Lakeside F.C. 3 - 3 Aveley Academicals

It is hard to say whether this result should be viewed as a point gained or two points lost.  On one hand, the fact our opposition only had eleven men presented a good opportunity, but then we were also missing some key players and had to play a number of individuals in unfamiliar positions to fill the holes.  We also missed a hat full of good chances, but then showed great determination to recover from a two goal deficit in the second half.  I’m edging more towards this being a positive result, as the result extends our unbeaten run to 5 games – which underlines the belief we have rediscovered since narrowly losing to Stanford – and was also a vast improvement on the last time we played this side.

It has been mentioned that Sharpy had to have a major re-shuffle, with Eye-Ball filling in at centre-back, Ryan playing as the main striker with Jake just in behind and Nick playing on the left.  Liam partnered Harry in the middle and James stood in at left back.

Subs: Alex, Scott, Sharpy

Aveley started brightly, and should have taken the lead when Jake fed a good ball inside the full back for Craig.  Craig’s initial shot was saved, and then he couldn’t find a way to goal on the rebound as Lakeside defenders and keeper threw themselves in front of the ball.  Burying the ball from 6 yards is becoming a bit of an issue as others also failed in this scramble when the odds seemed stacked against the defending side.

Some of the Aveley players were struggling to come to terms with their new positions in the first half, and our shape was awful at times.  This was all the more apparent when Eye-Ball was drawn into attempting an interception in midfield, which was unsuccessful and resulted in Rob being exposed at the back.  The Lakeside midfielder raced clear and finished calmly past Foggy: 1-0.

We responded well to going one down, but appeared to have wasted yet another gilt edged opportunity to score from close range.  However, we were handed a lifeline when Ryan picked up the loose ball and played a short ball in the area to Jake.  He pushed it past the defender and was brought down for a stone wall penalty.  With Dale missing there was a short discussion about who should take the kick, which included a recommendation for Eye-Ball which was very quickly dismissed by the Gaffa (and Eye-Ball to be fair).  For once the previous week’s training session would come in useful, as penalty practise had given us a good idea of who was most likely to score from 12 yards.  There was consequently no arguments when Ryan was handed the ball.  He showed himself to be as competent under match conditions as in training, as he sent the keeper the wrong way to get us back in the match: 1-1.

We were restricting Lakeside to very few chances, but they once again showed what a difference it makes when you finish the ones you get.  The striker broke down the right and pulled the ball back across the box where the left winger had arrived unmarked.  His initial effort was well saved by Foggy, but their other striker reacted quickest to put the ball in the back of the net: 2-1.

We know we are in trouble when Sharpy walks us away to a quieter spot at half time, but the advice that followed from both Gaffa and captain was constructive and helpful.  Things definitely improved in the second half, despite going another goal down following a sloppy moment from a corner when Foggy and about three defenders collided going for the ball from a corner, and it deflected in off Robin’s back for the first O.G. of the season: 1-3.

Sharpy made two changes following this goal with Nick being replaced by Scott and Alex making his debut in place of Robin.  No one likes to be taken off, but despite being visibly annoyed to be substituted Nick deserves credit for making the objective observation that these changes seemed to make a difference.  The fresh legs would have helped, as we started to get on top.

It’s fair to say that we wouldn’t have clawed our way back into this came without Ryan’s determination and superb finishing.  It also helped that Jake seemed to be relishing playing in a more advanced role which enabled him to look to make the killer passes that he is always trying in training.  On this occasion the ball was played to him by Luke, who had made a typically incisive run.  Jake then slipped the ball through to Ryan, who won the 50/50 race with the keeper and curled the ball low into the bottom corner: 3-2.

The Lakeside keeper’s kamikaze approach was a popular talking point following our last meeting, as with more luck than judgement he raced off his line on a number of occasions to deny us.  However, his luck seemed to have run out now as he sprinted off his line to try and stop Ryan getting to a high ball forward from Craig. Ryan’s got there first, flicking the ball out to the left before finishing superbly into the near corner of the net with the outside of his right boot: 3-3.

There could easily have been more goals, as both teams had chances which included a very good penalty shout each.  First Lakeside’s striker was unceremoniously stopped in his tracks by James, and then Ryan was taken out after Eye-Ball had ridden a rash challenge before slipping the ball forward.  On both occasion the ref decided to respond to the foul in the box by bringing play back for the foul that had led to him playing an advantage – curious but at least consistent.

A couple of last ditch blocks from Eye-Ball were needed, as well as some good work from Foggy coming off his line to claim the ball and clear any danger, to preserve our point, but we saw it out to the end with Sharpy even allowing himself a little run out, which helped us with winning the ball and retaining possession.  Everyone continued to work hard and get stuck in, and there was even a rare but perfectly timed sliding tackle from Scott to admire – I’m looking forward to seeing more of those!  However, on the balance of play both teams should be happy with a point, and the rendition of “Reach for the Stars” in the showers afterwards suggest the Accies were happy with their morning’s work.

Ryan’s all-round contribution was key to us getting anything from the game.  However, he was just pipped to the MoTM award by Harry, who deservedly received the most votes as he took responsibility for leading the midfield and displayed the bite, dogged determination and commitment that we all should have aspired to.  An honourable mention should also go to Alex, who impressed on his first outing in defence.  The assumption was that he would be predominately a full back, but his height, good positional sense and willingness to communicate with his fellow defenders suggests he is equally happy at centre back, where we can definitely do with some more cover.  There was no DoTD on this occasion, despite Foggy nominating himself for a number of wayward kicks towards the end of the game – give yourself a break skipper!

With training finishing for Christmas and no game now until January it will be down to individuals to avoid the temptation of eating too much turkey, and to try and maintain some reasonable level of fitness.  Who am I kidding, this is Sunday league so everyone is in the same boat.  Eat, drink, and be merry.  Have a fantastic Christmas, and see you all in 2016.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Jacks Lads 1 - 4 Aveley Academicals

The Aveley Academicals wagon had been building pace with 3 straight wins, but was in danger of being derailed due to a midweek availability crisis, which led us to believe we would be going into the game against Jacks Lads without Harry, Mo, Ryan, Scott, Jake and Luke.  A three point banker against a side we had comfortably beaten two weeks before was suddenly looking like a potential banana skin.  However, for once the gods took mercy on Sharpy and delivered Harry, Luke and Jimmy to Belhus Park to swing the odds back in our favour.

Subs: Luke, Sharpy

The one challenge we did still had to overcome was how to avoid being blown away by the strong wind, which once again howled across Belhus Park, whilst wearing the purple parachutes that we pass off as our away kit.  For the new boys this would have been the first time they had this pleasure, and it was therefore quite a coincidence that we should bump into someone who was very familiar with the purple outfit in the shape of club legend Deano.  Ironically he was going to be wearing red on this particular day, and although it is great to see him back in the Sunday league fold, it’s a shame it is representing old rivals Linford Wanderers rather than Aveley.

Foggy won the toss, and Aveley set about making best use of the wind advantage in the first half.  With Ryan missing, Jimmy’s return couldn’t have been better timed as he slotted into the number 10 role like a glove and was a key figure in helping the Accies pretty much win the game in the first 45 minutes.  Jimmy got the scoring underway himself when he latched onto Dale’s flick on from Foggy’s clearance, and just got a toe to the ball ahead of the defender to lift it over the stranded keeper and into the net: 0-1.

The second was created by James, who doesn’t let playing at full back stop him from gallivanting further upfield. On one such foray he lifted the ball to the back post where Dale finished on the second attempt with something closer to a slide tackle (even rarer than a header) than a shot.  Still, it just shows how hungry he is for goals even if it means getting a little too friendly with the upright: 0-2.

We may have had a lot of changes in personnel (not to mention a few new names) over the years, but one thing has never changed: this team is a completely different beast when a couple of goals in the lead.  Suddenly everyone wanted the ball; James was racing down the right to receive sumptuous through balls from Nick and Harry was popping up all over the place to win the ball and link up with Craig – his newest partner in the centre.  Brian and Rob were taking no prisoners to win back the ball as soon as it came into our half, and even Eye-Ball was venturing forward and playing neat one-twos with Liam on the left.  The third goal came from Liam’s endeavours, as he harassed and dispossessed the defender before playing the ball across to Dale who caressed it into the far corner with the outside of his boot: 0-3.

Such are the expectations we place on Dale to get us goals, that it hardly raised an eyebrow when he wrapped up a first half hat-trick when Harry play the ball forward to Jimmy, who showed great vision as, with his back to goal, he let the ball slide off the outside of his boot and carry on through to Dale, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net: 0-4.

We didn’t have it all our own way in the first half, and if it hadn’t been for goal line clearances from Robin and Eye-Ball we may have gone into half time having undone a lot of our hard work.  As it was, we did concede once as we got caught on the break having committed too many men forward, and as the ball held up in the wind when played into the box, the Jacks Lad winger reacted quickest to divert the ball past Foggy and into the corner of the net: 1-4.

The half time orders were pretty much to keep doing what we were doing, and with Luke making a straight swap for Eye-Ball there was no reason to believe the second half would be any different from the first – apart from the fact that defending was going to be a little more challenging kicking against the wind.

In almost every way in the second half, we were the football team Sharpy so badly wants us to be.  We played the ball out of defence, provided multiple options to the man with the ball, pressed our opponents to win back possession, and looked to keep hold of the ball instead of hoofing it long at the first opportunity.  With Luke on we now had two fullbacks who love to get forward, so it was no surprise that the second half approach seemed to be attack, attack, attack.  However, through no lack of effort or chances, all we missed were further goals.

The keeper got revenge on Dale with a hat-trick of his own in the second half, as he denied Dale adding further to his goal tally on at least three occasions.  Still the fact that we were creating the chances is as good as scoring them from the team’s point of view.  However, I’m sure Sharpy would have loved to be able to claim the assist for the goal that should have been scored as a result of his perfect through ball.  Before you ask, this wasn’t played from amongst the kit bags, he’d actually brought himself on for a rare cameo performance in place of Craig.

When we played Jacks Lads two weeks ago, Harry scored a worldy to give us the lead, and very nearly repeated the feat as he laced the bouncing ball towards goal from 35 yards.  Despite the wind’s best efforts, it wouldn’t dipped enough to creep under the bar, and instead rebounded off the wood work to safety.

To be fair to Jacks Lads, despite having their backs against the wall they kept on fighting, and would have made the last 10 minutes into squeaky bum time if it hadn’t been for some poor finishing and a couple of fine one-on-one saves from Foggy. 

MoTM was well contested again, with Dale obviously getting a number of votes for yet another hat-trick.  However, this time it rightfully went to one of the unsung heroes of the team.  Brian quietly goes about his business, but hardly ever puts a foot wrong – and it’s even rarer that he loses out in a tackle.  He was the focal point of our defence on this occasion, and often the player who was driving us forward as he anchored the midfield in addition to undertaking his centre back duties.

Whilst we were caught up in the euphoria of our fourth straight win, no DoTD nominations were obvious.  However once we got to the pub a few emerged, including Nick forgetting we were playing in purple as (from a throw in ) he sent the ball in the direction of a player in red with no one in our colours in the vicinity.  He also received another nomination for attempting to turn the defender, but only succeding in falling over and conceding a free kick for hand ball.  Then some were brave enough to mention Foggy’s inability to account for the wind as kick after kick flew off the pitch.  I think our skipper’s response was to highlight Dale’s multiple missed chance in the second half (ouch!). Last but not least, there was Luke and James drawing hand bags at dawn (what was that all about!).  However, with no clear winner coming forward Sharpy again “took one for the team.”  It’s hard to find an excuse this time, which makes you wonder why he seems to want the coveted golden dick so bad…

Well done boys, and let’s make sure we approach next week in exactly the same way.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

F.C. Deportivo Thurrock 5 - 6 Aveley Academicals

Whilst having to explain another dismal defeat for Newcastle United, Steve McClaren stated that it’s not the squad or the tactics that make the difference between winning and losing; it’s all down to attitude.  Now McClaren isn’t getting much right at the moment, but he was absolutely correct on this occasion, as this applies as much on a blustery Sunday morning at Belhus Park as it does at a packed Selhurst Park on a Saturday afternoon.  Newcastle could definitely learn something from Aveley Academicals, whose attitude was spot on as they exacted revenge for the narrow (and undeserved) defeat to Deportivo earlier in the season.  Sure, we would have preferred the margin of victory to be a little bigger, and the referee kept us sweating for the final whistle, but to leave the battlefield victorious having let a two goal lead slip – followed by a one goal and almost a three goal advantage – took character and desire which some have questioned at times this season.  Perhaps the well-attend social on Friday had helped reunite us – a big thank you to our sponsor!

The squad may not be everything, but having one definitely helps and once again Sharpy had a strong one to choose from.  The fact that he could leave Robin, Jake and James on the bench despite missing both H and Mo is testament to how good we are collectively if we have the numbers.  Arguably our best performance of the season against Stanford Town was with Nick in a holding role, and Sharpy chose to deploy him in this position again, with Scott being given the opportunity to prove himself in the middle with Ryan.

Subs: Robin, James, Jake

Deportivo’s strengths are in their size, strength and speed in attack.  Where they are not so good is at tracking runners and defending through balls.  We didn’t exploit this enough in the previous fixture, but Eye-Ball and Dale demonstrated in the first five minutes what was possible if we kept the ball on the floor, as the defender played the ball in the space inside the full-back to meet the striker’s incisive run.  The keeper saved on this occasion, but the marker had been set.

With the wind in our favour in the first half, we were making better use of possession and restricting our opponents in attack, helped in a large part by Nick who always seemed to be on hand to cut out the long balls which inevitably fell a little short.  With the wind naturally taking the ball right, Scott and Craig were seeing a lot of it, and kept things neat and simple as they looked to bring Liam and Ryan into the game.

It was Ryan who was instrumental in providing the breakthrough for us when he linked up with Dale on the right before racing with the ball to the bye line.  Dale turned and sprinted into the box, and arrived at exactly the right moment to stroke Ryan’s pull back into the bottom corner: 0-1.

Dale should have had a second when Liam latched onto a loose ball played at the back and raced clear.  He did everything right but the keeper saved well.  Liam didn’t give up, and won back possession before squaring the ball on the edge of the six yard box to Dale.  With the goal seemingly at his mercy, he hit the ball directly at the defender on the line, and it was cleared to safety.

If Dale missing such an easy chance was strange, there were other things happening which would have left some wondering if we had entered a parallel universe.  One of the discussion points of Friday night had centred on the belief that we need to get a bit more steel and grit into our game.  However, Eye-Ball maybe took this a bit far, as a rash challenge incensed Deportivo’s big number nine, and sparked an angry scene.  Players from both sides were on hand to avoid Eye-Ball being turned into Peperami soup, with some of the guys volunteering to act as character witnesses.  This was much appreciated, but I really must question Scott’s apparent claim that “He wouldn’t hurt anyone.  He plays the trumpet”.  For starters Scott, it’s a trombone, and if you’d seen some of the things I have at band camp you’d think twice about walking down an alley with a man holding a music stand in one hand and a big lump of brass in the other.  Eye-Ball rightly received a booking, and spent the rest of the game being told by his team mates to calm down.  What really took the biscuit was Sharpy pulling him to one side to warn him of the opposition’s likely attempts to get him sent off.  I don’t know what this place is, but I don’t want to go back!

Once order had been restored, Aveley once again got on with the task in hand and extended their lead when Blakely stuck out an 8 foot long leg to steer Dale’s free kick into the bottom corner.  There is pretty much no doubt that everyone – including Dale – were expecting a shot, which makes Blakey reacting in time somewhat of a miracle.  Having said that perhaps the slide just coincided fortuitously with Blakey decided to take a rest: 0-2.

We haven’t been great at defending set pieces this season, and throughout this match Deportivo looked like scoring from dead balls thanks to their height and superb deliveries.  Apart from this we were keeping them at bay with Foggy only having to tip one shot round the post.  It was from a corner that was well headed home that they got a goal back before half-time, and it could have been worse if Ryan hadn’t cleared another scramble from a corner off the line: 1-2.

What with another headed effort skidding off the top of the crossbar, and Blakey pulling up with a suspected torn hamstring on the stroke of half-time, we were grateful to hear the referee’s whistle and have ten minutes to regroup.

Sharpy made two changes at half time as Robin replaced the injured Blakey, and Jake stepped in for Scott.  It was pretty obvious that the wind was going to cause us as many problems as the opposition in the second half, as Eye-Ball demonstrated with a sliced clearance from 20 yards out which flew straight up in the air before catching in the gale force wind and spinning rapidly towards our goal.  Foggy bravely flung himself into the goal to intervene if required – picking up a dead leg for his troubles – but fortunately the ball dropped just over the bar.  This resulted in one of many corners which we couldn’t afford to concede, and we were punished early in the second half when the run of the striker to the front post was not tracked, and the low corner was flicked into the net: 2-2.

We would have all been gutted to let a two goal lead slip, but we didn’t have to wait long for our spirits to be lifted again.  Now despite scoring 69 goals, it is an indisputable* fact that Eye-Ball has still scored more headers for the club than Dale.  It was therefore a rare and fantastic sight to see number 70 flying in from close range off the hairspray laden bonce of our prolific striker.  To be fair, he hardly had a choice other than to head the ball into the net, given that the outstanding cross from Craig was driven right onto Dale’s barnet: 2-3.

*I say indisputable, but I’d need to check this but I can’t be bothered so would rather just make this wild claim.

One incredible sight was soon matched by another, when Deportivo’s midfielder laced the bouncing ball from 35 yards off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.  There was absolutely nothing Foggy could do – although the dive made this a great one for the cameras – and our lead had been snuffed out again: 3-3.

The chances were coming thick and fast now, with Robin almost becoming the second defender to score in the match, when he stretched but could not quite get enough on a pin-point free kick from Jake from on the half way line, which he dropped onto the six yard box like Tiger Woods pinging a 9 iron within inches of the flag (hopefully that is all Jake and Tiger have in common).

In an incredible ten minute spell, the Accies went from being in danger of losing a game they had dominated to opening up a three goal lead.  First Luke bravely won the ball on the half way line despite the high boot lunging at his head, before playing in Dale.  He raced clear, and when his shot was parried by the keeper Ryan was on hand to score on the second attempt as (for the second week running) his initial header was blocked: 3-4.

Four became five when Ryan rose highest to get something on a corner from the left.  The ball fell backwards into the path of Brian, who capped off a superb performance at the back with arguably his best goal for the club, as he took a touch before lifting the ball through a crowded area into the top corner: 3-5.

It would have hurt Dale to have been pulled off (I mean substituted!) during last week’s game, and having had prolonged discussions during the week with the gaffa, his reaction in this game was magnificent.  He chased absolutely everything, and was even seen defending in our box at one point.  He was a constant threat, and I suspect at least two of Deportivo’s less mobile defenders are still having nightmares about him gliding past them with ease.  The fact that the referee penalised him for diving when the defender gave up any hope of getting the ball and simply barged into Dale was truly shocking.  However, Dale definitely had the last laugh as he made Aveley’s sixth goal when he evaded two defenders to latch onto Eye-Ball’s ball down the line before running in field and shooting from a tight angle.  The keeper got to the ball, but couldn’t keep hold which left James (on for Craig), with the easiest of tap ins (although I for one was still holding my breath given our track record over the last two games): 3-6.

This sixth goal proved to be vital, as we conceded twice in the last ten minutes, from diagonal right to left balls, which curled in towards the goal on the wind, leaving our defence floundering.  The first was scuffed, and somehow looped over Foggy into the net, and the next was brought down with one touch and then slide past Foggy with the next: 5-6.

After all the issues we have had with referees, “ref bashing” is definitely something we shouldn’t get involved in.  However, all you ask is that referees are consistent with their decision making, and treat both teams the same.  During this game it was hard not to feel like we were playing against twelve men at times.  There is no arguing our three bookings, but to see the opposition go unpunished for threatening behaviour, blatant pushes, cynical fouls and for give as much lip to the ref as we did was both unexplainable and unforgivable.  Then at the end of the game it seemed like he was determined to keep playing until the opposition equalised. Sure, it isn’t his fault our defence turned to jelly, but when you say there are four minutes left to play you expect to only have to hold out for roughly that amount of time.  Still, football is all about overcoming obstacles – which takes the right attitude.  Enough said.

Voting for MoTM was tougher than ever this week, with so many players putting in superb performances.  The majority of the votes when to Dale, Ryan, Nick and Brian.  Dale just edged it, and picked up his third award of the season, which is as many as anyone got in the whole of last year.  DoTD was even tougher to choose, with Dale’s 6 yard chance and Foggy being lobbed from 10 yards being two suggestions worthy of note.  However, both these risked taking the gloss of what had been a superb all round performance, so Sharpy nobly fell on his sword and took the award for…shameful eating of a bacon sandwich?  It is actually worth mentioning that Sharpy showed an uncharacteristic level of controlled despite the referee pressing all the wrong buttons, and was even able to be talked out of confronting the man in black following his shocking booking of Foggy when a maul formed on the goal line.  Oh dear, we’re back in that parallel universe…

Next week we are at Belhus again to play Jacks Lads, and will need to show even more grit and determination to extend our winning streak with a number of key players being missing.  I have no doubt we can continue to show what we’re made of.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 6^th December – Away v Jacks Lads @ Belhus Park

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 2 - 0 Jacks Lads

“We’re still not quite hitting the levels” was Sharpy’s honest assessment of our performance against Jacks Lads, where we got the job done but still didn’t show the ruthlessness to bury a team who we were far better than.

The turn-out was good again, meaning that Sharpy could offer a first start to Craig and keep Brian, Nick and Luke in reserve.

Subs:  Luke, Brian, Nick

It was a shaky start by two sides who would have been wondering what to expect from each other, having not met in the league for a number of years.  However, the early assessment was that our opposition were set up to defend, with one large but cumbersome target man (even Rob was leaving him for dead) and three combative but technically average central midfielders.  Their defence – marshalled by their own skipper-keeper – looked solid, and to be fair Jacks Lad defended bravely and in numbers to keep clear cut chances to a minimum.

On the flip side, we played far too much into the oppo’s hands, by making too many elementary mistakes and being sloppy in possession.  The one ray of sunshine was Craig, whose calm and seemingly relaxed demeanour masks a mischievous streak and flamboyant flare which saw him evading sliding tackles with little faints, and flicking the ball over bemused defenders.  He was also setting an example to the rest of us with his good touch and accurate passing. 

It was fitting therefore that Craig provided the assist to give us the lead, when he collected the ball on the right following our corner and played it across the pitch to Harry.  Fortunately Harry ignored the shouts from his skipper to “take a touch” and instead magnificently curled the ball first time over the heads of all those in the crowded area and into the top left corner.  Surely this will be a contender for goal of the season, but more importantly it provided the breakthrough which we were finding so hard to come by: 1-0.

The second half was far better from Aveley’s point of view, with Harry and Mo growing in confidence in the centre of midfield and starting to demand the ball at every opportunity.  On most occasions they provided a short option for the defence and then looked to bring Liam, Craig (then James) and Ryan into the game so they could provide the link to Dale up front.  We may have only been one nil up, but with the bench being so strong it was no issue for Sharpy to introduce Luke, Brian and Nick who replaced Craig, Robin and Dale.

The only significant save I recall Foggy having to make in the second half was when he got down well to push the ball away from just inside his right hand post, but despite our dominance we still couldn’t find the second goal that would put the game beyond doubt – which was making a number of us nervous.  We created a number of chances, with Blakey’s header from Nick’s corner just lacking power, Liam firing over after latching onto a loose ball in a crowded area and Harry blasting wide from just outside the box – proving that lightning doesn’t strike twice.

Sharpy is always banging on about us trying something different from corners, and I’m sure he’ll therefore expect some credit for the move which led to the second goal and allowed us to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the three points were finally secured.  With players waiting in the box for Nick to deliver the corner, Luke raced forward to provide a short option which drew the defence towards the ball.  Luke’s deep cross then found Ryan unmarked at the back post, and he calmly slotted the ball home after the keeper blocked his initial header: 2-0.

With ten minutes to go, we definitely would have settled for 2-0, but it should definitely have been 3 when Ryan was put clean through and unselfishly passed the ball across the goal, where Liam was on hand to smash the ball into the goal.  At least, smashing it in would have been the foolproof option, but instead Liam flicked the ball like it was a grizzly bear he was frightened might awake from a deep sleep and bite his head off (that’s a simile rather than a metaphor), allowing the keeper to get across and block the shot.  The ensuing scramble saw the keeper come up trumps as neither Liam nor Ryan could get the ball across the line.  Liam was obviously gutted to miss out on such a golden opportunity to increase his goal tally, and to rub salt into the wounds was overwhelmingly awarded DoTD.

So the three points – and a clean sheet – were ours.  Harry narrowly edged out Mo for MoTM thanks to a fine performance (which was capped by a super goal) that was reminiscent of when he so impressed following his move to the centre of midfield last season.  We know there are much tougher tests ahead, but if the group of players who have been turning out for the last few weeks can continue to be available surely we can only get better and better.

Eye-Ball

Next game:  Sunday 29^th November – Away @ Belhus Park v FC Deportivo Thurrock.

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 4 - 3 Trojans

Those who find my match reports a little too War and Peace, and not enough Janet and John, will be pleased to hear that this week’s round up is brief.  Partly due to my own time constraints, but mainly because there is probably more to forget than remember about this game.  In the end we were the ones sneaking off in the wooden horse, with three points most of us admitted we probably didn’t deserve.  Still after 4 straight defeats – at least two of which we deserved to win – and the disappointment last week of turning up at Blackshots to find a note saying all games were off because the locks to the changing rooms had been changed, we desperately needed the three points, and as someone pointed out – what goes around comes around.

With a strong squad to choose from, Sharpy would have been looking forward to stalking the touch line and marshalling his troops.  Instead the boots were put on and he trudged to the middle with stopwatch and whistle in hand.  Sharpy already does far too much for this club, and having to referee due to a last minute drop out really is beyond the call of duty.

Subs:  Scott, Craig, Jake

A strong wind blowing from one end of the pitch to the other made for difficult playing conditions, and despite kicking into the wind in the first half we really struggled to settle.   It seemed like the wind was carrying away all our enthusiasm and energy, in addition to the smell of bacon and the inaudible squeak of Sharpy’s whistle.  The ball spent far too long in the air, and although there were some flashes of the quick one and two touch football which has been so encouraged in training, these instances were too few and far between.

However, we did take the lead when Nick collected the ball on the right and played a ball in, which bamboozled the defender near the penalty spot and fell invitingly for Liam to calmly stroke into the net with his left: 1-0.

We should have pushed on from here, but instead we conceded the first of two sloppy goals from set pieces.  On the first occasion the ball was whipped in from the right hand side of the box, and allowed to bounce to the back post where Tom (brother of James) reacted quickest to nod past Foggy: 1-1.

The Accies re-took the lead with a sublime move which saw Ryan linking up with Mo, who showed great feet to find some space on the edge of the box and play the ball through to Dale.  Our top scorer then fired the ball across the goal keeper, who couldn’t prevent the ball crossing the line despite getting a hand to it: 2-1.

We couldn’t hold onto the lead for long, as another free kick was awarded to the opposition by Sharpy on the edge of the box.  Foggy got down well to save the ball at his near post, but once again it was a Trojan’s player reacting quickest to fire home the rebound: 2-2.

If the first half wasn’t much of a spectacle, the second half was awful.  Neither side ever seemed to have control of the ball, with possession constantly changing hands, passes being misplaced or over-hit and tempers rising.  However, there were three more goals, with Trojans getting the first to take the lead for the first time.  Eye-Ball was caught in possession, and Tom raced clear before passing the ball to his team mate to slot home: 2-3.

We weren’t behind for long as, amidst farcical scenes, Ryan won a penalty which was converted by Dale.  Whilst most of us were watching Ryan being chased across the area by the goal keeper in pursuit of the loose ball, it was all kicking off on the half way line between Nick (who had been kicked in the face) and the opposition’s troubled centre mid (who just wanted to kill everyone – including his own players).  As Sharpy raced over to avert a punch up cries of “PENALTY!” rang out, because Ryan had got to the ball first and been unceremoniously taken out from behind by the keeper.  Sharpy had turned just in time to see this, and so when something resembling order had been restored the penalty was awarded and scored.  Some of the opposition chose to doubt Sharpy’s honesty, arguing that he couldn’t have seen the incident if he was dealing with what was going on at the half way line.  However, Sharpy says he saw what happened, and despite what some were saying one thing you can’t doubt is Sharpy’s honesty.  I quite honestly missed both key moments (my natural reaction is to close my eyes when I see Sharpy charging towards the oppo), but the general lack of complaints from the goal keeper and those defenders who had actually bothered to play on, rather than swinging their handbags, suggest that justice, in the end, was done: 3-3.

We had more than one chance to snatch the victory, with the best falling to Eye-Ball, who anticipated Rob’s flick on from a long throw but saw his stooping header deflect of his marker in the six yard box and trickle agonisingly wide.

Scott and Craig replaced Mo and Nick midway through the second half, and showed enough good touches and accurate passes to suggest they fit perfectly into the type of team we are trying to become.  However, it was left to two of the Aveley stalwarts – Ryan and Liam – to save the day, with the former running across the goal to avoid the defender before hitting the ball back across the keeper with his left.  The keeper parried the shot, and Liam was on hand to finish into the empty net and hand us the victory: 4-3.

Man of the match came down to a revote, which saw Liam edge out Harry.  Both players deserved to win the vote thanks to their commitment and unquestionable effort both on and off the ball.  I suppose Liam’s two goals rightly swung the result his way. 

DoTD went to Blakey following a passionate campaign to see the big centre half awarded this honour.  Even he would admit it wasn’t his best day at the office, and taking an impromptu rest in the middle of the pitch was never going to help – I suppose he could argue that the air is a bit thin up there, so lying horizontal just helps fill the lungs.   Some dubious voting patterns prevented it going to Scott, who turned up about 15 minutes before kick off only to proclaim that his Mum was currently driving back to Chadwell with his kit in the car.  He wasn’t get out of playing that easily, and we manage to scrape enough kit together for him to play.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 22^nd November @ Home v Jacks Lads

Goal scoring chart

Stanford Town 1 - 0 Aveley Academicals

Dale was understandably annoyed to hear one of our opposition make an off-hand comment about keeping an eye on their stuff with these “Aveley scummers” in town.  The reality was that it was Stanford who thieved from us, as they walked away with three points which rightfully belonged to The Accies.

Two weeks ago Sharpy couldn’t hide his anger and feeling of betrayal as we let him down in almost every way.  The thick fog which covered the pitch at the start of the game was almost a sign of the low point we had reached after three straight defeats, but by the end of the game the skies had cleared and with Sharpy beaming with pride and admiration, it seemed that there was still hope that the future would be bright.

A key factor in this turnaround was that Sharpy had almost a full squad to choose from, and although Harry declared himself unfit to start (standing upright was proving enough of a challenge) Sharpy still had 14 other players from which to pick his starting eleven.  A few noticeable changes saw Mo make his debut alongside Alec in midfield, Nick start in the holding role and Eye-Ball making a very rare appearance at centre half.  James drew the short straw of playing at left back, but he was more than prepared to take one for the team.

Subs: Craig, Harry, Jake, Scott

There is always an argument against playing teams in your league during pre-season, but in hindsight being thrashed 8-3 by Stanford prior to the season starting was the best thing that could have happened.  They turned up thinking it would be a walkover, and we were determined to restore some pride.  By the end of the first half there was no doubt that Stanford knew what we were really about, as we created half a dozen chances to their one long range effort which was well saved, diving to his right, by Foggy.

Conditions were not easy with the fog taking its time to clear and the ground being wet underfoot.  Add to this the meagre dimensions of the pitch, and this resulted in both teams struggling to get the ball through to their strikers without it skidding on to the keepers.  However, Dale’s pace and determination was wreaking havoc for Stanford’s sluggish back line, but unfortunately he couldn’t find the net with the ease he has in previous weeks, with the angles and opposition goalkeeper proving equal to his efforts.  Possibly his best chance was a rare header from a cross by Liam, but it became obvious why this is not a route by which he usually scores as the ball sailed well wide.

Throughout the rest of the side it seemed that Sharpy had got the formation and personnel spot on.  Nick had said he was struggling for fitness, in which case patrolling across the pitch in front of the back four was exactly what he needed.  He did the job superbly as time and again he cut out the danger posed by their attacking midfielders before giving the ball to Mo and Blakey, who brought a calmness and composure to our midfield which gave Ryan, Liam and Dale time to get themselves in position to receive the ball and get us on the attack.  The only thing missing in the first half was a goal, and we could only hope that we could continue where we left off in the second half and would not be punished for failing to create and take more opportunities during our period of dominance.

Stanford aren’t top of the league and title favourites for nothing, and it was obvious that they would pose more a threat at some point.  However, our defensive unit was functioning superbly, with Liam and James keeping the wingers very quiet and sweeping round to provide cover for Rob and Eye-Ball as required.

There was a few raised eyebrows when Sharpy named Eye-Ball at centre half, which is understandable as the gaffa and Rob would be the only two members of the squad to have seen him play in that position.  In the ten years Eye-Ball has been at the club, there has always been a succession of quality options at centre half to partner Robin: Johnny Horwood; Deano; Milly; Niki; Nathan; Tapsell; Brian; Alex; Blakey; Rob; Johnny; Foggy and Chappers are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.  Opportunities to play in the middle have therefore been few and far between, but Sharpy’s trust appeared to have been vindicated as the Stanford strikers were feeding on scraps, and Foggy’s participation (following the one save in the first half) was restricted to claiming high balls,snaffling any ball played into the box and watching one header sail wide of his left hand post.  However, it could be argued that one mistake by Eye-Ball was the equivalent of leaving the door unlocked and enabling Stanford to steal the points.  He raced across to cover Luke and temporarily lost all control of his hands, resulting in the ball being lifted into them when it would otherwise have gone over his head.  Foggy got a hand to the penalty kick, but it was struck too hard and low for him to stop the ball painfully entering our net: 1-0.

I’ve criticised our reaction to going behind before, but the response on this occasion was nothing short of superb.  Not only in terms of the support and encouragement offered to Eye-Ball – who was devastated to have undone all our efforts – but in the way we kept going at Stanford right to the end.  Sharpy changed the personnel and the formation, as Nick, Blakey and Luke were replaced by Craig (also making his debut), Jake and Harry in a 4-4-2 formation with Ryan partnering his brother up top.  We remained competitive to the end, but Sharpy did admit that maybe the starting formation suited us better (but unless you change it how will you ever know) and we weren’t able to break down our opposition and get the reward we deserved.

The scoreline may be the most tangible result, but the impact of the performance should not be underestimated.  Our confidence and belief in what we can achieve in this league would have been given a massive boost, but that confidence is born out of looking around and seeing that you’ve got the full squad there – so let’s make every effort to make sure this becomes the norm rather than the exception.

MoTM was pretty much a clean sweep for new boy Mo, whose engine, great close control and ability to create time and space fits perfectly into the plan Sharpy has for turning us into the ultimate ticka-tacka team.  DoTD was a much tougher decision, with Rob being a front runner following an impression of something between and penguin and a salmon as he completely misjudged the bouncing ball (a rare sight indeed).  H was sitting in a close second for being fit for nothing more than running the line – and then getting that wrong by standing in the wrong half – before bursting into an unassailable lead by voting for James who he claimed “couldn’t kick the ball for toffee”.  You’d think he’d have the best view of the left back from running the line, but the effects of whatever he’d been smoking the previous night obviously hadn’t worn off.

Next week we have the bottom team in the league – so let’s make sure we fill our boots and get back to winning ways.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 8^th November away @ Blackshots v Stifford Social

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 3 - 5 Lakeside

What a load of rubbish!  Once again we lose to an awful side by gifting them five goals. Saying that, we were hardly likely to win with only the 12 blokes who could be bothered to turn up.  Foggy couldn’t catch a cold, Harry couldn’t pass wind, Eye-Ball couldn’t tackle a parked car and as for our strikers: how could they miss chance after chance against the long haired streak of piss the opposition had the cheek to call a goal keeper.  The referee didn't help, as he basically cost us the game by not seeing a blatant handball for their third goal which proved the catalyst for Lakeside to score two more in quick succession and take the game away from us.  After conceding we were hardly likely to score given the only way we could find the net was when the opposition more or less put the ball in the goal for us.  We might as well give up now - what's the point...

Or we could look at it another way...

The referee summed it up when he described boot checks and the pre-match handshake as "a waste of time".  He obviously understands that this is Sunday League Football, and remembering that should help us keep a sense of perspective.  We need to accept that every game is going to be tough and potentially result in defeat, as every team is reliant on the team they are able to put out on the day.  Especially with a predominantly young squad, work and family commitments have to come first.  However, we need to approach every game with the right attitude and if we can all walk off and say we did our best and gave 100% for the team then we've got to be happy - regardless of the result.

Subs: Nick

This is our 4th consecutive season in the same league as Lakeside, and we always have tough games against them.  This one was no different, and on the balance of play and chances created, really could have gone either way.  We twice took the lead through Dale, when he first took advantage of a mix up between keeper and defender to walk the ball into an empty net.  He then raced clear after Foggy claimed the ball in his box and quickly threw it out to Ryan, who nodded on to his brother.  Dale only had time for one touch before slotting the ball into the corner of the net to make it 2-1.

It's easy to say that all the goals we conceded were avoidable.  But then aren't they always?  It's all too easy to point the finger of blame at individuals, when what we should be doing is looking at ourselves and thinking "what could I have done differently", or "what can I do now to get us back in this".  We all make countless mistakes during the game, and Foggy dropping the ball may have been the last one before the first goal against us went in, but someone gave away possession, someone else conceded the free kick, and why didn't any of us anticipate the second ball before the opposition player?  James's throw in wasn't the best, but should we have committed so many people in front of the goal, leaving Rob exposed against their quick striker?  Could someone have slowed down the opposition throw in?  The referee may have missed the handball, but should Eye-Ball have really ended up defending the cross and against the two blokes at the back post.  If he’d managed to get more than a shin in the way of the ball back across there wouldn’t have been a decision to make.  Instead of looking for someone to blame for the fourth goal, perhaps we should just take our hats off to the guy who won the ball from Foggy’s clearance and pinged it back over our skipper’s head from about 45 yards.  And as for the fifth, it could have gone anywhere after deflecting off H, but it went in the back of the net, so deal with it!

The game was slipping away from us now, but we should take heart from the way we rallied.  We may have only scored once more after Liam followed up after his initial effort came back off the post, but we created enough chances to even win the game.  However, their keeper may have been clumsy, but you couldn’t knock his courage, as he threw his body in the away of everything.  Perhaps he then deserved a bit of luck as well, when Liam’s well struck effort inside the box connected directly with him in a crowd of players.  We kept going right to the end, with Sharpy creating one of the best chances of the game (I promised I’d mention it) with a delightful medium ball (he doesn’t do long ball) in behind to Dale, who was denied his hat trick by the kamikaze Lakeside number 1. 

Despite not getting to keep the match ball for the second time this season (good job as we’re running out of balls), Dale deservedly collected his second MoTM award for the season.  It is somewhat reluctantly that I have to record the DoTD mark against Foggy’s name. He is doing us a massive favour playing in goal now that Andrew has sadly decided not to carry on (you’ll always be welcome back mate, even if just for a beer), and I’ve already explained how harsh it is to pin the first goal on him.  However, Foggy sets himself high standards, and I know he won’t be looking to make excuses.

We may have lost this battle, but the war is going to be a long and bloody one, so we’d better keep fighting.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 1st November @ Corringham Rec - Away v Stanford Town

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 0 - 1 FC Deportivo Thurrock

There are many perplexing mysteries in this world:  how did they build the pyramids? What is Stonehenge? Who was Jack the Ripper? And exactly how did H manage to survive without alcohol for over 6 months?

You can now add the result of this game to the list: how on earth did we not come away with three points despite restricting our opponents to one shot on target and having our strongest team out (sorry Jake and Foggy – the Gaffa’s words, not mine)?

Like all good mysteries, there were plenty of theories flying around after the game and in the pub.  The most popular one was that we persisted with a game plan despite it being obvious that it wasn’t working.  There is a time and a place for the ball over the top, but when – time and time again – the opposition sit deep and snuff out the danger we should have realised that it was time to change the record.

Still, there is always next week (and now training as well) to put things right, and there were an awful lot of positives to take from the game.  Firstly, Jimmy made his eagerly awaited competitive debut, and it was clear that he is going to add a huge amount of quality to the side.  Not just with his technical ability, but his determination to be involve in the play, and desire to link up with the rest of the team and direct proceedings from the front is surely going to both improve our team play and bring out the best in the other members of the squad.

It has already been mentioned that the only shot the oppo had on target was when they scored.  This wasn’t because they were wasteful in front of goal, but because the defensive unit – marshalled by Chappers – did a superb job of keeping the Deportivo attackers quiet.  Andrew also played the ball out from the back with confidence and accuracy throughout the game.

Losing Rob in the warm-up was a blow, but he must have admired the way Blakey slotted into his boots.  In fact, assuming Rob has shrunk by a foot and a half in the last twenty years, Blakey’s performance must have reminded Rob of a younger version of himself, as the young apprentice won every header and even found himself on the edge of the opposition penalty area on more than one occasion.

We’ve also mentioned the strength of the squad, and it was great that Sharpy could leave his boots at home with two quality substitutes (even after Rob’s withdrawal) to call on.  Maybe one week soon we’ll have the full squad there, and can actually do a team photo!

Despite the late withdrawal of Rob, Sharpy was still able to assemble a team that looked (in theory) to be well balanced and full of goals.

Subs: Liam, Nick, Rob

The general pattern of play was set early in the first half with an attempted killer pass or ball over the top being either cut out by Deportivo – who to give credit, packed the midfield, and put our first touch under pressure throughout the match.  We would then win the ball back, and it would all start again.  The one real threat Deportivo had was their tricky left winger, but after a few rash challenges (I think Jake might call them “reducers”) Luke and Chappers got to grips with him and generally frustrated him.  It was probably this determined defending and direct running in possession which earned Luke a well-deserved MoTM award.

Our best move of the game saw Jimmy play the ball into Dale, who laid it off neatly to Ryan on the edge of the area.  He then made room for a shot but couldn’t keep the ball under the crossbar.  The end result may not have been what we wanted, but demonstrated the crisp, incisive football we are capable of if we have the confidence to give it a go.

We just didn’t carve out enough clear cut chances, with the sight of James P chasing a lost cause becoming all too familiar.  However, he did give the keeper a few nervy moments, but we are still left waiting to see him replicate his amazing forward roll, throw the ball into the net move demonstrated at training.  Jimmy also managed to get a shot away in the area when he neatly turned two defenders in a crowded box, but there wasn’t enough time or space for him to generate enough power to trouble the keeper.

The second half was a generally frustrating affair.  Sharpy swapped Brian with Ryan, not only because it rhymes, but also to give the young Kenyon the chance to attack on the flanks where it was hoped there would be more room.  This did prove to be the case, and Ryan had one of our best chances when Jimmy played a superb through ball inside the full back.  However, the keeper came out well to make the angle difficult for Ryan, and on his weaker side he could only shoot wide.

Jimmy then came close to scoring himself from a free kick which was goal-bound before the keeper intervened.  The keeper came to the rescue again when Dale was put through by Liam (on for Brian), as he came out quickly to close the angle and make the save.

Sharpy also brought on another new addition, and Nick looked like a handy player to have in the side, not least for the mammoth throw the like of which we haven’t seen since Nathan left (Dale has done a fantastic job but it’s got to be better to have him in the box if possible).  Blakey got on the end of one of these throws, but headed wide.  H also created a headed chance, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net.

Amongst all this one way traffic, Deportivo dealt the killer blow when they won possession on their right and attacked in numbers.  A speculative cross was whipped in low from midway in our half, and the ball found its way to their one unmarked player at the back post: 0-1.

Nothing we tried could get us back into the game, but we know we tried too much of what wasn’t working.  We didn’t deserve to lose, but at least we learned some important lessons which I’m sure will lead to us improving if everyone sticks together and makes every effort to be there every week.

DoTD was a tough one this week, which just goes to show that we know we collectively got it wrong.  Blakey may have been in the running for losing his trainers and having to sit in the pub in his boots.  However, he kept this quiet until after Chappers had volunteered himself (probably best it happens like that) for some overzealous toe punts when a softer touch may have put our front men through on go.  But then we know Chappers don’t do “soft”.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 18^th October @ Home v Lakeside

Goal scoring chart

Rochford Sports and Social 5 – 3 Aveley Academicals – a.e.t. (Essex cup 1st round)

It is becoming a worryingly familiar story, that by the time Aveley arrived in Rochford just before 10am, the available squad had depleted from 15 to 8 relatively fit players, 2 pissheads, a crocked winger and Sharpy.  It seems that having a full squad to choose from is as difficult as telling the difference between an orange and a grapefruit.

This led to the latest cabinet reshuffle, with utility man Brian starting on the left wing (I think keeper and striker are the only two positions he hasn’t played now!) and Ryan partnering Sharpy up front.  Liam got kitted up, but the hope was that the most strenuous thing he would have to do was run the line.

Sub: Liam

Chappers and Jake were placed in their positions and rotated to face the right direction, and the match got underway under the warm Sun.  It soon became apparent that any pre-match concerns about being up against a quality outfit (further reinforce by someone from the oppo being heard to proclaim: “Who the f@*k are these lot”) were misplaced.  They weren’t anything special and didn’t really trouble us with the frequent ball over the top.  Unfortunately we weren’t quite at the races ourselves, which made it a pretty even contest.

Given the fact that we played 120 minutes, you may expect there to be more memorable highlights.  However, what the game lacked in quality, it more than made up for in Accies character.  To come from behind three times is no mean feat, especially when we didn’t have the luxury of taking advantage of the roll-on, roll-off Essex Cup rules.

We went behind midway through the first half when we allowed a low shot from the edge of the area to be aimed goal-wards and nestle inside the far post: 1-0.

I said this game didn’t have many memorable moments, but an Eye-Ball shot on target is a rare and noteworthy event.  On this occasion he followed up as the keeper spilled a free kick from the edge of the box, but he then spread himself to block Eye-Ball’s firmly struck effort from close range, and the half finished 1-0.

Once we had decided that grapefruit wasn’t actually all that bad, we took to the field again for the second half, and quickly restored parity.  Ryan – leading the attack in the absence of Dale – latched onto Foggy’s ball to race clear and showed that clinical finishing runs in the family, as he creamed the ball back across the keeper and into the corner of the goal: 1-1.

The game didn’t improve much following this display of quality, and it was about 20 minutes from the end that we found ourselves behind again, when Rochford’s winger drove the ball across Andrew and into the net from the left side or our box: 2-1.

Again, our response was almost immediate. A whipped in cross by Jake was spilled by the keeper, right onto Robin’s trusty right knee, and he walked the ball into the net: 2-2.

What then followed was a series of over-reactions which put the fly on top of the massive turd that had been the previous 80 minutes.  Foggy found himself on the wrong end of an eye-watering collision, which was definitely a foul but seemed devoid of malice.  Jake saw it differently and reacted when he knows he shouldn’t have.  However, this should never have led to World War III, and in the heat of the moment the ref sent off Jake and left all of the villians on the opposition team to wallow in their smugness.  The gaffa and Luke then had a DoTD nominated handbag duel before some sort of calm was restored and we got on with playing the next 40 minutes with 10 men.

Luke had picked up an injury of his own towards the end of 90 minutes, which left no choice other than to bring on Liam.  This meant moving Brian – who had put in one hell of a shift on the left – to the middle, Sharpy to the left, Liam right and Ryan upfront on his own.  A combination of tiredness, loss of concentration and being vertically inferior saw us concede three times from set pieces in extra time, the first coming with 93 minutes on the clock: 3-2.

Rochford had a habit of playing a high line and committing too many midfielders in attack.  Eye-Ball had already exploited this twice in normal time by catching them in possession and racing forward with the ball.  The first time the through ball to Ryan wasn’t good enough and the second time vertigo set in and Eye-Ball found himself at least 10 yards offside.  When it happened again in extra time, the pass for Ryan was better, but when he superbly turned the last defender he could only shoot wide with tired legs.

Liam played through the discomfort of an injured knee to make a real impact in extra time, and when Sharpy won the ball on the left and played it inside to his FIFA buddy, Liam hit triangle (or whatever through-ball is), and Ryan calmly slotted the ball home: 3-3.

Two goals either side of half time in extra time then killed us off – one was another headed goal and the next a rebound after Andrew saved a free kick at his near post: 5-3.

I say these goals killed us off, but it was fantastic to see that we refused to die quietly.  Chappers had sobered up enough now to instruct us to play three at the back, and (along with Rob, Eye-Ball and James) continued to defend as if his life depended on it.  The defence were backed up by Foggy, who ran himself into the ground, and Ryan continued to harass Rochford’s defence as Sharpy, Liam and Brian looked to help him get the third goal his performance deserved.  However, it wasn’t to be, and although we went out of the Essex Cup in the first round for the first time in 4 years, at least we went out fighting. Now we can concentrate on the league and cup double!

Ryan was deservedly voted MoTM for his two excellently taken goals, and for being pretty much our only attacking outlet for much of the game – a job he did without a word of complaint.  Despite Sharpy trying to deflect thoughts from the main incident (which included his handbag antics) by highlighting a skewed pass from Eye-Ball, the DoTD award had to go to Jake – although there were definitely no hard feelings and the subsequent apology for getting sent off was met with the following words of wisdom: “Jake should have hit him instead of a girly push.” Oh well, you live and learn.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 11^th October – @ home v FC Deportivo Thurrock

Goal scoring chart