21 Aug 2008(Thu)

August 19, 2008: Many years ago I reported on a match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane.

Spurs won 3-1 thanks to a hat trick by Chris Waddle, but still the Newcastle goalkeeper, Gary Kelly, had an outstanding game.

After the game I interviewed the Newcastle manager, Willie McFaul, himself a former goalkeeper for Newcastle and Northern Ireland.

"Didn't Kelly make some great saves?" I asked, trying to put a positive spin on the defeat.

McFaul was not impressed.

"That's what he's there for, pal," replied the manager.

I always thought that a bit harsh. While it's true -- that the goalkeeper is there to save goals -- there are occasions when saves go beyond the call of duty because they are so unexpected.

This story came to mind at Kashiwa Hitachi Stadium on Saturday, near the end of the Reysol-JEF United match.

It had been a typically tight Chiba derby, and at 1-1 with five minutes to go was still there to be won and lost. Then came the defining moment.

Reysol magician Franca crossed from the left, the JEF defence failed to cut it out, and substitute Tatsuya Suzuki was in the clear with derby day glory beckoning. Enter Masahiro Okamoto, who was off his line in a flash and somehow managed to block Suzuki's left-foot drive.

I am sure the Yellow Monkeys behind the goal were already celebrating, just as the JEF fans at the opposite end were preparing for the worst, when Okamoto produced a save that went beyond the call of duty. He did the same in the recent 1-0 win at Kobe, defying all logic with his heroics.

In the first half, Reysol captain Hidekazu Otani caught the eye with his runs from deep midfield into the JEF danger areas, and also with his covering tackles, notably on Michael. (So those rumours were true after all -- JEF did finally sign Michael...just not Michael Owen; Michael Jefferson Nascimento!).

On the subject of tackling, Kazuyuki Toda has added a bit of bite to the JEF midfield, alongside captain Tomi Shimomura in the engine room.

Although Toda cannot complain about his first yellow card on Saturday, a foul on Otani after a careless mistake by Arai had given the ball away, he was harshly treated with his second yellow, and then the red, in injury time.

There was a tangle with Tadanari Lee, right in front of the Monkeys, and Toda grabbed Lee's leg, prompting a theatrical tumble from the Reysol forward which suggested he might have had more chance of an Olympic medal in gymnastics than football.

The referee, Toshimitsu Yoshida, had had a good game up to this point, waving play on when players just fell to the floor asking for a free kick, and a "get up and get on with it" warning to both Lee and Toda would have been more appropriate under the circumstances. It wasn't violent; just silly.

This match brought to an end the five-leg Yellow Series this season, with Reysol winning the league clash 1-0 at JEF, and the two Nabisco Cup group games and this one all ending 1-1. The pre-season Chiba Bank Cup, at Fuku-Are, also ended in a draw, before JEF won the penalty shootout.

There is clearly not much between the two teams, although the league table says otherwise.

ends