Match Report

We made all the running in this game apart from the last 10 minutes when we crumbled. We played extremely well, especially in the 1st half. Purley must have thought the team they were playing were top of the division not somewhere in the lower reaches. The game wasn’t littered with goal scoring opportunities from either team, but when you get your chances you have to put them away as we found out to our cost.

We were playing some decent football on a bumpy surface and in a stiff breeze. Wray exchanged passes with Delaney down the right and jinked into the penalty area his pace was too much for the left back who made a wreckless challenge thus resulting in a penalty for us. Tom Skrine stepped up and unfortunately missed, opportunity spurned. Bridges crossed from the left Wray couldn’t get the ball under and get a shot away, opportunity spurned. Purley hardly troubled Burkett in goal in the 1st half. They looked most dangerous from corners but no real efforts on goal. 0-0 at half time.

Purley looked a bit more purposeful in the 2nd half but we were still shading the game and on top.
We had another spot kick awarded after a handball in the area. This time Bridges took the kick and the keeper saved, another golden chance wasted. Shortly afterwards Bridges missed out at the near post after a cross from the right. Purley were spreading the ball wide to their right winger who was proving to be a problem. The deadlock continued. We were awarded a free kick from about ten yards back into our own half. Carter was up field waiting for the delivery but Dale’s kick was caught by the wind and never got to its intended target. Purley broke away with most of our players struggling upfield to get back, cross was delivered from the right and was finished off by their left sided midfielder, Burkett nearly saving it. 1-0 down not deserved, just tragic. Once again trying to play too pretty football in the wrong area led to the 2nd with just minutes remaining. We had chances to clear but seemed to be naffing about with it, they hit the post and it ricocheted straight to one of theirs following up. 2-0 game over dead and buried

Anyone who regularly reads my reports must think I’m full of b.s.because we played well – again AND still ended up losing. God knows how many times I’ve said that. To miss twice from 12 yards is a crime we cannot afford to commit. That is just plain pathetic. If we are going to climb the table we must finish chances and certainly put away penalties. It sounds like the Mike Bassett book of excuses; but how many times can we be ‘unlucky’, how often can we say ‘the ball just didn’t run for us today’, are we going to continue to just admire the opposition post game and say ‘they were just too good for us on the day.’ My answer is; ‘ like naff are we? ‘
There are points to be won and we are going to win them starting in the next game. I’ve not seen us play one single team this year that have totally outplayed us – no one. That means we have a genuine chance of progressing up the table but we have to go out there and perform. Right now, I’d settle for a bad performance with 2 points.