Match Report

Young Vets run riot

With all eyes on the Young Vets Christmas drink up it could have been way too easy to take our foot off of the gas against Santos Vets in leafy Chislehurst on this cold crisp December morning.

With several first team players returning to the fold Farnborough lined up as follows.

GK, Gary Rosslee
LB, Matt Wright
CB, Andy Cobham
CB, Brett Cheesman
RB, Paul Bailey
LM, Jerry Cogotti
CM, Danny Clark
CM, Jim St John
RM, Ben Clunn
CF, Barry Grainger
CF, Paul Tanton

Subs,

Si Davies
Richard Davies
Rowan Foggitt

Having just researched the three previous encounters against our Brazilian named opposition I calculated we had found the net against them on 26 occasions and only conceded 4 goals, in fact our three other scheduled matches against them had all been postponed due to adverse weather otherwise those stats may have looked even better. Our previous best against them saw us come out 11-1 winners, so that was the target today to score more goals and concede less!

It didn’t take long for Farnborough to open the scoring as Danny Clark’s effort from the edge of the box through a crowded penalty area took a wicked deflection to flat foot the Santos goalkeeper, 0-1 OBG’S. Farnborough soon doubled their lead when Ben Clunn finished coolly after being played through, 0-2 OBG’s. And then the floodgates really opened as Barry Grainger scored with a deft volley guiding a Paul Tanton cross up and over the Santos goalkeeper to make the score 0-3. And the Ben Clunn grabbed his second of the match and Farnborough’s 4th, 0-4 OBG’s.

Jerry Cogotti then got in on the action as a perfectly weighted through ball from Grainger allowed Jerry to take the ball in his stride and finish empathically, 0-5 OBG’s. Si Davies who had come on for Paul Tanton after quarter of an hour smashed home his 11th of the season as he brought the ball down with his chest and fired home from close range, 0-6 OBG’s. Grainger scored his second of the match that had The Buff written all over it as Cheesman played him in on goal to finish coolly. 0-7, OBG’s and Barry grabbed his hat-trick right on the stroke of half time as the ball fell kindly to him unmarked to score with the simplest of finishes. 0-8 half time.

Fair play to Santos as they wanted to continue the game and complete the second half and they actually started the better team in the second half, they certainly didn’t look like a team that had conceded 8 first half goals and if I’m being brutally honest I believe some complacency sneaked into our game.

Santos had a couple of efforts on goal and Farnborough missed a host of chances with Si Davies missing several efforts and the Santos goalkeeper pulled off some very smart saves from Jim St John and tipped a wicked Richard Davies shot over the bar. For a while it looked like Farnborough may not add to their first half haul until Barry Grainger squared for Jim St John, 0-9 OBG’s. The Santos goalkeeper did well to turn a Paul Bailey header over the crossbar but he was unable to stop Jim St John netting his second straight from a corner, 0-10.

Paul Bailey was now playing as centre forward and was desperate to net his 105th goal for the club and with around 5 minutes left on the clock he was on hand to nick the ball off of Si Davies’ foot to smash home for an 0-11 scoreline and then with the last kick of the match Barry Grainger scored his 4th to cap off a good day at the office for him and our second clean sheet of the season.

Shot of the match: Grainger’s first half cushion volley

Save of the match: The Santos #1 pulled off at least 3 or 4 smart saves

Man of the match: Barry Grainger, 4 goals and 3 assists

Moan of the match: With the game won in the first half it was very hard to stay motivated!