Potters Bar 1sts 4 – 2 Cheshunt 1sts
Saturday 26th September 2009

After promotion last season, a successful run in the Broxbourne summer league and promising performances in the pre-season matches, Potters Bar came into the new season high on confidence. However, with a young side (boasting three new signings) they knew they would have to work hard against a slick and experienced Cheshunt team.

So it proved as the visitors started more strongly than the Bar side. Cheshunt controlled the early exchanges and kept the ball well as Bar struggled to clear their lines and get their wings into the game. Solid work from the Bar defenders, most notably the cool headed combination of Ben Graham and Owen Hughes, kept the game scoreless though and when Bar were eventually able to get right winger Dave Fennell into the game he duly delivered the ball into the Cheshunt D where Freddie Waite sent it on for predatory forward Mark Turpin to slot home with a trademark flick into the netting.

Buoyed by taking the lead, Bar started to play with their usual style and composure of recent times, with Chris Chittleborough leading the way in midfield. Sure enough, the pressure began to tell on the Cheshunt back line as a series of short corners were won by the Bar forwards.

Having worked hard on their set plays in training, Bar were able to capitalise as flicker Ed Whybrow saw his first shot parried back to him and he duly buried a second attempt to give Bar a 2-0 lead.

Cheshunt came back strongly though and a quick counter allowed their right wing to get unmarked into the D and he made no mistake, sending the teams into half time at 2-1.

New skipper Ed Newbery implored his team to greater effort with his first half time talk and Bar came out fighting immediately in the second half. This time it was their turn to counter attack and debutant Miles Edson made great use of the new self-pass rule to get himself to the top of the D, whence he smashed a tracer bullet into the bottom corner of the Cheshunt goal.

Bar’s inexperience showed slightly at this point as they just needed to hold onto the ball but some nervy moments ensued as some bad passing left their defenders under huge pressure and eventually allowed Cheshunt to score to come back into the game at 3-2. Bar ensured their would be no upset though as Turpin won another short corner and Whybrow, this time, needed no second chance as his drag flick found the corner of the goal. With ten minutes to go, Bar proceeded to keep the ball and frustrate Cheshunt as the clock ran down, to hand them a deserved and important win to start off their league season.

Team: Linney, Newbery ©, Hughes, Graham, Patel, Fennell, Chittleborough, Whybrow, Waite, Tomkins, Turpin, Edson

by Miles Tomkins