Match Report

After a disappointing run of results recently today’s result was an important one to help us maintain our mid table position and to leapfrog Midway at the same time. The game proved a close one, as was the corresponding home fixture in October when it ended 2-2 at Farnborough. I don’t think it would be unfair to say that we should have won that day and the winning margin today really should have been a bit more comfortable.

Managing a Sunday team is never a smooth ride and after sending out a message to all the players on Saturday afternoon warning that we were down to 12 players and I wanted no late refusals (ie. Saturday night or Sunday morning) Savo text to me to say he hadn’t had his phone all week and had to work on the Sunday! Great, just what I needed, 11 players. The Farnborough jungle drums swung into action with Kevin Lott, Jake Adams and Alex Wray all then making themselves available. Brilliant, back up to 14. Thanks to Louis Hussey also for offering his services.

On the morning of the game Nethercot confessed to me in the car park that he was absolutely ‘hangin’ after his Saturday night out and pleaded with me to put him on the bench and start with Kevin Lott in his place. It turned out to be a fateful decision, as Lott produced 2 goals that led to our victory.

Although with 30 minutes played a victory seemed a tough ask. We were trailing 0-2, again due to some really pathetic defending. The first was conceded from a corner where we just didn’t pick up the goalscorer at all giving him a free header on goal and the second was down to an individual error in defence leaving their striker in on goal and I must say he finished very well past Clarkson. I haven’t mentioned any names in connection with the errors etc as we all know who's responsible, especially the second one…Beesley…oops sorry did I just type that ?

It was really frustrating as we had all the possession and most of the chances, Clarkson pulled off a good stop for us and their keeper made two point blank saves, in between Skrine hitting the crossbar. In the space of 15 minutes before half time we had the game back in our advantage.

Lott went through and finished the first with a crisp shot into the corner and then slid in the second 5 minutes later, two good finishes. Not content with that he then set up Wray for the third one who finished with an acute angled shot. Fate had delivered its smile on us. Thank God Russ was feeling rough after his Saturday night out!

So we came in at half time 3-2 up. You don’t always get what you deserve in football and it certainly didn’t feel that like that trailing 0-2, however a 3-2 lead was the very least we deserved.

More opportunities came our way in the 2nd half with chances for Wilson, Lott and Wray but not being converted. Clarkson pulled off another great stop for us aided by a smart goal line clearance by the ever impressive Skrine.

The 2nd half was again dominated by ourselves and we relaxed into the game a bit more, our attacking play was more composed and our passing was crisper and more accurate, additionally the opposition were left with no doubt about our intentions with Clark and Skrine putting in some ferocious (but fair) challenges. We saw out the game comfortably in the end and bagged ourselves the points.

This was a decent team performance and it’s always good to make a comeback from a 0-2 deficit. We showed spirit and commitment today and never threw the towel in and kept on trying to play football. In the end we came through victors and fully deserved it.

Thanks Russ.