SYDENHAMS LEAGUE (WESSEX) DIVISION ONE
SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2009
AMESBURY TOWN 3 VERWOOD TOWN 2

Mixed results over the last few weeks made Adie and Martin nervous. Amesbury's pedigree at home gave rise for an elevated performance. Could we do it?

We started well. Homer, very lively on the left brought a scrambled save form the Amesbury keeper with only a few minutes gone and then Goodall from only five yards out had a shot blocked on the line. It looked good and only a couple of minutes later Dyer whipped a cross into the box that Goodall stooped to divert goalwards. The keeper did well to flip the ball wide of the post.

A move between Arnold Faulkner and Newbery finished up with Newbery hitting the side netting.

Amesbury gathered in confidence. So many opportunities wasted they must have felt Christmas had come early.

Amesbury's counter attacks while we were throwing weight behind our attacks, looked reasonably safe. Their shots on goal were mainly powder puff or missed. Fawcett looked comfortable.

Homer opened the scoring with a terrific run down the left and cutting inside the full back drove the ball past the keepers right. 1-0.

Evans and Jamison linked to move through the middle. A good tackle gave away a throw. E vans took it and found Jamison in the box. A downward header found Newbery in space but Newbery's shot went wide.

36 minutes Amesbury drew level from a free kick and then a free shot in the box. We should have been at least three up by now but squandered chances don't count.

5 minutes to go a mess in our defence was punished when we allowed another free shot.

Half time 1-2.

The damp night got colder. We played as if rigor mortis had set in. Within three minutes we had yielded ground and Amesbury had three golden opportunities to move further ahead. Fawcett Jamison and Lynch managed between them to keep the score down.

Elysee and Evans battled away on the flanks but we were under the cosh.

We had lost mid field. Amesbury had dominated the area since the start of the second half and used it as a springboard for attacks. We didn't seem as if we had anything to offer.

Thankfully Homer and Dyer had enough in their locker to force saves from the home keeper as we broke on the flanks. The home team's defence looked vulnerable when we broke but we couldn't capitalise.

We opened up like a sardine can with 60 minutes gone and a cross from Amesbury's left hand side was tapped in from a couple of feet. 1-3. We were terrible.

Murray came on for Newbery in an effort to stiffen our defence and stem the tide of attacks but Amesbury continued to dominate. We had token attacks at this stage but still had opportunities to get behind Amesbury's back line if we had had the desire.

We got ourselves back in the frame in the last fifteen minutes and should have been a couple of goals to the good but this time it was a refereeing period of challenging decisions that gave a distortion to our efforts.

12 minutes to go and we won a free kick. Up went Lynch and the ball nestled in the back of the net. 2-3.

We went for broke. Dyer had a shot, Homer blasted the ball over the bar and Arnold fired a rocket of a shot that the keeper did well to tip over the bar.

It wasn't our night. We paid heavily for missed chances and a poor performance losing 2-3.