Match Report

Cray Win Cup Battle 4 - 5 on Penalties

In the wake of our humbling against The Buff Vets seven days ago we found ourselves on domestic duty in the first round of the Beckenham Hospital Cup at home to Cray Wanderers Vets and it would soon become apparent that we had played today’s opposition before but under the guise of Old Albany Vets and if memory served us right Old Albany / Cray Wanderers Vets have this uncanny knack of arriving late to their matches whether they were at their home ground or away to clubs less than 5 miles up the road. Yip true to form our opponents kept us waiting around in the cold autumn morning for them to arrive and to take to the field. I’m not sure if this is a tactical ploy on their behalf to “rattle” or “unnerve” the oppo because believe me they have the ability to do that when they are on the pitch!

We lined up as follows

GK – Gary Rosslee
LB – Neil Connelly
CB – Tony Simpson
CB- Grant Gable
RB- Richard Davies
LM- George Kleanthous
CM – Paul Tanton
CM – Daragh Nott
RM- Jason Miller
CF – Adam Dawson
CF- Peter Harvey

Subs
Darren Burkett
Danny Saines
Jim St John
Rob Lipscomb

Farnborough easily had the better exchanges in the first quarter of an hour with Jason Miller testing the Cray keeper who did well to turn his shot around the post from long range. Moments later their keeper could only watch as another Miller effort crashed off of the underside of the bar much to the Wanderers' relief. Farnborough continued to press and Adam Dawson then saw his unchallenged close range effort sail across the goal and Pete Harvey also had a good chance to open the scoring but his effort lacked the killer punch. In-between these efforts Jason Miller struck the woodwork once again and Pete Harvey saw his header sail over after neatly out jumping the keeper. Surely Farnborough were going to get their just rewards and that opening goal?

But as we all know football can be a cruel mistress and somehow Farnborough found themselves a goal down out of nothing courtesy of a 35-yard wonder strike that the Cray forward caught sweetly and it dipped over the hapless Rosslee and went in off the underside of the bar, it was a one in a million strike and the scores were now 0-1 Cray.

Farnborough looked to bounce back straight away and should have had a stonewall penalty after Jason Miller jinked inside the box and cleverly avoided a crunching tackle only to carelessly run into an outstretched arm of the oncoming Cray defender in what I believe they used to describe as a “clothesline” on World of Sport but no penalty was given and by now both sets of players were starting to get on the referee's back. So much so that the referee called a halt to the game with 5 minutes of the half remaining leaving the game in jeopardy for the OBG’s who were now a goal down and missing a referee!! Thankfully Darren Burkett agreed to act as the man in the middle and after our half time team rally the game would continue.

Farnborough made immediate amends for their lack of cutting edge in the first half, as Pete Harvey was on hand to smash the ball home after good play in the box to find him unmarked at the rear post. 1-1. The scores remained level for no more than a minute however when Cray scored their second of the game after the Cray attacker evaded two diving tackles from Grant Gable and Tony Simpson who both had very solid games at the back to unleash a drive that although Rosslee got his hands to it the shot simply had too much behind it. 1-2 Cray.

Within a few minutes later Pete Harvey was on hand for Farnborough to level the scores again this time deftly finishing past the Cray keeper when the angle looked against him 2-2; and that would be the Cray keeper's last involvement in the match as he came off to be replaced by one of the Cray outfield players.

Farnborough then took the lead for the first time in the game when Adam Dawson latched onto a through ball and poked the ball past the onrushing Cray keeper to make the score 3-2 Farnborough and well deserved at that.

Cray did however pull themselves back into the game this time with an unmarked header direct from a corner which Rosslee and Lipscomb who was on the post could just watch in vain as it went in between the pair of them 3-3; and frustration was setting in yet again for those wearing red.

As both teams pushed forward for the winner it looked as though Paul Tanton had won it for the OBG’s after coolly slotting home for a 4-3 margin. Cray though were not to be undone and scored a very well worked goal after several players had been caught napping and gave the ball away to be caught out by a swift counter attack. The scores were restored to 4-4, Darren Burkett then blew for full time.

For some bizarre reason the decision was made to go straight into a penalty shootout rather than playing the usual 30 minutes extra time and to cut a long story short Farnborough lost the shoot out 4-5 in sudden death but for the record here is a breakdown of the penalties.

Cray: SAVE Rosslee 0-0
OBG: MISS Tanton 0-0
Cray: GOAL 0-1
OBG: MISS Lipscomb 0-1
Cray: SAVE Rosslee 0-1
OBG: GOAL Davies 1-1
Cray: GOAL 1-2
OBG: GOAL Kleanthous 2-2
Cray: GOAL 2-3
OBG: GOAL Nott 3-3
SUDDEN DEATH
Cray: GOAL 3-4
OBG: GOAL Dawson 4-4
Cray: GOAL 4-5
OBG: MISS Miller 4-5
Farnborough lose 4-5 (sudden death)

So it seems another year of potential silverware has eluded Farnborough, oh well I suppose we now have to look to next week's game against Toby Vets down at Joan Roan.