Despite several good chances for both teams, and FCH having the upper hand in large parts of the match, neither side managed to break the deadlock in Saturday's training match against Fremad Amager, which was played over three halves and featured the debut of several of FCH's youth players.
The match had not been played for more than five minutes before FCH created the first chance. After a corner, Nicolas Mortensen flicked the dead ball further into the box, where Pascal Gregor laid the ball across. Unfortunately, no FCH player reached the ball, which rolled out without danger to Fremad's goal.
After that followed a period in which both teams had more physical play than good buildup. We had to wait until the 15th minute before Fremad Amager had their first big chance. A ball was played in behind down the right side, where a Fremad player cut into the box, but Fraysse came in well and pressed the attacker, allowing Anker to come down and win the ball back. Good defending by FCH.
After 25 minutes, Douglas found Nicolas Mortensen in the middle. A bit outside the box, the striker took his chance with a quality long-range effort that forced Fremad's goalkeeper down to save at the base of the post. A minute later Mortensen was even closer, when TK whipped a free kick into the box. Mortensen rose highest at the far post and headed well downwards, but again the goalkeeper got all the way down and tipped the ball around the post. Two good chances for FCH.
After half an hour, Patrick Olsen carried the ball up through the middle. Just outside the box, he played a fine pass to Lucas Haren, who tried his luck from distance. His shot, however, went just over the goal.
After 35 minutes, Fremad Amager had their biggest chance. An Amager player got the ball just outside the box, and despite being well marked, he managed to send off a quality long-range shot. Viktor Anker could only watch as the ball sailed toward goal, but to FCH's great fortune the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A big chance for the home side.
Two minutes later Douglas had a huge chance. After a corner for FCH had come to nothing, Patrick Olsen got his foot to the ball and delivered a perfect ball across to Douglas in front of goal. However, the big Brazilian did not manage to direct his header properly downward, and Fremad's goalkeeper was able to stop the attempt.
Just before the forty minutes of the first half had been played, Holm came very close to getting on the scoresheet. A free kick was sent to the far post by Patrick Olsen, where Pascal rose highest and headed it back across. In front, Holm got a foot to it, but his attempt did not quite have enough power to beat Fremad's goalkeeper.
So we started the second half of three with the same scoreline as when we began. However, it was centimeters away from changing after just one minute, when an Amager player got away on a run in behind. He beat his two markers, and Viktor Anker came storming out of his goal. The Amager attacker rounded Anker and shot from the edge of the box, but the ball went the wrong side of the post, and FC Helsingør could breathe a sigh of relief.
After that, FCH set up the attacking play a little better, and Matheus should probably have had a penalty, when he was kicked in the hamstring in the middle of a dribble and went to ground. But the referee waved play on.
A minute later Douglas again had a big opportunity, when Matheus played a ball across in the Amager box. Douglas shot surrounded by teammates and opponents, but the shot was blocked at the last second.
FCH had more of the play at the start of the second half, and created several half-chances. Matheus got away down the flank several times, and had several good combinations with Douglas, but it never became really dangerous in front of goal.
After 35 minutes, a ball was played back to Viktor Anker. The goalkeeper tried to play a pass up the field, but hit a Fremad Amager player right in the feet. The Fremad player took one touch and shot, but Anker made amends for the mistake, as he got the very tips of his gloves to the attempt in mid-air and tipped the ball away from goal. An excellent save, which probably should not have been necessary.
The second half therefore also ended 0-0, and after a short break the teams went into the third half.
Almost an entire team was changed from FCH during the break between the second and third half, and no more than a couple of minutes had been played before Nicklas Willumsen came close to a header from a good cross from Lucas Lodberg.
Shortly after, Ibrahim Samrawi found Anders Holst with a clever pass. Holst carried the ball forward and played a ball in behind to Willumsen. The young striker came out at a tight angle, but still managed to turn and shoot toward the far post. Good build-up and combination play between the three FCH players.
A couple of minutes later, FCH won a corner. Anders Holst whipped it in hard and accurately in front, where Willumsen got in front of his man. He headed toward goal, but did not quite get enough angle on the attempt, which went past the wrong side of the post. Good set piece from FC Helsingør.
After twenty minutes, Lucas Lodberg got through on the left side and fired at goal from the edge of the box. His crisp strike took the underside of the crossbar and bounced back into play. An excellent attempt from the young midfielder.
Shortly after, Fremad Amager came close. A careless pass went straight to the feet of a Fremad Amager player just outside the box, and he drove straight at goal and struck from a tight angle. In front, another Amager player had gotten free, and he bundled the ball over the line, but the goal was correctly disallowed for offside. Close for the home side.
After that followed a period in which FCH controlled the play. The young players seemed keen to show themselves, and there were a number of fine actions from Willumsen, Lodberg and Lange, without leading to the really big open chances.
The half was a bit more chaotic than the previous ones, and there were no more open chances for either side. Thus the match ended 0-0 after a fine effort from both the young and the "old" players.
Head coach Peter Feher was also quite satisfied with what he saw.
– I think we play a good match. We had a handful of young players with us, who came into the last half with some energy and drive, and the only chances Fremad created came when we were a bit asleep. Otherwise, we had good control of them, and we put together many good attacks and created quite a few chances. If there had to be a winner today, I think it should have been us. But all in all a satisfactory match that gave us quite a lot to work on going forward.
FCH: Anker, Henriksen, Holm, Gregor, Köhler, Olsen, Matheus, Fraysse, Haren, Douglas, Mortensen
Substitutes: M. Basse, Jørgensen, Stenderup, Holst, Bach, O. Basse, Lange, Lodberg, Erbas, Bonnesen, Samrawi, Willumsen
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
