I will just say it like it is: the first sixty minutes of Saturday’s match was some of the worst football I’ve seen TamU-K play, and certainly the most uninspired performance that we have had this season. I do not really have any desire to analyze it. Suffice to say, we got a gifted goal on the second minute of the match, and then nothing at all for the remainder of the first half. At the break we were down 1-3, all three goals scored on us during the last eight minutes of the half. Then the 1-4 was scored on the third minute of the second half, and everybody surely thought it was over.

And it kind of was, because the two goals that we went on to score in rapid succession soon after the hour mark were of little practical consequence. We still lost. However, the thing I want to take away from this match is that during the last thirty minutes we finally played like we were wearing the TamU-K shirt. And even if at times the last half hour was not that great either, we created multiple chances to score, including two close calls where a defender cleared the ball off the line.

Our 2-4 goal was a particularly nice one. The sequence started from Jonne Keränen winning the ball in the center circle and passing the ball wide to left back Osku Airesto, who in turn dribbled past one midfielder and passed up to Andrea Milanti on the wing. The Italian attempted a cross near the corner, but it flew too far. Jacin Dakkaki chased the ball and right back Ville Toiva made a nice run up. His cross from the edge of the box near the byline found Mika Kytöviita’s head at the back post, and the fan-favorite headed the ball securely past the keeper and into the net.

But in football it is difficult to win if you let the opponent score four goals during the first fifty minutes. We can talk about all the near misses and even some non-calls where a penalty might have been warranted, but the fact remains we did this to ourselves. We cannot afford to do it again.

To make matters even worse, Niko Saarinen got injured after about half hour of play, and it looked like it might be a major issue with his knee. At the very least it is safe to say that he won’t play on Saturday against FC Melody. Saarinen has started all of our matches and had the second most minutes on the team (behind Ville Toiva) before this match, so his loss is a major one. Juha Kumara and Joona Kapanen suffered more minor injuries, and their status is questionable for Saturday. Additionally both Timo Kauppinen and Otto Pitkänen are out from the next match due to non-injury reasons. With Eero Riponiemi still out, our midfield is looking extremely thin, and with defenders gone too, we probably do not have the option of playing defenders higher. We might see something creative. We simply might not have a choice.

After the match the sorrows of the loss were washed away on the waters of Lake Näsijärvi. In the end there were 58 of us on the cruise, and everybody enjoyed the sun on the deck of the boat. By the time Vala played our unofficial anthem ”Tämä kaupunki on meidän” (“This City is Ours”), the disappointment of the match faded away. We are still on the top of the table with a two-point cushion at the half-way point of the season. I do not think many expected this. And yet even in this situation everybody on the team surely knows that they have to do better. If anybody – player or supporter – had the idea that we can just cruise to promotion, they have surely been woken up from that illusion. One thing is certain though: the second part of the season will be one hell of a ride.

TamU-K – Pato 3-4 (1-3)
2 min Andrea Milanti 1-0
38 min Markus Siivonen 1-1
43 min Jouni Aaltonen 1-2
45 min Jouni Aaltonen 1-3
48 min Ville Vanhatalo 1-4
65 min Mika Kytöviita 2-4
67 min Jonne Keränen 3-4

Discipline:
76 min Markus Siivonen, Pato (caution)
82 min Joona Kapanen, TamU-K (caution)
84 min Ville Toiva, TamU-K (caution)