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1st Team Match reports season 2007/08 15th March 2008
8th March 2008 Ash Everett had damaged his hip and was replaced at half time by Rob Guppy and this turned out to be a masterstroke by the Wickham Manager as Guppy scored almost straight from the kick off to give us a lead that was palpably against the run of play. However, fortune favoured the home side as the strong wind abated and attacking up the slope was now much, much easier than it was in the first 50 minutes and Salesians were soon on the attack. David, Wadey and Currie were battling hard in midfield and the ref was doing well to keep matters from boiling over. We were indebted to Chris Rose who was constantly forced into defensive duties and he made four or five excellent interventions down the left flank.The Wickham defence was under severe pressure and the injured Currie left the fray after 60 minutes to be replaced by Jay Askew -- we looked a little more composed but it was Salesians who looked more likely to score and they did so with 15 minutes remaining but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside. A shot came in from the edge of the box and it was back heeled into the net by a player left on his own on the six yard box. Referee Godfrey Parris was standing in line with the incident and we were "off the hook". Mike McCarthy replaced the tireless King who took a knock on his knee -- this allowed Guppy to move into a central attacking position and his pace and trickery put pressure on the home defence. Salesians pressed forward searching for an equaliser but this left huge gaps at the back and both Tom Smith and Rob Guppy could have scored a couple apiece but they were thwarted by a slippery surface and some last ditch tackling by a stretched Salesian defence. We were treated to the rare sight of Ross Simmonds in full flight when he burst out of defence and ran 50 meteres in pursuit of glory but he was defeated by the slippery surface. No quarter was asked, in this local Derby, and none was given and we now look forward to meeting them again on 5th April in the Kent/Surrey Senior Cup Final at Old Bromleians. Its funny how things seem to even themselves out in football -- at home we could only draw with Salesians when we could have been three or four up at half time but came away with only a point. In yesterday's game Salesians could have been three up at half time -- the penalty miss was crucial and luck was on our side -- they deserved a point and they are a force to be reckoned with -- they still have to play Nottsborough and this will have a direct bearing on who wins the title. With six games left Wickham are still in pole position but there are no easy games in this division this season and next week we entertain Old Actonians who are the only side to take maximum points off us this season. 23rd February 2008 Wickham were lacking confidence on the ball and failed to pass it quickly or accurately enough which put a big strain on our defence. In the second period skipper Freeman took the job of marking Ewin, who has great feet and is excellent in the air but even Freeman's diligence couldn't prevent Ewin from scoring a marvellous equaliser. Shaping to shoot with his right foot he turned two defenders and cracked in a shot with his left that Mark Owlett was just able to touch before it went into the net at the near post. At 2 - 2 the force was with the home side and they looked the more likely to win the game. Jay Askew replaced Mike McCarthy but it was Ewin again who almost gave Nottsborough what would have been a deserved lead but his shot shaved the far post. It was only in the last 10 or 15 minutes that we showed some form but to be fair Ash Everett was struggling from an elbow in the face and a couple of strong challenges from Irwin, who was having a fine game. The introduction of Tom Smith for Ben David gave us fresh impetus -- Smith ran directly at a tiring defence and was unlucky not to give us the lead when his cross shot was diverted by a defender for a corner with the keeper well beaten. Chris Rose made two excellent left wing runs and on both occasion we could have scored -- a defender just managed to nick the ball away from Waite's feet with the goal at his mercy then Waite headed over Rose's cross when it looked easier to score. It was evident that Nottsborough were a tired side and their two subs had done nothing to improve their situation, in fact, the substitutions had handed us the initiative as two big strong players replaced two nimble ball players and we were now playing much better as extra time approached. We were thankful to reach 90 minutes all square and we dominated extra time with Smith and Guppy (who replaced King) using their speed to unsettle the Nottsborough defence. Both sides created chances but a strong challenge on Jon Waite left him with a badly swollen ankle and he was out of the game -- Neil Currie was also limping from a knock on the knee and Everett was a complete passenger on the right flank. Effectively we were operating with eight men for last 10 minutes but the home side were reduced to ten men when Irwin was dismissed for a second yellow card after returning to the field without the referee's permission. So the game went to penalties with three of our main penalty takers injured. Cuzza decided that he was ok to take our first kick despite his injury but Nottsborough won the toss and decided to go first. Mark Owlett was under strict instructions of how to deal with Ewin's spot kick and he carried out his orders to perfection making a marvellous save to give us an early advantage -- but their keeper made a good save from Curries kick and it was back to square one. They scored but Chris Rose equalised to make it one each -- then they made a bad miss but Wadey could only crash his kick against the bar. The home side converted but so did the cool Jay Askew -- Nottsborough missed again when Owlett made a great save but Adam Freeman spurned the chance of glory by cracking his penalty against the bar. The "shoot out" went to sudden death but the home sides nerve deserted them and the penalty taker's wild kick caused Owlett little concern and Ross Simmonds, who took us through in the last round with his penalty kick, was now in the same position. Ross calmly smacked the ball into the net to get us to the final after an epic encounter.
16th February 2008 The half time message was simple -- don't panic -- move the ball around faster and bring Everett and Rose into the game quickly so that they can use their pace on the wings. The message had obviously got through as we were much better in the second period and dominated proceedings from the kick off. We made plenty of chances and could have gone ahead on 60 minutes when Jon Waite met a lovely free kick from Ben David but his header crashed against the bar and rebounded to safety. Midfielders Wadey, Askew and David set up numerous attacks and the Servants began to wilt and it was no surprise that we went ahead after 68 minutes after some smart work by Everett -- he played a precise pass into the path of Jonny Waite who placed the ball into the back of the net to give us a deserved lead. Tremendous tackles by skipper Freeman and Neil Currie snuffed out two dangerous attacks but the visitors were being penned in their own half and were struggling to defend some excellent dead balls deliveries from David. On 72 minutes Waite converted another good delivery from him and we were well in command. David was unlucky with another fine free kick and more goals looked imminent. At this point a a wayward clearance from a Civil Service defender smacked a passing white Cairn terrier on the bonce and the dog went down in a heap. Normally dogs spring back to life but this poor old boy was on his pension and didn't see the missile coming -- his owner explained that he was on his last legs and he lay there quivering and I thought that I might have to call a priest -- but he staggered to his feet and tottered off with his mistress -- so a happy ending instead of a funeral. Tom Smith replaced Matt King, who again had put in a good performance, and Ross Simmonds replaced the excellent Ben David.. Ross played for only 13 minutes but he played in three positions -- Freeo wouldn't change the ACU formation and Simmo became a midfielder ...... but not for long ..... the Manager moved him upfront to support Smith with Waite moving back into midfield. Jay Askew almost made it four but his shot shaved the right hand post. This was a much improved second half performance built on a strong defence and an aggressive midfield -- we have the ammunition to win all our remaining games - we just need to apply ourselves from the first whistle and hope that Lady Luck smiles a bit more kindly on us in last third of the season. We have had very few breaks go our way so far but there is no substitute for hard work and everybody put the effort in in the second period and we looked a good side. Man of the Match went to Ashley Everett who had an outstanding game. Civil Services league position surprises me and they look in danger of relegation -- they played some good football in both games and I hope that they can bounce back to form shortly. The Net and Peg Men were in scintillating form and took the nets down in record time which pleased the big crowd -- the corner flags were collected in fine style as well so all in all it was" a good day at the office". 9th February 2008 The first half was pretty much one way traffic and we could have scored two in the opening five minutes but the home defence cleared some dangerous situations created by Ash Everett down the right wing. He looked a big threat to the cumbersome home defence -- they lack pace these days but have plenty of "know how" and they are always difficult to break down -- Saturday was no exception. We had little chance in the aerial battles as Big Ben won everything but it was a different matter when the ball was on the ground and Winchmore did well to reach half time without a big deficit. Wadey was booked for a mis-timed tackle which resulted in their central defender going off -- both went for the ball but Brutus was too slow and his sliding attempt to reach the ball resulted in a nasty collision with the defender's ankle. The half was littered with mistimed challenges and players losing their footing but the ref seemed oblivious to the poor underfoot conditions and booked several of the home side later in the game -- for me the game was well contested with no malicious tackles whatsoever so why did so many people get booked? This season the teams are so closely matched that big scores are a rarity and this game was always going to be won by a single goal -- Wickham were the more dangerous side although Neil Hurst almost put Winchmore ahead with a good header which cleared the left hand post. I lost count of the number of corners that we had and Ben David's deliveries were excellent but we couldn't get on the end of any of them and Carter in the home goal is excellent in the air and in the vocal chords. Then disaster struck with a ludicrous decision by the referee -- Wadey battled for the ball just outside the area and was breaking into the box when he was unceremoniously upended -- we appealed for a pen but the incident happened marginally outside the area although Brutus ended up on the deck just inside the box. What did the ref do? He sent Wadey off for diving -- this was unbelievable -- it was hard enough to stay on your feet in some parts of the pitch never mind when you are being tackled by two defenders. The Winchmore supporters were incredulous, Brutus was inconsolable, I was resigned to a goalless draw, Freeo senior was having a fit, Bill Currie was breathing fire but the ten Wickham players didn't seem too concerned. Jay Askew had already replaced The Weasel who had damaged his groin and was carrying a dead leg but we now had to play the last 30 minutes with ten men. We sacrifice one of the midfield five as we wanted to remain positive and this meant an extra burden on our front two, Waite and Smith, who dropped much deeper when we had to defend. Luckily the home side persisted with long high balls and the "Air Control Unit" lapped it up. Currie, Freeman and Gibson played with a smile on their faces as they love nothing better than seeing how far they could head long, high balls. In came the crosses with monotonous regularity and the ACU sent them back with interest. Matt King replaced Tom Smith who had run himself into the ground and Kingo injected some drive into our attacks and we looked very dangerous on the break. Rose and Everett were always ready to break out of their defensive duties and Everett gave us a deserved lead on 75 minutes when he cut in from the right and drove his shot past Carter's despairing dive into the bottom right hand corner. I was going to say that the ball nestled into the back of the net -- but it didn't -- it went straight out through the side of the net onto the next pitch. Would the ref give a goal or would he make some other weird decision? Luckily, he was in a good position and another drama was averted. Both nets had gaping holes in them but the officials ignored them, although they were pointed out to them before the game. OK, controversy did not arise BUT it could have been different. The ref wanted to stamp his authority on the game but he failed to get the basics right -- the game was hard but fair and was played in an excellent spirit and the result was right as Wickham were much the better side. Winchmore had a couple of late chances, and Matt Knights, who was outstanding turned an acrobatic effort over just over our bar but at the other end Carter had to be at his best to avert great efforts from David and King. We could have added further goals on the break and 1 - 0 did not reflect our superiority but this was a big performance with 10 men and everybody played well -- Man of the Match was another close decision but Gibbo was outstanding and nothing got past him. The defence was rock solid and this was our third clean sheet in succession -- Mark Owlett in goal didn't have a direct shot to save which was just as well as he almost cried off during the kick - in with severe stomach pains. Matt King had agreed to play in goal and to stand by in case Mark had to retire -- luckily Mark made it through the game and Matt played exceptionally well in the last 20 minutes and gave the home defence a hard time. I think that Winchmore will still have a big say in the League title race as they are very resilient and hard to beat -- had they won on Saturday they would have been right up their in the race for glory -- and they could still do it as no one side is certain to put a run together. On Saturday we have another tough one at home to Civil Service who held us to a draw at their place.
2nd February 2008 A huge cheer went up just before half time and I realised that the meat pies had arrived -- the crowd flocked into the bar like lost sheep for a cup of tea in our now famous polystyrene cups. The Manager, never slow to miss a trick, lifted the side's spirits by re- introducing the long lost orange during the half time interval. The boys sucked away contentedly and went out suitably refreshed for the second period. Well it was easier attacking the clubhouse end but we still couldn't score --- we made chance after chance but had no luck with the bounce in the penalty area and six yard box. Our constant attacking left huge gaps in midfield and Gibson, Simmonds and Freeman each made timely interceptions from quick breakaways by the Alleyn forwards. Matt King, who had done well, was replaced by Tommy Williams with Chris Rose moving into the middle in an attempt to inject some extra pace into the attack. Rose's trickery had already presented Everett with an easy chance from 8 metres but again the finish was poor and a thankful defended lashed the ball clear. Time was running out and the crowd were resigned to another draw in a game that we should have won comfortably. We kept on making chances but their keeper was never severely tested and it was odds on that Alleyns would score from a breakaway attack. Mark Owlett was alert in the home goal and saved a couple of long distance efforts and a close range header. Then Adam Wadey made a chance for Rosey with some powerful tackling in the box ,which kept us in possession when it looked like our visitors would once again clear their lines. The ball broke to Chris who beat the keeper from close range to give us all three points. There was just time to kick off and Owlett easily saved a direct shot from the re-start -- the whistle went and vital points were in the Sainsbury bag to keep us top of the division. We played better than we have done for some weeks and we looked much more confident in possession -- we still need a bit more patience when we win the ball -- we gave it back a bit too quickly in the second period in our anxiety to score -- but this was an improved display against a side whose record shows that they are difficult to beat. Next week we go to Winchmore Hill (let's hope that they turn up this time) -- it will be another hard game and Ross Simmonds is added to our "unavailable" list.
26th January
2008 I felt that the three bookings (2 for the Bank and one for us) were a bit harsh as the game was played in an excellent spirit -- tackling was hard but fair and mistimed efforts were to be expected under the strange weather conditions. This week, luckily, two Sainsbury's orange backs blew across the pitch -- Weasel didn't notice them otherwise he would have galloped after them -- the crowd cheered the bags wildly, they were more exciting than the football. I must remember to bring a lot more bags next week or maybe I should bring balloons or a shopping trolley. Even the meat pies were better than the game BUT -- the best was yet to come. The Shoot Out at Corkscrew Hill took place at the clubhouse end next to the old peoples home -- I rang the Warden and asked him to evacuate his premises to save his residents from possible danger from high flying balls but I needn't have bothered as all the penalties were on target. Neil Currie scored our first kick but their keeper almost kept it out so we had luck on our side -- the Bank scored without fuss and up stepped skipper Freeman but the keeper guessed right again but this time had better luck and their number ten (who turned out to be an excellent drinker as well as an excellent player) put the moneymen ahead. Chris Rose converted but so did the visitors and we were one kick behind. James Gibson kept us in with a shout -- then The Owl saved our bacon and the ball to level the scores at 3 - 3. The drama was nowhere near complete as the Bank keeper made a fine save to deny Matt King and we were in the mire --------- The Owl, however, had other ideas and he easily saved what would have been the winning kick. Jay Askew gave us the lead but they easily equalised it with a thunderous drive. Ash Everett put us ahead but only for one minute as they scored again to make it 5 - 5. Tom Smith had his kick well saved and we were back on the brink. Could Mark do it again -- the odds were slim but he came up trumps with a fine save and it was all square still. Ross Simmonds was confident, after having an inspired game, and he put us into the lead -- you could hear a pin drop or a Sainsburys bag rustle as the Bank defender strode up -- once again The Owl was up to it and he made his fourth save to give us victory by 6 - 5. The Bankers and
their fans had given a very good account of themselves and we wish them
luck with their attempt to get back into Division Two after being
unluckily relegated last season. Once again we had a good time in the
bar which is half the fun of Saturday football in the SAL -- sad to say
that the visitors out drank us (almost) and I hope that they all got
home safely. The game, as you can read, was not without incident -- The
Coward twins (Martin and Paul) played well for The Bank but made
headlines which may have haunted them in bed on Saturday night -- they
were both booked and both had their penalty kicks saved -- their father,
Noel, would have appreciated the drama had he been around and maybe his
1923 play Fallen Angels was a sign of things to come.
19th January
2008 Wickham were without Neil Currie, Marcus Elliott, Ollie Waite, James Taylor, James Williams and Ben Scarborough plus Ben David, who had hoped to have a run out with the Reserves but the game was postponed -- so we were far from full strength but this is not an excuse for not winning this game. In the final analysis we only drew because we failed to ram home our advantage when it was 1 - 0 -- we made several very good chances but didn't convert them and Poly scored a scrambled late equaliser in a tight game. The visitors relied a lot on the long diagonal ball which suited their players, all but two of them were over 6 foot -- the exceptions being the keeper and the skipper who played at left back and had an outstanding game. I have not seen a better performance in this position this season. The keeper, apparently, was having his first game since arriving from New Zealand where he played as a pro and he looked top quality as well -- his kicking and positional play were excellent and, at the death, he made two saves to protect Poly's hard earned point. We led after hallf an hour via a tremendous strike from Ash Everett who cut in from the right wing and lashed an unstoppable shot into the top left hand corner of the Silver Lane goal. Once again Chris Rose was giving their right back a hard time but the final ball was blocked by a deep lying back four. Wickham dominated possession and deservedly led 1 - 0 at the break. The second half was much more equal and up to the equalising goal Polytechnic had not had a shot on target although they had created plenty of problems with accurate crosses and dangerous corners. Gibson, Simmonds and Freeman had to be in top form to keep a clean sheet and just as we looked like doing so we made two blunders. First Jon Waite was put clear by Wadey and scoring looked a formality from inside the six yard box -- the ball was virtually over the line when a defender skidded along the line and put the ball out for a corner. Unbelievable. Then Mark Owlett, under pressure from Poly attackers, lost a high cross which bounced down struck Gibson's hand and was scuffed into the net. Referee Pat Morrissey blew for a penalty but, after consulting the assistant ref, awarded a goal. We hit back strongly but the keeper made two great saves to defy Waite and Freeman so once again we conceded two points when we should have won. Polytechnic never dropped their heads and they were a nice bunch of guys -- the game was played in an excellent spirit and, for sure, they will take some beating IF they turn out this squad regularly. Most of their players are itinerant, so there will be some strange results in the offing (just look at last weeks 5 - 2 defeat against Salesians when they had 8 changes from this week). We lost Everett with a damaged ankle and Waite played the last 15 with a dead leg -- Weasel McCarthy, fresh from chasing an orange Sainsbury's bag across the pitch, replaced Everett and immediately tripped over his own feet in the penalty area when the goal beckoned. Some wag said "Why didn't you put the plastic bag on instead of Weasel" which I thought was a bit harsh. It was good to see a big crowd supporting the team -- your attendance is very much appreciated -- we only wish that you would all come into the bar afterwards and have a beer and a chat -- there is a great atmosphere and frequently the champagne is free -- so next week please come and join us.
12th January
2008 AFA Cup Round Four Wickham gifted Nottsborough an early goal when Foster made the wrong decision and failed to intercept an away swinging free kick from Violet and Ewins does not miss these easy chances -- he is an excellent header of the ball and his timing is top class but, to be honest, even Emile Heskey would have scored this one. Nottsborough were upset that we had given them a gift and they decided to give us one back -- they dithered about on the edge of their box when it was easier to knock the ball clear and Ashley Everett nipped in unchallenged and equalised the scores. Fozzie then made a good save from a Violets free kick but we luckily avoided a half time deficit when a superb piece of skill by Lyons went unrewarded as the upright intervened to save our bacon. In the second period, however, we cooked our own bacon -- in fact we badly burnt it. Rob Guppy scored a top quality goal, thumping the ball into the top corner after holding off two challenges and we looked quite comfortable ( but not very comfortable). We had been giving possession away like the Big Issue and then we self destructed. Nottsborough brought on two subs and this had an immediate impact on the game and brought a smile to Mr William's face. One of them swung a cross into the box but frankly the danger was minimal until skipper Freeman intervened. Hearing Fozzie call "away" he swung his normally reliable boot at it and sliced it into the top left hand corner. It went from bad to worse -- we almost conceded a penalty when Ewins was steamrollered just outside the box -- the danger was cleared but then the skipper challenged the rampant Ewins in the box and down he went -- from behind the goal it did not look like a penalty to anybody except the referee who was on the spot and so was the ball -- then it was in our net -- funny old game eh. At 3 - 2 we still had time to atone for our sins but keeper Arnold kept the visitors ahead when he made two excellent saves from Currie and Guppy despite being inconvenienced by a knock on his leg. Wickham pressed hard which gave the visitors plenty of scope to counter attack which they did with pace and skill. To be fair, their efforts petered out in the last third but our efforts ( apart from the two aforementioned) were no better and the game ended in Nottsborough's favour. It was highly disappointing as we were below par and below strength against a side that we eliminated from two semi finals last season -- it's still possible that they can do the same to us this season. Let's hope that we can avoid each other in the Kent/Surrey Cup to give us a chance of meeting in the final. Last season Nottsborough went on to be deserved League Champions so we must strive hard to emulate this feat in 2008. T5th January 2009 Defending the slope, Steve Foster deputising for Mark Owlett, had little to do except to catch a couple of stray balls while at the other end their keeper performed heroics. One flying save from James Gibson's volley was extra - ordinary and then he raced across his area to thwart the lively Everett who had broken free down the right flank. The corner tally mounted up but Broomfield defended them well. Adam Wadey burst through into the box but crashed his shot high above the bar when scoring looked easier --- we made some very good chances but couldn't find the final touch and we went in 0 - 0 feeling disgruntled -- but we had played quite well without much luck. At half time some players thought that we had performed below our normal standards but, from the touch line, the first half performance only lacked incisive finishing, as the defence was largely untroubled and we made enough chances to have put the game out of Broomfield's reach. We were determined to move the ball about at a much quicker pace and we were soon on top in the second period and scored after 60 minutes via Jon Waite. Gibson knocked a centre from Rose towards goal and Waite followed up and made certain. Their keeper then made a terrific double save from James Taylor's free kick and then kept out the rebound. This free kick should have been a penalty as Wadey was unceremoniously upended inside the box but the referee decided that the infringement took place outside the area. We almost scored again immediately after when Chris Rose beat three defenders down the left cut along the by line but just failed to put the ball in the net. Rob Guppy replaced Mike McCarthy who had done well on the right and soon engineered a great chance by turning inside his marker in the six yard box but his close range shot hit the last defender and was diverted for yet another corner. Taylor, Guppy and Everett were running through the Broomfield defence at will but we were constantly adjudged to be offside, some decisions were correct others were blatantly wrong and it was frustrating for both players and the crowd. Broomfield continued to battle hard and they never resorted to hopeful long balls -- some of their passing in difficult defensive situations was impressive and they came back into the game in the last 20 minutes. Their dead ball deliveries were excellent and Currie, Freeman and Gibson had to be at their aerial best to avert some very dangerous situations. Currie's tackling was outstanding and he prevented the visitors from getting any really clean strikes at goal. Foster looked assured in goal and he was only called on to catch a couple of crosses near the end. However, the final whistle was a relief, as a one goal advantage in this League will cause many defences (and Managers) some agony in the last part of the game. Broomfield were lacking punch in attack but they should not be underestimated by anybody. This was an improved performance on last week and we seem to be running into form at the right time -- we were more creative in midfield and sharper in attack -- chances came and went and with a little bit of luck we will hit the jackpot soon. Man of the Match was Neil Currie who missed nothing in the air and on the deck.
Wickham started at a brisk pace and almost scored in the first minute when Everett picked up a loose ball just inside his own half and cracked it goalwards -- it was destined for the top right hand corner when their keeper made a tremendous save. He was soon in action again repelling a couple of corners and the home defence was doing well to keep Chris Rose at bay on the left wing. Wilsons moved the ball around quickly and accurately and the game flowed quite entertainingly. Then skipper Freeman decided to make a risky tackle just outside the area and gave away a free kick -- the kick was only half hit but in deceived Mark Owlett in goal and crept inside the far post. We applied the pressure but the home defence looked very secure and they used the ball very well to extricate themselves from some tricky positions. Adam Freeman was doing well in midfield but our passing was too deliberate and both Mike McCarthy and Chris Rose were being closed down as the ball arrived and we were losing too much possession. It was 1 - 0 to Wilsons at the break and we needed to improve in the second half which we did. However, another silly tackle on the very edge of the area gave them an undisputed penalty and it was expertly placed in our "onion bag" so now we were up against it. Wickham picked up the pace of the game but found the home keeper in top form -- all the high balls were his -- if he didn't catch them he punched them away and then made a terrific flying save from Ash Everett who was unlucky not to have been on the score sheet twice. Seventeen year old Rob Guppy replaced Everett with 30 minutes left and immediately began to create problem by running at their defence which appeared to be tiring. Adam Wadey entered the fray for James Taylor -- Jon Waite moved up front but it was Wadey's power that created a half chance in the box and, as usual Waitey was on the end of it to reduce the deficit. It was one way traffic at this point and Rose was creating havoc down the left with his trickery and long throw ins. Another move down the left saw Waite equalise the scores from close range --- both goals came from low shots anything in the air was claimed by the keeper. With fifteen minutes left we brought on Neil Owlett for McCarthy and played three up front in an attempt to get all three points and the Wilsonian goal had several narrow escapes as their defence fought desperately to hold on to a point. They did have one good chance at the other end but Owlett made an excellent save -- so the points were shared. It was an entertaining game which was well refereed by Lee Addison and his Assistants and watched by a crowd of over 70 spectators. There was hardly a foul in the game and the level of sportsmanship, if matched by the Premiership players, would greatly improve the standing of the English game. I hear commentators saying that the Premiership players set a bad example to young players but I see little evidence of it in the SAL, or for that matter in the other lower semi pro and amateur leagues --thank God. The majority of Premiership players show little or no respect for their opponents or the officials and it's high time that the FA or Eufa took a stand against abusive behaviour and cheating -- why are they so frightened to clean up the game??? Thanks to Old Wilsonians for their warm welcome and
hospitality after the game and best of luck for the rest of the
campaign.
Saturday 15th December 2007 Games against Old Salesians are always tough, close run affairs and this game was no exception although the visitors were overrun in the first half and were lucky that they only trailed by one goal. Their defence had the jitters and Ollie Waite easily lobbed the keeper after a defensive mix up and Ash Everett almost scored from a similar error but the ball just cleared the bar. Waite was linking well with mid field where Adam Wadey was playing his first full game since Whitstable last season. Wickham dominated the game but the final ball was wayward. James Gibson should have put the game beyond recall when he met Jay Askew's free kick perfectly -- but he headed it in the one place that all keepers like, just to his right at head height -- he duly turned it wide of the post. It was a good save but it was an easy chance and on any other day Gibbo would have buried it. Skipper Freeman was breaking out of defence at every opportunity and it was one way traffic. Unfortunately half time arrived and the tide turned. Perhaps, we under estimated our visitors but they improved dramatically in the second half. Unfortunately, we lost Ollie Waite after 47 minutes and he was replaced by Neil Owlett. Poor marking from a right wing corner gave Old Salesians a shooting chance and the ball was struck firmly through a ruck of players giving Jamie Wilde in the home goal no chance. At 1 - 1 we still had 30 minutes to re -assert our grip on the game but the visitors were having none of it and launched some menacing attacks but Currie, Freeman and Gibson stood firm. We might have taken the lead with 10 minutes to go but the ball was scrambled clear by the far post and then Jon Waite almost snatched a late winner. It was by no means all Wickham and Salesians won a free kick on the edge of our area in a very dangerous position but couldn't make it count. Despite pushing Gibson up front and bringing on Ross Simmonds for the last 20 minutes we didn't create a clear cut chance and Old Salesians deserved credit for their gutsy fight back. The game was played in a good spirit and the visitors performed very well in the bar -- both sides know that this season will be very exciting as everybody is taking points off each other. I think Old Salesians have the ability to stay at the top and our game at Ewell could be a vital one. Man of the Match went to Adam Freeman for an all action performance -- at times he was our best forward and the rest of the side need to match his drive and commitment next week at Winchmore Hill.
Saturday 1st December 2007 Our opponents were trapped on the M25 and arrived 5 minutes before kick off time which was put back until 1.50pm -- they had little time to warm up and when the game started they were immediately on the back foot. Mike McCarthy came in at right wing back with James Gibson moving from centre back to centre forward partnering Ash Everett in attack -- this meant that Jon Waite was able to move back into his favoured position in midfield. Chances came and went before Everett latched on to a through ball from Chris Rose and easily beat the keeper. Leyton defended well with their skipper outstanding and their keeper not far behind. Everett almost added a second in a scrappy first period and although the visitors hadn't had a shot they were still very much in the game and had their fair share of possession. Somehow they repelled several short corners by blocking shots from Askew and Owlett and half time came with the score 1 - 0 to Wickham. Leyton had lost one of their midfield players with a knee injury but our own midfield was not functioning on all cylinders and we gave the ball away far too easily. The second half followed the same pattern as the first with Chris Rose creating panic down the left wing but their keeper handled all the high (and low) crosses without much difficulty. Ben David came on for Weasel after 55 minutes with Everett moving to right wing back and Greg Palmer replaced Jay Askew in midfield. The changes improved the sides performance and Palmer kept the midfield ticking with short sharp passes and we began to create more chances. Eventually Everett provided the cross which was headed firmly into the net by Jon Waite but this goal didn't come until the 75th minute and although Leyton County lacked punch they did force Mark Owlett into one good save before our second goal. Unfortunately, their keeper was then injured in a bizarre incident. He ran behind the goal into the bushes to collect the ball and collapsed in a heap -- his foot had caught in the undergrowth and he badly twisted his ankle. His replacement was soon in action picking the ball out of the net from a tap in by Jon Waite after good work by Geoff Boadu who was making his first team debut -- prior to this game he had only played in the Sixth team -- so well done Geoff. Overall it wasn't a great performance and the wind didn't help but we stuck to our task and did improve in the last half hour. Once again Man of the Match went to Jon Waite and it was good to see Ashley Everett returning to something like the form of last season. Next week we visit POLYTECHNIC in the League and this will be another tough game -- Adam Wadey should be available for selection and Ollie Waite is back in the goals for the Reserves. Marcus Elliott is still troubled by a groin strain and probably won't be fit while Kempy is moving towards full fitness also in the Reserves. We need to train hard ready for a very difficult League and Cup programme that lies ahead of us. A word of thanks to Leyton County OB for the part that they played in the game -- their skipper performed heroically and would walk into most SAL Division one sides -- the rest of their squad were never overawed and they enjoyed a few well earned pints in the bar afterwards.
Saturday 24th November 2007 We always enjoy playing at Actonians as we have made some good friends there over the last 4 or 5 years but Saturday's visit was less than pleasurable. The Circle Line was closed and we endured a tortuous journey to Acton Town via Nottting Hill Gate and Ealing Broadway -- we were delayed at every station due to tube congestion and at one stage discussed getting changed on the train. We eventually arrived about 25 minutes to kick off and were allocated a dressing room with no lights and only a small window -- I now know how the Count of Monte Cristo felt. Changing was a nightmare -- some players had two shirts one -- several had their shorts on inside out -- everybody had the wrong number on -- it was carnage. We had about 10 minutes to warm up as the ref Dominic Stockbridge, quite rightly, wanted to start as soon as possible and we kicked off about 5 minutes earlier than anticipated so that we could get 90 minutes in. This is not a whinge -- it's just stating the facts -- we left home at 11.30am and arrived at the ground at 1.45pm so our preparation was nil. We opened the game, however, in fine form and although, the home side made some dangerous attacks, we were very much on top. The standard of football from both sides was pretty good and it was no surprise that we took the lead via Jay Askew -- we had threatened to score several times but Jay was given too much time in the box and he converted Chris Rose's cross. Almost from the re-start an excellent move put Ash Everett clear and his mesmeric run had a calamitous ending when we should have scored. Both Rose and Askew were up in support so it was three, against two very slow defenders, but Ash got carried away and skewed his shot miles wide. Had he converted the game would have been out of Actonians reach but they came back strongly and a dangerous attack was halted by obstruction. The resultant free kick was just outside our box and it took a big deflection off the wall past a despairing dive from Steve Foster. Actonians defended resolutely and their attack looked very lively -- we conceded another free kick in the same place as the first one and their well worked execution was foiled by a flying save from Foster and we were lucky to be on terms. Our midfield was under pressure and were failing to cope with the slippy surface and Actonians looked like scoring on several occasions before they finally did. This goal was yards offside and even they seemed surprised that it stood -- you cannot blame the ref because the game was fast flowing and it is a nightmare handling top quality games like this one without officials -- you have to accept things and get on with the game. We went in 2 - 1 down which did not reflect the way the game had gone but the home side had defended very well and they took their chances. Wickham attacked incessantly from the whistle and the pressure on the home defence was only relieved by a hand ball and Jon Waite cracked home the penalty to equalise the scores. Greg Brown took a knock and was replaced by Kent Osborne who joined Waite in attack -- Everett moved to right wing back and was soon making mincemeat of their left back but crosses from him and Rose found ways to evade our strikers. Actonians had their backs to the wall and hardly got into our half -- however, when they did they looked dangerous. Then they got a third -- it was a dreadful goal resulting from a misjudgment by Gibson which let in an attacker -- his shot was bouncing slowly goalwards when a guy standing offside applied the finishing touch. Mr Stockbridge allowed the goal to stand but with 20 minutes left we still had time to win this game -- Gibson was pushed into the attack and Simmonds replaced Palmer. In essence we had a five man attack and I will never know how the home side kept us out and you have to admire their dogged defending. Then we had a clear cut penalty which everybody saw except the ref -- a defender deliberately diverted the course of the ball with his hand well inside the area but Mr Stockbridge couldn't see the offence as there were about 18 or 19 players in the box. He said afterwards he knew that it was a penalty but he didn't see the offence which is fair enough -- this one went against us but things will even themselves out during the season. Gibson caused mayhem in the box and hit the bar with a fierce header and both he and Waite, who had a tremendous game, went close with other headed chances. Rose and Askew also went close but fortune favoured the brave and Actonians ran out 3 - 2 winners. They are still unbeaten and they are a good side -- in summary the game was really good to watch, under the circumstances it was handled efficiently by the unsupported referee, it was played in the right spirit on a great pitch but the better side lost. Where have you heard that before?
The journey home was an unmitigated disaster -- it took nearly 3 hours but, at least, we had a laugh and we will come back strongly next week when hopefully some of our eight missing first team players will return from injury. Man of the Match was Jon Waite by a long way.
Saturday 17th November 2007 The
First Team went to Old Westminster Citizens expecting a tough encounter
in the Kent/Surrey Senior Cup – we got off to a bad start when Everett
and Elliott had their usual problem with the trains and arrived 35
minutes late. We were on course for a 12.30 arrival at Mitcham when I
received a frantic call from skipper Freeman to announce that there was
no toilet paper at the ground and could I call at a supermarket to buy
some. Cuzza said that Waitrose did the best bog rolls but Ashley
disagreed and wanted to go to Superdrug – it was getting late and
Connor said “Just use the Sun.” Luckily I was running out of petrol
and the sight of a Shell garage relieved the tension – most of the
pumps were out of order so we had to wait while time slipped by –
Cuzza raced in and came back with two packets of nasal tissues and
explained that there had been an early morning “run” on toilet paper
and they were sold out. Some ancient gentleman had pulled up at the pump
next to me and narrowly avoided taking off the passenger door and almost
causing Cuzza to use the tissues before we could rescue Freeo. Then we
hit road works and eventually arrived at 12.50pm from an 11.30am meet
---- not the best of preparation for a Cup game. The
skipper (who had caused most of the trouble) was asked to play centre
midfield as “penance” with Gibbo returning to the defensive unit and
Sam Kemp retaining the right wing back slot. The home side started the
game at a high tempo and won most of the 50: 50 balls – we seemed to
be asleep most of the time and some of our defensive work was either too
hurried or too sloppy but give
Saturday 10th November 2007 We continued to batter their goal and eventually we broke through
with two goals in 5 minutes from Jon Waite -- both were scrappy
affairs but Waitey has the knack of being in the right place at the
right time and who cares how the ball goes in as long as it goes in.
Neil Currie went off at half time with a recurrence of his ankle injury
and Greg Palmer came on in central midfield with Neil Owlett moving back
to sweeper. Palmer soon demonstrated that he knows how, and when, to
release the ball and he took a firm grip of midfield setting Chris Rose
free on numerous occasion. Chris delivered some great balls into their
box but they evaded our attackers until Marcus Elliott got on the
end of one to make it 3 - 0. Sam Kemp, making his return to the team
after illness, was replaced by Greg Brown who spent most of his time in
the Salopians penalty area and could have scored two with a bit more
accuracy in front of goal. Joe Ivory came on for the last 20 minutes and
showed that he has the temperament and skill to play at this
level. Skipper Freeman had spent more time in attack than defence and his firm header from yet another Rose cross was saved well by the keeper but Ben David was on hand to make it 4 - 0. We played some excellent football in the second period and could have doubled the goal tally but Old Salopians did not deserve a big score defeat as they showed commendable spirit in repelling the rampaging Bluebloods. There were very few stoppages, no bad language, no questioning the referee's authority and no disrespect --- I am proud of the way in which the Wickham teams are playing and I am sure we will maintain these standards in the future. Good luck to the Old Salopian club for the rest of the season. Man of the Match went to Chris Rose - he started slowly but ran riot in the second half and was very unlucky not to get on the score sheet.
Saturday 3rd November 2007 WEST WICKHAM 1
v CIVIL SERVICE 1 Civil Service are a big strong, well organised side who compete for every ball and they came more and more into the game in the second period. Our goal was threatened on several occasions and we were fortunate to escape when a terrific strike crashed against the right hand post and rebounded into keeper Owlett's face and away to safety. We were not retaining possession for long enough to give our hard pressed defence any respite -- we did win plenty of corners but they were fruitless and Civil Service were piling on the pressure prompted by Ross Peebles who eventually unlocked our defence. He tricked his way clear on the right wing and his deep cross was nodded into the net by an unmarked attacker. This was a very difficult ball to defend but we should have cut out the danger and not allowed the cross to happen but it was a perfect delivery and Owlett had no chance. Askew replaced Everett and David replaced Neil Owlett in an attempt to inject some extra pace into the game --- we made several dangerous attacks but the final pass was not anticipated by our forwards and the chances came to nothing. Gibson went close with a header but the home side struck the bar and looked likely to take all three points near the end. The facilities for the Teams playing on an excellent pitch at Civil Service are dire (to say the least) and it was courteous of their skipper to apologise but something needs to be done sharpish. Pat Morrissey performed well with the whistle and the game was contested fiercely but fairly by both sides.
SATURDAY -- 27th October 2007 WEST WICKHAM 3 v NOTTSBOROUGH 1 I knew that our visitors were much better than the way they played in the first half and the result would depend on who could raise their game and take advantage of the breaks. Wickham couldn't retain the ball for long enough to release the front runners and Nottsborough began to dominate the game without really looking like scoring. Notts equalised with a goal that would turn a negro grey - the full back ran 50 metres at a pace that was not much above Snail 3 's pace and toe poked the ball past The Owl. This was a setback - but Wickham responded well. Waite and Askew were indefatigueable in there search for the winner. The Notts defence looked strong although King and Elliott gave them no respite and we always looked like we could score but didn't-- we missed out on two close range headers and, although we got in good positions we seemed destined to give our worthy opponents a point. AND THEN --- On came Brutus --- not match fit but confident of his own invincibility -- I was frightened just standing on the line -- he created mayhem and so disturbed a defender in the box that Marcus Elliott had a half chance which he lashed into the back of the net. Maybe Notts could feel hard done by but really they never looked like scoring -- they had as much of the ball as us but Mark Owlett had nothing to do in goal. With 10 minutes left Chris Rose scored a wonderful goal -- he mesmerized three defenders, side stepped Kingo-- slipped past Waitey -- tripped over a defenders foot and then did something that he normally doesn't do -- he kept calm -- and put the ball in the back of the net. For me this was a great goal and I know that Rosey will do this almost every week from now on-- it was quality. Ash Everett had replaced Ross Simmonds who had battled hard - having received a knock on the ankle he then decided to bite some guys elbow which resulted in a split lip (sometimes called a Mather). We dominated the last 10 minutes but overall the there wasn't much between the teams. Greg Palmer then made his debut -- he only got 5 minutes but he had already played 90 minutes for the Fours so he got charged £15 Match fee which I put on Snail 3 and won £270. I will, however, give Greg his £15 back -- IF he meets me on Wednesday night on the Kop when Robbie Fowler takes on Liverpool . Robbie will race Sami Hyppia before the game, over 50 metres and the winner will take on Snail 3. Snail 3 is trading at 5 to 2 ON on Betfair.
Saturday
20th October 2007. It
might sound like a boring game but it was quite the opposite and there
was a lot of good football played by two fully committed sides. We went
to Dame Alice Owen school with a squad bereft of both Jon and Saturday
13th October 2007. The
referee did not have a great game but the absence of assistants did not
help his cause – why are we playing important games between good sides
with only one official??? Saturday 6th October 2007 West
Wickham 0 v VCD 2
Kent Senior Trophy
Man of the Match was, undoubtedly, Chris Rose who displayed excellent ball control and determination and gave the VCD defence a torrid time -- the only thing missing was accuracy in the final ball but often our supporting players gave him few targets.
Did anybody see the oppo in the bar? We left at 7.30pm as we were bored with England and continued to celebrate a good day out back at the club and then the Swan -- God knows what happened after that. Thanks to all our supporters who turned up on a freezing cold day to cheer the boys on -- this support is invaluable and we hope to treble the number on April 14th when we play Old Hamptonians in the AFA Final at Old Parks. WEST WICKHAM 2 v
WINCHMORE HILL 0 The squad went to The Paulin ground to help celebrate Winchmores 1500th game at the ground knowing that they must win to keep the pressure on Nottsborough. The pitch was hard and bumpy and the wind was cold and increasing in velocity by the minute so there was no chance of this game being a classic. We were kicking against the gale in the first half and I would have been happy to reach half time without too many mishaps -- however, we went in 2 - 0 up which was a bonus. Adam Freeman released Ash Everett after 15 minutes and he ran onto the through ball and smacked it past a startled Andy Carter. Jon Waite, loves playing here, and he got our second after good work by Elliott. Although, Wickham were on top the home side were denied goals by the agile Owlett. He made a stunning finger tip save from Neil Hurst's free kick -- the ball diverted on to the right hand post and away to safety when a goal looked a certainty. Then he again denied Hurst from close in. As usual the back three were performing to a high standard -- Simmonds had slotted in to the skippers spot with Freeman moving into midfield so we looked even stronger in this department. Despite being without Wadey, Scarborough. Paul Freeman and Willis we always looked in control and a big score looked a distinct possibility. The second period saw Winchmore battle hard against a rampant Wickham attack and it was only the brilliance of Andy Carter that kept the score at 2 - 0 at the final whistle -- he saved at least 5 one on ones to deny Elliott, Everett Freeman and Waite. At the other end Owlett was unemployed. Gibson and Neil Owlett replaced Barham and Kemp for the last quarter of the game and both had chances to get on the score sheet -- Gibbo narrowly failing to connect with Rose's free kick and the linesman ruling Owlett offside when he was clearly onside when he received Elliott's pass. WEST WICKHAM 1 v
CIVIL SERVICE 0 A tough game at Civil Service ended with Wickham taking the three points from a very close encounter. The pitch was similar to the one at Winchmore -- hard and bumpy and the wind persisted so it was a difficult evening for both sides. Luckily for us Civil used a lot of long balls so the boys at the back, where Gibson replaced the injured Barham, had some more heading practice. We also got sucked in to the long ball game and their exceptionally tall defence dealt with what little threat we posed without too much trouble. Misplaced passes were legion and Everett and Elliott were on the end of less than polite tackles -- none, however, were sinister. The home side are much better than their League position indicates and with a better start they would have been challenging for the title. We improved in the second period as we kept the ball better and eventually got Rose and Kemp into the game. Both sides improved but both had strong defences and a goalless draw looked the best bet. We looked dangerous from a couple of corners and Neil Owlett started to run proceedings in midfield -- his passing made sure that we kept possession for longer periods and Everett and Elliott started to cause more problems as the home side tired. We were awarded a penalty with 15 minutes remaining when Everett was again manhandled and Jay Askew duly converted to take his seasonal total to 10 -- the home side disputed the award which was not surprising as the decision could have gone either way. Almost immediately we had a clearer cut penalty when Elliott was clobbered but the ref ignored this one so I suppose it's "swings and roundabouts." Chris Rose almost created another opportunity when he beat three men near the by line but his final cross was diverted for another corner which was easily cleared. I don't remember Civil having a shot at goal but Owlett was required to collect many dangerous crosses which he did with a minimum of fuss. Without Waite, Barham, Willis and Scarborough this ranked as one of our best performances -- conditions were very difficult and skill, strength and determination were required for the whole 90 minutes. Paul |