continue to struggle in front of goal, and we have given away important points in the J.League table, dropping to 9th position. A goal drought is common in football, and almost every team will go through a period in a season struggling with finishing. With the youngest team in the league, please be patient with us and support us through this period. I believe, with your help, we can fulfill our dream to lift the J.League trophy together. Through unity, hard work, and perseverance we can reach our target.
Thank you again for your support and encouragement, and I will do my utmost to achieve our goal. At the end, I take full responsibility. See you next Saturday at Nihondaira. Until then, so long.