Match Report

Farnborough taught a lesson

It is not often that words fail me but today is one such occasion, so this report will be shorter than usual. This was a game too far – 56 hours after our derby match against our Young Vets, and against a vastly superior team (the superb Vets) who did everything right on the final game of their season. We have two more games left, to add to the 104 goals conceded and a negative goal difference of -8 after thirty-six matches. Managers get sacked for less, especially those who arrange tough games like this in such quick succession.

Starting XI:

Gary Fentiman;
Roger French, Patrice Mongelard, Ian Coles, Phil Anthony;
Rob Lipscomb, Colin Brazier, Obi Ugwumba, Paul Scotter;
Waine Hetherington, Ian Shoebridge.

Strategist: Mick O’Flynn
Substitutes: Colin Mant, Mick O’Flynn, Andy Faulks
Supporters: Ian Couchman, Paul Parsons, Obi Ugwumba Jr (also linesman), Steve Viner

Referee Mick Gearing was on duty again – his second game too, at his venerable age, in a short space of time but in very different conditions. The British weather is invariably variable and the damp overcast conditions were a season away from last Sunday’s heliolatry. At least the rain held off and the light held out. The facts of the game are simple and hard to take:

We defended well in the first half and kept a clean sheet. We were poor in the second half and picked the ball out of our net six times. We had one good half chance in the first half when Waine Hetherington was in on goal but was forced wide by the defender when he did not take a quick shot and the rare opportunity was gone. We did not even have the comfort of such a moment in the second half. Cudham were better in all departments, assured, sharper, quicker, stronger, marginally younger but not by much. They did not have a weakness, took great care of the ball, passed and moved, and will probably feel they could have scored more. We were vulnerable at set pieces, could not keep the ball in their half, starved the forwards of service and did not have the legs or discipline to compete in midfield. The game should have been stopped at half time.

Colin Mant, Mick O’Flynn and Andy Faulks came on after the half hour for Ian Coles, Phil Anthony and Paul Scotter. Andy Faulks, a shadow of his former self and suffering from a touch of sciatica did not return for the second half, his golden boot having lost its shine with Paul Scotter rejoining the fray. Roger French and Obi Ugwumba came off midway in the second half for Ian Coles and Phil Anthony. Paul Scotter lasted a further 20 minutes before being replaced by Obi Ugwumba who had our one and only shot of the match late into the second half. We shipped goals in the 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th, 80th and 93rd minutes approximately. Despite this, the game was played in excellent spirit.

We could not finish all the pizzas. Even if Buffet Vortex, Nick Waller, had been present we would have struggled in that department as well today. We even lost the contest in the bar with more Cudham than Farnborough players left at the end.

Man of the match: Ian Shoebridge, on the occasion of his 500th game for Farnborough, joining an elite group in the club. He deserved better on such a day, but I told him he could have one of (Mum) Pam’s chocolates from Sunday.