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