30 Mar 2014 - Stanley Park (H)

The tough task of trying to be the first team to take any points of Stanley Park for nearly 2 seasons was the task in front of the boys on a lovely sunny Mother's Day afternoon. Already without George who was away with the band again the squad was reduced to 12 when Lewis Griffin dropped out in the morning, so the energy levels of the boys left was going to be tested.

We started the game with the slight breeze in our favour & after 2 minutes a move down the left & a cross by Callum found Ben just inside the 18 yard area but unfortunately the ball wouldn't sit for him very well & his shot took a deflection for a corner. Whilst we don't score alot of goals from corners we usually deliver a good ball into the box but this first corner came & went with the ball not even making the front post before it went out of play. This was to prove the difference as the game continued because we struggled to put any decent corners or free kicks in during the whole game to test the very good Stanley Park defence & goalie.

The lads were knocking the ball around well & a good challenge & pass by Josh saw a chance for Tom but his long range shot sailed over the bar on 7 minutes. Stanley Park produced a good move after 9 minutes that ended with their very lively centre-forward shooting wide. Both sides were not giving each other much time on the ball & Tom created another chance for himself after 12 minutes but it went wide of the goal.

We got another corner after 14 minutes but again it came to nothing. When Stanley Park got their first corner on 17 minutes the quality was there & we had to be alert to clear it from danger. A good run & pass by Jamie to Tom was just too far in front of him but it still needed an excellent tackle from the outstanding Ben Ford on 18 mins.

Jamie was then involved in a pass to Callum that came to nothing due to a heavy first touch & then on 20 mins he had a shot from the edge of the box that was well saved by the goalie & again a poor corner followed. Our back 4 of Ed, Zak, Josh & Dan were all having good games as they had to back each other up which they did very well. On 25 mins a strong run & shot from distance saw Conor make a comfortable save before a great block inside our 6 yard box by Ed stopped a clear shot at goal.

Whilst our lads had worked hard & played some nice football we started to see the sheer quality of Stanley Park as they had 4 corners on the trot that were delivered with pace & accuracy & we did well to not concede from them. The final corner saw a shot from close range go straight at Conor in the middle of his goal when either side of him would probably have been a goal. On 32 mins the Stanley Park forward broke clear through on goal but once again Conor made a good save & then Josh was on hand to make a block from the follow up shot.

After 34 mins Zak made a good run down the right & got a good shot off from the edge of the box that although lacking in power was at least on target. We though by now were waiting for the half time whistle as another good clearance from Josh & a good header by Ed ensured we went into the break level. Half Time 0-0

The 2nd half started with Stanley upping the tempo & as with the game earlier in the season they hit us hard from the kick off & 2 superb corners were met with 2 towering headers that in the blink of an eye saw us 2 goals down. Both times though maybe we could've stopped the award of a corner by being a little bit stronger in our defending by shepherding the ball out for a goal kick but that's easy to say from the sidelines.

We were now with our backs against the wall as with any good team Stanley Park sensed now was the time to put the game out of our reach. A shot wide on 5 mins & then a shot from distance that Conor watched onto the post & then rebounded off him for a corner nearly saw further goals. Then a header from a free kick hit the post on 8 mins before finally another quality corner saw the best header of the day fly into the top corner after 9 mins.

The next 10 minutes saw Stanley go for it & our boys deserve alot of credit for how they maintained their shape & never let their heads down for a second under immense pressure. We restricted them to long range shots by keeping the shape but the quality of Stanley was there for all those watching to see.

The lads did then start to pass the ball again & a good run by Ben ended with a good chance on the penalty spot for Callum on 25 mins but the ball got stuck between his feet & was cleared. A foul on Tom saw a long range free kick by Euan comfortably saved after 26 mins before a shot by Ben went just over the bar after a defensive mix up. On 31 mins Dan made a good interception in our box & then Conor showed good hands after 34 mins.

We finally got the goal I think our efforts & play deserved when a battling Tom was upended in the penalty area & he sent the keeper the wrong way with an excellent strike into the bottom left hand corner & his 12th goal of the season. Another foul on Tom saw Euan have another chance with a free kick but it went over the bar. This was to be the last action of the game as the referee brought an end to a game of football that was a joy to watch & was well fought by both teams in a sporting manner. Well done to both teams.

Player of the Match- Daniel Hulse who just edged his fellow defenders with an accomplished performance at centre-half playing against the league top scorer. Coaches analysis- The lads can be very proud of their performance as they tried to play football all game against a very good Stanley Park & then after conceding 3 quickfire goals they didn't drop their heads or their workrate & finished the game strongly. Squad- Conor Chivers, Zak Robinson, Daniel Hulse, Ed Fish, Josh Curtis, Ben Croydon, Euan Burke, Jamie Byrom(Capt), Callum Bridges, Charlie Emmerson, Tom Miller & Lewis Cholod.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:39