It would have been easy to be distracted by the upcoming
semi-final, but the Accies were fully focused on the job in hand as they
cruised to victory against a combative and well organised Mossops sides, to
extend the unbeaten run to 14 games. The
game wasn’t as one-sided as the scoreline suggests, and if Mossops had been as
clinical in their finishing as Aveley we may have been made to sweat a bit more
than we did. Still, a clean sheet is not
to be sniffed at however it comes, and it was fitting that Blakey picked up the
MoTM award as he led the defence and brought numerous attacking moves to an
abrupt end.
Subs: Craig, Sharpy, Eye-Ball
Barry and Paul were most famous for their “To me, to you”
catchphrase, and Aveley’s very own Chuckle Brothers showed they may have been
influenced by the moustached duo as they combined for 3 of the five goals, with
Dale also scoring the third and Ryan assisting the fourth.
Sharpy looks understandably smug as he picks up an unbelievable two-for-one deal at the local cash and carry
The first goal was a cracking finish from Ryan, when Dale’s
initial shot was blocked and deflected into the air and out towards the edge of
the area. Ryan hit the ball perfectly on
the volley, leaving the keeper no chance as the ball flew into the top left
corner of the net: 0-1.
If Dale’s assist was unintentional, Ryan’s was definitely
not as he raced down the right before pulling the ball low across the box to
meet Dale’s run. The inform striker showed
his gratitude by stroking the ball nonchalantly into the bottom corner: 0-2.
No more goals were added before half-time, at which point
Sharpy made one change with Craig replacing Nick. This was described as a precautionary move,
with the influential midfielder struggling with a groin strain. However, the fact he still couldn’t see
straight following the previous night’s excesses probably helped convince
Sharpy that this was the right change to make.
Craig slotted in on the left, with Liam adopting a more central role.
Mossop’s strength has always been their energetic workhorses
in midfield, and the fact that they posed pretty much no threat on this
occasion speaks volumes to the way Mo and Harry dominated the midfield
contest. There is no doubt that these
two are our best midfield pairing, and we definitely notice when one or the
other is not available. Given the massive influence they were having on the
game, it was fitting that one should get an assist to chalk up on the goal
scoring chart. Mo slipped the ball
through to Dale, who produced a trademark unstoppable finish from the right,
across the keeper and into the far bottom corner: 0-3.
With the win secured, the majority of the Accies started to
prioritise attack over defence. Blakey
was a noticeable exception, and at times seemed to be single handedly
protecting Foggy and the Aveley goal.
However, he seemed more than capable of doing this so there wasn’t
really any need to change the adopted approach.
Sharpy was one person who saw an opportunity to get amongst
the goals, as he came on for H and joined Dale upfront. It wasn’t long until he was on the score
sheet, as he raced towards the back post and demanded that Ryan cross the ball
to him. Ryan duly obliged, and Sharpy
finished smartly first time: 0-4.
The fifth goal was another excellent solo effort from Ryan,
as he collected the ball on the left before cutting inside. With a gap created he unleashed a pile driver
into the near side of the goal, out of the reach of the despairing dive from
the Mossops keeper: 0-5.
So a potentially tricky fixture had been negotiated without
any serious additional damage to the squad to add to those who would
unfortunately miss the follow week’s semi-final. This list included Foggy, who rather harshly
received the DoTD award for missing the biggest game of the season to play
indoor cricket. Still, it was an all-expenses
paid trip to Lords for a national final, so I’m not sure we can really hold it
against him.
Eye-Ball
Goal-scoring chart
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