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
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