The 3-0 score line in this games does not do justice to the
dominance of the display, as Clements collected their second win in two against
a very poor team who deserved a good thrashing.
Still, given the ridiculous nature of the build-up we should be glad
that the game didn’t turn out to be one of those banana skins that these
situations sometimes throw up. Actually,
there was more of a risk of slipping on doggy do-do, which was one of the many
things that was left to the one side who actually seemed to want a game of
football to sort out. We cleaned up the
dog mess, supplied the pegs and net ties and even sorted out the issue of
having no referee, with Foggy jumping at the chance to have an excuse for
showering. We should be very grateful to
our club captain, as games with a ref supplied by one of the teams far too
often end in chaos, but his calmness and honesty (coupled with the indifference
of the opposition), meant he was less conspicuous than some of the boys in
black we usually have the displeasure of handing over thirty quid to.
With Sharpy picking up a mystery injury, he was left with 14 players to choose from, and this time decided to stick with the tried and tested 4-4-2. With H now a bonafide central midfielder, we actually put out a side with every player in their preferred position. One more player made his debut this week, with Alex replacing Robin (and significantly lowering the average age of the side), who was sunning himself in Ibiza (we know what he was really doing, but we wouldn’t say so).
Subs: Jonny, Rob
It was clear pretty much from the kick-off that Clements
were by far the better team, but despite this it was hard to create any clear
cut chances on an extremely short pitch. It was hard to get space behind to exploit the
pace of our front pair, and there were too many bodies packed around the 18
yard box to make shooting from distance effective. Still, this didn’t stop us playing some great
football, with the midfield pairing of Harry and Jake being particularly
impressive. There is a team joke that if
you were to plot Jake’s heat-map, it would basically be a bush fire inside the
centre circle. However, combined with H’s
movement and energy it is more like Jake is one of those rotating garden
sprinklers, spraying passes into the constantly moving path of H, who is like a
small child running gaily around and enjoying getting wet.
When the midfield got a bit crowded, there was always room
on the wings for Chris and Ryan, and the opening goal for Clements came as a
result of us exploiting this fact. The
goal started in the very bottom corner by our own corner t-shirt (yes, they
didn’t have flags either). Eye-Ball
chased for the ball with Thameside’s winger, who he duly disposed before
playing the ball up the line to Ryan.
With the players now distributed a little more evenly over the pitch,
Ryan found space to run down the line before clipping the ball into the centre,
where Dale used his pace to beat keeper and defender to the ball before calmly
flicking the bouncing ball into the net with the outside of his right foot:
0-1.
It wasn’t all one way traffic, and it was noticeable from
corners how much height we were giving away to the opposition, and Robin’s
aerial dominance was definitely missed.
Fortunately any headed chance that did come Thameside’s was either dealt
with by Webby before they could attack the ball, or ended with the ball being
put wide or over.
I have already mentioned that we had a new recruit in defence,
and let’s just say that he isn’t exactly a like-for-like replacement for
Robin. Whereas Robin quietly goes about
his business, Alex just doesn’t shut up!
We have been accused of being a bit quiet in the past, so adding a
prominent voice is no bad thing, as long as what is emanating from his mouth is
positive and constructive. His presence definitely
helped the defence, not only with organisation but also with keeping us
awake! Alex also proved that he’s not
bad at defending, as he showed pace and determination to get back and clear the
ball onto our cross bar, after the Thameside striker had broken clear and
lifted the ball over Webby.
Clements extended their lead before the break, with Ryan
once again providing easy pickings for our strikers. His rasping shot from 20 yards hit the cross
bar, and Liam reacted quickest to capitalise and walk the ball into the net
after it had ricocheted off keeper and defender: 0-2.
Whilst Dale’s and Liam’s goals may have been similar to the
ones they scored last week, the only similarity with the goal that killed the
game was Clement’s third scorer. Luke
made one of his many positive runs into the opposition half before playing the
ball to Liam who had broken down the right. He then played a cross into the middle to meet
Ryan’s perfectly timed run. He still had
a lot to do, and his volley at waist height with inside of his right boot was
pure class, and sets the bar high for goal of the season: 0-3.
We were now playing with the confidence and swagger which
had been so prevalent during our double winning season. Every time someone had the ball, at least two
team mates were demanding it, and we broke at pace and in numbers as people
sensed the chance of scoring a goal or two.
Even Eye-Ball was getting in on the act, and was putting himself in
contention for DOTD with some woeful attempts on goal. However, Liam was somewhat harshly awarded
this honour when he put a header wide from 6 yards with the goal at his mercy.
The last twenty minutes turned into a bit of an
anti-climax. It was ridiculously hot,
which might have contribute to the lethargy that seemed to have infected
everyone on the pitch. The one positive
was the introduction of Rob and Jonny, who continued the good work of Alex,
Brian, Luke and Eye-Ball to ensure that we earned a well-deserved clean sheet.
We may not have scored as many goals as we would have liked,
but there were so many positives to take from this game. None more so than the performance of Harry,
who stood head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch, and deservedly
won MOTM. Every time he got the ball he
seemed to create time and space with a combination of strength and nimble
footwork which must have left the opposition feeling bamboozled and physically
sick. He never tried to do too much, and
looked for and found a team mate before there was any risk of being dispossessed.
I know that it is early days, but with
Sharpy’s careful nurturing, it looks like Harry might finally be coming of
age. If only we could convince him that
an early night with a hot cup of cocoa is the best way to spend his Saturday
nights.
Well done boys, and let’s be ready to put in the extra
effort that will be required in two weeks to make sure the momentum isn’t lost.
Eye-Ball
Next game: Sunday 12th October @ Home v Staines
United.
Goal scoring chart
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