Aveley Academicals 12 – 1 Chadwell

The rumour mongers were out in force in the lead up to this game; spreading tales of how the Thurrock Sunday League Premier Division elite would be turning out for the “Get Chadwell some points” appeal.  Fortunately it takes more than one ringer to make a church bell ringing team, and although most of the opposition seemed to be known to each other affectionately by their shirt number, Chadwell hadn’t managed to muster sufficient quality to stop the Accies having their day of fun in the sun.  We were somewhat relieved by this, as although Chadwell’s hero of a manager deserves something for the way he is refusing to let his club die, there was no way we wanted to be remembered as the team who gifted them their first and only points of the campaign.

The Accies were missing H and Blakey, who were off sipping champagne at Aintree, but despite also missing Bobby, Scott and Brian the Gaffa was still able to name a strong team.  In fact, such was his confidence in the team that he even named himself in the starting eleven, alongside Charlie – who like Lennie the week before returned despite not seeing us at our best.

Subs: Terry

The great thing about the Accies scoring so many goals (possibly the most I have ever had to describe) is that there is no need for any fillers, and as we are at the business end I appreciate people just want to be reminded of who scored, and who is being credited with the assist.  So I’ll just set the scene for each half and then get on with talking goals!

The mention of fun in the sun earlier was slightly tongue-in-cheek coming from your pasty match reporter.  It was bloody hot!  In fact the hottest day of the year with temperatures around the 25 degrees Celsius mark.  So you would think the tactic would be to build slowly, and work the ball up the pitch.  The Accies had other ideas, and although Liam and Charlie (but not the Gaffa) were definitely getting a lot of joy from chasing balls over the top, this surely was a suicidal approach in the sweltering conditions.  Fortunately the referee was sympathetic, and scheduled a drinks break half way through each half.  The 6-1 half time score line somewhat flattered us overall, when it was Charlie’s qualityin creating the goals that really stood the two sides apart.  He may be surprised to find that he is not credited with the seven assists he was claiming, but then he can’t be blamed for not understanding the intricate nature of the Dubious Goals Committees’ decision making process.

1-0: Gaffa (g) – Charlie (a)

Having already had a fine header ruled out for offside when Robin was the one infringing (there is some previous there), the Gaffa wasn’t going to be denied again as he arrived at the back post to prod home Charlie’s pin-point cross from the right.

2-0: Gaffa (g) – Charlie (a)

Almost a carbon copy of the first, as Charlie once again broke clear on the right before putting in a perfect low cross.  This time the Gaffa did his best to fluff his lines, but the ball thankfully nestled in the corner as it was hit back in the direction from which it had come.

3-0: Luke (g) – Charlie (a)

Same story, different scorer.  This time Luke played the ball down the wing for Charlie to give chase, and the full back he continued his run into the box so that Charlie could pick him out for the easiest of tap ins and surprisingly Luke’s first goal of the season.

3-1: 

The one stain on the copy book, as Chadwell’s striker was allowed to cut inside on the left and play the ball over to the back post, where much like a hot dog bun being squeezed too hard, the Chadwell player popped out from an Eye-Ball/James sandwich with the ball at his feet and the goal only six yards away.  Lewis got a hand to it, but didn’t stand a chance. This started a 10 minute period where we started to panic and let Chadwell play, but fortunately goal 4 arrived just in time to settle our fragile nerves.

4-1:  Robin (g) – Craig (a)

With the front men fluffing numerous chances (noticeably Charlie kept hitting the same spot 5 yards to the left of the goal and Liam kept giving the keeper back-passes), it was down to Robin to show them how it is done.  Craig crossed deep from the right, which resulted in Robin’s first touch being a back-peddling header, and his second a firmly struck shot with his left that rose into the roof of the net.

5-1:  James (g) – Liam (a)

Charlie was involved down the right again, but this time had to admit that he attempted a shot into the far corner.  The ball was going out of play on the left, but Liam did well to flick it back from the bye-line where James was on hand to lift it into the roof of the net with his left.

6-1: Charlie (g) – Lee (a)

Lee had been a pretty frustrated figure in the first half, as the ball all too frequently by-passed the midfield.  However, he showed what he can do when he gets the ball to feet, as he glided past the defence into the box, before pulling the ball back for Charlie to fire into the net just before the ref blew for half time.

We created far too many chances to describe (or remember) them all here, but one moment that can’t go unmentioned was a sublime effort from Craig.  Clean through on goal, he could have easily tried to place the ball past the on-rushing keeper but, as we know, there has to be a touch of class in every Craig does.  On this occasion he lifted the ball over the goalie, but it wouldn’t quite lose altitude quick enough; hitting the underside of the bar and bouncing away.

The second half was unrecognisable from the first in all but the continuous stream of goals.  Chadwell had all but thrown in the towel, and Lee took control of the tempo; encouraging his team mates to play it out from the back, and dropping deep to collect the ball to make himself the link between defence and attack.  This may have frustrated the front men a bit as they stood watching Lennie, Lewis, Robin, Eye-Ball and James interchange passes, but then we needed something to do!

7-1: Luke (g) – Charlie (a)

Luke (now playing on the wing having swapped full back duties with Lennie) kicked off the scoring in the second half, as he finished off a great team moved that saw a number of players interchanging passes, with Charlie playing the final killer ball for Luke to slot home.

8-1: Liam (g) – Lewis (a)

There is no player whose contribution is reflected less by the goal scoring chart than Lewis.  It was therefore nice that he finally made a mark against one of the recorded metrics.  The keeper’s long clearance sent Liam racing clear on the left, and he showed excellent composure to round Lewis’s opposite number before sliding the ball into an empty net.

9-1: Charlie (g) – Lee (a)

The best finish of the game (so far).  Lee broke down the right and crossed into a crowded box, where Charlie arrived just in time to redirect the ball into the net with a nonchalant flick with his right foot after the ball had passed him (easier to do than describe).

10-1:  Craig (g) – Terry (a)

The box was crowded, and the ball bouncing around, but finally Terry got it down and with his back to goal laid it off to Craig on the right side of the box.  Craig then curled the ball first time with his left into the far corner, out of the reach of the exhausted and destroyed Chadwell keeper.

11-1: Lee (g) – Robin (a)

With one eye on the golden boot, Lee decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.  He started by collecting the ball from Robin just inside the opposition half, before skipping past a couple of challenges which created a clear path to goal.  Lee duly trod the red carpet that had been laid out before him, and placed the ball into the corner of the net.

12-1: Lee (g) – Liam (a)

It all started with Liam running seemingly pointlessly across the box, but ended with a front runner for goal of the season.  His lay off to Lee about 25 yards out sat up nicely, and he hit with power across the ball first time with his left.  From their ringside seats on the half way line, Eye-Ball and Robin had the perfect view to see the ball’s original path taking it wide of the goal, before it seemed to realise its error as it swung viciously back in towards the right-hand upright.  It moved just enough to catch the inside of post and be sent across the goal and onto the left post before coming to rest in the back of the net.  It was a fantastic goal, that was comparable to the type of strike Roberto Carlos sometimes pulled out of the bag (in fact thinking of free kick conversion as well it would appear Lee has more in common with the Brazilian legend than just a sweet left foot).  The difference is that whilst Carlos’s goals would be getting millions of hits on YouTube, Lee will have to make do with this description, and an artist’s impression:

With the goal-fest described, I just need to mention another couple of supporting roles.  Lewis deserved a clean sheet, and was in a large part responsible for keeping it down to just one in the against column (which ensured our goal difference returned to positive!) with a fine diving save to his right.  Conor also made a cameo appearance as he replaced Luke on the right.  He had chances to score, but perhaps showed his subconscious instinct to keep the ball out of the net.

I don’t think Charlie begrudged the MoTM award going to Lee, but he did mention his seven assists (onrfour according to the committee) and two goals on more than one occasion.  However, perhaps Lee’s storming second half performance both in assisting the defence and getting involved in attacks – not to mention that strike – was what swung it for the voters.  Saying that, he had a bit of an unfair advantage given the opportunities the referee gave him to satisfy his addiction.  Strictly speaking the breaks were meant to be to take on water, but Lee found inhaling nicotine to be a far more productive and effective use of the time.

It’s hard to pick a DoTD following such a positive and enjoyable display, but Harry will be relieved to hear it wasn’t one of the front runners who took the award. I think it went to Liam for letting a number of chances go begging, but there was one in particular that sticks in the mind, where the ball was played across and missed by all of the three players who were queuing up on the six yards box.  Liam was the last to attempt to score, and his air kick was deemed the worst attempt of the bunch.

After the few weeks we’ve had, this game was a welcome light relief.  However, we’ve set ourselves a pretty high bar ahead of playing Chadwell again next week – in what will be our last game of the season.  If we don’t at least match the performance (even if the score line can’t be bettered) then it won’t be the end to the season we would have wanted.  It was great to see everyone playing with confidence, a smile and a little swagger, so let’s take that into next week and finish in style.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Apart from Lee closing in on Liam, very little else changed at the top, with the main movers being at the bottom with Charlie, Luke, Craig and Robin leapfrogging Harry.  But then we know it is the final column that matters to H, and just needs to be more of a cock than Terry in the final game to regain his title.

Aveley Academicals 1 – 5 Scruttons

Whilst most of us have been distracted by the contest between Liam and Lee for the golden boot, it would appear that one man has been concentrating on another column.  If we reorder the table, it becomes instantly clear why the undisputed 2 times champion is worried about someone else walking away from the awards night with a large (based on the picture anyway) plastic cock.  As with three games remaining, no less than 11 (although realistically only five) could pip the reigning champ to the crown – or even worse he might have to share it.

He obviously realised he was going to have to work hard for the award this week, after Liam made an early claim by curiously naming a starting eleven that had Eye-Ball partnering Robin at the back, and Blakey on the bench.   This could have been seen as sending a message of culpability to our best centre half, for going to watch a game at Anfield the previous week rather whilst our defence crumbled, but it turned out to be a simple error with Robin being the intended recipient of the orange bib.  As you would expect from such a great club (and all round) legend, Rob didn’t moan or complain and instead was more than happy to run the line before replacing Eye-Ball for the last half hour.

Subs: Robin, Scott

Surely chasing the overall DoTD title can be the only explanation for a series of incidents that started with the Don of the Dong turning up on time for the first time this season, only to then discover he’d left home without the essential kit for playing football – i.e. boots and shin pads.  Next, Captain Cock’s determination to wriggle his way out from between three opposition players lead to him being disposed, and one pass later we had conceded the opening goal of the game.  Then to cap it off, the Boss of the Boner threw all his sex toys out of the pram and stormed off at half time.  Only to be coaxed back thanks to some delicate fluffing from Bobby.  At which point Lord Love Muscle had to endure considerable haranguing from the opposition, as he trudged back across to pitch to re-join his harem for the second half.

In H’s defence, we didn’t play well in the first half, but thanks to a towering header by Blakey from Craig’s corner, a fine flying save to his right by Lewis and a goal line clearance from Eye-Ball, we were only one goal down at the break.

What Harry finally managed to articulate, was that we needed to start showing a bit of fight and get stuck into the opposition.  In the first forty five we had stood off too much, and at times didn’t look interested in putting in a challenge.  I think he would have been happier with the second half, and although we conceded more goals than in the first, these were from individual moments that were not reflective of the performance as a whole.  Lennie – who showed a lot about his character by coming back despite our drubbing last week – was unfortunate to concede a penalty when he tracked back with Scruttons’ tricky winger.  Then Eye-Ball conceded a free kick on the edge of the box which couldn’t have been placed any more perfectly into the top corner, and Lewis had a rare blooper as his spilled a ball right at the feet of an opposition player.

Player availability was once again an issue, but after introducing Lennie last week the Gaffa convinced another player, Charlie, to come over this week.  He was a pretty lonely figure up top in this game, but is another potential quality addition to the squad if he can be convinced to make a permanent move.  Scott also returned, and played really well when he came on for Terry.  He gave us a little more directness, and the quality he has with his left foot was something we had been missing up to then.

Voting for DoTD was not required, with H pulling one clear of Terry.  The votes were more spread for MoTM, with Bobby and Eye-Ball picking up some of the votes but a superb goal and solid performance – which shows what we miss whenever he isn’t there – saw the award deservedly go to Blakey.

The light at the end of the tunnel, after a tough run of results, is two games in two weeks against rock bottom side Chadwell; who with 17 defeats out of 17 and a goal difference of -100 have the worst record in the Thurrock Sunday League.  To finish the season with two victories would be great, but we know all too well that nothing is certain, and we still need to turn up with a strong side and the right attitude if things are to go our way.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 0 - 7 FC Deportivo Thurrock

For two sides who, over a number of years, have always been evenly matched and been involved in some titanic battles to exchange thrashings of this scale suggests something was not right on both occasions.  I mentioned in the report of our 0-8 victory that Deportivo were a weaker side than we'd been used to facing, and whilst it seems they have now sorted out their squad and improved as the season has gone on, the Accies have gone the other way and are struggling to find eleven players let alone name a consistent team.  With that in mind it is perhaps not so surprising that the shoe was very much on the other foot, with Deportivo enacting what must have felt like sweet revenge, and totally humiliating their opponents in the process.

Although the squad (or lack of) issues was obviously a contributing factor - the score line wouldn't have looked quite so bad if Lewis could have been replaced after picking up an injury during the first goal that mean he couldn't lift one of his arms - those who were there can make no excuses for a performance in which we were second best in every facet of the game.  We lost every header, were second to every ball, let the opposition run through us without putting in a tackle, couldn't string any passes together, looked woefull in both attack and defense, and didn't play for each other.

Credit where it is due though to our opposition; they were obviously up for this game, and sensing our weakness they fully capitalised.  They scored some really good goals, including a couple of long range efforts (which Lewis assures me he would have saved if he could have lifted his right arm), a powering header from an inch perfect cross, and a sublime dink over Lewis as he came out to close down the angle.  Overall, they created good chances and took them, and the score line fully confirms their dominance.

There isn't much more I want to say about this game, but it should be pointed out that we looked really good for the first ten minutes; we passed the ball well, kept possession and looked relaxed and confident.  Then we conceded a soft goal and it all fell apart!  Of the other incidents that are worth mentioning, there was a chance for Terry to get the score back to 1-1 almost immediately but he skewed his shot wide after a mazy run into the box.  Also, one battle that was won by an Accie was by Eye-Ball, as a nasty clash of heads left both men spouting blood, but only one able to continue. (It might have been the only header we won as well!)  Also, with the squad creaking at the seams, the Gaffa is already trying to identify new recruits for next season - we just hope seeing this performance won't put potential new players off!

MoTM votes were split between the central pairing of H and Lee, with H just edging it.  They both put in a hell of a shift, but for much of the game were left chasing shadows, or running in circles looking for someone to pass the ball to.  The decision was taken to award DoTD to the entire squad, which reflects the fact that we're all in this together and so if you weren't there (valid excuse or not) this was as much your humiliating defeat as it was those who had to witness it.

You know what they say about every cloud, and although we'd obviously love to erase this game from our memories, maybe it will act as a catalyst to fire us up to regain some pride as the season draws to an end.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Scruttons 3 – 2 Aveley Academicals

Looking at the bare facts of the match, you would have to say that Aveley threw away a two goal lead in losing this match.  However, we were probably as surprised as our opposition to be two goals up inside the first 25 minutes.  Despite being about half a dozen games behind everyone else, Scruttons still have a record that suggests they are title contenders and although this was probably the best time to face them given their tough midweek cup final defeat, they still had just enough in the tank to beat us with the very last kick of the game.

The squad was creaking yet again, but at least this time we could name Scott and his doppelganger on the bench.

Subs: Scott, Scott II

This was a scrappy game, that was dominated by Blackshots’ trademark crosswind.  Much of the game was spent chasing the ball as it made its determined attempt to reach the long jump pit at Thurrock Harriers.  The home side were also frustrated by Aveley’s superb defensive line, and directed their anger, caused by hearing the frequent sound of the referee’s whistle, at the excellent linesman (and part time club captain).  However, the truth of the matter was that Foggy was spot on every time, and they should have been blaming the striker for not timing his runs.  Or even the passer for sending the ball too late.

The early impression was that Liam and Terry could exploit a lack of pace in the opposition back line, but in fact it was strength and guile from Liam that lead to us taking an unexpected lead.  H played the ball forward, and Liam rolled the defender as he tried to nip in front, leaving him clear through and with time to slot the ball into the bottom corner: 0-1.

Frequent mistakes were now frustrating Scruttons, and they were made to pay by Terry as his pressure led to a dodgy back pass.  The keeper panicked on the left hand side of his area, and scuffed his clearance to Terry.  The big man calmly brought the ball inside and found the empty net from 20 yards: 0-2.

Our downfall for the first, and indeed all three goals we conceded was being slower than the opposition to the second ball.  Whilst Eye-Ball got in the way of the initial shot, the ball fell kindly for a Scruttons player, who had time to pick his spot: 1-2.

We could have not complaints about our first half performance, and once Lee had been patched up – his ankle having given up in the first 10 minutes – we were ready to go again.

The second half was a combative, yet uninspiring affair, with both sides struggling to find any rhythm or create any clear cut chances.  The tackling was firm, but in the most part it was a good spirited contest.

Scruttons drew level when the Accies were slow to react to a rebound when Lewis parried a shot from the edge of the box, and the unmarked (and arguably offside) man was able to tap home from 8 yards: 2-2.

The momentum was now with the home side, and although I remember Liam blasting a good chance over the bar, I don’t recall us creating many other clear cut chances.  Just when we thought we had done enough to hold on for a good point, Scruttons’s lively winger broke down the left and put the ball low into a crowded box. Despite reading the pullback, Eye-Ball and Lee couldn’t get the ball clear through a sea of bodies.  I’m not entirely sure what happened after this as I was picking myself up from the middle of the area, but I believe the shot came in from the right and despite Lewis being well positioned and the Accies have plenty of men back (including Brian who had somehow wandered off the pitch behind the goal), the ball ended up in the back of the net.  The referee blew up straight after kick-off and we were left feeling both disappointed with the result, and happy with the way we had played for each other: 3-2.

MoTM went to Lee, who covered every blade of grass over the 90 minutes, the injury to his left ankle.  DoTD went to Luke, for a tame shot after some great work down the right which I think may have actually been stopped by a passing ant.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Stifford Clays 2 - 3 Aveley Academicals

Stifford Clays 2-3 Aveley Academicals

As this match was being played, I was about 160 miles away running a half marathon in Bath.  However, you can imagine my delight to discover that the Accies had made it back to back victories, and in doing so had avenged the defeat at the hands of this opposition just a couple of weeks before.

It was a strong – albeit it small – squad that was available for this match and I’m sure having our first choice midfield (taking Foggy’s long term injury into account) available was a key factor against a side who had shown that this was where their strength lied as well.

Stifford Clays took the lead from the spot, when Luke brought down their player, but the Accies hit back through Liam, who was put through by Lee and placed the ball beyond the keeper: 1-1.

The Accies then extended their lead thanks to a mistake from the Stifford Clays keeper, who may have been showing a bit a loyalty to the club his Dad – Jason Barnes – represented for a number of years.  Jason was watching, and despite his connection with the club I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted to see his son let a shot-come-cross from James slip through his hands and into the net.  Still, James would have been over the moon to claim his first goal of the season, and it also meant another assist for Liam: 1-2.

The lead was then extended through a terrific effort from another player bagging their first goal of the season.  Craig stepped inside before unleashing a venomous strike from somewhere between 20 and 30 yards.  I’ve heard it was unstoppable, but that the assist was even better.  (That’s right isn’t it Liam?): 1-3.

Stifford Clays hit back in the second half, and may have snatched a late point if Lewis hadn’t capped off a MoTM performance with a breath-taking save to ensure all three points went to the Accies.

I’m not sure who was officially voted DoTD or the reason, but I’m sure I’ll be told and will update the report and chart accordingly.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Trojans 0 – 2 Aveley Academicals

I can’t put into words how good it is to finally get to talk about a win for the Accies – the first of what has been a very tough 2017 up to now.  However, the early signs were not good as again the Gaffa was struggling to get a team together.  In fact, if H (preferring to play rather than scaling the O2) and Lee (understandably finding it difficult to commit given the recent addition to the family) hadn’t pulled through at the eleventh hour this would definitely be a much gloomier report.  Even Eye-Ball had to be risked for a 90 minute shift on the left wing, despite it only be a week until the half marathon.  This earned Bobby a DoTD nomination from at least one member of the team who shall remain nameless.

Subs: -

Poor first half performances have led to us losing most of the recent games in the opening 45, but perhaps it was playing against an old and familiar enemy which meant we were up for this match right from the start.  James epitomised the desire and commitment on display throughout the side, as he gave 100% to be first to every ball and threw himself into every challenge.  Terry also seemed a rejuvenated figure, as he relish the role of holding up the ball and bringing others into play.  Fatherhood is obviously having a positive effect on Lee, who was the force driving us forward from midfield, and it was a joy to watch him slipping the ball through players’ legs as he glided past them.  This left H to do the donkey work, but no-one would have been more up for putting in some hard tackles against Trojans than Harry, and he didn’t disappoint.  Although he was fortunate not to get hurt when his opponent left a foot in as H went to ground to win the ball, but credit to the referee for dealing with the situation and to H for not seeking his own retribution.

With the Accies defence looking comfortable and well organised, there were few clear cut chances for Trojans.  On the one occasions that they did break down the left, James got the slightest of touches in front of goal to deflect a dangerous cross to safety.  Throughout the half Aveley defended bravely and in numbers around the box, with the main threat (for some reason…) coming from throw-ins on the left.  However, with Lewis being solid under the high ball everything that was launched into the box was dealt with.

At the other end the Trojans defence were struggling with Liam’s superb movement, but it was H who came closest to scoring in the early exchanges as he dragged a shot from outside the box just wide.  It was these two who combined to give the Accies a well-deserved lead.  Harry picked up the ball in our half, and sent a long pass down the right which was perfectly weighted for Liam to run onto.  He then crossed for Terry, who took one touch with his right to bring the ball down before hitting it on the half volley with his left into the roof of the net.  This was a superb goal and nothing more than we deserved: 0-1.

Going into the second half with a slender lead and no subs to freshen up the team, we knew that Trojans would have periods where they were on top.  Through a combination of sheer grit sprinkled with a little luck, Lewis’s net remained unadulterated.  Lewis did really well himself to parry a viciously swerving effort, and then the same player managed to put the ball high and wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy (I’m sure Luke will say it was his presence that put him off).  They also had a penalty shout turned down when Robin went to ground and the striker turned inside but seemed to simply slip on the soft ground.  As a result of this, we all had to put up with Trojans pretty much constantly haranguing the referee for the rest of the game.  This was a real shame, and maybe they would have had more of a chance of getting back into the game if they’d put their energy and focus into the football rather than bullying a very promising young official.

Surviving these incidents galvanised the men in blue, who played with renewed determination.  We started to get more of the ball in Trojans’ half, and during one spell of possession were awarded a free kick for a foul on the right.  Craig whipped a great ball into a crowded box from the right, which was met by Terry.  His header was parried by the keeper, but Tel reacted quickest to poke home the rebound: 0-2.

This second goal came as such a relief, as victory was now well within our grasp.  However, we didn’t want to give the oppo a sniff and create any late drama, so continued to defend in numbers.  This worked as we hoped, and we saw out the last ten minutes to record our first win of 2017 and a clean sheet to make the victory even sweeter.

MoTM went to Terry, who had his best game for the club.  So good was his day that he even collected the much sort after double as his team mates deemed another audacious Telé attempt from the edge of the box that went straight up in the air, and the fact that he missed out on what looked like a nailed on hat-trick, as worthy of winning DoTD. All the hard work was done to get clean through on goal, but with only the keeper to beat his effort was skewed wide.

With the next game being up against Stifford Clays, who we showed we could compete with if we got out of the blocks in anything above first gear, hopefully this victory would inspire the confidence to make it two wins in two.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 2 – 3 Stifford Clays

Ignoring the result, and the general irrelevance of Sunday League football for a moment, it’s nice to be able to start with some good news, as Lee finally became a Dad with Hudson’s overdue arrival.  Congratulations to Lee, Tanya and all the family and as excuses go for missing a game they don’t come much better.

It is becoming an all too familiar story, as once again the Accies lost because of a poor first half performance that left them with too much to do in the second forty five.  The situation wasn’t helped by farcical scenes that saw us start with 9 players as the referee got the game underway whilst Blakey and Harry were still pulling up their socks on the side-line.  For once it seems it wasn’t H’s fault they were so late,  but even though Lee wisely chose not to name his new born after Aveley’s number 8 it still feels ironic that they seem to both have issues with punctuality.

The Accies were really struggling to scrape a team together for this game, and to avoid Eye-Ball risking injury with only two weeks until the half marathon, we were indebted to an old friend who made the short walk from his back garden to help us out.  To be fair having attended more training sessions than a lot of our players he’s earned his place!

Subs: Eye-Ball

Even the introduction of two additional players didn’t have a positive impact on what was a dire first half.  Aveley simply weren’t a team, and in fact such was the dominance of our young opponents that I had to double check that Stifford only had 10 outfield players on the pitch.  They outnumbered us in every area of the pitch and worked together much like the particles of a solid, whilst the gaseous individuals in blue were randomly dispersed far and wide (a little bit of science for you there).  We were sloppy in possession and couldn’t seemed to get to grips with the strong wind at our backs,  as Liam was expect to perform the thankless task of chasing over hit-and-hope long balls. It was Liam’s individual perseverance that created our only real opportunity of the half, as he chased the ball to the bye-line and hit the crossbar with a rasping drive from a tight angle.

By the time Liam had created this chance we were already 2-0 down and contemplating finishing the day with no win in 7.  Since Harry made the switch to centre mid about 3 seasons ago he has been one of the first names on the team sheet and so often the ticking heartbeat of the side.  However, by his own admission his influence was causing serious heart palpitations, with cardiac arrest appearing to be about to strike at any moment. His late arrival can only partly be blamed, as his pre-match preparation had left him well below his usual optimum level.  When things couldn’t seem to get any worse an attempt to pass the ball back to Lewis from 40 yards turned into a perfect through ball, which the Stifford striker was all too happy to accept: 0-1.

It wasn’t long until the deficit was doubled, when the Accies failed to prevent and subsequently clear a cross, and the Stifford player got a bit of luck as his scuffed attempt looped wide of Lewis and into the corner of the net: 0-2.

This second goal should really have woken us up, but we just seemed to get more dishevelled and disorganised; to the point where Lewis even had to temporarily fill in at right back to clear the ball to safety.

Apart from Liam’s tireless running, the only other shining light was Craig, who did his best bring some calmness and control to proceedings, but too often was given no options or support when in possession.  Terry also showed some positive intent, but having beaten three or four players, could only skew his shot well wide as he fell off balance.

If the first half had been as dark and dismal as it gets, it was a relief to see the sun finally break through the clouds in the second half (metaphorically speaking) as a change in formation and attitude resulted in the Accies turning this game into a contest.

Once again moving to 3-5-2 was seen as a risky but necessary strategy, with Blakey moving up to anchor the midfield, C. moving from the wing into the back three (apparently for a breather) and James moving into a more advanced position.  This allowed Craig to move forward and provide more of a link between the midfield and Liam.

We really had nothing to lose now, and it showed as everyone started playing with a more relaxed and carefree attitude.  It was as if Harry had been shocked back to life with a defibrillator at half time, as he was a totally different player.  The space he was now creating by collecting the ball and turning his man was providing more time and space for Bobby, Terry, Craig and James to move into positions to receive it.  With Blakey now creating a shield between defence and midfield we were able to break up play more quickly, and disrupt the rhythm and swagger we had allowed our opposition to establish in the first half.

This improvement was rewarded when Terry played the ball forward to Craig, who slotted a delightful ball through for Liam.  Under close supervision he ran into the box on the left hand side and played the ball across the keeper.  The intention may have been to find the far corner, but Terry had done brilliantly to continue his run and arrive at the back post to tap the ball in from 3 yards just to be sure: 1-2.

From being down and out, we were suddenly back in the game and up for the fight.  Terry epitomised our new found desire to win the ball back, as he chased down his own over-hit touch to block the defender’s attempted clearance and deflect the ball into Liam’s path.  Our skipper took an identical route to goal as before, but this time didn’t need any help as he superbly found the far bottom corner from a tight angle: 2-2.

With the imperative being attack, we were always going to be ridding our luck at the back against an opposition that was not short of pace.  Fortunately they were struggling with the wind as much as we did, but Lewis still had to be alert to quickly come off his line and smoother the ball on a number of occasions.  Robin, C. and Luke were also doing superbly to win the first ball on most occasions.  Stifford seemed to be a little rattled by our unexpected resurgence and started to fluff their lines, no more so than when their man was clean through but could only lift the bouncing ball into Lewis’s arms.

It took a fine finish to burst our bubble, but it was no more than we deserved for once again being guilty of not clearing our lines.  C.’s intial covering tackle was superb, but then rather than boot the ball away in any direction, more than on player tried and failed to clear the ball up the pitch.  The end result was gifting the ball to a man on the edge of the box, who bent it into the right corner: 2-3.

There was still plenty of time to get back into the game, but the lack of intensity suggests a worrying sign that not winning games is starting to become a bit of a habit, and something we are comfortable with.  The way the Accies are playing at the moment won’t be helping, as we are starting games so badly that we’re just happy to be able to restore a bit of pride, and say we won the second half.  We can be pleased with how we played in the second half, but we also need to recognise that we are gifting points to teams who we are showing we are more than capable of beating.  We’ll be playing Stifford again in a couple of weeks, so let’s make sure we dish out some revenge and get them back below us in the table.

MoTM had to go to Liam (although there was some votes for Blakey and even big C.) as his attitude and effort was second to none, and was deserving of more than one goal and one assist.  There is the added bonus that this moves him above Lee in the goal scoring chart.  DoTD went to Harry, as although Blakey (or Blakey’s missus to be more precise) was more culpable for them being so late, at least Al seemed to know where he was in the first half.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 0 – 0 United Ockendon

After conceding six the previous week, a clean sheet and a rare nil-nil draw felt like a vast improvement.  It was also probably a fair result as two well matched sides cancelled each other out in an uneventful affair, which was one for the defending purists.

The squad is really creaking at the seams, as was demonstrated by the fact we had to rely on Lee making an excuse to his heavily pregnant partner about us being short unless he got our (crippled) captain to the game, H battling through ninety minutes on one leg, and a rare appearance from Mir.  That was just to field a bare eleven, with only Eye-Ball in reserve who is strictly on flag holding duties until after the Bath Half Marathon on 12th March.

With the carefree approach of 3-5-2 working so well in the second half last week, Foggy took charge and decided to see if the Accies could start where they had left of:

Subs: Eye-Ball

In general defence was on top, but there were a couple of scares as United Ockendon looked to exploit the space down the flanks which was inevitable with the formation we were playing, despite Liam and James working their socks off to both get forward to support Mir and Terry in attack, and to get back and help out defensively.  Ockendon were denied by a fine save from Lewis with his legs when the attacker had time to bring the ball down and pick his spot from 8 yards. They did manage to get the ball in the net, but by this time it was Eye-Ball with the key intervention when the cross to the unmarked man in the middle came before Rob had managed to get goal-side.

Whilst the 3-5-2 does result in us riding our luck a bit in defence, it does appear to help with getting more players supporting in attack, and we created a few chances of our own in the first half.  A couple fell to Mir, with Blakey’s flick on catching him by surprise with the resulting header skewing wide, and a shot from a tight angle which went into the side netting.  A good interchange on the left led to Mir playing in Liam, but the defender did well to get across and cover.  The best chance was created by Lee, who sprinted to the bye-line before whipping in a knee high cross which was more-or-less met by James at the back post.  I say more-or-less, but with this being heavily weight to ‘less’ as his attempted to direct the ball goal-wards turned into a sliced clearance which would have been great if we were shooting the other way.

Foggy seemed to be enjoying being in charge, but his attempt to change the formation at half time, with the aid of some cones, was met with dissenting tones.  Obviously the crew did not share their captain’s ambitions and they opted for more of the same, which is exactly what they got.  There was good defending (including a vital and well timed sliding tackle from Luke just inside the area), the odd chance – Mir and Terry both attacked a near post header from James’s cross which was well blocked by the defender – and neither keeper was tested enough.

In the collision between Mir, Terry and the defender, Mir picked up a foot injury which meant Eye-Ball had to come on.  This resulted in Luke moving to the left and Liam going up top with Eye-Ball slotting into the back three.  With Liam providing a change in dynamic upfront we were able to get the Ockendon defence on the back foot and create some more openings, but our finishing just wasn’t good enough to grab the three points late on as we had last time these two sides met.

So we had to settle for a draw, one point and being happy with a much improved performance from last week.  Lee was awarded MoTM for a lung bursting display in the middle, where he worked his socks off to make up for H’s missing right leg.  To be fair to H, he did remarkably well to get through the 90 and picked up some votes as well.  There was also recognition for Blakey, who was rock solid at the back, where we looked a lot more organised thanks to his commanding presence.  DoTD went to Terry, who travelled 200 miles to Cardiff on Saturday only to find that the girl he was meeting no longer wanted to come out to play.  Which just goes to show you should stick to playing with the kids who live on your street!

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Thames Gateway 6 – 1 Aveley Academicals

The score line only tells half the story of this match; with that being the half relating to the first forty five minutes.  Actually the two halves are unrecognisable as being related to the same cold, dreary Sunday morning in February that so it’s probably best to treat them as separate events.

Half 1: Thames Gateway 5 – 0 Aveley Academicals

Shambolic just about sums it up, and I don’t think anyone who was involved would disagree with that assessment.  There can’t be any excuses, as the side that the Gaffa put out should have been strong enough to compete with any team in the Thurrock Sunday League – and has done on many occasions.

Subs: Eye-Ball, Terry

The Accies simply crumbled under the pressure exerted on them by a young, energetic side who wanted it more and could actually string a few passes together.  It’s hard to talk about our defending, because we didn’t really do any, as we either allowed the opposition a direct route to goal, or let them deliver and put away crosses and corners if not on the first attempt then on the second or third.  Clearances were either sliced back towards our own goal or hit against other men in blue.  In fact, our attempts to control the ball looked more like a clearance, and hardly a single pass went to its intended recipient – and that’s making a pretty wild assumption that the player passing it knew who he was trying to pass it to.

All this culminated in us being two nil down inside five minutes, four down in ten and five down within 20.  Personally, I felt physically sick watching on helplessly from the side line; I can’t think of many more painful experiences I’ve had to endure but I imagine those who have a friend who is a boxer experiences a similar feeling if they have to witness them getting beaten into a bloody pulp.  There was no blood spilt on this occasion, but the outcome was pretty much the same.

Having said all that, we did improve in the last 20 minutes of the half (or the opposition took their feet of the gas) and fashioned a few chances.  The best including a free kick from Lee which dropped just wide, a well struck volley from H which the keeper somehow spotted through a crowd of bodies and tipped over the bar, and a rasping drive from Bobby which unfortunately was straight at the keeper.

Half 2: Thames Gateway 1 – 1 Aveley Academicals

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with the general consensus being that without making changes the game was as good as lost anyway, the Gaffa changed to a more attacking formation for the second half.  Blakey dropped into defence to form a three with Luke and Robin, and Terry came on for James to partner H up top – which was where Harry had been playing since his hamstring all but gave up the ghost five minutes into the game.

Whether it was the change in formation, or the realisation that we had nothing to lose, I cannot be sure, but the second half was infinitely better than the first.  The Accies started making and finding space on the ball, we looked more composed at the back, and passes started going to feet rather than away from them.  We even took the lead when a ball forward from Luke fell to H, who swivelled just outside the box and lift the ball into the far corner: 0-1.

Harry obviously thought he could score from anywhere now, but was soon brought back down to Earth as a similar effort had the wrong proportion of shin, and slid down his leg before flicking off his boot and well wide.

Such was the improvement in the second half that we definitely deserved to win it – and at least salvage some pride – but an awful decision from the referee saw him award a penalty (which was converted) for a foul by Blakey which was blatantly outside the box.  This was despite the huge crater that Blakely had left being inspected by the man in black, who was obviously still bitter about failing the forensic science entry exam: 1-1.

The lads kept battling to the end, but despite some late efforts from Liam as he looked to capitalise on the introduction of a substitute keeper (who wasn’t one), we just couldn’t rectify the damage done in the opening 10 minutes.  Still, the second half performance was enough to ease the pain induced by the first and we can at least go into the next game with our confidence somewhat replenished.

MoTM went to Harry, who battled on through injury, made a nuisance of himself upfront and deservedly got a goal for his efforts.  There was also a number of votes for Blakey, whose move to centre did a lot to restore some law and order to the defence (and there was a superbly timed tackle as well).  DoTD went to Lee, for squaring up to an opposition playing and telling him he was going to “end his life.”  A bit harsh that Lee, especially as his mum was probably watching.

So we know every week is going to be a battle now, as we move into the latter stages of the season, and injuries and availability really cause the squad to creak at the seams.  We’re going to need to show some resilience and grit, and I’m sure we’ll grind out some good results if we do.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Palmers F.C. 1 -1 Aveley Academicals

January was not a good month to be an Accie, with three defeats, three cup knockouts and a long term injury to our Captain Fantastic.  It didn’t look like February was going to get any better, with our first opponents being the team who had humiliated us 6-0 earlier in the season.  If that wasn’t bad enough, Dale announced the night before the game that he was off to play with South Shell in Division Three, Bobby, Brian and James were absent and Lee was also struggling for fitness – and awaiting the imminent arrival of little Harry (naming subject to a certain player scoring a hat-trick).  So maybe we were due a healthy dollop of luck to top a performance that was bursting with heart, determination and pride, especially as the footballing gods were also ganging up against us by making us play out the last half hour with ten men.

It’s a credit to the players who have stayed loyal, despite not always getting the opportunities, that the Gaffa was still able to name two subs (although Luke A. turned out to be crocked as well), and also fitting that Terry and Scott in particular should be rewarded with a full 90 minutes.  Although I’m not sure Scott was quite as grateful as you might expect.  We were also boosted by the timely return of Tony, which gave us the opportunity to see the T’nT partnership in action as we tried our hand at 4-4-2.

Subs: Craig, Luke A.

Despite being outnumbered in the middle, Harry and Lee put in one hell of a shift to ensure the opposition didn’t have any more time on the ball than was necessary.  Liam and Scott pitched in to help by coming off their flanks when required, and Tony and Terry were a constant outlet and closed down the defenders to stop them from building from the back.  We were still a bit panicky in possession, with some players (yours truly being the main culprit) treating the ball like a hot potato that need to be discarded rather than a sweet orange that needed to be cherished (mmm… orange).

We could easily have gone behind during this opening period, but some resolute defending, including last ditch interventions from Blakey, Robin, Eye-Ball and Luke C., plus stout repelling of set pieces protected Lewis’s goal for the main part.  However, when we couldn’t prevent him being called into action, Lewis was more than capable of keeping the ball out of the net on his own.  His key first half contributions included diving to his left to tip a free-kick round the post, saving low at his near post with an outstretched left leg, and clawing the ball away when it appeared to have (almost) crossed the line.  With the defence playing a pretty good line, Craig was just as busy as the rest of us with the flag.  There was no way he could have told if the ball had fully crossed the line, and despite the whinging of the opposition groupies – who typically think offside is as easy to discern from the half way line as it is when in line with the back four some 25 yards away – he was honest with every decision and deserves credit for taking the flag when many take a step back.

There was nothing lucky about how we took an unexpected lead midway through the half; although the keeper cocked up when trying to clear under pressure from the left hand corner of the 18 yard box, it was brilliance from Tony to calmly collect the ball, take a touch inside and curl it, with his less favoured right foot, over the retreating keeper and intervening defenders and into the top right hand corner of the net: 0-1. 

After two games without a goal, this fine strike seemed to relieve a month of pressure as we started to play with more confidence and purpose.  We were threatening Palmer’s goal more, and their keeper had to be off his line quickly to deny Lee a chance on goal, and Terry did well to fashion an opening from Liam’s low cross but couldn’t get any power on an off-balanced shot.  Blakey had a goal-bound header fortuitously cleared and Luke C. was treating us to some of his marauding runs that have been missing in recent weeks.  Harry and Lee continued to play through the pain and seemed to be everywhere as, between them, they supported in attacks at one end and were making last ditch tackles at the other.  Palmers were still a danger in possession, but we made it to half time with no further incident (apart from the aforementioned offside-gate).

The half time team talk was a pretty pragmatic one; I don’t think we’d expected to be in the lead after the opening 45 minutes, and I’m not sure we expected to keep it up until the 90.  However, we were going to give it our best shot, and if lady luck was on our side you never know what might happen.

As it happened, there did seem to be some divine intervention, but we also worked hard enough to deserve the odd break or two.  Our opposition will be wondering how they didn’t win by a large margin, as they squandered chance after chance – which is in stark contrast to how clinical they were last time out.  They weren’t helped by Lewis being on top form, and being quick to collect any slightly over hit ball into the box – of which there were many.  However, they did find an equaliser as a result of an under hit goal kick which exposed the fact we were sitting too far up the pitch.  A Palmers midfielder was able to pick up the ball unchallenged and play it back over the top for the striker, who reacted quickest and slide the ball under Lewis: 1-1.

Despite Palmers’ dominance, out of nowhere the Accies created a chance that could have made the last half hour even more frantic than it was.  With Palmers committing men forward in search of the winner, Eye-Ball read and intercepted a pass just inside our half.  The ball looped up in the air, and the rejuvenated left back (now over the frightening first 30 min display) gave chase, challenging the centre back in the air and forcing him into an under strength back pass which Tony was onto in a flash.  He raced clear and, as the keeper came out to close down the angle, chose to try and play it round him into the bottom corner from 18 yards.  Unfortunately Tony’s aim was out by a matter of centimetres, and the ball skimmed the outside of the post and went wide.

It may have seemed like our luck had run out, as soon after Harry had to join Lee (who had already been replaced by Craig) on the side line with an injury.  With Luke A. somehow injuring himself standing around we had to play out the last 20-30min with 10 men.  It was backs to the wall, with everyone getting stuck in.  The defence were obviously busy, but they were ably supported by the midfield.  Scott definitely hadn’t signed up for left wing-back duties, but worked his socks off and Liam took on the lead role in the middle of the park with both starting centre mids being side-lined.

We were fortunate that Palmers were finding the target harder to hit than the proverbial barn door, as balls were poked wide from eight yards, and headers were put over from six.  But when they did get the ball between the sticks either a brave block was made or Lewis got to display his full range of skills to pluck, punch, kick and gather the ball out of the air.

The last ten minutes seemed to last a life-time, but when the final whistle eventually game it felt like a victory, as we had something to show for our efforts when everything seemed to be against us.

It’s no surprise that Lewis picked up his first MoTM of the season; his performances have been consistently good for a number of weeks and although he possibly had more to do than usual on this occasion, he was well up to the challenge.  Robin and Blakey also received a number of votes, with a special mention for Rob, who thought he was going to only last half hour as he was struggling with a heavy cold.  However, with others having doubts over fitness he wasn’t about to let the side down – we’d expect nothing less. 

Dale’s absence and eleventh hour departure made him an easy target for DoTD – well he’s never had one so it was about time! However, there was no ill feeling or anger about his decision, which I think shows his former team mates (who remain his friends) realise that he had already done more for the club this season than had been expected.  With the knowledge that he would be away until late November in Benidorm, Dale could have easily waited until his return to sign for a club.  But he committed himself to the Accies and gave us more than the eight or so weeks we were expecting.  At times, as another double hat-trick was completed, it felt like Dale was playing below himself, but over four and a half seasons and 90 appearances he ignored numerous advances and showed outstanding commitment and loyalty to the club.  Much like cricket, it’s hard to compare the modern Accie player with those who played before the meticulous recording of stats began, but I think it’s safe to say that Dale deserves Club Legend status as the most prolific striker club has seen, and who knows where we’d be playing now without so many vital goals (and numerous assists).  So I’m sure everyone will join me in wishing Dale all the best for the future, and hopefully we’ll get the chance to shake hands and say thank you in person.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 12th February - Away @ William Edwards School v Thames Gateway

Dale’s record (since 2012/13):

Goal scoring chart:

With Dale now out of the running, for the first time since Liam got within one goal of top spot in 2013/14 we have a proper contest for the Golden Boot.  Tony will be looking to make the most of the games in which he can play, but with Foggy’s knee not looking like it’s going to allow him to play any time soon, Lee and Liam look like the bookies favourites.

Gateway 3 – 0 Aveley Academicals (Division 2 League Cup)

I want to write this match report about as much as any team in the Thurrock Sunday League want to play against our opposition.  It is a shame to tar the whole team with the same brush, as they undoubtedly have some good players – and are not all pond life – but even these individuals have to take some responsibility for the company they choose to keep.

So I’m afraid that I’m not willing to waste any more breath (or any more time than I need to) to describe this game other than is necessary to constitute a formal record that it did, in fact, take place.  If you weren’t there, and you want to know the finer details of this encounter, you’ll have to buy someone from the team a beer and I’m sure they’ll be happy to tell you all about it.  If you did something in the game that you had hoped would be mentioned, put it on a postcard and I’ll happily add it in.

Subs: Terry, Scott, Craig

All you really need to know is that we bounced back from a poor first half performance in which we conceded the three goals which ultimately lost us the game, and were able to walk off at the final whistle with our heads held high.  We did create some chances in the second half, and although if these had been converted a comeback may have been on, we were really playing for some pride and each other.  We got stuck in and can be proud of the courage and determination we displayed.

Votes for MoTM were split between Eye-Ball, Brian and Bobby.  Eye-Ball’s contribution was recognised for stepping into Robin’s massive shoes when he was forced off following a nasty blow to the head, thankfully with no lasting affects – although maybe we wouldn’t notice.  Brian finally seems to be over his hamstring injury and was back to his best as he threw himself into every challenge and chased every seemingly lost cause.  Bobby has received a number of votes over the past weeks, and finally (and deservedly) won the award as he led by example in the middle; fearlessly putting in tackles where others wouldn’t dream of going, running himself into the ground and displaying the terrier like determination that has made him such a popular and valued member of the squad.  Although the unmentionables he was hollering at himself following a wayward cross field pass suggests he is also his worst critic.

A special ‘unsung hero’ award has to go to Lewis, who single handedly kept the score line looking mildly respectable with some fine saves, including at least three one-on-ones.   DoTD went to Lee, for a comical display of Sunday morning brain malfunction, as he went searching high and low in the changing room for his socks, only to finally have it pointed out to him that he was wearing them.  At least he had plenty of people to lead him out to the pitch.

So the result of three tough games since Christmas is that we’re out of all the cups, and with it being unlikely that we will challenge for the league title we’ve really just got to go out every week, take each game as it comes and regardless of how it pans out just enjoy ourselves and give it our all.

Eye-Ball

Goal scoring chart

Aveley Academicals 0 – 4 Stanford Town (Ted Fairchild Cup 3rd round)

OK, so it would have been nice to have got revenge against a team we had ‘previous’ with from last season, but things have moved on, the result was pretty unimportant in the context of our season and we’ve got much bigger games in the league and league cup to come.  It was refreshing that the game was played in a competitive but good spirit, which just goes to show that neither club held a grudge or wanted a repeat of the last cup match between these sides.  Stanford are more than holding their own in Premier league, and provided us with another really tough test which was on par with the challenge posed by Hanningfield the previous week.  Whilst it’s hard not to be disappointed with the score line, the Accies never let their heads drop and kept battling right to the whistle.

With some key players missing through injury and unavailability, and with no risks being taken, others had the opportunity to stake their claim for a starting position.

Subs: Terry, James

Whilst we worked hard when we didn’t have the ball, the problem was that we got far too much practise at this particular discipline.  When we had the ball we really struggled; it just seemed that we were far too static and quiet in possession.  It’s hard to take a man seriously when he turns ups on a freezing cold, rainy Sunday morning to spectate wearing shorts and a knee length sleeping bag, but as he’s the club captain I suppose we should listen to him.  Foggy’s main observation was that we were not compact enough.  By which I think he means that when we had the ball, the man with it was isolated and lacking options – both obvious ones and the desire from team mates to make themselves available.  When we didn’t have it, the fact we were so spread out meant our opposition could easily find the room they wanted.  Passes were being rushed – and subsequently misplaced – or the ball was just being kicked away without any real target.  I know this all sounds really negative, but it’s only worth saying because people were mainly screaming insults at themselves, through the frustration that they expect much better of themselves.

We’ve had a tough run of games, and when mistakes are punished as harshly as they were this week and last, players can lose the confidence to try and keep hold of the ball.  But I think we’d all agree that no one is going to get on anyone’s back for trying to play the way we want to, and we can only get better by getting things wrong once in a while.  Each of Stanford’s four goals can be linked to individual or team errors, but you still need to take your hats off for the quality of the finishing.  For the first, we were too slow to close down the striker on the edge of the area, and he bent the ball into the far bottom corner.  The second saw the ball squirm under Luke C.’s foot on our right, which allowed the winger to take possession and make the opposite corner of the net bulge from just inside the box.   In the second half, Eye-Ball’s attempted pass to Bobby was intercepted on the half way line, and one pass later and the striker had glided past Brian and rolled the ball under Lewis.  The fourth came as tired legs couldn’t get the ball clear around a crowded penalty area, and as we were outnumbered our opposition were able to pass through us and walk the ball into the net.

In the first half we rode our luck, and if it hadn’t been for the posts, some timely interceptions by Blakey and Brian, and a fine save from Lewis to prevent the ball flying into the top corner, our opposition could have been out of sight by half time.  As it was we were still in the game after the first 45 minutes, and if we had taken some of chances, and Stanford’s keeper had not been on such top form, the result may have been quite different.

The best chances of the first half included a near post header by Eye-Ball from Liam’s corner, which was directed towards goal but sailed way over the bar.  Eye-Ball was in the thick of it again as a pull back from Liam in the box unexpectedly turned into a one two with the full-back, and Liam was felled by the keeper on the bye-line.  Nothing was given, but on another day the referee could have pointed to the spot.  Then Dale warmed the keeper’s gloves from a tight angle when he volleyed Harry’s looping cross back across the goal.

Arguably our best chances came in the second half, and when Liam played the ball through for Dale, it appeared that we would be back in the game at 2-1 and chasing an equaliser.  However, Dale’s superb turn and first time shot with the outside of his right boot was only bettered by the keeper’s fine reactions to keep the ball out.  It that save was good, the save from Brian was out of this world.  The box was crowded, but Terry found another way to get the ball through to Brian, by lifting it over the defender. Brian let the ball bounce once before unleashing it high towards goal, but somehow the keeper got the slightest of touches to the ball and deflected it onto the crossbar and out for a corner.  There were also a couple of free kicks, the first of which Dale would like to forget as the ball was sliced well wide of the goal, and then Craig rattled the crossbar from a similar position.

So it wasn’t a great day at the office, but the character of all the players cannot be faulted.  In particular, James’s contribution as a late substitute deserves some attention, especially as it’s rare to earn a MoTM vote having been on the pitch for so little time.  He came on to play on the left side of midfield, and being unshackled from the responsibilities of defending looked to run the ball down the line at every opportunity.  He really should have scored as well, when Dale got the ball across into the box and James found himself with the ball right in front of goal.  Perhaps he should have leathered it first time, but instead he tried to take a touch, and now a little off balance he could only lift the ball harmlessly into the keeper’s hands.  He also put in some tempting crosses, and should have been rewarded with an assist when his measured cross to the back post was met by an unmarked Blakey.  You’d put your house on the big centre half at least finding the target from there, but the ball skimmed off his head and out for a goal kick.

When it came to voting for MoTM, this miss did not deter Blakey’s team mates from giving him the title, for a commanding display which included some great tackles when he looked to be second best in the race to win the ball.  The defence spent a lot of time chasing the ball back towards goal, and our two centre halves had to do the majority of the work, so it is fitting that one of them should get the award. It was a clean sweep for the back four, as Luke C. picked up the DoTD award. I think his below par performance stands out because he has been one of the Accies best and most consistent performers for a number of weeks.  However, when he kept getting out-foxed by a bouncing leather sphere – seemingly unaware of the shouts of “watch the bounce!” – his sudden fall from grace seemed inevitable.

So there isn’t much more to say, apart from that for the second week running the best team won which you can’t really argue with.  The challenge for us it to find the level – which is well within our reach – which would make us the rightful winners against the majority of the teams we are going to face.  It’s only minor things we need to put right, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the results when we do.

Eye-Ball

Next game – Sunday 22nd January – Away @ William Edwards School v Thames Gateway

Goal scoring chart

CORRECTION - I credited Luke A. with the assist for Terry's goal against Thames Gateway, but have been informed the final pass was from James. I'm sure the description is still accurate, and that the ball was 'sublime', and apologies to James for almost stripping him of his first notch on the goal scoring bedpost.

Hanningfield F.C. 3 - 2 Aveley Academicals (aet) (Essex Junior Cup Round 4)

Reflecting on this game brought back memories of more than one 120 minute cup game that I have reported on over the years.  In particular, my mind went back to the penalty lose in the third round of the 2012/13 Essex Junior Cup, when – on a freezing December morning – we sat huddled in an unheated porta cabin thinking that was no way the ref could let the game go ahead on a frozen pitch.  We perhaps didn’t take the competition quite so seriously back then (as the starting line up will testify) but we battled to come back from behind and only lost out when it came to penalties.  The report is well worth a read if only to give mention to one of the current squad choosing to jump ship (we knew he’d be back): http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/dynamo-basildon-3-3-oaks-athletic-aet-5.html

Then there was the 240 minutes in two weeks in 2014/15, and like this game the first of these came at the worst possible time – straight after the Christmas break.  The first game saw us lose again on penalties against Lakeside, and I’d implore Luke A. (and everyone else for that matter) to read this report; especially the second paragraph: http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/lakeside-fc-4-4-clements-athletic-4-2.html (apologies to anyone with an Uncle Derek).   The following week it was the same stage of the Essex Cup as we reached this year, and although the game was quite different, the outcome was the same – a narrow 3-2 defeat with the scores level at 2-2 after 90: http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/valley-green-3-2-clements-athletic-aet.html

Last season we had the infamous grapefruit incident in Rochford, which is largely blamed for us going down 5-3 aet http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/rochford-sports-and-social-5-3-aveley.html, and in the same season we lost 3-2 aet against premiership opposition : http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/staines-utd-3-2-aveley-academicals-aet.html

What all these games show is that, firstly we have a pretty poor record when games go to extra time (in fact the last time we won in a 120 minute game was the famous cup final of the double winning season 2011/12: http://aveleyaccies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/oaks-athletic-2-0-wilburn-wanderers-aet.html) but also that this club is renowned for fighting to the bitter end, and I’m proud to say that nothing has changed.  However, with two more cup games in the next two weeks, I’d rather not beat our 240 minutes in two games record.

The Accies team bus (metaphorically speaking) rolled into East Hanningfield bright and early at about 9:30.  The signs were not good that we were in the right place, as apart from there being a couple of goalposts roughly 90 yards apart, there was very little other evidence to suggest we were in the right place – unless you wanted to compete in a trail race, walk a dog or attend the local church.  Still, I suppose we should have realised that life is taken at a more sedentary pace in the countryside, and at 10:05 we finally had access to the change rooms and confirmation that there was an opposition to play.  The referee seemed in no more of a rush and the game finally got underway, with the following line-up, at about 10:40.

Subs: Craig, Scott, Terry, Luke A.

We knew nothing about our opposition, but maybe took the old advice of ‘let’s take a look at them’ a little too seriously.  For the first 20 minutes there was only one team giving a lesson in how to play football, and it wasn’t the Accies.  When we didn’t have the ball we gave Hanningfield far too much respect, we were slow to react to their movement and tackles were weak and ineffective.  It was even worse when we did get the ball, as we couldn’t string one let alone two passes together, and kept putting ourselves back into trouble by not giving any options and being far too slow in moving the ball.  Credit to our opposition though, who gained our respect as being a good side, and on balance probably the team that deserved to win based on football alone.  They were all comfortable on the ball, and kept possession well.  When we had the ball they gave us very little time and space, and were hard and clinical in the challenge.  If they had taken more of the chances they created, they could have been home and dry within the 90 minutes.  So the fact that we stuck with them, and even nearly snatched the win at the death shows how tough and committed we were.  Having said all that whenever one of them had a flag in his hand, they were either completely inept at judging offside or were suffering from trigger-happy syndrome.

It’s no surprise that we conceded within the opening period of play, but it was still a little bit of a shock to do so within the first five minutes.  The right winger evaded all attempted challenges and swung in a peach of a delivery, and the striker rose above Luke C. to power the header into the far corner: 1-0.

It wasn’t all one way traffic, and Liam showed that we could trouble the goal at the other end as he broke into the box, and from a tight angle curled the ball just wide of the far post.  Still, it was against the run of play that the Accies found a spectacular equaliser.  A free kick was lifted into the box, and the defender’s attempted clearance only resulted in the ball looping into the air.  With the area still crowded, Foggy somehow found room to let the ball drop over his shoulder before swivelling and unleashing the sweetest of left foot volleys into the roof of the net: 1-1.

This goal did wonders for our morale and confidence, and the next 15 minutes saw the Accies on the front foot. Suddenly we were finding space, and the energy to exploit it.  One argument would be that we should have raised the pace more, and those off the ball could have done more to make the runs that would allow the man with the ball to move it quicker.  Having said that, this was the first game in three weeks and fitness and sharpness were always going to be an issue. 

Dale worked tirelessly up top, but was being closely marshalled by an experienced and well drilled back four.  However, he always finds a way to create a chance or two, and had his best during this good spell in the first half.  He evaded the defender inside the box on the left and shot low and hard, with the keeper being lucky to block with his rear end, when the ball could have easily squirmed under him.

The scores were level at half time, and despite the obvious disappointment with the first 20 minutes we were really pleased with how we finished the half.  The main criticism was that we were allowing the play to get stretched too much, by sitting too deep.  Although we tried to rectify this in the second half, when we lost possession we had a tendency to drop deeper and deeper.  It didn’t help that we spent much of the second half camped on the edge to our area, as we tried desperately to win back the ball from a team who were very good at keeping it.  Because of this when it was won back we couldn’t get far with it before losing it again. 

Perhaps if we hadn’t allowed such a big gap to develop between our defence and midfield following a goal kick, Luke A.’s misjudgement in our half with his back to goal wouldn’t have proved so costly.  Having only recently entered the fray it’s no surprise he hadn’t quite got up to the speed of the game, and even less surprising that – by his own admission – a freshly poured pint of milk was spotted turning in the village hall by the time he’d rotated the 90 degrees towards his namesake and intended recipient.  Luke’s pocket was duly picked, and before we knew it the striker was fed the ball on the edge of the box and finished first time into the bottom corner: 2-1.

The response of the boys was superb; Luke was picked up, dusted down and we went back to the business of getting back in the game.  We all knew it could have happened to any of us, and probably had a various points in the game.  We just weren’t punished as harshly.   

We knew we weren’t firing on all cylinders in this game, and that a little bit of magic might be needed to keep our cup dreams alive.  When Liam was tripped when seemingly through on goal, the defender was spared a red card, the foul was deemed to have been committed just outside the box, and Hanningfield’s 6 ft 6 plus striker plonked himself the end of the wall we could be forgiven for thinking all our fairy dust had been used up on Foggy’s first half strike.   However, it turned out Lee had been keeping a little in reserved, as he lined up the free kick and curled it over and around the wall, leaving the keeper rooted to the spot as the ball dipped under the bar and into the opposite top corner.  The crowd (Harry and friends) went wild and cries of “We’ve got ‘enry!” could be heard reverberating around the field (pitch would be an exaggeration): 2-2.

With the opposition stunned, we then came agonisingly close on two occasions to grabbing victory at the death.  First Tony, who wanted more than most to win the Junior Cup to put alongside his Essex Senior Cup medal, found himself in the box with a sight at goal on his favoured and lethal left foot.  Unfortunately he got the dosage wrong on this occasion and the ball flew high into the trees.  Then Lee bulldozed his way into the box before having us all hold our breath as a harmless looking attempt caught everyone out and drifted agonisingly just wide.

And so it was that we would have to wait at least another 30 minutes to find out who would progress to the quarter final.  The first 15 minutes of extra time came and went, with our only real chance being an effort from Terry that was comfortably saved at the keeper’s near post.  Then, early in the fourth period, after another sustained period of possession, Hanningfield’s giant striker – who you’d put your money on being on the end of crosses – got to the bye line and delivered a peach of a delivery which was powered home by his diving team mate at the back post.  Luke C. did all he could to get there first, but momentum and bulk were on the side of his opposite number: 3-2.

With ten minutes left the Accies piled bodies forward, with Craig looking the most likely to create a goal for us.  Either with his testing crosses or through neat interchanges with Dale on the right.  Frustratingly nothing in the box would fall for us, and even when Blakely got on the end of a cross there were too many bodies blocking the ball’s route to goal.  Dale did manage to get a couple of shots away following the good work with Craig, but the angle was just too tight.

The referee’s final whistle was bitter sweet, as although it signalled the end of our Essex Cup run for another year, it also ended the pain the suffering that we were all putting ourselves through.  In doing so a number of injuries were sustained, with the most serious seeming to be Foggy (knee) and Dale (ankle).  Lee also didn’t quite make the 120 despite being willing to come back on when Dale went down.  Hopefully everyone will make a speedy recovery, as we have many more big challenges ahead.

The post match debrief was a positive one; we accepted that we’d given our all, but that the best team (on the day at least) had won, and you can’t ask more than that.  There was a lot of pride on show, and it was definitely a day to be proud to be an Accie.

It isn’t surprising that there were a number of players nominated for MoTM, and in fact it’s not often that I feel I need to say a little bit about every single player’s contribution:

Lewis – solid between the sticks, and always an outlet when we needed to start again from the back.  Claimed and held everything that came into his six yard box.

James – wore his heart on his sleeve.  Threw himself into every challenge and never stopped running.

Luke C. – after a shaky start, grew in confidence.  Made a vital clearance off the line in the second half.

Blakely – had to dig deeper than most having only just returned after 8 weeks out.  A leader at the back and put in some massive tackles.

Eye-Ball – deployed at centre back again and stuck to his task to sweep up pretty much anything that was played in behind. Just edged it for MoTM.

Liam – was up and down all game.  Had a pretty tough time against a very good full back but won the free kick that took the game to extra time.

Foggy – right in the middle of the titanic midfield battle.  Took it upon himself to galvanise the team and try and raise the tempo and keep morale high.  Scored possibly the goal of the season so far.

Lee – always patient on the ball and looked to move the play to where the space was (which was easier said than done).  Scored a blinding free kick and nearly snatched a winner at the death.

Bobby – an absolute terrier. Chased down everything and put his body on the line for his team.  Deserves the respect and frequent MoTM votes he is accumulating from his team mates.

Tony – really came into the game following Foggy’s goal when he was particularly affective at turning insdie onto his left and finding Dale and Liam in attacking positions.  Would have been gutted not to bury his chance near the end.

Dale – fed off scraps for most of the game, but this didn’t stop him working his socks off.  Kept the defence on their toes, and warmed the keeper’s hands, but rarely had a clear enough sight of goal.

Craig – showed his quality when he came on, and added a bit of creativity which had been lacking.  His crosses at the end gave us hope, but luck wasn’t on our side on this occasion.

Luke A. – recovered from ‘that mistake’ and gave all he had to the cause.  Kept close tabs on their midfield general (who also happened to be ginger) and added much needed protection to the back four.  Insisted on receiving the DoTD award – which says a lot about the character of the man – without much support for this from the rest of the team.

Scott – made himself very popular with the Accies fan club (but not so much with the opposition) with a brilliant ‘reducer’ minutes after coming on.  Never shy of a challenge, and right in the mix as at the end as we tried to find an equaliser.

Terry – made a nuisance of himself and always tried to be an option as we moved into the final third.  Had one sight at goal, but the keeper was equal to it.

Harry – even when he’s just on the side line you can’t help but feel like he is right in the thick of the action.  Celebrated and cheered every challenge and neat bit of skill, and roused our small but dedicated following.

Those of us who have been around the club for a number of years know that the attitude, quality and commitment has changed a lot and frequently over the years, as so many different combinations of players have passed through revolving doors of your average Sunday league team.  Historically, when the attitude and commitment have been brilliant, we’ve not been a great team in terms of footballing ability.  But when we’ve had a quality side, collectively we haven’t always been prepared to stand up for each other and fight for the team – especially when we’ve had our backs against the wall.  However, I can honestly say that I’ve seen enough to think the current squad can be the best we’ve had (at least in my 11 seasons) across all three of these attributes, with attitude being by far the most important.  OK, so we might have to exclude training when talking about commitment, but no team is perfect.  So keep turning up, keep giving it everything when you get your chance, keep going down the boozer, keep getting to training if you can, keep doing it for your team mates, keep calm and UP THE ACCIES!

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 15th January @ home v Stanford Town - Ted Fairchild Cup

Goal scoring chart

Lee’s goal moves him to the top of the chart, but with Dale announcing earlier in the week that he has extended his contract to the end of the season we know he’ll be going all out to make it five golden boots in a row.