This match report is being written 4 days since Saturday’s final whistle. It’s taken some time to get-over and digest a result that has sadly sent the BFC down to the wrong end of the table.
There was such optimism going into the fixture. Despite a bad final result against Sagamartha FC, each game up to this point had elements of improvement and showed signs that the 2022/23 BFC were on the right track. With a bit more ruthlessness infront of goal, the team could well have been top of the league. This game did not however follow the same trajectory.

Once the gates to BST Nagasawa were finally opened and the backlog of cars funnelled into the ground, the BFC’s preparations were more organised than for any game this season. A game of two-touch got the blood rushing and the muscles warmed ready to put bottom-of-the-league in their place and the first opportunity of the game seemed to support this sentiment with a play that saw the ball played in from the right wing allowing for a clear shot at goal but one that couldn’t be put away.
BFC had control of this early chunk of the game but then Albion made a double substitution that saw two quick young upfronts brought on to the field. BFC to this point were playing a high defensive-line and it got caught-out, with virtually the substitute’s first touch he’d got himself through alone against the keeper and with miles of space it was slotted away. It was a sucker-punch.
One clear weakness this season has been the defending of set-pieces and from here not long after going behind the team was unpicked for a second time as they saw a corner converted via the head of an Albion player.
It was a tough position to be in. Generally, over the half we had matched them in terms of quality possession but with us missing more chances the two goals seemed to have sown a growing seed of confidence for one team and a growing seed of doubt for the other.

There were strong rally-cries at half-time but as the second-half played out, a dubious free kick was given in a danger area to the right-side of the box. BFC’s set-piece weakness was once more exploited and the struggle had become pretty deep. 3-0.
From here until the end of the game there were 5 more goals only 2 of which were for the BFC.
Emil played a role in both. For the first he got the ball in from the right-side for Caspar to guide it into the far-side with his left foot to get a goal on his debut. For the second, route-one got it to Emil who used his heel to get to Alex who even with a bit of hounding from the opposition still managed to slot it away.
These brief moments of release however could not disguise the imbalances that were prevalent across the field. Misunderstandings and unconfidence were feeding mistakes. Basic passing and positioning seemed awry seeing even the older ‘less-in-shape’ Albion members shaking-off and cutting through the centre of the BFC’s defensive line. It was a blur of difficult moments that was backed up by some fairly clinical Albion finishing.
This era of the BFC is young and not yet used to winning; that mentality is something that does not just happen overnight. There is still a belief in the players that were at that game and we still see a new core slowly forming with them and others. With more games (and events) under our belts, with a better understanding of what we each all want and all need, the results will also be here in due course and these games will be looked back on as growing pains.

No one said being the best was gonna be easy.