SYDENHAMS LEAGUE (WESSEX) DIVISION ONE
SATURDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 2007
VERWOOD TOWN 3 - ANDOVER NEW STREET 1

After our exploits on Wednesday night we were back to the league on a fine warm sunny day. Suspected was a possibility of tired legs as the game wore on. Not all the current squad have the fitness levels of Adie and Nigel.

We were out of the starting blocks very quick. Elysee produced one of his road runner imitations and his shot hit the side netting.

Four minutes gone and Faulkner slid the ball wide to Homer on the overlap. A high ball into the box caused a scramble but in swept Elysee to slam the ball into the roof of the net. 1-0.

The game then seemed to lose a spark and became ‘bitty’. Arnold and Faulkner were by passed many times as the ball emulated a UFO. King and Goodall had stiff necks waiting for an opportunity to bring the ball down.

Lynch and Yerby judged their headers well and Fawcett for a change wasn’t over employed.

Homer and Dyer worked well on the left and it was a typical Homer piece of magic that had the ball in the box for King to flick wide.

We worked hard to get the ball on the deck. Arnold and Faulkner gradually won their battle in the middle of the park and a series of attacks gave hope for an increased score line.

Seven minutes of the half remained when Dyer raced free. A ball inside to Goodall and Dan’s shot was beaten out by the keeper. King slammed it back and the keeper again made a good save.

46 minutes and a Freeman Elysee move gave King an opening. King’s flick to Yerby was inch perfect and Yerby’s placed shot hit the back of the net…….. 2-0
One minute gone and Dyer picked up Goodall’s pass. A chip over the full back almost gave Newbury his first goal of the season but he was edged off the ball.

14 minutes gone and an innocuous tackle left one of Andover’s lads on the floor with suspected ligament problems. 54 minutes later the paramedics arrived and the game was back on track.

We definitely looked the sharper of the sides from the re start and Newbury was revelling in space on the right.

Faulkner and Arnold battled for control and it was a typical Arnold surge through the centre of midfield that gave hope for a third. Arnold’s route to goal was stopped on the edge of the box by a couple of last ditch tackles.

Newbury then went up for a ball but was floored. The referee called for VTFC’s medical director….on stumbled Nigel and in more time than it took the medics to arrive from St. Leonard’s ,Nigel hovered over Matt. Unfortunately the effort in racing to tend to the wounded was too much and Matt had to sponge Nigel down enabling him to get back to the line.

The call’s been made for the quicksilver Bernie Scott to get back into his red track suit.

81 minutes gone and Martin Newbury came on for Chas Elysee. We needed pace up front. It worked. A ball crossed from the right bounced in the six yard box. In came Matt Newbury and from two feet placed a fantastically placed shot on the bar. Homer raced in and powered the ball home from six inches. 3-0.

A minute into injury time and Andover put together an attack resulting in a shot that Lynch tried to clear but the ball spun up in the air and back towards goal. Up leaped Yerby to make a good catch but the ref judged it a back pass and gave a free kick!!!

Edge of the box…in went the ball….. 3-1.