Match Report

Poor Finishing Leaves Guild Pointless

The Guild walked away from Wested Meadow rueing missed chances which would have seen the Guild side go fourth.

The game did not start well for the Guild as Crockenhill enjoyed the early possession with the wind in their favour. However, the Guild's defending looked solid and Edwards in the Guild goal was rarely troubled. Chances were few and far between in the first half. After twenty-five minutes, the Guild started to get a foothold in the game with Piper, in for Perkins, having a positive effect on the game. The Guild forced a few corners in a row in which Cleaver B flashed a header just over.

With ten minutes to go before the break the pace of Williams L took him straight through on goal and with only Scott to beat, the forward's shot was well saved by the Crock’s No.1, but the finish from Williams was at a perfect height for the keeper.

The sides went into the break goalless but honours even with a half of two halves.

At the break we knew that our start was not good enough. However, we knew if we kept the momentum of the last twenty minutes the eventual break would come.

The second half started and the Guild started to take control of both possession and chances. The Guild looked increasingly dangerous from set pieces with good deliveries into the box from Fullone, Davis and Stevens.

However, it was a set piece corner on sixty minutes from the Crocks that became our undoing. A careless piece of marking enabled a headed effort to crash off our bar with Jeffery quickest to react to the rebound and his looping header found the back of the Guild net. When will we learn that one momentary lapse in defending will result in a goal? We certainly were not tight enough which means that players get a free run on us and on goal.

Williams J replaced Stevens.

The Guild’s response was good though with Cleaver B smashing a volley narrowly wide. Moments later a great cross in from the left, left Williams with a tap in but an amazing interception kept the Crocks in the lead. Williams again went through on goal and again was denied by the excellent Scott in the Crocks goal but again the effort was at a nice height for the keeper.

Small replaced the tiring Cleaver B.

Time was against the Guild and despite dominating the last half an hour we failed to convert our chances and fourth place in the league was not taken.

Overall, we did not play badly today although we did not play anywhere near our full potential. It was a good game to watch and played in the best of spirits by those players on the field and officiated well by Paul Gorvett.

The Guild will definitely feel as though it was points dropped as we definitely had enough chances to win this game. However today we just did not find that extra gear that we found against Tudor on the previous week.

Our results this season are so strange and varied. We have the capability of beating the best and have demonstrated that on more than one occasion this season and then the next week just not quite performing to the required standard. It’s a strange old division with mixed and surprising results every week. I am sure that other teams must look at us and think what the hell goes on down the Guild. Attendance at training does not help our inconsistency nor does availability of players who have alternate priorities to football. That, teamed with an injury list of Koutsoudis, Roots, Cleaver L, Cooke R, St John; Skipper Judge and the unavailable but influential Perkins; we don’t do ourselves any favours do we?

Man of the match was one of the most obvious votes of the season with Fullone picking up 14 of the 16 votes. The newly turned 17-year- old shows composure way beyond his years and an uncanny ability to read the game; he snuffed out danger before it became dangerous and always looked to play out of the back where possible. Fullone has an excellent future at the club, but I doubt that we will have him for long if he continues to show the form that he has showed. Piper had an excellent first half and showed loads of promise and enterprise in the middle of the park. Cleaver B also had a good game and showed a return to form following injury and illness.

With the poor attitude and attendance at training last week, I have implied the ‘no train-no play’ rule for this week as I cannot let players' poor attitude towards training get the better of me and no player is bigger than the manager.

We need to find that extra gear for next week's game as Greenways are a tough side to beat and we will need to be at our best if we have any intentions at all to bag all the points.

My thanks go to Steve and both Johns for their excellent hospitality making Wested Meadow an enjoyable place to play football.

Farnborough: 1. Edwards; 2. Warren; 3. Eales; 4. Fullone; 5. Davis; 6. Abbott; 7. Cleaver B; 8. Piper; 9. Williams; 10. Cooke J; 11. Stevens
Subs: 12. Small for 7. Cleaver B; 15. Williams J for 11. Stevens;

Crockenhill: 1. Scott; 2. McCarthy; 3. Powell; 4. Jeffery; 5. Hynes; 6.Martin; 7. Turner; 8. Hackett R; 9. Dalrymple; 10. Grizzel; 11. Graham
Subs: 12. Maloney; 14. Plant; 15.Hackett C; 16. Godward; 17. Harvey