Football words and expressions beginning with P

Please don't let me still making the same old mistakes put you off commenting!

Partnership- Two players who play close to each other, e.g. two CENTRAL MIDFIELDERs
Pass- Kicking the ball from one player to another player on the same side.
Passing game- A style of play in which PASSing is the most important element, the opposite of LONG BALL
Penalty (kick)- Being able to try to score a goal in your own time from the PENALTY SPOT. This is used to decide which team wins if the score is EVEN at the end of EXTRA TIME, or is used as a punishment, for example for FOULs inside the AREA. Collocations- Be awarded a +, Take a +, Concede +
Penalty arc- The official but rarely used name for the D
Penalty box- The area near the goal in which the GOALKEEPER may use his hands and a FOUL will result in a PENALTY KICK
Penalty shoot out- Penalties at the end of EXTRA TIME to decide which team will win
Penalty spot- The spot 12 yards from the goal from which PENALTY KICKS are always taken
Physical- A physical team or physical match is one in which there is a lot of reliance on physical force. Often a euphemism for lots of FOULs
Pint-sized- Small, like an old-fashioned British milk bottle. Used to describe players, especially STRIKERs
Pitch invasion- The FANs rushing onto the PITCH, for example to celebrate winning the match or to protest against a decision by the REFEREE. This can result in the club being fined, or even the match being ABANDONED
Pitch- The usual word for the area that football is played on. NB, “Football pitch” but “Tennis court” and “Basketball court”. “Football GROUND” means the stadium, not just the pitch
Pivotal moment- A moment that changed the whole game, e.g. a goal which gave a team confidence, a RED CARD or an injury.
Play deep- Playing closer to your own goal than is usual for that player or position, e.g. a STRIKER playing behind another striker to help them
Play on- A signal from the REFEREE that the players shouldn’t stop to take a FREE KICK, but instead keep on playing, usually because they have the ball and are in a good position and so just as likely to SCORE as they would be if they were given a free kick
Playing for a draw- Aiming to keep the scores EVEN rather than taking a risk in order to win the game, usually because one point is enough for you, perhaps because you won the FIRST LEG or because you have a good LEAD in your DIVISION
Playing wide- See WIDE
Playmaker- A more common expression for KINGPIN
Playoff- A special match to decide something that hasn’t been decided by the normal matches, e.g. which of the teams between third and sixth position in the division will be PROMOTED
PLC- Public Limited Company. A British company that anyone can buy the shares of, similar to an American corporation. Many PREMIERSHIP clubs are PLCs and so need to worry about keeping their share price high and takeovers.
Pools- A way of betting on football results, similar to a lottery
Position- (1) Where you play on the pitch, usually decided as part of a FORMATION (2) The name for the position where you play, e.g. LEFT BACK
Possession- (1) Having the ball (2) How much of the match your team had the ball, often given as a percentage, e.g. “Although Italy has 70% possession, they still could only manage a DRAW”. Collocations- Lose +, MAJORITY OF POSSESSION
Post- The two poles at the edges of the goal that hold up the CROSSBAR, traditionally made from wood. Collocations- Off the +, In off the +, NEAR POST, FAR POST
Post-match analysis- The time after the MATCH when the COMMENTATORs and PUNDITs talk about the match they have just seen
Progress- Go on to the NEXT ROUND
Promoted- Allowed to go up to a higher DIVISION, for example by being the top team in your division or wining the PLAYOFFs
Promotion- See PROMOTED
Pub side- A team that represents a particular pub in a local league, often a SUNDAY LEAGUE, and which usually consists of regular customers in the pub. Used as an insulting way of talking about a bad professional football side
Pundit- A football expert, e.g. someone who analyses the match at HALF TIME rather than speaking all the way through like a COMMENTATOR
Purple patch – Another way to say IN FORM, usually used about STRIKERs
Put it away- Score a goal

The complete index of all the letters is here:

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