Mens 1st XI Match Report
Potters Bar Mens 1st XI v Rickmansworth 1st XI
05 March 2011 | by Anthony Levy
On paper this looked like a straight forward fixture against a mid table side that had been beaten 6-2 away earlier in the season. However, in common with a number of recent games this turned out to be a tight affair with the game in the balance until the end.
Bar got off to a fairly slow start with few of the fast attacking breaks that has become the norm. Instead it was Rickmansworth that gradually gained the ascendancy with a solid game plan based around solid defence and simple but effective passing. In fact it was a surprise when the first real goal mouth action took place in their half – a defensive pass was easily cut out on 15 minutes and Mark Turpin’s effort was deflected and then rolled ever so slowly goalwards, before coming back off of the post.
5 minutes later Bar could easily have taken the lead when Ed Whybrow’s hard hit pass into the D was deflected just wide of the post by Mark Turpin from the sort of angle that he is usually deadly from. Instead from Rickmansworth’s next attack, Bar found themselves a goal down, when a good passing move was neatly finished by a shot that eluded keeper Ryan Maidment.
Bar remained good on the ball but the running off the ball and the precision of the passing was well below par, summed up by an Ed Whybrow lofted pass out of defence that found its way heading towards the football pitches! However persistence paid off and an equaliser came on 27 minutes. Good work from Ray Li just outside the D looked to have won a short corner when it came off a defender’s foot, but advantage was played and the loose ball ran to Tony Sayers who fired home.
Parity was short lived however and just 3 minutes later a Rickmansworth pass into the D deflected up off of Ed Newbery’s stick before being handily tucked home from waist height. Half time could not come soon enough for the team to regroup. The skipper was remarkably composed with the half time team talk feeling that everyone knew that their games needed to be upped in the second half, and the side certainly came out of the blocks more fired up for action.
Within a minute of the restart Mark Turpin saw his effort just go past the post from an extremely narrow angle. Then Bar put together their best move of the game as Ed Whybrow found Dave Fennell on the right and his pass into the D was met superbly by Tony Sayers who was denied by a fantastic save. Ryan Maidment was then also busy in making a double save at the other end to keep out a short corner.
Bar continued to press and although still not at their fluent best were gradually pushing Rickmansworth back. The goalkeeper again had to be at his best to deny Tony Sayers after he was fed by Mark Turpin, but on 42 minutes there was nothing he could do when, after good work down the left from Ray Li and Andrew Foster-Yeow, the ball ran across to Dave Fennell whose back stick effort was simply too good and found the back of the net to make it 2-2.
Bar continued to create chances with Tony Sayers unfortunate to see his effort disallowed as he had been ruled to have played the ball whilst lying on the ground, with Andrew Foster-Yeow unable to keep his effort on target after he had a chance following another save by the keeper. With time running out however, it looked however like Rickmansworth might ride the storm as although the Bar defence were being rarely troubled, the spark in the forward play was running out, much to the continued frustration of the skipper, whose orders were becoming ever more animated.
Had the game not been won Ed would only have had himself to blame – a short corner was won with 6 minutes remaining and although the first effort from Tony Sayers was cleared away the ball got played back in to the far post but the skipper was only able to loft the ball back across the goal for a Rickmansworth 16.
This Bar side seems to have a knack of coming up with vital goals and this week was no different. Just 4 minutes were left when Mark Turpin made a run down the right hand side before his cross into the D was turned in by Tony Sayers via the goalkeeper, to secure the 3 points. Just one more win and promotion will be secured.
Final Score: Potters Bar 3 - 2 Richmansworth
Goal Scorers: T Sayers (2), D Fennell
Team: E Newbery (Capt), R Maidment (GK), O Hughes, R Donoghue, B Graham, R Li, A Foster-Yeow, C Chittleborough, E Whybrow, D Fennell, M Turpin, T Sayers
« Back to Match Reports