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3rd Team Match
reports season 2007/08
West
Wickham 2 – 1
Broomfield Saturday 6th October
Scorers: Joe Kemp, Greg
Brown
After a great result in the cup last week WW came into this game with
confidence and right from the start were dominant - playing great
football and creating numerous chances
The first chance came down the
right flank with a good cross from Joe Kemp only for Raffles to rattle
the cross bar. Bursting runs
through the middle from Crossy and Greg Brown causing
Broomfield
all sorts of problems. Next
it was Tim Hollands to burst down the left and with Marlon losing
his defender - he was clear only for the ball to be pulled back too far.
Crossy burst through with an excellent piece of skill and with
only the keeper to beat from about 10 yards he clipped it over the bar
with the keeper stranded. Meanwhile
Scotty and Marlon played unselfishly up front, chasing down
defenders and making plenty of runs off the ball.
After sustained pressure WW
finally broke the deadlock through Joe Kemp with an
absolute screamer reminiscent of Clive Allen’s bullet for Palace back
in the eighties only for the ref to wave it way.
Not sure Joe Kemp was born then? Not sure who Crystal Palace are
either (Editors Note)
After further chances from WW
Broomfield finally put together an attack and with a well taken free
kick our keeper finally had something to do and pulled off a great save.
Going into half time WW were buoyed by the news of
England
beating the Aussies. Marvellous!
Broomfield
’s left winger came out and admitted he was surprised we were not at
least 10 up by now (Was he drunk? Editors Note)
WW continued their dominance
into the second half with quality football and fitness.
Broomfield
had little to offer but after another move from WW with Crossy hitting
the bar
Broomfield
broke and scored on their first effort of the second half. That feeling
crept in that WW were going to wish they had taken their chances.
With time running out WW pushed forward and from a resulting
corner (which may have swung out, not sure) Greg Brown rose
highest and headed the winner. Another
good win for WW sees them unbeaten in the league and near the top of the
table. WW need to start
taking their chances as better sides will not be so lenient.
Polytechnic 4 –
West Wickham
5 (SAL)
Apologies for the length of the report but as it was the first game of
the season and two goals that are contenders for goals of the season it
had to done.
First league game of the season could only guarantee one thing, the sun
was out and the temperature was a barmy 24 degrees.
Apart from one eager beaver the team rolled up to the Poly ground with
40 minutes to go before kick off. Scott
took everyone via
Wimbledon
to take in the views…and the traffic jams.
Having got stuck in traffic and
arriving 20 minutes late the lads were eager to start playing football
on the flat and well maintained pitches Poly had to offer.
Unfortunately we were placed on the furthest pitch which required
another summers worth of work to repair the centre part of the pitch.
With the strength and quality of players at WW this season Scott had a
hard choice to make for his starting 11.
After a weeks planning who will start, the team sheet changed in
the car journey over with Scott deciding to drop himself and start with
a 4-5-1 formation.
WW were quick out of the blocks
especially after the nights
Madras
. Some good football
produced a couple of early chances from Raffles, Joe Kemp and Marlon.
Poly played some smart football creating a couple of good chances
before Marlon wrapped his foot round the ball and score from an acute
angle which completed a good WW move.
Poly were playing a physical game and WW need to learn to cope with this
and battle on the same level. Poly
went close again with Bully pulling off some good saves.
Paul ‘Mad dog’ Freeman playing well at right back was taken
off after 20 minutes after a full bloodied tackle left a rather nasty
lump on his right calf muscle. Freeo
only realised there was a problem once he ran back the length of the
pitch and felt a slight twinge. The
promise of a cold pint and £5 match fee soon picked up his spirits and
he was carried off back to the changing room by Scott and Ian ‘number
two supporter’ Fieldwick.
By the time Scott came back Poly were 2-1 up with 2 quick goals catching
out the reshuffled defence.
West Wickham
were knocked back and recovered well with a couple of chances but went
into half time 2-1 down.
With no changes and good talking to from Scott WW came out strong and
created a few more chances. Poly
were always dangerous on the break and continued to play good football.
With another injury to Sean Hayes Scott brought himself on up
front and made an immediate impact.
Stu D’Urso scored the equaliser which should have kick started
WW into gear and take control of the game however Poly scored soon after
breaching the defence which was clearly offside.
Within 5 minutes WW equalised with a great cross from Steve Jones
which was met by a header from Marlon from 25 yards out which sailed
into the far corner. Contender
for goal of the season number 1.
Having got back to level pegging WW seem to relax and Poly regained the
lead with a well worked goal leaving Bully with little chance from a
good finish. Not to be out
done the skipper going against the shouts of ‘pass it’ and
‘don’t shoot for @$*#’s sake’ curled a beauty in from 30 yards
which led to a free for all culminating in Stu D’Urso jumping over
everyone and almost colliding with the water bottles. Contender for goal
of the season number 2.
With 5 minutes left nerves were creeping in and the skipper Scott came
up trumps again. Good work
down the right side left Scott free on the edge of the area with for a
snap shot volley which left the keeper no chance.
WW managed to hang on for a great first win of the season.
A good game played in a good spirit between two teams that should be in
the top 4 come the end of the season.
Good fitness got us through to the end and which needs to be continued
by training every week at the club.
West
Wickham 7 – 0 Royal Bank of
Scotland
AFA Cup
Scorers: Dave
Cross 3,
Greg Brown
1, Darren Martin 1, Stu Holmes 1 Callum Hodge 1
Having come off last weeks win the atmosphere in the changing room was
buoyant and some may say complacent.
A chat by Rafa Holmes and we were all focused….on the evenings
events afterwards as the 3s had organised a night out in Beckenham to
help celebrate Ian Fieldwick’s apparent engagement.
Changes were forced upon Rafa
Holmes after last weeks win due to injuries and the reserves
poaching/requesting players. The starting line up still looked strong
and the subs bench looked like a line up from High school musical with
Eddie, Rafa Holmes 16 yr old brother Stuart and his friend Callum Hodge.
An excellent start from WW saw
several early attacks spear headed by
Greg Brown
down the left side. Not
Greg’s normal position but still played there without question and put
everything into it. It was Greg’s cross that set up Crossy for the
first goal. Crossy rose like
a tin of salmon and headed the ball down fooling the keeper into
thinking it had power. Shortly
after a second came this time with Greg netting a well deserved goal
which is his first for the club. WW were rampant putting together moves
down both sides of the pitch playing some good football.
The third came after some good football and good movement off the
ball with Raffles bursting through the middle and slotting home from
just inside the box.
Once again excellent work down
the left between Greg and Steve Jones created a second goal for Crossy
with an easy tap in. Shortly
after Cross scored his hat-trick and declared that he had arrived.
RBS did not know what hit them
but they still worked hard and the last 5 minutes of the half they came
back and started to put pressure on the midfield and defence which stood
solid. Our central defender
Ian Fieldwick was on the receiving end of a late challenge which sent
him several feet in the air and came crashing down hard on his ribs and
set off several car alarms. After
blowing out of his rear for 40 minutes he was now blowing hard after
being winded and possibly aggravating his injured rib from last year.
The second half proved to be
more difficult as a battling RBS made it hard for WW and although WW had
sustained pressure, chances in the first 15 minutes were few and far
between. The battling
Fieldwick came off with his injury and was replaced by Eddie who came in
at right back. Crossy went
off and was replaced by Stu Holmes.
After a further injury to Steve Jones in the middle of midfield
Callum Hodge came on up front and Greg into central midfield and now the
average age was simmering below 25 which put more pressure on RBS with
the young blue bloods making an impact.
It wasn’t too long before
WW’s 6th came along with Stu Holmes powerful shot almost
ripping the net off the posts. Callum
Hodge scored his first goal to make it 7 and that is were it stayed.
WW had several chances later on with a 30 yard from Raffles
striking the under side of the bar and Scotty missing a penalty but in
all a very good performance by WW.
Praises must go to RBS for a
battling second half as they never gave up and had it not been for Bully
making a couple of great saves including a 1 on 1 RBS could have scored
2 in the second half. |