SYDENHAMS (WESSSEX) LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 2ND MARCH 2013
VERWOOD TOWN 0 ALRESFORD TOWN 2

After a great effort during the previous week without reward against a very resilient G E Hamble, things didn't get any easier as the next game saw the current league leaders Alresford Town visit Potterne Park. Lee Burch and Jamie Thoroughgood were missing from the previous game and were replaced by the returning Nathan Saxby and club stalwart Charlie Elysee.

The opening 15 minutes were played at a frenetic pace, neither side able to create any real openings. Verwood's best moment of the game arrived via Dyer's chip over the defence allowing Satterley a run on goal but he was dispossessed when about to shoot from the edge of the box. The first real danger for Verwood came shortly after that when a cross was headed goalbound but Lynch tipped the effort on to the bar and the follow up shot was wide. 25 minutes and Alresford worked another good opening and this time the effort landed on the crossbar. Two minutes later our first real shot on target from Gajic was well saved.

On 30 minutes we conceded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. The left footed kick was superbly struck but Lynch saved brilliantly just inside the post. This signalled a step up in tempo from Verwood, 35 minutes gone and a ball into the visitors box was headed only to Satterley whose first time shot was wide. Two minutes later great work by Haskell saw him tee up Saxby whose shot was beaten out. On 39 minutes Satterley charged a clearance down and was then fouled on the edge of the box. He got up to take the kick but hit it straight at the keeper.

Then came not one but two sucker punches. 41 minutes gone and Oldring was cautioned for a foul out on the flank. The free kick into our box was met by a defender and his header glanced in off the post 0-2. With injury time being played in the first half the first corner of the game fell to Alresford and the kick only needed the faintest of touches and that was nestling in the back of our net too 0-2. We could go in at half-time genuinely feeling a little hard done by.

Half-Time 0-2

We came out of the blocks quickly in the second half, an early 25 yard shot from Dyer was wide of the target. On 48 minutes a lively Saxby picked up a loose ball and his shot although deflected was still on target but the keeper recovered well to save comfortably. 7 minutes of the half gone and openings continue to appear for Verwood, this time Evans with a long range strike the latest to see an attempt go wide.

You sensed that maybe our best chances had gone as the game went in to a quiet spell. On 75 minutes Satterley made way for O'Sullivan and Saxby pushed into a central role to try and put late pressure on the resolute Alresford defence. It nearly worked as very quickly as Gajic put Saxby through to the by-line but his great cut back found nobody lurking in the right area. As we made late efforts to press to get back in the game chances appeared at the other end for Alresford. A particularly lively substitute had a couple of good efforts that could have punished us further, one of which hit the post. With 5 minutes left Haskell worked an opening on the edge of the box but his effort was easily saved. With 90 minutes on the clock, possibly our best move of the game saw the industrious Webb float a ball into the path of Saxby and from 10 yards his first time volley missed the target. It wasn't our day. We had to take our chances against visitors of this quality but it wasn't going to happen.

Final Score 0-2


Report submitted by Steve Jefferis