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Easy: Post

Easy: Post

Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

This episode is easy so we’re looking at common football words and phrases. Things you use and need to know to play the game.

Summary

Learn more football vocabulary with Premier Skills English. Each lesson in our Premier Vocabulary section looks at one football word or phrase. This lesson looks at the word post

You can find more lessons on the side of this page.

Transcript

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to Premier Skills English - Premier Vocabulary.

Jack: Hi there! I’m Jack. We’re here to help you with your football English. Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. 

Rich: We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

Jack: This episode is easy so we’re looking at common football words and phrases; things you use and need to know to play the game.


Rich: The word we are looking at in this episode is: post.

Jack: The word post has lots of different meanings and can be used as a verb or a noun.

Rich: But in this episode, we’re going to concentrate on how we use post in football.

Jack: This means we’re talking about the two pieces of wood or more commonly metal that are put in the ground and form part of the goal.

Rich: I remember when I was a kid we’d just use two big sticks as posts. We’d often have to look for them before we’d play.

Jack: If we couldn’t find any sticks, we’d just use jumpers for goalposts.

Rich: Highly professional. Jumpers for goalposts. Goalposts are more specific to football but we generally just use the word post. 

Jack: Let’s look at some common collocations with the word post. The most common is to hit the post.

Rich: We say this when a player shoots and the ball hits the post.

Jack: There are some similar collocations here. You might hear a commentator say things like ‘off the post’, ‘against the post’ or ‘the ball came back off the post and she scored from the rebound’.

Rich: When a player shoots and misses the goal by a little the commentator might say ‘just wide of the post’ or a goalkeeper might ‘turn the ball around the post’.


Jack: The word post is used a lot when we talk about the position of the goalkeeper and where defenders stand. 

Rich: I often hear the phrase that a goalkeeper should never be beaten at the near post.

Jack: The near post is the post that the goalkeeper should be closest to when an attacker is running towards them with the ball.

Rich: This area is easy for a goalkeeper to cover and it’s more difficult for an attacker to put the ball in at the far post.

Jack: We can use near post and far post when a player crosses the ball. The near post is the post closest to the player with the ball and the far post is the post that is furthest away.

Rich: We can also say front post and back post. This means the same.

Jack: When a team has a corner, a player might cross the ball to the front post or to the back post.

Rich: A common tactic at corners is for the defending team to put a player on the back post to head the ball off the line.


Jack: There is the final whistle!

Rich: We’ll be back soon with more Premier Vocabulary from Premier Skills English.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football. 

Comment

Discuss

Should a goalkeeper get beaten at the near post?

Is it better to aim corners towards the front post or the back post?

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Comments

KareemZain
10/08/2023
EG
383
points

It's difficult for the attacker to shoot at the near post as it's mostly closed by the goalkeeper.
I guess it's better to aim the corner to the back post because even if there's a defender standing there but he still can't hold the ball with hands.


KareemZain
10/08/2023 20:55
Egypt
Manchester City
383

It's difficult for the attacker to shoot at the near post as it's mostly closed by the goalkeeper.
I guess it's better to aim the corner to the back post because even if there's a defender standing there but he still can't hold the ball with hands.

Michaelsun
12/03/2022
CN
738
points

A goalkeeper doesn’t easily get beaten at the near post.


Michaelsun
12/03/2022 03:56
China
Manchester United
738

A goalkeeper doesn’t easily get beaten at the near post.

Richard J's picture
Richard J
26/08/2021
EC
2846
points

I just wanted to say that when you said that when you were kids and you used to use sticks as goalposts it remains me when I was a kid and at school me and my classmates used to use our backpacks and sometimes enormous stones to create the goals.


Richard J's picture
Richard J
26/08/2021 02:10
Ecuador
Liverpool
2846

I just wanted to say that when you said that when you were kids and you used to use sticks as goalposts it remains me when I was a kid and at school me and my classmates used to use our backpacks and sometimes enormous stones to create the goals.

Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
24/05/2021
BR
1512
points

No they shouldn't! Never!
Depends on how your team manages corners strategies and how the opposite team manages to deffend it.


Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
24/05/2021 18:18
Brazil
Arsenal
1512

No they shouldn't! Never!
Depends on how your team manages corners strategies and how the opposite team manages to deffend it.

hsn's picture
hsn
24/11/2020
TR
5525
points

Should a goalkeeper get beaten at the near post?

I agree with this opinion. I watched some rarely scored goals when there is narrow angle between goalkeeper and post. On the other hand, in this area sometimes another goal which get in to net under body of goalkeper when he try to catch the ball. I don’t know what it is called in English?

Is it better to aim corners towards the front post or the back post?

In my opinion the back post always dangerous for he defending team. At the corner kicks defending team players try to mark opponents players and pile up in front of the post. Then one of attacking team player hide herself/himself at the back post to find goal chance.


hsn's picture
hsn
24/11/2020 17:39
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

Should a goalkeeper get beaten at the near post?

I agree with this opinion. I watched some rarely scored goals when there is narrow angle between goalkeeper and post. On the other hand, in this area sometimes another goal which get in to net under body of goalkeper when he try to catch the ball. I don’t know what it is called in English?

Is it better to aim corners towards the front post or the back post?

In my opinion the back post always dangerous for he defending team. At the corner kicks defending team players try to mark opponents players and pile up in front of the post. Then one of attacking team player hide herself/himself at the back post to find goal chance.

MartinSOcanto's picture
MartinSOcanto
24/09/2020
VE
1
points

A goalkeeper should never be beaten at the front post; but we are talking about football, and that sort of things happen as well.


MartinSOcanto's picture
MartinSOcanto
24/09/2020 07:18
Venezuela
Manchester City
1

A goalkeeper should never be beaten at the front post; but we are talking about football, and that sort of things happen as well.

josema
23/09/2020
ES
102
points

It's better to shoot at the front post


josema
23/09/2020 13:03
Spain
Liverpool
102

It's better to shoot at the front post

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/09/2020
TR
6510
points

The goalkeeper might get beaten at the near post if the shot is powerful and accurate.

I think the back post is better because the players who come at that area are usually unmarked so it's easier for them to score.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/09/2020 12:58
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

The goalkeeper might get beaten at the near post if the shot is powerful and accurate.

I think the back post is better because the players who come at that area are usually unmarked so it's easier for them to score.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020
UA
6278
points

Nowadays I try to train the direct shot from the corner without a goalie. It's difficult but miracles happen, My left leg is, by the way, better performing this.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020 01:36
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

Nowadays I try to train the direct shot from the corner without a goalie. It's difficult but miracles happen, My left leg is, by the way, better performing this.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020
UA
6278
points

In my opinion, front post corners are more effective and spectacular. Let's remember the last-year chef-d'oeuvre  by Mane :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQZrPmX84c&ab_channel=LiverpoolFC

 


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020 01:32
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

In my opinion, front post corners are more effective and spectacular. Let's remember the last-year chef-d'oeuvre  by Mane :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQZrPmX84c&ab_channel=LiverpoolFC

 

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020
UA
6278
points

It's always a surprise when a top-flight goalie gets beaten at the near post; nevertheless, such things, though quite rarely, happen. 


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2020 01:25
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

It's always a surprise when a top-flight goalie gets beaten at the near post; nevertheless, such things, though quite rarely, happen. 

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