Valley Green 3 – 2 Clements Athletic (aet) (Essex cup 4th round)

We may have been knocked out of two cups in two weeks, but there are still plenty of positives we can take from these games:

1. We’re a very tough team to beat over 90 minutes.

2. League games are only 90 minutes long.

3. We avoided a 70 mile round trip thanks to the game being moved to our ground.

4. Which meant we got to go to The Ship Inn and enjoy wraps, sweets AND sausage rolls.

5. We got to try out the new pegs – thanks Alex, they’re fab!

6. We’ve scored some really good goals over the two games.

7. 240 minutes of football should help our fitness.

8. For the second game running the DOTD award found a worthy winner, rather than it going to a      misfortunate and committed defender who unfortunately conceded a penalty.

9. Our small squad is starting to creak at the seams, so a few less games won’t do us any harm.

10. We can concentrate on the league (you’ve got to love a cliché)!

Pretty much the whole squad turned out for this match, but the problem was that three of them – Ryan (shins), Luke (appendix) and Alex (what is it about players called Alex and ingrowing toenails?) – were injured.  Still, Sharpy could still name a strong team, and solved the problem of missing Ryan on the left - and trying to accommodate three first choice central midfielders – by playing Liam on the left and partnering Dale and Harry up top.  Joe earned a promotion to right back, having impressed there in the second half against Lakeside.

Subs: Johnny, Rob, lil’ Ryan, Ryan

Before the game started both sets of players and supporters impeccably observed a minutes silence to pay their respects to Bradley Arthur, whose life recently came to a tragic and premature end.  The Clements players wore black ribbons to show that our thoughts are with the families and friends (some of whom are our team mates) who have suffered this cruel loss.

Our opponents from Witham were a young and confident group of lads, which was evident from the fact that one of them boasting that he would score a hat-trick inside 10 minutes.  To be fair to them, this confidence translated into an assured and technically proficient performance on the pitch.  However, they had obviously not heard of Clements’s famous grit and dogged determination, as although Valley enjoyed a lot of the early possession, some clattering challenges from Robin and Brian reflected the general attitude that we weren’t about to be rolled over by these young pups.

Having survived a couple of early scares (with Webby’s good form continuing), we found that the key to Valley’s defence could easily be picked by exploiting the space they were leaving behind their back four.  Having two master locksmiths in the centre of midfield helps, and Foggy and Jake would have been leaping up the assists charts if a combination of last ditch tackles and superb goal keeping hadn’t denied our attacking four of Liam, Dale, H and Chris.  Dale had the best chance to give us the lead, and did most of the creating himself as he latched onto a through ball before slaloming his way across from the right and into the six yard box, before being foiled by the keeper’s legs –maybe Liam could impart some advice about scoring from 6 yards.

The game was well poised by this point, and it was Clements who made the first breakthrough with by far the best goal of the match.  Chris was sent clear on the right, and he supplied the type of quality cross that we are coming to expect every time the ball leaves his boot.  The cross went deep, and Liam went deeper as he peeled away from his marker before opting to volley – rather than head – the ball back across the keeper an into the far corner: 0-1.

Chris was involved again in our best chance to extend the lead before the break, when he went in hot pursuit of a through ball into the box, but got to the ball at the same time as the outrushing goal keeper.  Both players bravely contested the ball, but the keeper won this particular battle.

The second half was always going to be difficult for Clements’s defence, with the Sun and wind definitely not acting in our favour.  It was the run of the ball rather than the conditions that levelled the score, when an attempted through ball on the edge of the box was blocked, but bounced up nicely for Valley’s midfielder to slot into the net: 1-1.

The score line did not stay like this for long, with the referee awarding the first of two debatable penalties.  Foggy slid the ball through for Liam to chase into the area, and there was no doubt that his cross struck the arm of the full back, who was about four yards away.  The attacking team will always argue that it’s a penalty because the player’s arm is away from his body and has significantly altered the ball’s path.  The defending team will argue that the player had no chance of getting his arm out of the way, and that the handball wasn’t deliberate.  Both arguments seem valid, but the referee went with the attacking team on this occasion, and Dale showed great character to step up and score the spot kick despite having missed in the penalty shoot-out the previous week (a fact that the opposition were somehow aware of and took great pleasure in reminding him): 1-2.

Now believe it or not, referees are human, and I can’t help but think that Valley may have sewed seeds of doubt in our young whistle blower over his decision to award a penalty to Clements.  Therefore, when a Valley player threw himself to the ground after coming into close contact with Brian, you can’t help but think that the opportunity to ‘even things up’ and restore the previous equilibrium made the decision to blow the whistle and point to the spot all too easy. The penalty was dispatched, and with neither team able to find a way to finish the game in normal time, for the second week running we were heading for extra time: 2-2.

Whilst physical fatigue is bound to set in as the clock ticks past the 90 minutes mark, mental tiredness was also an issue as passes became sloppy, players failed to react as quickly as they might to the movement of the opposition and our positional awareness was pretty much non-existent.  Players were also becoming increasingly irritable, and with a referee who was a master of irritation this lead to some angry words and confrontations. H was particularly lucky to avoid seeing red as, towards the end of extra time he threw all his toys out of the pram in a manner that was reminiscent of Sharpy in his heyday.  This complete loss of self-control earned Harry the DoTD award.

Unfortunately the only goal of the additional thirty minutes was scored by Valley.  We obviously have some weaknesses as a team – if we didn’t we wouldn’t be dodging dog shit at Blackshots playing field in front of a crowd of 7.  One that is becoming increasingly apparent is an inability to attack the second ball from corners, as again this was our undoing as a Valley midfielder reacted quickest to poke the ball in from 6 yards.  You could obviously question our marking, and argue that players aren’t sticking with their man.  However, I think you can’t rely on one man in this situation and others need to take a gamble by leaving their men to throw themselves in the direction of the ball, wherever it happens to be.  We just seem to be a bit static in these situations, and it cost us again on this occasion: 3-2.

We may not have managed to take the game to penalties, but this wasn’t through the lack of chances that we created.  Johnny, who had replaced Jake towards the end of the second half, hit a couple of the sweetest strikes you will see.  One went narrowly wide, and the second was well saved by Valley’s excellent goal keeper.  Lil’ Ryan (who had replaced Chris) also had a great chance to open his Clements account when he met the ball in the air at the back post, but couldn’t direct it on target from a tight angle.  Even Eye-Ball should have had a possible assist for the equalising goal, as he was felled in the area when attempting to bring down a high ball. Well, all the Clements players who were nearby thought it was in the area, but vitally the referee didn't agree and awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box.

You had to be proud of the way the boys kept going right until the final whistle, and you have to take Valley’s ridiculous attempts at time wasting by holding up the ball in the corner with over 10 minutes still to go as a sign that they doubted their ability to hold on to the lead against us.  It is a shame that not all the subs got a run out, but Sharpy openly admitted that he was struggling for ideas of how to turn the game around (and the option of roll-on roll-off subs didn’t make his life any easier).  However, this didn’t stop all the squad getting involved in supporting the team and I know Sharpy goes out of his way to explain his reasoning to individuals, and will be as fair as he can be over the course of the season.

Despite the defeat there were still plenty of outstanding performers throughout the team, but the MoTM award was unanimously awarded to Joe ‘Petal’ Flower (make sure H buys you a drink).  With so many purist defenders in the squad, Luke’s absence had robed us of a significant attacking option when looking to build up from the back.  However, Joe showed in this game that he is more than capable of meeting this requirement, and relished the opportunity to get forward and link up with Chris on the right, whilst also fulfilling his defence responsibilities superbly.  It’s just a shame we will be losing him very soon to his studies – although hopefully he will consider joining up with us again if the opportunity arises.

We naturally felt a bit down at being knocked out of our second cup in as many weeks, but we need to pick ourselves up for next week, as there is once again a new league leader who we need to displace.  We’ve raised our game every time we have come up against a team who would have been eyeing up the title, and I have now doubt that we will do it again.  However, if you do feel a little low having read this report, and feel the need to reach for an extra sheet of toilet paper to dry your eyes, just scroll (or swipe) back to the top of the page and read the ten reasons to be cheerful again, and also reflect on how fortunate we are to have the freedom and ability to choose to spend our Sundays playing football in the company of friends.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 18^th January – Away v Pegasus @ The Pegasus Club.

Goal scoring chart

Lakeside F.C. 4 – 4 Clements Athletic (4-2 pens) (Div 2 league cup round 1)

Losing this game hurt, as we rightly felt we had a good chance of going all the way to the final of the league cup.  Unfortunately, as those who were roped into playing the drinking games at the Christmas booze up will testify to, there is always a risk that the coin of chance will land on tails when you called heads, and you’ll end up necking a dirty pint of awfulness that leaves you feeling sick.

The problem with a cup defeat is that it is all too easy to remember the key negative moments that leave individuals feeling somehow culpable for the loss.  However, there was no finger pointing either during or at the end of the game, as we all knew that everyone had contributed so much to the team effort that made this such a hard fought and competitive match.  We probably would have won the game in normal time, if it hadn’t been for Eye-Ball conceding a penalty in the last five minutes.  We definitely would have won 4-3 in extra time if Webby hadn’t made his only misjudgement of the match in coming off his line from the free kick which was the very last kick of extra time.  Maybe we would have won the penalty shoot-out if the two Kenyons hadn’t missed the target with their spot kicks.  However, none of these moments would have meant anything, as the game would almost certainly have been lost before they occurred if it hadn’t been for the contribution of these players: the numerous well timed tackles and interceptions from Eye-Ball (including one that was not to referee’s liking, who needed to be informed that Greg Rutherford no longer plays for us); the colossal display from Webby who repelled numerous one-on-one chances and caught everything that came anywhere near the six yard box; and the assists and finishing of the Kenyons which lead to all of our four goals.  People have rightly said that we need to forget this game and move on, but you only really get a sense of the strength of a squad when you lose, and I have been really impressed with how we have reacted to the two defeats we have suffered so far.

Three of the squad were missing this week, but only two because of work.  Luke was rushed into hospital for an emergency appendix operation during the week.  We wish him a swift recovery and hope to see him charging up and down the right wing again soon (and supplying us we sweets).

Subs: Chris, Johnny, lil’ Ryan

Dale commented at half time that we should take great heart from being two nil up despite not playing very well, and he was right that we had struggled to find the rhythm and cutting edge that had been so evident at the end of 2014.  Credit must go to the opposition, who pressed us hard, and played our front two better than most have this season, by giving them little time and space to turn and run at their defence.

We took the lead against the run of play midway through the first half, with the fact that the scores had remained level being thanks in no small part to some great saves – including a tip over the bar from a rasping shot – by Webby.  Foggy is making a habit of popping up in the six yards box at the right time, and was perfectly placed to tap home following good work on the bye line by Ryan to keep the ball in play and lift it into the area, and a brave challenge on the keeper by Liam, whose header fell kindly for el Capitano: 0-1.

The goal that extended our lead was another one for the scrap book.  Liam broke on the counter from our corner, and sent the ball forward where it was won by Dale on the right.  He then put in a deep cross to his brother who was about 16 yards out and on the angle.   Ryan chested the ball and then caressed it with the inside of his right foot over the keeper, off the underside of the bar and into the net: 0-2.

The luck may have been on our side in the first half, but it dramatically flipped in the second as you could argue that, on another day, none of Lakeside’s four goals would have ended up in the back of the net.

They got back in the game when Eye-Ball instinctively threw a leg in the way of a well driven low shot, but his effort to block it only resulted in the ball deflected away from Webby’s dive and into the back of the net: 1-2.

Our two goal cushion was restored when Dale and Ryan combined on the left, with Ryan dropping more than one shoulder to get past his man before drilling the ball low into the six yard box.  With Clements players waiting to pounce, the defender had to intercept, but could only help the ball into the net: 1-3.

Lakeside had us really under the cosh for the last 15 minutes, and post-Christmas tiredness started to set in as we lost our shape, but more importantly our discipline; giving away far too many free kicks around the area.  Lakeside’s second goal came as a result of our bad shape, as two players broke into the box behind our back line.  Eye-Ball did manage to get back to make a tackle, but the ball rebounded up to the other player who somehow found a way past Webby: 2-3.

Eye-Ball can feel a bit unlucky for conceding a penalty in the manor he did (and I can say that because I’m writing the report).  He had read the through ball, but was beaten to the challenge by Foggy, who cannot be criticised for putting in the effort to help out his defence.  Unfortunately his tackle turned into a second through ball, and as Eye-Ball turned to poke the ball away a Lakeside player came charging past, got his foot caught under Eye-Ball’s and went to ground.  Foggy was aggrieved at the manner in which the player threw himself to the deck, but there was contact so the decision couldn’t be disputed.  The spot kick was calmly slotted home, and we were going to extra time: 3-3.

Sharpy claimed the assist for the goal that gave us an early lead in extra time, which we were to hold right up to the final kick of the game.  With an attacking corner won, Sharpy halted Johnny’s attempt to sneak into the box ‘Robin Lawrence Style’, and instead told Brian to get himself in there.  This Brian duly did, and stooped to head home Ryan’s in-swinging corner from 8 yards.

Both teams wasted chances to score in the 25 minutes that followed, and we were the ones to be punished.  Discipline has rarely been a problem this season, and although we found plenty of reasons to moan at the referee in this game, we should thank him for being relatively lenient.  We did have to play the last 5 minutes with ten men, but there were a couple of other instances which could have had a more significant impact earlier in the game, if the referee had been more willing to reach for his notebook.  Corners and free kicks around the box had been so well dealt with by Webby throughout the match, that when a foul was committed 25 yards out we felt confident that we could defend it.  However, Webby was a little too keen to claim the ball and misjudged the flight.  Eye-Ball was standing closest to him, and could tell it was going end badly by the look on his face which screamed “oh shit” without a word being spoken.  The referee let us get back into position and kick off before instantly blowing his whistle for full time: 4-4.

We all know how the penalty shoot-out ended, and it’s no surprise that the team who would have felt Christmas had just come again, won out against the team who just found out that the fat bloke in the red suit, kissing mummy under the mistletoe, was in fact their Uncle Derek.  We should praise the five blokes who put their hands up to take a kick: well done to Chris and Joe for scoring theirs; commiserations to Ryan and Dale (at least they were stylish misses), and don’t forget the unsung hero Liam, who turned up to the party in his best frock only to find everyone had gone home (except Uncle Derek).  

There was no need for a vote to decide Man of the Match, although ironically his one mistake possible sealed it, as a solid performance at right back and centre back, and your first goal for the club also being the winning goal in extra time may have given the sentimental vote to Brian.  As it was Brian’s contribution was forgotten and, in an unprecedented turn of events, Webby walked away with both MoTM and DoTD awards.  We don’t need to explain what the latter was for.  So, Webby, get yourself a drink on…yourself.

There is no more to say really, other than it’s really good that no-one fell out, especially as we’ve got a long drive to Witham in the Essex Cup next week.  It’s going to be tough, but let’s enjoy it and give it our best shot.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 11^th January, AWAY @ Bramston Sports Ground, Witham v Valley Green.

 Goal scoring chart

Clements Athletic 3 – 0 Staines United

I would tend to worry that talk of a game being a ‘must win’ and the ‘biggest of season’ would add pressure that would have a negative effect on the team’s performance.  However, it seems that the current Clements Athletic squad thrives and performs to their best when this additional pressure is applied.  The proof is the fact that for the second time this season we were the first team to put a mark in the L column of top-of-the-league opponents.  This might also explain why we couldn’t beat the worst team in the league! Both the wins against Lakeside and Staines have been particularly convincing, and we were on top from the start in this game against a team who were obviously technically proficient and good at keeping the ball.  These attributes may make for good viewing, but what I am realising is that few teams (if any) in this league are as effective as Clements at the direct approach, whereby we are always looking to move the ball up the field and put defences on the back foot as quickly as possible.

Sharpy picked a side that, despite missing two first choice midfielders (although one of them was in goal), was set up to attack with Joe making his first start of the season on his Winter return from university and Ryan being given the job of filling H’s boots in midfield.

Subs: lil’ Ryan, Rob, Alex

Prior to this game Staines had the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 6 goals in 7 matches.  It was therefore surprising to see how easy Dale was finding it cut through their defence, and our top scorer should have added two or three to his impressive tally in the opening 15 minutes.  Staines seemed to be in shock to come up against a team with so much pace and excellent movement up top.

Dale’s performance in the opening quarter would have made him a front runner for MoTM in any other game, but on this occasion he was outdone by the younger Kenyon, whose performance in a less familiar central midfield role was the best by any Clements player this season.  Ryan just seemed to have the ball stuck to his feet, and made the opposition players look silly on countless occasions as he turned them inside out.  His distribution was also superb, and his assist for the opening goal was a key element in making it a contender for goal of the season.  Ryan made himself available to receive the ball from Eye-Ball on the left.  He then ran with the ball diagonally to the right side of the pitch, but instead of playing the obvious ball to Chris, who was running down the flank and dragging out the fullback, Ryan played a perfectly weighted reverse ball into the gap that had now been created. Dale pounced on this early Christmas present and drove the ball past the keeper into the far corner: 1-0.

This goal gave us a massive confidence boost, whilst rash challenges and petulant behaviour off the ball by Staines were obvious signs that Clements’ defence was as dominate as our attack.  It wasn’t long before our excellent play was rewarded with another superb goal.  This time Chris was the provider, as he did really well to keep the ball in play on the right before driving to the bye line and delivering a low cross into the danger area between penalty spot and six yard box.  Liam had timed his run superbly, and bravely stooped to head the ball under pressure into the far corner: 2-0.

The only way Staines looked like they might score was from dead balls, and in general we defended corners well, with Foggy attacking the ball aggressively.  However on one occasion he got it completely wrong and threw himself forward whilst the ball sailed well above his head.  It says something about how well we played, and the high standards we set, that a stand-in keeper should receive DoTD for this misjudgement. To be fair, if Foggy hadn’t received the award for this he would have been nominated for slipping over every time he took a goal kick, and subsequently shouting at himself for doing so.

We didn’t manage to add to our tally or goals in the first half despite creating some excellent chances, including one for Joe (who is yet another hard working quality winger in the Clements squad) who fluffed his lines in front of goal and could only shoot tamely at the keeper from 10 yards.

We continued to threaten in the second half, and whilst the third goal was the obvious way to put the result beyond doubt, we were actually helped to do this by the opposition midfielder, who reacted to a reducing tackle from Jake by throwing a headbutt.  Sharpy might not know the laws of the game inside out, but he knows from plenty of personal experience that you can’t react like that, especially when the referee is the Chair of the Thurrock Sunday League.  Staines were reduced to ten men, and although Jake was punished for his tackle he should get credit (as indeed should the rest of the team) for not reacting and letting the referee do his job.

The game lost a little of its intensity as a result of this sending off, and despite creating plenty of chances, including a good header from Joe that hit the bar, Staines keeper was in fine form and denied us on a number of occasion.  However, he could do nothing to stop Jake’s first goal for Clements as Chris laid the ball back to him following a corner and the big man curled the ball into the top corner from 20 yards.  His corner flag celebration received a DoTD nomination (probably from Foggy): 3-0.

Such is the strength of the Clements squad that a completely new centre back partnership of Alex and Rob was able to slot in with Eye-Ball and Luke seamlessly to preserve the clean sheet, that the defence and Foggy richly deserved for throwing themselves in the way of everything Staines threw at them.  Rob also popped up at the far post from a corner, but was unable to keep his header down.

 Lil’Ryan was the other substitution made by Sharpy, and he nearly made an immediate impact when he broke into the area with the ball.  Unfortunately it bounced kindly for the defender who was able to clear before Ryan could unleash a shot on goal.

You really couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present than 3 goals, a clean sheet and 3 points against the unbeaten league leaders.  Everyone can now enjoyed a well-earned Christmas break, before we return well rested and eager for our first round match in the league two cup – one we are definitely capable of winning.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 4^th January @ home v Lakeside (Div 2 cup round 1)

Goal Scoring Chart

Clements Athletic 1 - 2 Sparks (Ted Fairchild Cup Round 1)

I'm going to use Sharpy's DoTD winning pre-match speech as motivation for writing this match report, which went something like this: "OK boys, we don't really want to win this game as we'd just have to play AFC Blackshots in the next round and don't have any chance of winning this cup.  So, I'm going to give some of the weaker players a run out."

So in-keeping with this spirit, this is going to be one of my weaker match reports as I don't really want to write it.

Fortunately there was no hard feelings from Sharpy's ill chosen words and the following line up still looked pretty strong to me.

subs: Luke, Chris, Alex, Joe

The opposition were top of Div 2, and had enjoyed an unbeaten season the previous year, so were obviously not a bad side.  However, it soon became apparent that this was going to be a hard game not to win, as we had more than enough to win the game.  Having the pressure of winning removed did have some positive effects, with the Clements players wearing permanent smiles and playing with a freedom that comes with knowing any errors will not result in receiving an ear-full.  We definitely still played to win, and this attitude was epitomised by Eye-Ball who raced back to make a last ditch tackle and put the ball out for a corner when the striker was clear through on goal.  The tackle had to be perfectly timed, as anything else would have surely resulted in a red card.

H was also playing out of his skin following his return to the starting eleven, and it was a real blow to see him have to be helped off following a nasty looking impact on the knee. Hopefully the time off whilst H has a minor op will give ample time for recovery so that he is raring to go in January.

The game was fairly evenly balanced (Robin even balanced the injury count by forcing Sparks's striker off following a fair but firm challenge), and it just so happened that Sparks made the first breakthrough when Clements failed to clear the ball from a corner and it was squeezed home through a crowded area: 0-1.

The response to going behind was spot on, and almost instantaneous.  Sharpy and little brother Ryan had already been linking up really well on the left, and a little exchange of passes was finished with Sharpy lifting the ball into Dale, who was deadly from 8 yards out: 1-1.

We arguably created the better chances to take the lead both at the end of the first half, and the start of the second half.  Sharpy in particular was making a nuisance of himself, and may have opened his account for the season if he had been a bit quicker to pull the trigger on a couple of occasions.  Liam also had the beating of the left full back, and made some excellent advances into the opposition penalty area.  At the other end Webby was excellent in goal, and deservedly earned a number of MoTM nominations.

Webby could do nothing about the goal that gave Sparks the lead when the replacement striker turned inside onto his right foot and hit the ball with minimum power, but perfect accuracy into the far corner: 1-2.

You would have thought this was the ideal situation: we lose the game 2-1 so Sharpy gets the result we want whilst we've still played well, enjoyed the game and made the opposition work hard for their victory.  However, it was a nervy ending as we created a number of good opportunities to equalise with Dale being denied on more than one occasion by the dimensions of the goal and the acrobatics of the goal keeper.  Extra time would have proven a little embarrassing for Sharpy, as it would have meant finishing with ten men as he had already used all three substitutes and Dale needed to leave at 90 minutes to get to work.  Fortunately we managed to hold out for the defeat, and were able to warmly congratulate our opponents on their progress to the next round.

The MoTM vote was dominated by defenders, with Eye-Ball just coming out on top.  It is difficult for me to self-assess why this was, but I imagine it was for volume of tackles, generally being a pain in the backside any time the opposition tried to mount an attack, and even getting a shot (albeit a tame one) on target from inside the box in the first half.  It could also be because we lost, as the only other time I have received this accolade is the only other time we have lost this season.  Oh well, at least the dark cloud of defeat has a silver lining for me.

Eye-Ball

Next game: Sunday 14th December @ home v Staines United.

Goal scoring chart:

Clements Athletic 2 - 1 Thameside F.C.

Johnny and Eye-Ball learned a valuable lesson prior to this game: lower the posts in gently or you may end up covered in muddy water, and smelling like a skunk whose had far too much vindaloo.  Still we had a good laugh about it (except Johnny and Foggy who were busy gagging), and we had no problems with space in the changing room.

The good humour continued right up to kick-off, and the good team spirit was reflected in one of the best footballing performances of the season, to which the score line did not do justice.

Sharpy demonstrated that everyone will be treated the same in this team, and so despite being one of the stand out players this season, H was started on the bench following a couple of weeks away.  Once again players were missing, but Sharpy was still able to name a strong starting eleven.

Subs: Sharpy, Harry

We were determined to get off to a good start in this game, and created a number of chances which should have helped calm those early nerves.  Unfortunately Liam in particular had left his shooting boots at home, and missed a couple of (what were by his standards) sitters. 

Thameside were a far improved side from the outfit we comfortably brushed aside earlier in the season, and were competitive and hard to break down.  When we did get in behind their keeper was on fine form to keep us out.

A frustrating first half nearly ended in us going behind, when a ricochet from a shot landed kindly for the right winger.  However, Webby was quick off his line and smothered the effort to keep the scores level going into the break.

The discussion at half time was positive, and we knew that it was a matter of when, rather than if we would break down the opposition.

Seeing as we were struggling to find the net via conventional methods, Jake thought he would try something a little more flamboyant, and his acrobatic (yes, Jake and acrobatic in the same sentence) not quite over-head kick in a crowded area was hit so sweetly that it would surely have been front runner for goal of the season had it not been for a fine save from Thameside’s keeper.  I think this is the first time I have witnessed a collective round of applause in the Thurrock Sunday League.  It just goes to show that we all appreciate good techers.

By this point we were getting a little worried about where the goal was going to come from, but when you’ve got the Kenyons on the pitch you know something can always happen.  Ryan picked the ball up on the left, and ignored the cries of his brother who had run outside him and instead slalomed his way to the right side of the pitch before slipping a slide rule pass through to Liam, whose cross found Dale unmarked at the back post 12 yards out.  He still had a lot to do but hit the ball into the ground, and right into the corner of the goal to leave the keeper no chance – a fine finish to cap a great move: 1-0.

We really should have pushed on from this point, scored a couple more goals and put the result beyond doubt.  Unfortunately, we instead conceded a sloppy equaliser, when Thameside’s nippy winger was allowed to play keepy-uppy with his back to the goal on the edge of the six yard box, before guiding the ball into the net: 1-1.

With about 10 minutes to go there wasn’t long to find the winner we deserved, and despite the introduction of H and Sharpy in the second half providing extra attacking impotence, we just couldn’t find the net.  In the end we relied on an unorthodox helping hand, as Thameside’s best player (possibly suffering the effect of too much weed) attempted a suicidal backpass, which Dale was alert to and raced clear.  He touched the ball passed the keeper and would certainly have scored had the keeper not brought him down.  The ref had no choice but to send the keeper off, who was commiserated by players from both sides.  Dale dusted himself off, and after a lengthy delay showed nerves of steel to guide the ball into the corner of the net: 2-1.

We had to survive an anxious final five minutes, and Eye-Ball didn’t help the frayed nerves when he read the danger from a diagonal ball into the box and decided he would simply nod the ball into the arms of Webby.  However Webby had other ideas, but his call of “Webby’s ball” was misinterpreted by Eye-Ball as “that’s right Eye-Ball, just nod it back and I’ll do the rest”.  So as Webby rushed out the ball rushed passed him, with the fortunate consequence just being a wasted corner.  Liam was pretty happy about this, as he had been prime candidate for DoTD before Eye-Ball took that honour unanimously.

So we survived to make it successive wins in the league, and 5 out of 6.  Things really are looking good, and it feels like we are growing as a team with every game.  Let’s keep it up, and make sure we are in the mix for the league title come the end of the season.

Robin claimed his second MoTM award of the season for a typically dominate display in defence, with Webby a close second for an overall solid display and a couple of vital saves in either half.

Next game: Sunday 7^th December @ home v Sparks – Ted Fairchild Cup Round 1.

Goal scoring chart