After last week’s shocker things got no easier for us this week, with only a bare 11 available, with the last withdrawal occurring less than an hour before kick off.
The make shift team, with 5 of the players nearer 40 than 30, took on a useful Blackham side on the dreadful running track pitch at Crowborough’s Goldsmiths Leisure Centre. What we needed was a reasonable opening 20 minutes, unfortunately this didn’t happen and we were one down inside 5 minutes. Kevin’s claims that the ball went out of play early in the move, ignored by their linesman. We then went close to an equaliser when following a good interchange by our forwards, Mark hit a cracking low shot that hit the outside of the post, with their keeper well beaten. We were holding our own, even if most of our attacking play was to use Mark and Steve’s height at set pieces. Matt was making intelligent runs from midfield in an attempt to get beyond our front two and Luke was showing plenty of energy and endeavour, when consistently breaking out from the back. With about 30 minutes gone Nick who was having another good game at the back, got caught in possession and Blackham went two up. Within a minute this was three as we started to show signs of losing heart. We were then given a lifeline when from another header that Mark had one, Steve beat their offside trap and with the linesman flagging, calmly lobbed the advancing keeper. The referee either thought as we did, that the linesman was a little myopic or just felt sorry for us, as he overruled him and let the goal stand.
As the second half progressed Blackham began to get a strangle hold on the game, with us having to be satisfied with the odd counter attack. We conceded two more goals and again looked like we were going to give up, but to everyone’s credit we battled on. Mark unluckily hit the woodwork for a second time, this time the crossbar. A couple of other breaks were undone by poor bounces on the disgraceful pitch. Special mention has to be made of Kevin, who capped a truly awful performance with a booking, when he kicked one of the opposition off the ball. If only he had been as accurate when trying to connect with the ball! Andy would probably have come on for Kevin, but was embroiled in slanging match with half dozen youngsters who had descended from the nearby skate board park. Dominic then joined Kevin into the book, when his customary rant was directed at the referee, when a foul against him wasn’t given.
Unfortunately the expected result with the team we were forced to put out. Although several of the younger players continued to show great promise for the future.
With 4 games to go there are two challenges open to the team (other than avoiding relegation). The first is to keep our first clean sheet of the season and the other is to decide the team’s top scorer, which is proving to be closely contested, with any one of thirteen players in with a shout! However the reason why the golden boot is so keenly contested is clear once you read the top scorers table below.
Mark Wyles 5 goals
Alun Evans 2 goals
Yacine Marouani 5 goals
Ben Turner 2 goals
Alex Donaldson 3 goals
Garry Knight 2 goals
Matt Edwards 3 goals
James Austin 2 goals
Sam Crisp 3 goals
Lewis Drury 2 goals
Steve Waterman 3 goals
Ross Taylor 2 goals
Tom Gent 2 goals
Team:
D.Lanaway
L.Hattle
N.Edwards
K.Waterman
D.Jacquin
J.Bush
M.Rice-Tucker
G.Knight
A.Donaldson
S.Waterman
M.Wyles
Subs:
A.Whittaker (DNP)