Perhaps it was the anticipation of the Regions’ Cup match on Tuesday, perhaps it was the hot weather, or maybe even a combination of the two, but the primary impression of last night’s 2-0 (2-0) win over Sääksmäen Sopu is that it was a bit of a lazy match. There was no doubt who were the better team, but getting that to show on the (imaginary) scoreboard was more difficult than it might have been under different circumstance. It all seemed a bit too easy when Petri Vadén scored on the second minute, and come to think of it, that early goal probably contributed to how the match played out. It was not a bad match from the team, but the killer instinct was missing most of the time, and at times the work rate was a bit lacking too.

The supporters were in great form though, helped on by the new spectator stands that the city had brought to Kaukajärvi in response to a request from TamU-K. The mood was jovial as there never was any real doubt about the outcome of the match. Chants were loud and proud, the intensity was high.

The best fun was had during the second half on the expense of one of the opposing players, who shall remain nameless here. Rarely do you see a player repeatedly respond to the supporters’ taunting, so much so that eventually the referee had to talk to the player to calm him down. I do not even remember where it all started, but I’m sure it was something innocuous enough that was not even directed at him personally. For some reason this guy thought it would be smart to keep responding time and time again, and that is when supporters see their opportunity: you’ve gotten under somebody’s skin and you want to make sure their play breaks down as a result. His antics were not helpful at all to his team to say the least. As a fellow supporter put it, this is what is known as home field advantage.

Getting back to the more important events in the match, the crucial 2-0 goal was scored by Jacin Dakkaki, who had a very good match overall. He now has five goals in our first five matches in Vitonen. Remember when we were worried about his finishing? Yeah, me neither. Another player I want to single out is goalie Ilkka Innola, who had a few key saves without which the match could have been in jeopardy.

Overall the defensive end was again very solid for us. We have now played nine competitive matches this season (Vitonen, Regions’ Cup, Finnish Cup) and have had only three goals scored on us. This team is built on a very solid defensive foundation, which makes us very difficult to beat.

The next team to try that is LPK, in the Finnish Regions’ Cup match in Lamminpää on Tuesday. The visitors from Jyväskylä are an entirely unknown quantity to me, but based on our current form I fear nobody. Kickoff is set at 7:30 pm. This is going to be must see football!

TamU-K – Sääksmäen Sopu 2-0 (2-0)
2 min 1-0 Petri Vadén
44 min 2-0 Jacin Dakkaki

Discipline:
36 min Nawar Karikuss, TamU-K (caution)
48 min Juha Kumara, TamU-K (caution)
80 min Anssi Saiha, TamU-K (caution)
88 min Vesa Suonsyrjä, TamU-K (caution)