vs
Cove 1 - 2 Leatherhead
This was a first team fixture which Mick Sullivan very kindly gave to the reserves. There we were in the middle of Hampshire on a freezing cold night, against a first team and with only 14 players (including me) available. Cheers ! Tell you what though. Did we rise to the challenge or what?
From the first minute we worked our collective socks off on a bumpy pitch. Pressing in numbers, chasing lost causes & forcing the opposition into errors, we made a form side look ordinary at times. Add to that the fact that we played some decent football in patches, we looked the better side before the deadlock was broken halfway through the first half.
Cove were bringing the ball out down their left when Daryl Cooper-Smith pressed and intercepted superbly. He fed Rob Stephenson who drove at their left back at pace (not in his car). Daryl was meanwhile racing onto provide an overlap as we bombed on.
As the full back got drawn in, Rob slipped one to Daryl who took a great touch out of his feet before rifling his finish into the top corner. This was counter-attacking at its best, in finest Man United or Aston Villa-style. 1-0.
We only kept the lead for a few minutes. Some say their striker handled in controlling the ball before laying it off but the referee must have been unsighted. On his second touch, their central midfield player drove ball over ‘Andy the tackle’ at left back to their right side man. Who took a superb first touch before drilling the ball to the near post where their striker met it and finished from 4 years. It was a good move and a good team goal. 1-1.
They nearly took the lead just before half-time when a long ball over the top deceived our keeper Colin. In a straight race with their striker, Colin got there first but completely missed his kick leaving their bloke an empty net 30 yards out only for him to pull it wide when it was easier to score. When asked whether he had mis-judged the flight, Colin explained, “I’m playing buckaroo with my niece tomorrow so I thought I’d have a practice”.
The second half was pretty much the same as the first with one or two situations at either end but very few clear cut. The best one for them came when their striker hit a stunning drive from 20 yards which was just dipping under the bar only for ‘Can-Can Colin’ to tip it over. His handling had been tidy all night but this was different class. Redemption!
Now that was just after Matt Farrell had gone down with a head injury and Tom Horley was booked for protesting after the physio was rebuked for coming on to treat him without being called on even though the ref waved in his direction. Confused ?? We all were.
There were one or two other decisions, which were a little surprising but we don’t slate officials in these reports. The assessors are there for a reason. It’s fair to say though that both sides were treated equally.
We had defended brilliantly from the front all game with Julian Thompson and Rob working tirelessly and combining defence with attack, a philosophy which was shared by the midfield of Daryl, Tom H, Lefty Luke and Matt Farrell.
Horley showed great touch on an awful pitch and dominated in the air, Daryl was as strong as an ox, Luke’s delivery was exemplary throughout the game and Matt Farrell just didn’t stop working.
In one spell Matty got forward to turn and shoot just inside their area. Then, when they countered down their right wing from the breakdown, Matt had recovered to support in our left-back channel. He couldn’t and wouldn’t have done that 3 months ago. Superb ethic and superb effort. No longer will he be called Matt Barrell.
The back four had been strong in the one-to-one challenges all game and the full backs had looked to get forward when they could. And as the end of normal time loomed in was that very thing which made a difference. Rob Stephenson and Daryl Cooper-Smith had swapped roles with 15 minutes to go.
And In the 82nd minute when Tom H fed Rob down the right, he strode forward and danced towards their hesitant left-back. And in a move which we have practiced often in training, Rob took his touch inside which was Tommy Williams’ signal to overlap and receive outside.
But the defender went with Tommy’s run, which left Rob with time and space to deliver one of the best crosses I have seen at this level this year. With pace and accuracy it was whipped in at head height towards the near post so well, that all we had to do was get there first and get something on it.
Julian timed his run across the defender superbly and even though he is only 4’3” tall, he leapt superbly to bury a bullet header beyond the despairing keeper (who by the way was booked for wearing the wrong colour socks). 2-1
It was a goal that was worthy of winning any match. The fact that it was a team goal was all the more significant as this was very much a superb team performance. From back to front we deserved it against a supposedly better side from a higher level.
The last word goes to the subs. I was only named on the bench to make up the numbers in the event of injury or perhaps taking a penalty if it went that far but the two young lads, Kieron and Francis were there in a playing capacity.
Everyone who has been in football knows that sometimes the game is just too tight to make a change. Had we gone to extra time, changes would have been made but when we took the lead with eight minutes to go, that couldn’t happen. That was explained to them and the fact that they accepted it so well, really goes to demonstrate their maturity and professionalism at this level. A great attitude from both of you. Well done.
So, with the 1st team winning 3-0 down the road at Fleet, it was a terrific night for the club. But then we got lost coming home. Well, you can’t win ‘em all. At least I had Heathy navigating !
Report by Brett Walker (coach)