Player of the Month: November
The Dragoons played three league matches in November, losing twice and winning once. The Expats also travelled to Amsterdam to face off against Afc DWS in our inaugural Fenix Trophy campaign.
A Shocking Start
November started with a trip to high-flying Borek Kraków. A disastrous first half performance saw the Dragoons 4-0 down at the break. A second half formation change saw the Expats dominate the remainder of the game with Enrico Forabosco notching direct from a free-kick. The Italian missed a penalty shortly afterwards before Emre Çolakoğlu halved the deficit with a beautiful long range strike. Borek scored a fifth goal to kill the Dragoons comeback, however Josh Dawson scored a late thumping header in a 5-3 defeat.
Bouncing Back
Former captain Gonçalo Rodrigues returned to face the Dragoons for his current side Podgórze in the Dragoons next fixture. A dull opening of the game burst into life in the 15th minute through Flavio Nkola. The Angolan hit a stunning strike into the top corner from long range to give the Expats the lead. Moments after, Alessandro Puerini added a goal to double the Dragoons’ lead. Nkola notched his second goal of the afternoon on the stroke of half time to give the Expats a 3-0 advantage at the break.
The second period saw the visitors rally and two quick-fire goals gave Podgórze a chance of an unlikely comeback. The Dragoons made changes to the side and substitute Michael Lamb came on the field for his debut. The Scotsman capped off his maiden appearance to bundle a header into the net and Flavio Nkola topped off an imperious display to complete his hat-trick late on. The visitors grabbed a further goal towards the end of the game, but a first goal of the season for Andrea Latino in the last minute ensured a comfortable 6-3 score line.
Mistakes Punished Again
In the last league game before the winter break, the Expats took on league leaders Bieżanowianka. Despite a quick start, the Dragoons soon found themselves 2-0 behind, as the visitors took their chances to score. A third goal came before half time for Bieżanowianka, however Enrico Forabosco gave the Expats hope with a marvellous free-kick before half time.
The Dragoons came out of the blocks remarkably quickly in the second half and Alessandro Puerini scored a header from a corner to give the side hope. Two errors in a matter of minutes however, saw Bieżanowianka restore their three goal lead and a Robert Ambrosie penalty proved to be a consolatory strike as the Expats lost the game 5-3.
Flight of the Fenix!
With the first part of the league season over, the Dragoons debuted in the Fenix Trophy and travelled to the Netherlands for the first fixture. A depleted squad travelled to Amsterdam with the game taking place just two days after the Bieżanowianka match. The fresh legs of the Dutch side showed as they stormed into a two goal lead in 25 minutes. Injuries further hampered the Expats, but they showed fight as Hugo Cruz struck back just after half time. Sadly, the Expats conceded twice more in the second half to succumb to a 4-1 defeat.
Nominees
As always, we require your assistance in choosing the November player of the month! Here are the nominees for you to choose from:
Emre Çolakoğlu 🇹🇷
October’s Player of the month played in all three of the Dragoons league fixtures. The Turkish man-mountain continued his fine form and won man of the match against Borek. The midfielder scored his first goal for the club with a rasping effort from outside the box. He played every minute of the three games and has become an integral member of the side.
Flavio Nkola 🇦🇴
The Dragoons Angolan made two appearances for the side in November. The tricky winger won man of the match against Podgórze after scoring a fantastic hat-trick and created a further goal. Nkola has played 9 times for the Dragoons this season and has five goals to his name and two assists.
Alessandro Puerini 🇮🇹
The Italian hit-man has been an ever present for the Dragoons since joining the club in October. Alessandro has made a huge impact at the club and leads the scoring charts with 8 goals from 6 games. The striker won man of the match for his performance against Bieżanowianka, where he scored just after half time. He grabbed two goals in November in three appearances and continues to be a huge presence in attack.
Hugo Cruz 🇵🇹
A Dragoons coach, Hugo Cruz made only his second ever appearance in the famous blue jersey. The Portuguese hero sadly had to cut his football career short due to injury. He came out of his enforced retirement to put on a man of the match performance in the Fenix Trophy. Hugo played at the back for the Dragoons and showed his quality scoring the only goal for the side, looking head and shoulders the best player on the park in the process.
A second round of voting has been opened after a tie between Flavio Nkola and Alessandro Puerini, each with 10 votes on the first round.
Please use the box below to vote once again for the top nominees. Poll closes on Thursday, December 15 at 12:00.
