HAC  3   Nottsborough  2               Surrey/Kent AFA Senior Cup Quarter Final                    Saturday 21st January 2012

HAC have been in great form recently making it through to the AFA Senior Trophy Quarter Final as well as flying high in the Amateur Football Combination. Nottsborough have been struggling with injuries, but still managing to keep an interest in the SAL Title and the Surrey/Kent Cup. In earlier rounds they knocked out West Wickham in a terrific game and Wandsworth Borough, but a second half revival was not enough to take this tie into extra time.

The HAC keeper turned to me midway through the first half to say “good close match for a change” It was close at that point in the first half and it remained on a knife edge right into the added on three minutes of the second half. The first 20 minutes were frantic with players struggling to find much room on what seemed to be a smallish pitch. Nottsborough had two good early chances as both Ewin and Taylor got behind the HAC defence but could not find the net with the home keeper a long way out. Suddenly the match turned and the next 25 minutes before half time ultimately decided the game. The talented HAC midfielder got behind Matt Kerr and was allowed to run all along the Nottsborough byeline before picking out a colleague for a simple finish. Parker had to clear off the line as HAC raised their game. Deservedly however Nottsborough equalised when a delightful long diagonal free kick found Alex Ewin in delightful isolation and the AFA striker found the net with a firm header on 27 minutes. Nottsborough then shot themselves in the foot by not clearing their lines when they had the chance, a thing you must do in such a game. The ball was switched to the left and the HAC left winger picked out the far corner to put the home side ahead. Nottsborough did not really deserve to go three 3-1 behind but the strike from an HAC midfielder from 25 yards found the top corner. Nottsborough had other chances to get back in the game but a finish on the far post was ruled out for offside and then the keeper blocked a shot when Ewin got through. HAC deserved their lead but it was 3-1 due to a great strike.

The strange thing about this game was that both sides played much better into the wind and it was Nottsborough’s turn in the second half. Both Taylor and Ewin were getting behind the rather slow central HAC centre-backs. Both of them had shots blocked before Ewin fed James Taylor beautifully and his unerring finish found the bottom of the net on 61 minutes. With both teams making changes Nottsborough brought on ex-skipper Matt Rolfe for his first 1’s game since the AFA Senior final of 2010. Rolfe settled immediately and sensibly set many attacks going as Nottsborough largely camped themselves in the HAC half. Both Sims and Apaloo came on as well and Sims almost handed the game to HAC as a poor back pass was only rescued by a spectacular goal-line clearance from Richard Parker. With Nottsborough on top HAC put 9 men behind the ball and defended solidly and well as it once again became apparent how little room there was on the pitch. Despite three added minutes Nottsborough could not fashion a decent chance despite several skirmishes in the HAC area. The excellent ref Pat Ryan brought a conclusion to the game and Nottsborough now have only the league to concentrate on.

Nottsborough are coming out of a bad injury situation and it was ironic that keeper Dan Ashley should return fit from Australia but then injure his ankle in his first training session of 2012. Whilst skipper Sutcliffe, Hickes, McEwan and Cullinan are just a couple of weeks away from fitness, Nottsborough cannot really blame 5 absentees for their defeat. They had the team to win this game, and the chances to win the game. They lost it because they did not defend well enough in the first half and HAC made the most of their chances in the first half. They are a well-organised side that play to a good game plan and they do things simply and well. Their defence looks rather vulnerable and I am not sure they will win one of the two Cups with this defence. However there is nothing better than being in the draw and Nottsborough will not be there this season and we wish HAC well.

Bailes; Kerr M, Westley, Parker, Newell; Kerr C, Cooper, Classen; Field, Ewin, Taylor; Subs Rolfe, Sims, Apaloo.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could have been Ross Newell who did well at left back, or Alex Ewin who scored one and made one, but my vote goes to Richard Parker who set one goal up with a great delivery to the far post, and then made a spectacular goal-line clearance near the end.

Nottsborough  2   Old Wilsonians  1                                                                                 Saturday 7th January 2012

Violet Returns

On a weekend of amazing comebacks: Wrexham at Brighton, Thierry Henry at Arsenal, Paul Scholes at Manchester United, we must now add Nathan Violet at Nottsborough. Just as the Director of Football is about to write an obituary for one of Nottsborough’s best ever players, the playmaker makes a 2 hour journey down the M4 to help out his old team-mates. In his first game this season, he may have given the ball away a few more times than I can remember but, he was still involved in the 2 Nottsborough goals and this has been his trademark over the last 8 seasons.

With the Leeds University connection in remission, only Michael Classen made it back from the treatment room, Nottsborough re-found its heartbeat with the late inclusion of 3 additional ex-Loughborough players. Nottsborough have always had a chance when ex-Loughborough players are involved. However it was an ex-Nottingham man Alex Ewin who secured the 3 points with two well-taken goals.

Old Wilsonians will not like this but there really were 7 Nottsborough first team players missing on Saturday. Ashley, Hickes, Cullinan, Cooper, McEwan, Apaloo and Hughes. All these 7 have appeared regularly for the first team this season. In came James Taylor from the 2’s, Nathan Violet for his first game of the season, and Chris Jones also for his first game of the season. Whilst Taylor is only 23 the average age of the side was over 30 and this was a game of good old ones against good young ones. The young ones will be reflecting on why they did not get more out of this game. With 10 minutes to go an Old Wilsonians supporter said to me on the touchline that he felt a draw was a fair result. I was not so sure as I felt Wilsonians had done enough to win the game, but the last 10 minutes changed things.

Nottsborough started well and had a “goal” disallowed in the first minute. Violet put Ewin in behind the Wilsonians defence on the left and a good recovery tackle conceded a corner. Newell’s corner to the far post met the ample forehead of the Nottsborough skipper and the ball flashed across the goal striking Alex Ewin. He was the first to react and stabbed the ball home from 3 or 4 yards out only to have the effort ruled out for handball. However it was not long before Nottsborough took the lead with Matt Kerr putting himself about in midfield. A long ball was flicked on, Ewin was away and the linesman, who was level, did not raise his flag. Alex Ewin took the ball calmly to the edge of the area and placed the ball past the keepers left hand and into the bottom corner on 7 minutes. Classen cruised past several players on a solo run minutes later but did not deliver the shot the hard work deserved.

Nottsborough could not afford any injuries with Jeremy Field having arrived late. However that is exactly what they got when Arren Sutcliffe went down with a groin injury on 15 minutes. The injury situation just gets worse. Nottsborough had to re-organise. Parker to centre-back, Newell back to left back, Violet back to left midfield, and Taylor up top. The ex-Loughborough striker has been playing superbly for the 2’s and I was pleased to see him given an early chance. By the end of the game he was looking a very good addition as he continues his recovery from a bad injury.

Whatever the cause, Old Wilsonians took over the game for the next 25 minutes. In fact it became a bit like “The Alamo” as Wilsonians poured forward winning corner after corner. Something had to give as Nottsborough’s defence looked shaky at best. Another in-swinger caused problems and a Wilsonian’s player thumped a header home. The celebrations were good, but the linesman had his flag raised and the equaliser was cancelled out for a push on Nottsborough’s stand-in keeper Steve Bailes. Bailes incidentally went on to have a very good game making a good brave save at the end of the first half and an even better reaction save at the start of the second. The best chance to Wilsonians came when a sharp attack down the left saw a Wislonians player fail to get enough on the cross from about only 5 yards out as the ball slipped past the left hand post. Somehow Nottsborough weathered the storm and were starting to defend better and play football in the opposition half when the half time whistle went. 1-0 to Nottsborough at half time.

The second half was much more even as Nottsborough found more space and kept the ball better. However this was a cracker of a game and the first minute of the second half produced two great chances. Firstly Ewin and Taylor combined and Violet free on the left put a volley wide of the far post when he might have done a lot better. At the other end Bailes stopped a snap shot from 10 yards with a firm right hand. On 68 minutes Wilsonians got the equaliser when a header from another corner found Bailes not able to get enough on it and the ball went in off the post although Nottsborough did not appear to have their usual man on the post. Changes were being made by both sides. Jones replaced Sims for Nottsborough at right back with 20 minutes to go and the late arriving Field got on for what proved to be a vital last 10 minutes. When the Wilsonians left back made another great run down the left his low cross was cut out by Bailes, but minutes later another low cross was stabbed just wide of the post and into the side netting. At the other end the game was really opening up and suddenly both Field and Violet started to find a lot of room, whilst the hard work of Taylor and Ewin started to pay huge dividends. A long ball was beautifully chested down by Taylor and Violet latched onto it to send in a fierce drive that was blocked by the Wilsonians keeper. The ball rebounded to Violet on the bye-line and his pull back did not quite have enough on it to present Taylor with a tap in. Taylor did manage a firm shot on the turn and this was blocked near the goal line and cleared for a corner. Wilsonians won the header but only as far as Classen 15 yards out. Switching the ball onto his right foot he was cleaned-up by a sliding challenge and Referee Melvin had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. On 86 minutes Alex Ewin thumped home the penalty to give Nottsborough the lead. Wilsonians pressed again but now Nottsborough looked very dangerous on the counter and were able to play out time with some neat possession play involving Taylor, Ewin, Violet, Field and Classen.

Who knows how valuable these 3 points may prove as they put Nottsborough back on top of the table. It just goes to show that if you defend well, get a bit of luck, and stick in games you always have a chance, particularly if you work hard. This was the hardest I have seen Nottsborough work this season and it was necessary with so many of the younger players out. At last the team look as if they have the desire to defend their title.

Bailes; Sims, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Kerr M, Classen, Newell; Ewin, Violet; Subs all used Taylor, Jones, Field.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could easily have been Bailes who made two very good saves and took many crosses under pressure. It could have been Newell who kept a lively winger quiet. It could have been Ewin who worked the hardest I have seen this season and scored two well-taken goals. It could have been Classen who competed all game and threatened whenever he got over half way, but I am giving it to Matt Kerr who worked tirelessly in a central two again

West Wickham  4    Nottsborough  0                                                                            Saturday 17th December 2011

What A Funny Game

The best defence in the League so far met the best attack so far at Corkscrew Hill on Saturday and the best defence won by a mile. Had you seen the whole game you might have been a bit puzzled as to which was the winning team. West Wickham played less well than in either of the two previous meetings this season between these clubs, but emerged victorious because they defended superbly and took their chances when they were offered.

The story before the game was all about three or four West Wickham players opting to go to Ascot Races rather than play in this important game. The players who turned out for West Wickham in the match put their heart and soul into the game and on this day it worked. After a rather frantic opening which saw Nottsborough got closest to taking the lead when McEwan got away on the right, raced into the area, and wastefully shot high from 15 yards out. Nottsborough’s Parker failed to attack a ball on the halfway line and Matt King nipped in front of Arren Sutcliffe raced to the edge of the area, rounded Steve Bails and put the home side ahead with their first attack on 14 minutes.

Nottsborough completely dominated the remainder of the half and despite losing Ian Cooper after 25 minutes, Chris Apaloo coming on, should have been ahead at half time. A great move down the right involving Matt Kerr and Michael Classen saw a ball curled to the far post where Alex Ewin made great contact and somehow the West Wickham left back managed to block the ball on the line. Corners and free kicks followed with Ewin twice heading narrowly wide. Somehow West Wickham held on and disaster struck for Nottsborough when Classen went down on the stroke of half time with a hamstring pull.

Nottsborough re-organised with both Kerr’s in the centre of midfield and against the home 5 in midfield still maintained a dominance. The second half started as the first ended. Nottsborough were flowing forward with Sims on the right and Parker on the left getting forward. Ross Newell was finding space and more corners followed. From one of these Ewin again headed narrowly wide.  Chris Kerr completing a series of one-twos burst into the area and hammered a low shot inside the left hand post where the young home keeper made a great save. Nottsborough then had a very good shout for a penalty when Ewin attempted to get at a loose ball and appeared to be tripped. The injured Neil Currie turned to me and said “that was a penalty” Crucially the ref did not see it that way and the same man then ruled out a Nottsborough equaliser when Dan McEwan’s free kick floated inside the far post. Most of the Premier league refs fail to see any pushing or pulling in the box. It is amazing how often offences get seen at this level. Chris Apaloo apparently tugged his man away from the ball.

Nottsborough then completely shot themselves in the foot with about 15 minutes to go when McEwan tried to volley the ball across his own penalty area. This was intercepted and a first time volley flew over Bails and in off the bar. The last 10 minutes for Nottsborough was not very distinguished as they rather lost their shape. West Wickham started to play with real conviction on the break. Two very smartly taken goals in added-on time gave the scoreline an unreal effect.

Just one of those days it would seem. West Wickham defended very well when they had to and Nottsborough could not find the final finish. When Nottsborough did get through the young keeper made two very good saves and there were a couple of very good clearances in and around the six yard box. At the other end West Wickham had probably 5 chances and scored four. Nottsborough had at least the same number of chances and did not score at all. West Wickham are back in it. Old Wilsonians go top thanks to those two injury time goals. The game at Tolworth on the 7^th January should be interesting and a real test of whether Nottsborough have the mettle and the resolve to push for the defence of their title.

Bails; Kerr M, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Cooper, Classen, Newell; Ewin, McEwan; Subs Apaloo, Sims, Hughes

Man of the Match for Nottsborough - Matt Kerr

Norsemen  1   Nottsborough  3                                                                                    Saturday 10th December 2011

Nottsborough Bounce Back!

The results over the previous 2 weeks seemed to indicate that Norsemen were in with a real chance of upsetting the table-toppers. For 15 minutes this looked quite possible, but then Nottsborough started to get into the game despite going a goal behind. In the end the Norsemen keeper kept the score down as the away side took advantage of the extra space available in the second half. Two great saves, and some poor decision making by Nottsborough in the last third, kept the home side in the game.

Nottsborough have three full backs injured in Hickes, Sims and Cullinan. Skipper Arren Sutcliffe therefore has had to make changes in order to cover the absentees which also included keeper Dan Ashley. Following the defeat in the AFA Senior trophy, Sutcliffe was minded to make changes, and another last minute change moved Dan McEwan up front alongside Alex Ewin. This was a bit of a master-stroke as both players had excellent games, whilst strikers Ben Hughes and Chris Apaloo got rather cold on the touchline. Jeremy Field was back after laser surgery but made number 14. Michael Classen was recalled in centre-midfield alongside Ian Cooper and these two had terrific games hustling the Norsemen midfield superbly after the initial 15 minutes. Richard Parker was moved to left back and found lots of room as the first half progressed.

For 15 minutes Norsemen were in control as Nottsborough started slowly. Moving the ball smartly down the right hand side, Norsemen were looking threatening and Lee Westley and Arren Sutcliffe had to be on their toes to halt the Norsemen version of smash and grab. Norsemen were almost playing 4-2-4 with a very lively young left winger. Corners were won with regularity, although Nottsborough managed to hold on. At the other end Westley had a header cleared from in front of the goal from a corner and Cooper’s deflected long-range shot produced the first of several smart saves from the home keeper. Just as Nottsborough seemed to have weathered the storm Norsemen took the lead on 18 minutes when a firm cross into the Nottsborough area saw skipper Sutcliffe deflect a header past Nottsborough’s stand-in keeper Steve Bails who normally plays for the 3’s. This was just one of those things and the test was now going to be how Nottsborough responded.

We did not have to wait long because Ewin and McEwan were already starting to cause problems for the home defence. From a smart counter-attack Ewin’s header looked to be past the keeper but unfortunately McEwan decided to make sure, except that he was in an offside position and the excellent officials got the first of many decisions spot on. The next decision came when McEwan went down in the penalty area and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. On 25 minutes Alex Ewin blasted the ball past the home keeper to make it 1-1. All of a sudden the Nottsborough midfield were seen to good effect with Chris Kerr suddenly getting in the game and rolling the clock back with a most energetic performance allied to the very good habit of keeping the ball. As the elder Kerr came into the game so did the younger Kerr at full back who started to get to grips with the lively young winger. It was pretty even until half time but the away side were now firmly back in the game.

Last week the half-time talk was heated and the response was immediate. This time the team got a lot of praise for the way they were playing their way back into the game but the exhortation was to up the pace. And up the pace they did. Nottsborough could have scored again in the first minute of the half as Ewin and McEwan created an opening that was blocked. In the next 4 minutes the game was effectively settled. On 47 minutes a sweeping Nottsborough move put Alex Ewin  one on one with the final man and the Nottsborough striker buried the ball firmly beyond the keeper’s right hand. With Cooper and Classen starting to burst through from midfield it was only a couple of minutes before Ewin was sliding a ball in front of Dan McEwan who swept the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot on 49 minutes. Nottsborough might have increased their lead on several occasions as the midfield four were now completely on top. Newell almost got through, Cooper had a shot blocked and Classen should have done better when clear on the right. McEwan was then put completely clear but lobbed wide of the left hand upright, whilst the home keeper made a good low stop from Ewin. Centre back Westley would have scored the goal of the game with a curling left foot volley except for the fact that the Norsemen keeper plucked it out of the top right hand corner.

As the game moved into the last 20 minutes Nottsborough were very keen not to allow Norsemen back into the game like they did at Tolworth on the first day of the season. Norsemen were changing their formation and going for broke. Bails had to make two solid saves from a header and a shot, whilst the young winger blasted narrowly wide from distance. Bails then came and punched clear a dangerous corner. Hughes came on for McEwan with 15 to go and almost immediately forced the home keeper into a fantastic save high to his left. Field came on for Newell as Nottsborough started to run down the clock and Apaloo replaced Ewin with only five minutes to go. Although Norsemen were still giving it a good go they could not fashion another chance. The three excellent officials brought the game to a close with little time added.

After an ordinary first 15 minutes this was a very good away performance from Nottsborough who looked tidy at the back, strong in midfield and sharp up front. Skipper Sutcliffe, despite the missing full backs and Dan Ashley, will have problems picking the team for the West Wickham game but in prospect this could be a “cracker for Christmas”.

Bails; Kerr M, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Classen, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, McEwan.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could be either of the front two. Cooper and Classen were very influential as the game wore on but I am giving it to Chris Kerr, who stopped some of the supply to the lively winger and still had time to help start Nottsborough on countless counter-attacks with a whole-hearted performance.

Old Ignatians  2   Nottsborough  1            AFA Senior Trophy                                          Saturday 3rd December 2011

The assistant Manager of the League Rep team was there to watch this one and after 5 minutes he turned to me and said “you are going to have to do well today to get anything out of this game” How right he was, and I am afraid we did not help ourselves. Two poor errors were superbly punished.

The pitch for this one did not fill us with a lot of confidence. It was quite narrow and rather bobbly. This however was not the reason for our defeat, since in all honesty the pitch was good enough. We committed the cardinal sin of trying to play out of defence before we had properly secured the ball. In the first instance a chip from 35 yards was superbly executed after Dan Ashley tried to get a counter-attack going and Matt Kerr could not find his man with a quick pass. For the second goal Ashley was so busy thinking about how he was going to distribute the ball that he dropped it and an Ignatian forward squeezed the ball in from an acute angle.

The first 10 minutes was all Ignatians showing Nottsborough that it was perfectly possible to play neat combination and passes and get behind the Nottsborough defence. Parker and Sutcliffe had to be on their toes to clear a couple of dangerous situations. Ignatians took the lead on 10 minutes. This stung Nottsborough into action and I would say that the remainder of the half was almost 90% Nottsborough. The passing was a little laboured as Ignatians worked very hard as a side to deny space and get behind the ball. Nottsborough had a great chance 10 minutes from half time as a superb through ball put McEwan clear in the box on the left. His right foot shot was firm, on target, but just too close to the keeper who made an excellent reaction save. Moments later Sutcliffe headed wide at a corner when well placed.

Nottsborough got a big talking to at half time and came out and scored straight from the kick off. A smart passing move down the right saw Chris Apaloo get behind the Ignatians defence and his low cross was thumped home at close range by Dan McEwan on 46 minutes. At this point and for the next 10 minutes it looked like Nottsborough would go on and win the game. Dan Ashley had to catch a couple of long range shots but most of the action was in the Ignatians half as Chris Kerr and Ian Cooper started to get on top. Disaster struck when Sutcliffe appeared to shepherd a ball back to Ashley on the left hand edge of the area. Ashley took his eye of the ball and spilled it straight to a forward who still did well to get it into the empty net from a tight angle.

Nottsborough rang the changes with Classen coming on for Apaloo and Westley later replacing McEwan. Nottsborough went for broke with Parker surging down the left flank while the Kerr brothers tried to break through on the right. This all-out attack left gaps and on one occasion it looked as if Ignatians would increase their lead but more normal finishing obviously also exists in the home club. The Classen change almost worked as he drifted past four challenges and his low cross just evaded Ben Hughes in front of goal. Despite all their pressure Nottsborough rarely got more than a corner or a long throw out of the attack with space in the Ignatians defence at a premium with the home side throwing 9 men behind the ball and the away side just not managing to find the decent final ball. It has to be said that Ignatians defended  admirably in the last 15 minutes on a day that just was not going to belong to Nottsborough. Ignatians took their chances and defended for all they were worth. Nottsborough did not play badly, they just did not play well enough on the day to overcome the pitch or their opponents.

Ashley; Kerr M, Parker, Sutcliffe, Newell; Ewin, Kerr C, Cooper, McEwan; Apaloo, Hughes; Subs Classen, Westley

Man of the Match for Nottsborough is not easy because actually a number of players did well. Parker, Sutcliffe and Newell at the back, Cooper and Chris Kerr in midfield, McEwan looked the most likely to score and did so straight after half-time. I am going to give it to the skipper who was not well before the game but still did his leadership duties and had a solid game at the back.

Wandsworth Borough  0    Nottsborough  4                                                                  Saturday 26th November 2011

Much More Like It!

Most of the Nottsborough players found it difficult getting to Richardson Evans Sports Ground on Saturday for this AFA Senior Surrey/Kent Cup match with a 1.30 kick off. In fact two players made it with only 10 minutes to spare and skipper Arren Sutcliffe had the team selection made easy for him by starting with the 11 that took part in a much shortened warm up.

An injured Dan Ashley played the 90 minutes in goal. Matt Kerr started at right back, Richard Parker at centre-back alongside the skipper, with Ross Newell withdrawn to left back. Leading scorer Alex Ewin started at right midfield with Dan McEwan, missing for 3 weeks playing on the left. Chris Kerr partnered Ian Cooper and the midfield was set up to play a passing game. Up front Chris Apaloo returned from the 3’s and partnered Ben Hughes. Absent with injuries were Ben Hickes, Gary Cullinan, Michael Classen, and Jeremy Field. Subs were James Sims and Lee Westley.

Set up to pass the ball Nottsborough did that for 90 minutes with very little let up. Wandsworth Borough did well to keep the score to four and their keeper was definitely man of the match. Chris Kerr and Alex Ewin got hold of the game from the off and for 20 minutes the keeper kept his team in it. Apaloo through on goal saw his goal bound effort deflected by the keepers foot, whilst moments later the keeper went low to his left to palm away a low effort from Hughes. Both Ewin and Cooper had thumping efforts narrowly wide. Finally the breakthrough came when Apaloo had a shot blocked and Ben Hughes, following up, forced the ball home off the foot of one post and just inside the other on 20 minutes. Wandsworth were staying in the game though and looking dangerous when allowed the ball. Uncertainty between Parker and Sutcliffe allowed a momentary chance which was blocked but the only Wandsworth shot at goal in this half came in the 45^th minute. Before that Ben Hughes made it 2-0 to the away side on 37 minutes when he calmly swept a side-footer inside the far post following persistent pressure down the left from McEwan and Newell. 2-0 at half time.

Nottsborough continued to pour forward in the second half playing some superb football in what was their best attacking performance for some time. Wandsworth Borough continued to defend well but something had to give and when Matt Kerr and Alex Ewin opened up the right hand side Ian Cooper was there to volley home at the far post to make it 3-0 on 61 minutes. Both Hughes and Apaloo were doing well for the away side bringing the supporting midfielders into the game. With 25 minutes to go Nottsborough brought on Westley and Sims with Matt Kerr going forward to right midfield and Parker moving to left back with Newell moving forward on his side. Nottsborough, if anything, attacked more with Parker relishing the freedom down the left. The home keeper made a fabulous save from Cooper who had another shot charged down, whilst Ewin tried a cheeky chip. The fourth goal came when Cooper surged forward again and left Ewin with a one on one with the keeper and Alex Ewin found the bottom corner on 78 minutes to complete the scoring. Westley almost produced the goal of the season so far with a thumping volley from the left of the area which narrowly missed the far post whilst a relieved keeper was pleased to thwart Ewin at the near post after Nottsborough rattled the bar. At the other end Wandsworth Borough launched a couple of counter-attacks that might have nicked a consolation goal and Ashley had to go down low to turn away a dangerous cross and then gather a low shot.

This was a very enjoyable game played in a good spirit and it is hard to know why Wandsworth Borough are so low in the table. To me they looked at least the equals of Globe Rangers who Nottsborough played in the AFA Senior two weeks ago. It was good to have the Rep players back for Nottsborough in one piece with 4 players missing and they contributed to perhaps the best attacking performance of the season.

Ashley; Kerr M, Parker, Sutcliffe, Newell; Ewin, Kerr C, Cooper, McEwan; Apaloo, Hughes; Subs Westley and Sims

Man of the Match was the home keeper and I cannot pick out one Nottsborough player as they all played well.

Nottsborough  2    Globe Rangers  0         AFA Senior Trophy                                        Saturday 12th November 2011

The stage was set for this AFA Senior Trophy first round tie. The lawns of Tolworth were in superb, lush condition and slightly slick. The Nottsborough passing and movement was also slick in the first half and Globe Rangers did well to get to half time only two down as the home side passed up several chances to put this game out of reach. The second half started in similar vein, but Nottsborough refused to put this game to bed and in the last 15 minutes Globe Rangers came close to making it a very uncomfortable finale.

For the first time this season Nottsborough skipper Arren Sutcliffe did not have enough choice and Paul Fynes had to be called in from the 3’s at the 11^th hour to make the thirteenth man. Missing for various reasons were Ben Hickes and Gary Cullinan at the back, Matt Kerr and Ian Cooper from midfield, and Dan McEwan from the attack. James Taylor was called up from the 2’s after a series of good performances. You would not have thought there were so many absentees in the first half as Nottsborough played the ball smoothly around the back through Arren Sutcliffe and Lee Westley. This often released James Sims and in particular Rich Parker in lots of space on the flanks. Jeremy Field, Michael Classen and Chris Kerr took control of the midfield and Ross Newell started to find space and cause problems for the Globe Rangers defence. There must have been as many as 10 corners to the home side as the majority of the first half was played deep in Globe Rangers territory. Fair play to the away side they kept Nottsborough at arms length and always managed to get a block in at the last minute. Nottsborough scored in the 24^th minute when Ross Newell brought down an inviting cross and slid it past the big Globe Rangers keeper. Nottsborough stretched their lead in the 29^th minute when Alex Ewin fired the home side into a 2-0 lead. Nottsborough then passed up a whole host of chances as Ewin twice hit the bar and later forced the keeper into a scrambling save. Field and Newell fired over when presented with gilt-edged volleying chances and Globe Rangers went in at half time only 2-0 down.

The second half was a bit of a disappointment as Nottsborough refused to put the game to bed. Ewin had two more great chances and hit the keeper with both. Newell before being substituted flashed a shot wide whilst Hughes was inches away from a Ewin cross. On 55 minutes Nottsborough introduced James Taylor and Paul Fynes for the disappointed pair of Newell and Hughes. Taylor almost immediately got involved and charged down a keepers clearance but could not quite get to the loose ball before a defender. A bit later he beat the keeper at the near post but saw his shot glance off the far post. Twice Nottsborough players shot from narrow angles when other players were better placed and Nottsborough virtually summed up their day when Chris Kerr fired home but had the goal disallowed for offside.

Having not taken advantage Nottsborough paused, and in so doing let Globe Rangers back in the game and Dan Ashley had to make three smart saves in the closing minutes as Globe Rangers showed why they have been scoring plenty of goals in Senior North of the AFC. Ashley slid the ball away from danger with his left foot and then had to go down to grab a low shot by the post, having previously tipped over a smart shot. In the end Globe Rangers could not quite provide the come-back they were after and Nottsborough were able to move into the next round with a 2-0 win. Sutcliffe will be delighted with the result but his side did not quite click in this game which is just as well for Globe Rangers.

Ashley; Sims, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Field, Classen, Newell; Ewin, Hughes; Subs Taylor, Fynes.

On a day of missed chances the best performances came from the players at the back and Richard Parker gets my vote ahead of Dan Ashley.

Nottsborough  2     Polytechnic  2                                                                                  Saturday 5th November 2011

Poly back in form!

Most people would have expected a home win in this one, looking at the league table. I doubt whether Poly have been playing like this all season though. They will be rising up the table if they reproduce this effort and skill level in future games. A 5-1 win at Norseman gave us a clue that Poly were returning to form and they hung on in this game until a point where they were able to turn the tables in the last 15 minutes. Nottsborough produced their third added on time goal in four games to rescue a point when all three points looked likely with only 15 minutes remaining.

Arren Sutcliffe was without Classen, McEwan, and Cullinan with Chris Apaloo taking a break lower down the club. Ben Hughes was on the bench again and was joined by reformed boxer Lee Westley and Paul Fynes. For the first 20 minutes Nottsborough could not get out of first gear and three times Poly got through on Dan Ashley. The first one was dinked wide of the far post and the other two were smothered by the league rep goalkeeper. Poly should have been one up.

Nottsborough suddenly took over and started to play some very compelling football. The passing was very good and Poly were having to do a lot of chasing. Both Parker and Cooper found Newell with raking crossfield passes but the wide man could not keep his feet on the slippery surface and failed to find a good final ball. Jeremy Field, playing against his old team-mates was in the thick of the action and put two headers narrowly over the bar. A goal was coming and another great cross from the right found the head of Alex Ewin on 33 minutes and he generally does not miss these. 1-0 to the home side and this almost became two as a sweeping move saw Cooper move to his left a then thump a low drive narrowly wide of the far post.

For 15 minutes of the second half the Nottsborough passing was on a different level and Sims in particular was showing up well at left back whilst Parker was in dominant form again at centre-back.  Nottsborough made a change with Chris Kerr departing to be replaced by Ben Hughes up front with Field moving into midfield. This move almost paid off as Field lashed a cross in from the right and Hughes was inches away from putting the home side two up.

For some reason the home side stopped passing the ball well, opting for longer passes up to the pacy Hughes. He was not quite able to get away from a determined back four and finally found himself in the book for a frustrated late tackle. The game was definitely getting a bit feisty. Nottsborough took off Hickes who was injured late in the first half with a pretty ordinary challenge that got the Poly player booked. This change may have unbalanced Nottsborough with Westley coming on at centre back and Sims moving to the right with Parker fitting in at left back. Whatever the reason, Poly were upping the workrate and sensing a chance. With 10 minutes to go a long run down the right by the Poly full back was allowed to go all the way to the by-line and a pull back saw a shot thump in off the near post 1-1. Worse was to follow as Nottsborough defended rather poorly on the right. Another cross this time from the left and the ball was bundled home with just minutes remaining.

Nottsborough made their last change bringing on Paul Fynes with about 5 minutes to go. The winger has been looking good in the 3’s but was given little time to shine. One run down the left put Nottsborough on the attack and Ewin almost got enough room to get a shot in. Poly were desperately defending and asking the ref how long. With 3 minutes of added on time played Nottsborough were given another free kick on half way after a poor challenge left Sims in a heap and another booking for the away side. The free kick was taken by Dan Ashley and a good one it was too deep into the Poly area. Ewin got a header forward and this was headed away from the 6 yard line. Ewin returned the header with interest and Matt Kerr on the far post rose above the Poly keeper to dink a very neat header over the keeper and into the net in the 94^th minute. The game kicked off, a couple more passes, and full time was called.

A strange game in many ways this. Poly were on top for the first 20 minutes and the last 15 minutes when they looked a real threat. They had an excellent centre-midfielder who won everything in the air and a very lively 8 who was very good going forward. They will score goals from now on I am sure of it. Nottsborough dominated the middle of the game and showed just why they have got to the top. Their pressing and passing was very good in this period and a second goal would have done the trick. This was not to be and Poly stuck at it and almost got their full reward.

Ashley; Hickes, Parker, Sutcliffe, Sims; Kerr C, Kerr M, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, Field; Subs Hughes, Westley, Fynes.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough was Matt Kerr. Never stopped and neatly snatched the equaliser.

Nottsborough  3    West Wickham  2                                                                                       Saturday 29th October

Tremendous Match

This match had everything! Two penalties, one retaken. Two excellent goals. Two shots against the woodwork, and a winner in added time. Matches between these two sides are always tense and close and this one was no different except that there was a lot of very good football in this one and West Wickham can feel hard done by not to take a point from the match, as they fought back from being two down.

Nottsborough skipper Arren Sutcliffe was bold in his selection for this game, leaving out Ben Hughes who had scored 3 goals in his previous 3 appearances. Jeremy Field was restored up top with Alex Ewin. In midfield Michael Classen was brought in alongside Ian Cooper with Matt Kerr moving to the right side. Ben Hickes came in at right back with James Sims moving to the left back spot, with Gary Cullinan still injured.

In bright sunshine West Wickham started the better with their two strikers looking lively and Sutcliffe and Parker needed to be at their best to hold the middle and concede a number of early corners to the away side. Nottsborough came away from the first 15 minutes unscathed and started to look very dangerous on the break. Ewin just delayed his pass a fraction and Classen was just offside when clean through. Firm strikes from Ian Cooper and Alex Ewin were straight at the keeper. Nottsborough took the lead with the best goal of the season so far. With the sun and breeze at his back Ian Cooper unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards that arrowed into the top left-hand corner on 34 minutes. Nottsborough finished the half better and West Wickham did well to block another Cooper thunderbolt as the home side went in at half time a little fortunate to be 1-0 up.

The first half had produced some decent football with West Wickham pressing earlier on but leaving themselves rather open to the counter-attack. An outstanding finish separated the sides. The second half was just taken to another level. West Wickham got through on the right and Jones thumped a shot against Ashley’s left-hand upright. This warning was heeded by Nottsborough who started to string some passes together at speed. A lovely move ended with an awkward back-pass that left the young West Wickham keeper out of position. Ewin looked certain to score but the keeper pushed him off the ball and a penalty was awarded without hesitation. At this point I think the young keeper was lucky not to be sent off as he was the last defender, he swore twice at the ref, and he rather petulantly moved the ball off the spot. He then made a fantastic save from Ewin’s spot kick diving far to his right to fist the ball away. Suddenly we noticed that the linesman’s flag was across his chest indicating another penalty and it seemed that the keeper had been off his line when the penalty was taken. Alex Ewin thumped the re-take past the keeper on 58 minutes to make it 2-0 to the home side. A score they are not always happy with.

This reverse stirred up the whole West Wickham side and suddenly they were pouring forward. Both Freeman and Rose started to see a lot of the ball out wide and West Wickham started to make changes. A lose elbow ended Hickes’s participation in what had been a very good comeback. I must stress here that this was merely accidental. Chris Kerr came on at right mid with Matt Kerr moving to right back. West Wickham looked a different team and they were almost immediately handed back a way into the game when Sims rose for a header in his own box with a raised arm and the ref ruled that the arm had made contact with the ball. A very competent penalty and it was 2-1 on 65 minutes. Both teams were playing very good football at this point with Nottsborough playing some of the sharpest football they have played so far. West Wickham stayed in the game with hard work and great resolve. They then produced a great counter-attack and their left winger went around Kerr and flashed a cross-shot in off the far post to put them on level terms with 10 minutes to go. By now Nottsborough had brought on Dan McEwan for Ross Newell and Ben Hughes for the hard-working Field.

Nottsborough upped their work rate another notch and with the Kerr’s linking well on the right began to press again. On the left McEwan made two interceptions and his pace caused concern in the Wickham defence. With only a minute or two remaining Alex Ewin decided to take matters into his own hands and a thumping shot from distance followed a smart dribble. The ball appeared to be flying for the top corner but swerved slightly at the last moment to hit the inside of the post just below the angle and still seemed to be going in when it bounced just in front of the other post and away to safety. In added time Nottsborough pressed again with McEwan getting a cross in that was too deep. Cooper wide on the right retrieved the ball and crossed in left footed. Hughes got a header goalwards which was blocked, and Freeman in attempting to clear the ball could only blast the ball against a desperately stretching Alex Ewin and the ball flew off Ewin’s chest into the empty net for a winner in the 94^th minute. Controversy arose here as well as the West Wickham supporters were adamant that Cooper had controlled the ball with his hand. Both the linesman, who was very close by, and the ref did not see any offence and the goal stood. With only a minute left Nottsborough kept their goal intact and were delighted to take the three points in what may well be a very important result.

This was quite the most exciting game I have seen for a long while. West Wickham can feel hard done by as they did enough in this game to deserve a point. Whilst Nottsborough played perhaps the neater football, the away side always looked a threat and may well regret not taking the game to Nottsborough like they did after going 2-0 down. Nottsborough put some daylight between themselves and West Wickham with this result. It has been a good month for Nottsborough with wins away at Winchmore Hill and Old Salesians as well as the draw at EBOG. 10 points from those 4 games keeps them top of the SAL Senior.

Ashley; Hickes, Parker, Sutcliffe, Sims; Kerr M, Classen, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, Field; Subs. Kerr C, McEwan, Hughes.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could have been either centre-back, Cooper for his great goal and cross for the winner, Field for working very hard indeed, but my vote goes to Alex Ewin for re-taking and scoring his penalty, a great shot against the post, and then the winner.

EBOG  2   Nottsborough  2                                                                                                     Saturday 22nd October

Nottsborough lose their discipline

Trips to EBOG in the past have been matters of concern as the home side can play with passion and great self-belief. This was a turn back of the clock as a confident Nottsborough team 2-0 ahead allowed things to get to them and eventually EBOG started to show some of those old qualities again.

Skipper Arren Sutcliffe chose to start with Alex Ewin and Ben Hughes up front. This looked like a very good decision as on 5 minutes Ben Hughes gave Nottsborough an early lead.  Alex Ewin broke through on the right and his low cross found Hughes whose second touch put the ball in the back of the net. Nottsborough were passing and moving well and it looked like the league leaders were going to have a good afternoon. When Field and Ewin combined on the left a cross to the back post saw Hughes driving his effort into the ground and the EBOG keeper did well to tip the ball onto the face of the bar and away to safety.

EBOG were finding room on the left as the half progressed and the ref started to award the home team a succession of free kicks. The sharpness of the home play was also winning a number of corners as the home team took over. All the in-swingers however failed to produce any real chances and Dan Ashley was able to make two fairly regulation saves. Somewhat against the run of play Nottsborough extended their lead when the persistence of Ian Cooper got him through on goal and although a defender got a last-ditch tackle in this only rebounded off the Nottsborough player’s shins and past the home keeper on 39 minutes to put the leaders 2-0 up.

A minute before half time came the turning point of this game. Ben Hughes beat the offside trap and raced into the EBOG area. An EBOG defender got in a sliding tackle that made no contact with the ball but appeared to clip Hughes who went straight to the floor. The Nottsborough players all stopped expecting a penalty which strangely never came. As their appeals turned to frustration EBOG swept the ball downfield where Laney beat his man and found the bottom corner on 45 minutes. Instead of 3-0 up Nottsborough went in only 2-1 up and with some spectators and several players questioning the ref as to why a player would go to ground when clear through on goal with only the keeper to beat.

The second half was a real comeback from EBOG as they took the game to Nottsborough and fully deserved their equaliser. The Nottsborough Coach will need to speak to his players about their discipline as they allowed the EBOG players and the referee get to them. Although EBOG were pressing and starting to look threatening Ashley had not really had to make a decisive save. The ball appeared to go out on the left and was kept in play as Nottsborough switched it to the far side. Even though they were in possession left back Ross Newell felt it appropriate to question the ref about the ball being out of play. Cue another free kick to the home side, an excellent in-swinger and the ball bundled past Ashley on his near post to make it 2-2. EBOG were now playing with a real passion and there only looked like one winner from here on as Nottsborough could rarely get out of their half despite bringing on all three subs around the hour. McEwan replaced Field, Classen replaced C Kerr and Hickes came on for Sims. None of these changes affected the flow of play.

EBOG’s enthusiasm led to one or two rash challenges from behind but the ref did finally decide to step in when the EBOG left back left the ground with his studs showing to fell Hickes. A mini-brawl ensued at this point and the anger in the Nottsborough players was not really assuaged by a yellow card for the offending player. This anger worked in Nottsborough’s favour as finally the players started to react to the play on the pitch and not the officials. Richard Parker was outstanding in the last 20 minutes as he stemmed EBOG pacy attacks and launched several long free kicks into the EBOG area where Nottsborough failed to get in any real challenges and both teams were happy to settle for the draw in the end.

This was probably Nottsborough’s worst performance of the season so far. Former Nottsborough sides might have lost this one but Sutcliffe’s team held on for a point. Coming off the back of 4 terrific wins against Parkonians, West Wickham, and away at Winchmore and Old Salesians, Nottsborough cannot complain about 10 points from the last 4 games. In fact they would have taken that if it had been offered. Next week is another week and guess what? We are playing West Wickham again. Meeting number 16 in the last 4 and a bit seasons. As always I expect it will be a close game.

Ashley; Sims, Parker, Sutcliffe, Newell; Kerr C, Kerr M, Cooper, Field; Ewin, Hughes; Subs Hickes, McEwan, Classen

Man of the Match for Nottsborough Richard Parker.

Old Salesians  0    Nottsborough  1                                                                               Saturday 15th October 2011

Last Gasp Winner

A winner in the 94^th minute may prove to be very important come the end of the season, as Nottsborough lasted this hotly-contested game marginally the better. It was a very good ending to a game that started very poorly for the champions, who were out-played by Old Salesians for the first 30 minutes. The pitch at Old School Lane has rarely looked better as the sun beat down yet again. The pitch was fully grassed and made for a very open game that had the players struggling in the warm sun as the second half unfolded.

Nottsborough were without Gary Cullinan and Dan McEwan. Ben Hickes was continuing his comeback in the 2’s. Skipper Arren Sutcliffe realised that he had more pressing problems when he arrived at Old School Lane. Ross Newell was going to be late having been at a work function, whilst centre-back Lee Westley pulled up in the warm up complaining of sore ribs. Nottsborough started with Westley and an untried 4-3-3 formation with Chris Kerr playing up-front alongside Field and Ewin. Two midfielders up front. This formation was found out very early on by a highly-motivated home side driven on by Rep players James Ayres and Sean Gavin and it was virtually one-way traffic for the first 30 minutes. Nottsborough could easily have been two down as Ashley made a fantastic save to his right – those pre-match warm ups certainly seem to work! Minutes later a superb Salesians move put rep striker Nick Haynes into a great position behind the Nottsborough defence and his thumping shot smashed against the inside of the post and bounced away to safety across the goalmouth. After 25 minutes coach Brian Williams put Lee Westley out of his misery and sent on Ross Newell to left back with Richard Parker moving to centre-back. There was also a change in midfield with Chris Kerr being pulled back into his normal position on the right and Nottsborough reverting to 4-4-2. Slowly they started to claw a way back into the game but Salesians still looked the most likely to open the scoring. Somehow Nottsborough got to half-time and re-grouped with the score 0-0.

One of the reasons Nottsborough have a good record in the SAL Senior is their ability to find a way of winning games in which they may have struggled at some point. This was a good example at a ground where they have had very little reward having last won there in February 2008. In fact that is the last time that Nottsborough beat Old Salesians in 90 minutes of football. Old Salesians started the second half well and their long-throw expert was causing a few butterflies in the away defence but skipper Arren Sutcliffe was having an excellent game and Rich Parker was not far behind. In front of them Matt Kerr and Ian Cooper were starting to get a foothold in midfield. Half way through the half without much goalmouth action Nottsborough made their second change bringing Ben Hughes on up front and moving Field back to left midfield instead of Classen who had a rather subdued game. Nottsborough were starting to get on top but the introduction of Hughes almost was an instant success as a lovely long ball released the Nottsborough striker and he rushed into the Salesians box to smack a shot against the top of the near post and right across the face of the goal. Some of the players were struggling to keep up with the pace of this game as it really opened out, however the oldest player Chris Kerr was working his socks off and this typified the Nottsborough comeback in the second half. Newell and Sims were doing well for Nottsborough at full back whilst the Nottsborough midfield started to get some supremacy. When a Salesians defender presented Alex Ewin with a free run on the Salesians goal one would have expected Nottsborough’s goal-a-game striker to put the away team ahead. Disappointingly he fired straight at Hodges who made a good block. Nottsborough made one final change with 15 minutes to go replacing Ewin with Chris Apaloo. A first time volleyed cross by Field had the home defence panicking and suddenly it was Nottsborough who were forcing corners and free kicks as the game moved towards a dramatic conclusion. In added time Nottsborough forced a corner on the left which Matt Kerr raced to take. His corner was delivered into the middle of the box where Cooper got a side-footed volley goalwards and Ben Hughes hooked the ball past Hodges in the 94^th minute. There was only time for Salesians to kick off before Ref Gangadeen, who had a good game, ended proceedings.

Nottsborough stay top after this win but Salesians are going to be a real threat if they can re-produce the form of the first half. This is the quickest game I have seen this season and Nottsborough will view this as a great result, coming out of adversity to snatch the points in dramatic style.

Ashley; Sims, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Classen, Kerr M, Cooper; Kerr C, Ewin, Field; Subs. Newell, Hughes, Apaloo.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough had a number of candidates for the way they defended but my pick is Arren Sutcliffe who was simply outstanding.

Winchmore Hill  0    Nottsborough  2                                                                                Saturday 8th October 2011

Heading to the Top

With several clubs involved in Old Boys Cup matches Nottsborough were able to regain top place in the SAL Senior Division 1 with two headed goals in a five minute period in the second half. Games are usually pretty tight at Winchmore and the last three games there have resulted in a win for each side and a draw. Nottsborough are re-building their team this season and this was a big step forwards.

Coach and manager Andy Russell always produces solid sides that play good football at Winchmore Hill. He also has a habit of producing good young players off the Winchmore Academy production line and in young Andy Taylor I believe he has found a bit of a gem. Taylor was involved in most of what was positive about Winchmore on Saturday.

Arren Sutcliffe has a bit of a problem at Nottsborough at the moment – who to leave out! Dan McEwan and Ben Hughes failed to recover from injury, but former skipper Matt Kerr was fit enough to make the bench, along with Rep player Gary Cullinan. Sutcliffe started with the side that finished the game the previous week, with Jeremy Field in the slightly unaccustomed position up front with striker Chris Apaloo back on the bench. There was no place for fit again Ben Hickes. Having a strong 14 to take to Winchmore is always an important factor as changes can be made that effect the game and this was the case in this game.

Nottsborough started brightly on a good playing surface, made slick by the drizzle that fell for most of the first half. Although largely on top for the first 20 minutes they were held at bay by a competent Winchmore back line as Field found his feet in his new position. All Nottsborough had to show for their possession was a flick header by Alex Ewin that flashed wide of the far post.

The first half was a bit like a heavyweight boxing contest. The big Nottsborough side kept coming forward with neat combinations without really hurting Winchmore. Increasingly Winchmore started to counter and looked to be finding gaps in their opponents defence. A slip by Sutcliffe let in a Winchmore player and a thumping shot against the post gave Nottsborough a quick dose of smelling salts. An interesting half but ultimately no goals.

Whatever was said in the Nottsborough dressing room at half time had an effect. Their defence was a lot tighter and increasingly they were starting to hurt Winchmore. James Sims up from right back floated a shot over Carter and the home custodian was relieved to see the shot come off the crossbar. Ewin seemed to have a great chance to force home the rebound but the ball was too low to head and a bit too out of reach to volley and somehow Carter blocked the effort. Field was warming to his task and was only just offside on the right. However the first goal came from the left as Newell skipped past a challenge and produced the best cross so far of the game. Deep to the back post, beyond Carter and the covering defender, and right on the forehead of Jeremy Field who gave Nottsborough the lead on 61 minutes.

Winchmore were making changes and so Nottsborough replaced one Kerr with another. A nice move on the left saw Field cut back on his right foot. His cross was now the best cross of the game deep to the back post and Matt Kerr with his first touch headed the ball back past Carter and into the far corner on 65 minutes. What a substitution! Within 5 minutes Nottsborough had taken control of the game. With 20 minutes to go further changes were made and Chris Apaloo came on for Field whose hamstrings were starting to tighten. Winchmore for the first time in the game were starting to take the match to Nottsborough but in so doing were leaving gaps. Firstly Apaloo got through on the right but delayed his shot for too long, but moments later he set up Ewin whose shot was high and wide from a good position. At the other end Winchmore were starting to win all sorts of corners and free kicks. Dan Ashley pulled off a brilliant save to deny Barrell who turned smartly and got a shot away that was heading for the top corner. Despite plenty of possession for Winchmore in the last 15 minutes or so they could not really fashion another clear chance as Nottsborough worked very hard as a team to keep Winchmore at arms length. The last change saw Gary Cullinan come on to keep an eye on the dangerous Winchmore substitute who had swapped to the right.

A good, strong performance then from Nottsborough with Cooper and Classen winning the battle in midfield despite the endeavour of young Taylor and the experienced Davison. In the second half Nottsborough became more compact and the workrate from front to back was the difference between the two teams.

Ashley; Sims, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Classen, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, Field; Subs Apaloo, Kerr M, Cullinan.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could have been Sutcliffe who won a lot of headers, Parker who is settling to the left back role, Field who scored one and made one, but my vote goes to Ian Cooper for a non-stop 90 minute performance.

Nottsborough 3   West Wickham 1    Surrey/Kent AFA Senior Cup Round 1                         Saturday 1st October 2011

Record Temperature for October

On a day when Gravesend recorded a temperature of 29.9 degrees centigrade, a record for the UK in October, the digital clock on the new pavilion at Tolworth read 29 degrees for most of this game. How the players kept going to the end I do not know. I do know that the spectators really enjoyed the warmth. The players of West Wickham and Nottsborough put on a good game considering, and the result was in doubt until the 89^th minute. These two sides have met 15 times in the last 4 seasons and a bit. A draw against each other later on in the AFA Senior is also possible. Despite the familiarity both sides went for the win. Nottsborough had to overcome two early injuries, whilst West Wickham were able to bring on three fresh substitutes with 20 minutes to go.

West Wickham had Neil Currie missing injured, whilst James Gibson made a comeback in the 3’s. Neither of the Waite boys were on show. For Nottsborough both full backs Ben Hickes and Gary Cullinan were injured, and Chris Apaloo was at a wedding. This gave a first start of the season for Ben Hughes and he gave Nottsborough an early lead on 10 minutes. An under-weighted back pass allowed Alex Ewin to get to the ball first but the Wickham keeper made a good block. However the ball fell to Ben Hughes and from 15 yards he made no mistake, planting the ball in the left-hand corner.

Nottsborough were playing some very neat possession football. Very useful in the boiler-room heat! Unfortunately for the home side both Matt Kerr and Ben Hughes had to be replaced half way through the half with injuries. West Wickham started to get into the game at this point but largely failed to fashion a decent chance apart from a low skimming cross-shot that had Ashley scrambling and making a good one-handed save. There were signs towards the end of the half down their right that Wickham could create more openings, and this was confirmed on several occasions in the second half. Nottsborough got the second goal their superiority merited when Ian Cooper, who had an outstanding first 45 minutes, smashed home a shot from a very narrow angle on the right after a good move down the left produced a cross beyond the far post. 2-0 to Nottsborough at half time.

The second half, as is often the case, was a different story. The always admirable Freeman started to find freedom on the right and Cornwall started to make a real impression. With Askew linking nicely with Cornwall West Wickham were right back in the game. On 65 minutes they got the goal that their improvement merited. Once again Freeman made ground on the right, a very inviting cross was curled into the area by the right winger and Ashley was just beaten to the ball by a Wickham forward who found the net from a narrow angle despite the desperate attempts of Sutcliffe to keep the ball out. Several more dangerous moves followed down the right but on each occasion either Ashley caught the ball confidently, or Westley and Sutcliffe were in the right place to clear the danger.

Nottsborough decided that defence was the best form of defence. Cooper was cruelly brought down when almost through straight down the middle. With the clock starting to run down Sims and Chris Kerr were starting to link well down the right, whilst Parker and Newell were looking dangerous on the left. Nottsborough failed to make the Wickham keeper work whilst looking into a strong low sun, but in the end the keeper made an error that settled the tie. Under strong pressure from Field the Wickham keeper refused to take the easy option and just clear the ball into touch. The keeper lost possession on the edge of his area right near the corner flag. Alex Ewin latched onto the loose ball, raced towards goal, and from a narrow angle side-footed the ball past Simmons on the line for the winning goal on 89 minutes.

An excellent open game considering the conditions, well controlled by Gareth Dineen who really could have done with two assistants on such a hot day. The poor man was like a beetroot at the end! West Wickham rather shot themselves in the foot with two poorly conceded goals. Nottsborough played well in the first half and West Wickham fought back to make a real game of it until those final moments. As West Wickham are often Nottsborough’s nemesis in this competition, the home side will be relieved to have got through this one.

Ashley; Sims, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; McEwan, Kerr M, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, Hughes; Subs Kerr C, Classen, Field

Man of the Match for Nottsborough could easily have been Ian Cooper who had a big impact in the first half but my vote goes to James Sims for getting pretty much every challenge and pass right.

Old Parkonians  1     Nottsborough  3                                                                         Saturday 24th September 2011

Marathon Man wins it!

Nottsborough travelled to Old Parkonians very mindful that the Senior Division One new boys had beaten Old Owens on the opening day of the season. Parkonians won promotion off the back of a very attractive way of playing and the prospects for this game were good on what is normally a large pitch at Redbridge Sports Centre. The appetite was diluted a little bit to find that there was a very ordinary game of cricket occupying centre stage, on the 24^th September for heavens sake! The match was placed on Pitch 2, plenty big enough but with a hard bouncy surface. Both teams showed during the next 90 minutes that good football is possible on this surface.

Nottsborough had plenty of players missing from last season’s Championship winning squad. Nathan Violet, Nottsborough’s playmaker for the last 8 seasons, has retired and Nottsborough’s goal a game centre forward Alex Ewin was not available. Both full backs in Ben Hickes and Gary Cullinan were out as was new centre-back Lee Westley. Into the defence came James Sims and John Grant, on his debut promoted from the 2’s. Dan McEwan was restored up top, despite having to do a half-marathon on Sunday morning and there were places on the bench for Michael Classens, recovered from injury, Jeremy Field, and Ben Hughes promoted from the 2’s.

Old Parkonians started in their usual style with all their play being linked by their deep-lying playmaker. However they had met their match in Nottsborough during the first 20 minutes as Nottsborough patiently played their way around the back. Nottsborough were winning vital balls inside the Parkonians half and Nottsborough took the lead early on when they won a throw near the right corner flag. A Sims long throw was flicked on by Cooper at the near post and Dan McEwan controlled the ball with one touch and on the turn smashed the ball into the top corner from 8 yards out on 7 minutes. Parkonians were not going to be dissuaded from their style of playing but they were looking fragile under pressure at the back. The next goal however came from the half way line when Newell won a challenge just inside the home half and raced on alone into the penalty area. His cross shot was deflected past the home keeper and Ross Newell had given Nottsborough a 2-0 lead on 22 minutes.

Old Parkonians are not for giving up and they came right back into the game. Their centre forward had a good chance after breaking through but hit the ball tamely at Ashley in the Nottsborough goal. Parker then gave away two silly free kicks. The first hit the wall but the second thumped against a post and was a warning to Nottsborough. In a lovely passage of passing Nottsborough released Richard Parker clean through on the left and into the area. With the goal at his mercy the final shot was wastefully high. 2-0 to Nottsborough at half time with the home side coming more and more into the game.

Despite losing their playmaker Old Parkonians continued to take the game to Nottsborough without really threatening a score. The Parkonians defence looked a little vulnerable all half to Nottsborough on the break, and McEwan was causing them a lot of concern by dropping off the tireless target-man Chris Apaloo. Apaloo for the third time in 3 weeks was taken out off the ball, but a penalty was then awarded to Parkonians which really got them back in the game. A Parkonians corner was met by a home header which was going out harmlessly for a goal kick. Grant challenged a centre back who had come up for the corner. They bumped in mid-air with Grants’s chest making contact with the Parkonian man’s shoulder. The ref deemed this a penalty and this was thumped to Ashley’s right to make the score 2-1. Parkonians were now playing with belief rather than precision and they created another great chance 5 minutes later but this was blasted high and wide.

Nottsborough were making changes. With 30 minutes to go Classen replaced Matt Kerr. With 25 minutes to go Field came on for Chris Kerr and with 20 minutes to go Hughes came on for Newell with McEwan dropping back into midfield. Nottsborough responded to the scare by taking the game to Parkonians, and having 3 subs who can contribute and make a difference was key here. Hughes was proving a handful with his pace. Classen got through on goal but failed to deliver the finish that the individual run deserved, but when Hughes broke through and was felled from behind another penalty was awarded. A yellow card was produced but Dan McEwan applied the real penalty with a firmly struck shot that gave the home keeper no chance on 82 minutes.

Well done to the SAL League for getting three officials to this game. It really does make a difference. Old Parkonians will pick up plenty of points this season if they continue to play their passing football. Nottsborough, despite being without a few players, continue to do what Nottsborough do and that is pick up league points. Ewin and Violet contributed two thirds of the goals scored last season but even without them they appear to have some fire-power. There is competition for places and at Nottsborough players will get their chance. Today Grant and Hughes chose to show why they had been called in. The 2’s still won 5-0 at Winchmore and there are others wanting to step up. Next week it is Cup action for the first time this season and West Wickham, who have made a good start, will be the visitors to the lawns of Tolworth.

Ashley; Sims, Grant, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr C, Kerr M, Cooper, Newell; Apaloo, McEwan; Subs Classen, Field, Hughes.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough is a hard choice. Sims did well at right back, Sutcliffe was almost back to his best. Cooper was outstanding in the first half and Newell was tidy all the way through. All 3 subs made a difference but my vote goes to Dan McEwan who elected to play despite knowing he had to run in a charity half-marathon on Sunday morning. He was rewarded with 2 goals and he was a constant nuisance to the home team.

Nottsborough  6    EBOG  3                                                                                         Saturday 17th September 2011

Keystone Kops Football

The lawns of Tolworth were open to the public again, although strangely a sign had been placed on the main pitch warning everyone to keep off. Apparently that was only for the warm up, which seemed a bit odd since the pitch was firm, dry, and fully grassed. It was however immaculate, so perhaps the groundsman just wanted it to look that way for a bit longer.

The game had only just kicked off in front of the spanking new pavilion when the heavens opened and the rain poured down. In the times of “Silent Movies” Harold Lloyd and the Keystone Kops were hugely popular, along with comedy acts like Laurel and Hardy. The first 45 minutes here was like a Silent Movies production. Dan Ashley in goal took the role of Harold Lloyd, whilst the Nottsborough midfield and defence took on the role of Keystone Kops. On the other hand up front Laurel and Hardy were having a great time. As the rain tumbled down, the Keysone Kops rushed from place to place often arriving en masse to find their quarry had escaped. There were collisions, mishaps, mistakes, scratching of heads. The Producer of this Nottsborough production just did not know what was going to happen next. Ashley in the Nottsborough goal was advancing and retreating, looking completely bemused, like our hero Harold Lloyd. At the other end of the set Laurel and Hardy were playing their roles superbly and the EBOG defence was also struggling to cope. Within 3 minutes Chris Apaloo had given Nottsborough the lead cutting inside the last man and thumping a shot into the keepers right hand corner. It seemed that comedy was about to triumph over pathos. Not a bit of it.

The next 15 minutes were comical but the Producer was not amused. Uncertainty reigned in the Nottsborough defence and EBOG flowed forward doing things simply and well. The Keystone Kops played their roles to perfection always arriving late, giving EBOG lots of room, failing to get their man, and making calamitous errors. As the ball bounced between the penalty box and the six yard line either centre back could have dealt with it. Ashley decided to come and sort things out. Somehow he got under the ball, could not catch it and our bemused hero watched as a delighted and surprised EBOG forward rolled the ball into an empty net. Worse was to follow as a deep cross found Ashley dropping a very wet ball, appealing like fury that the EBOG player then controlled it with his hand, and then looking crestfallen as EBOG, who could not believe their luck, were 2-1 ahead on 15 minutes.

With tempers starting to fray it was a good job that Laurel and Hardy were having fun. The EBOG defence was not a lot better than the Nottsborough one and more goals were coming. Field and Cooper in midfield were getting forward at will and Nottsborough were playing some decent football with Parker, in a new left back position, and Newell in the Violet role, doing well on the left. Nottsborough equalised on 25 minutes when a thumping shot came back off the post and Alex Ewin was on hand to tap the ball home. Apaloo was now through on goal but an EBOG defender got back to make a great challenge. Newell was fouled on the left, Parker drove across a terrific free kick, and Lee Westley scored the goal of the game on 33 minutes with a thumping header from 15 yards out giving the keeper no chance. 3-2 to Nottsborough and hopefully sanity restored.

If only it were so. Cameras got completely out of focus. There were arguments breaking out on the field and even the director started to lose the plot. EBOG were working well on the right and a firmly driven cross again caused confusion and the ref spotted a push, or a tug, on an EBOG player and a penalty resulted in an equaliser. A good spot by the referee Phil Cook. With 2 minutes to go to half-time Mr Cook failed to give Nottsborough a penalty when, for the second week in a row, Chris Apaloo was hauled down by what was in effect a rugby tackle when clean through. This should also have been a penalty and I am sorry to say it but also a sending off. Nothing was given. After the game The Director was man enough to come to The Producer and apologise. Fair enough. Half time 3-3.

Whatever was said at half time by the Producer must remain a secret. Suffice it to say that it appeared that a completely different cast were employed for the second half. Nottsborough were in control from the kick off and it was not long before Chris Apaloo skipped away down the right, skimmed in a killer low cross and a defender could only slice it into his own net on 51 minutes. 4-3 to the home side. Changes were made. Chris Kerr came on for Jeremy Field, with brother Matt Kerr moving into the middle. Chris Apaloo was very unlucky to be taken off with Dan McEwan going up top. EBOG seemed to have completely blown themselves up and Nottsborough were having all the ball with both Kerr’s getting control of the game. When James Sims came on for Ben Hickes, Nottsborough looked as if they could run riot with Ewin popping up everywhere in that laconic style, keeping the ball. Dan McEwan made it 5 when he just got to a through ball before the keeper and toe-poked home on 70 minutes. McEwan could have gone on to get a hat-trick against his old school mates as he looped a shot against the bar and then missed a decent chance. James Sims, who was having a lot of success down the right, then got on the end of an Ewin cross, and bundled the ball home on the near post on 79 minutes. 6-3 game over.

Ashley had little to do in the second half but can point to a point-blank save early in the half as normality restored. Our hero came out on top in the end. The Keystone Kops were banished at half time and some proper policemen patrolled the lot for the second half. Westley and Sutcliffe defended calmly and passed it well. Parker kept the EBOG danger-man Laney quiet, although the EBOG player was carrying an injury and only came on for the last 30. In midfield sanity reigned as the passing game was restored and Nottsborough looked first to keep the ball before looking for which place to rush off to. It has been an interesting start to the season. The worry in the post-Violet world has been where were the goals going to come from. Eight goals, three woodwork strikes, and a nailed-on penalty denied, all in two games, indicate that this is not the real problem.

Ashley; Hickes, Westley, Sutcliffe, Parker; Kerr M, Field, Cooper, Newell; Ewin, Apaloo; Subs Sims, Kerr C, McEwan.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough a close-run thing between Ewin, Apaloo, Kerr M and Parker. My vote goes to Richard Parker for a solid shift in a new position.

 

Norsemen 2   Nottsborough 2                                                                                      Saturday 10th September 2011

Norsemen Fight Back

If all the games are going to be like this one, we are in for an interesting season. Playing the best football I have seen from a Nottsborough team for a long while the home team raced into a 2-0 lead after smashing a shot against the underside of the bar. A sending off completely changed the game and a very contentious decision brought the away team back into the match.

Skipper Arren Sutcliffe named a squad of 15 for this match because there were a number of injury concerns. In the end Sutcliffe was able to declare himself fit but Westley and Cullinan could not play and Classen was number 14 but only in the event of 3 injuries. Dan McEwan recovered from a sprained wrist to take a place on the bench alongside James Sims. In the end a quite different team from the one that played the SAL Rep side took the field. Taking the field by the way involved a walk of about half a mile because the last cricket match was taking place and the only piches available were training pitches. These though are as good as most grounds. I thought we were due to get 2 linesmen but either they did not appear or there were not sufficient officials available. The standard of SAL football has probably never been higher and the league must get those extra officials. In came Ian Cooper, Alex Ewin, Ben Hickes, and Dan Ashley.

Nottsborough started this game in a similar fashion to the SAL Rep team on Wednesday. The ball was being passed around the back and the interlinking with midfield was leaving the Norsemen team chasing the ball. It was not long before Coopers persistence allowed him to work a shooting position and smash a shot against the underside of the away teams crossbar. This was cleared away but Nottsborough were pressing and on 15 minutes they won themselves a penalty when Chris Apaloo was brought down from behind and Alex Ewin calmly slotted the spot kick into the corner of the net. Another goal looked likely as Field, Cooper and Matt Kerr got on top in midfield. When Ewin managed to work some room outside the area his neat through ball found Cooper straight through on the keeper and Ian Cooper poked the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0 on 30 minutes. At this point the away keeper completely lost the plot and got himself sent off. Strangely this sending off changed the game. The replacement of the keeper took quite a while and when the game eventually kicked off again Nottsborough never attained the same intensity. Half time came with Nottsborough full value for a 2-0 lead.

In the second half Nottsborough took their collective foot off the gas. 3 hard games in 8 days were starting to take its toll. However there was still time for Ewin to work his way past the last man. His left footer beat the keeper but struck the base of the left hand post. This was the last time that Nottsborough threatened the stand-in keeper apart from the last 5 minutes. Growing in confidence Norsemen started to take the game to Nottsborough and win several throw-ins and corners. Their own version of Rory Delap was hurling balls into the Nottsborough goalmouth aided by a stiff breeze across the pitch. Nottsborough were still dealing with them quite well until with 20 minutes to go the turning point arrived. The Norsemen player threw the ball into the back of the net from about 35 yards out from the corner flag. Dan Ashley, the home keeper protested that he did not touch the ball, asserting that he had been fouled in any case. The ref Derrick Coe thought that Ashley did get a touch on the ball and that he did not see a foul. A Norsemen player said he was sure the keeper touched it but there was a doubt because of a potential foul. In the end the goal stood and Norsemen were back in the game.

From this point Norsemen won every header and every challenge and they worked more threatening positions. Finally however it was a break-away that captured the equaliser as the Norsemen centre forward, who had an increasingly good game, was left one-on-one with Sutcliffe, managing to turn inside him and curl a delightful shot over Ashley and into the net with 7 minutes to go. Things looked awkward for Nottsborough but Norsemen seemed to settle for this or Nottsborough stepped up a gear. Two half chances arrived for Nottsborough with McEwan looking lively on the right. Unfortunately no clean strike ensued and the game ended 2-2.

Norsemen will pick up more points because they have a very positive spirit, they are very competitive, and they have a huge weapon in the long throw. Nottsborough will pick up more points, with fitness improving all the time. The first 30 minutes was very good and there should be more to come.

Ashley; Hickes, Parker, Sutcliffe, Newell; Kerr M, Field, Cooper, Kerr C; Ewin, Apaloo; Subs Sims & McEwan.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough Ian Cooper who competed, hit the bar and scored the second goal.

Nottsborough 2   Old Owens 1                Greenland Cup Final                                         Saturday 3rd September 2011

In the annual pre-season warm up tournament Nottsborough finally found a way of winning a Cup Final. With an excellent record in the league Nottsborough have struggled to make the most of their Cup Final opportunities in recent seasons. In a small way this was a good effort because the pitch was less than ideal and Old Owens were very good opponents who are going to be successful this season if they keep the same squad of players.

Both teams had players missing. Manny’s stag do probably contributed to a couple of absentees on the Old Owens side and they only came with 12. Nottsborough were able to leave out Alex Ewin, after his honeymoon, and there was no Violet or Cooper. There was however room for debutant Jeremy Field who replaced an injured Chris Kerr. Field it was, defying the very uneven surface provided by Goals, Nat West, Fitness First in Beckenham, who gave Nottsborough the lead halfway through the first half. Breaking through to the right of goal Jeremy Field fired a super shot across Sullivan and into the far top corner from the edge of the area on 24 minutes.

The game started in a very frantic fashion and the bobbly surface made life very difficult for every player. Old Owens, in their usual way, were trying to get the ball down and pass their way forward. Nottsborough were having to work very hard to keep them at bay but Westley and Sutcliffe at centre-back for Nottsborough dealt with everything very well. I don’t think Nottsborough realised what an advantage they had with the strong breeze straight down the pitch. The wind was strong enough for Ashley, in the Nottsborough goal, to find Sullivan in the Old Owens goal with a strong kick from hands on what was a long if somewhat narrow pitch. The Field goal got Nottsborough buzzing, with McEwan and Apaloo proving a handful up front. Nottsborough increased their lead when a good move on the right involving Hickes and Classen put Matt Kerr clear on the right and his deep cross was volleyed home superbly by Chris Apaloo on 32 minutes.

The second half was a different story in what was a classic game of two halves. Old Owens re-arranged their line up and took the game to Nottsborough. Coach Brian Williams made three early changes for Nottsborough introducing James Sims for Hickes, James Taylor for Cullinan, and Richard Parker for Arren Sutcliffe. In effect this meant three changes at the back for Nottsborough and this may have un-settled them. In reality though it was more a case of the advantage of the breeze and the fact that Owens just looked sharper in the second half. Dan Ashley had to make 2 excellent saves when confronted with one on one situations as the Nottsborough defence got caught square. A superb clearance by Cullinan, just before he was substituted, saved a certain goal. Old Owens were looking odds on to score at this point and they did on 67 minutes when a very neat move down the right resulted in a thumping header which left Ashley with no chance.

Nottsborough were really struggling at this point and Old Owens looked very likely to force an equaliser. Ashley again came to the rescue whilst a long-range shot narrowly cleared the bar. Nottsborough were grateful to Parker, Westley and Kerr for getting their heads to dangerous corners as Owens piled on the pressure. Finally Nottsborough were able to get hold of the ball. Apaloo and Taylor started to hold the ball up and Nottsborough managed to take the heat out of the final 10 minutes with Sims, Kerr, Classen and Field managing to pass their way down the relatively flat flanks and win a couple of corners.

Considering the conditions this was an excellent game involving two good sides. Both tried to play football. With players to come in, and flatter surfaces to play on, both sides should be well worth watching in what will probably be a very open SAL league this season. Now Nottsborough take on a very strong SAL Representative side at Corinthian Casuals on Wednesday and for the first time Arren Sutcliffe will have virtually a full-strength squad available. It should be a very good game.

Ashely; Hickes (Sims), Westley, Sutcliffe (Parker), Cullinan (Taylor); Kerr M, Field, Classen, Newell; Apaloo, McEwan.

Man of the Match for Nottsborough Chris Apaloo, looks fitter, worked very hard, was a handful.

Old Meadonians 0   Nottsborough 3                   Greenland Cup                                        Saturday 27th August 2011

The re-elected skipper for Nottsborough, Arren Sutcliffe, had slightly unusual pre-season problems for this fixture. Normally the Bank Holiday weekend is a tricky one for availability, but Sutcliffe found himself having to tell players they had not been selected. Nevertheless with Nathan Violet pushing a pram around Mothercare in Bath, Alex Ewin on honeymoon, Richard Parker in Jersey, Ben Hughes on another holiday, and Dan Ashley recovering from injury, it could be argued that Nottsborough were missing five of their better players. Nevertheless Nottsborough named a strong 14 with Matt Beckett having to don the keepers gloves as no recognised keeper was available.

This game was over as a contest when Nottsborough scored twice in the first 10 minutes. In fact they took the lead within 30 seconds. Nottsborough kicked off and played the ball back to Gary Cullinan via a couple of back passes. Cullinan played a long ball right down the middle. Both Meadonians centre-backs left it to eachother and Matt Kerr raced onto the ball on the edge of the area, won a challenge with an unprotected keeper, and tapped the ball home from around the penalty spot. Nottsborough were keeping the ball well with a new central midfield pairing of Michael Classen and Ian Cooper, at last giving up the semi-pro dream. The new pair up top, Dan McEwan and Chris Apaloo, were working very hard, keeping the ball and bringing the midfield into the game. Neat interplay on the right between Ben Hickes and Kerr ended with McEwan floating a cross against the face of the crossbar and Chris Apaloo from a tight angle volleyed the ball home on 10 minutes. Whenever the pacy Old Meadonians forwards threatened, Sutcliffe and Lee Westley managed to clear their lines and Beckett went through the half without having to make a save. Cooper, McEwan, Apaloo and Matt Kerr all failed to make the most of shooting opportunities but Nottsborough made the game safe when an excellent move across the field ended with Ross Newell breaking through on the left edge of the area and floating the ball inside the far post on 37 minutes for the goal of the game.

The second half was much more even and Old Meadonians threatened with plenty of pace down the right with Egue at the heart of many of their most threatening attacks. The radar was missing for Meadonians on their shooting and Beckett had just one regulation save to make. Substitute James Sims snuffed out Meadonians best chance when a great cross to the far post forced a retreating Sims to get in a superb clearing header at the expense of a corner. McEwan kept looking a threat for Nottsborough but the keeper and a defender got in the way of his two best shooting opportunities. Classen worked himself a great chance 12 yards out but the Meadonians keeper was able to get across the goal with a full-length save as Classen failed to get enough power on the shot on what was a very grassy pitch. James Taylor on for his former Loughborough colleague Apaloo sprinted clear near the end but could not get the ball from under his feet when in a great position to increase the lead. Chris Kerr on for his brother kept Nottsborough passing the ball and the ability to retain possession took all the heat out of any potential Old Meadonians revival.

It has not been the best pre-season preparation at Nottsborough and there is some need for team re-building with the loss of excellent players like Matt Negus, Nick Stavri, Matt Rolfe and now Violet. It has been a real pleasure to see the return of Ted Datta and David Howson to training after more than a season out. Both players will need to get match fit and confident in the tackle. On what they have shown at training they will be fighting for a place again once they get a few games under their belt. There are a number of good players training with Nottsborough so everyone needs to be on their toes. The Greenland Cup Final against Old Owens, and the match against the SAL Rep team on the 7^th September, will give Nottsborough Coach Brian Williams, starting his 20^th season in charge, a much better idea of where they are and what changes, if any, need to be made. This was a good workout against Old Meadonians, it always is, but there will be much harder games ahead.

Beckett; Hickes, Westley, Sutcliffe, Cullinan; Kerr M, Classen, Cooper, Newell; Apaloo, McEwan; Subs: Sims, Kerr C, Taylor

Man of the Match for Nottsborough Michael Classen. A good pre-season is going to pay dividends.