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Having
beaten Laurel Park seven goals in the away fixture just 3 games ago, the
home fixture was looked forward to with confidence. However, Laurel Park
are a tidy team and a win was only going to be achieved if we kept the
same level of fight and determination that we showed in the earlier
fixture.
Binfield were boosted by the return from injury of Robbie Rumble, but the
good news was offset by the loss of Sam Perry also with an arm injury.
Though Sam’s absence promises to be longer term with a bad break by all
accounts.
Laurel Park won the kick off on what was an extremely sunny day. And
whether it was the sun or the late start but both boys seemed unable to
shake off their lethargy. The mood was extremely subdued and it was as if
the game was being played in a vacuum.
It wasn’t until the 15th minute that there was anything
worth mentioning. What little action there was in the early stages was
down the right as George and Kieran combined well on a number of occasions
to threaten the
Laurel
defence. And it was Kieran who got the first chance on goal but his
right-footed shot low down to the right was turned away by the
Laurel
‘keeper.
Other
noteworthy efforts came from skipper Dan who played extremely well on the
left of midfield. Winning the ball he managed to get the ball past the
Laurel
right back. His right footed effort was well struck but went wide of the
target. Simmo had two almost identical efforts from distance but both had
identical outcomes as they were sliced wide of the target
The best effort of the lot came from Joshua Tighe. A cross from George
found Joshua on the edge of the box. His effort was well struck but was
comfortably held by the new
Laurel
‘keeper.
But it was not a very cohesive performance with the ball being lost
too easily, The mood was subdued and the half time whistle was greeted
with polite applause and it was the chance of coach
Steve
to get the lads back on track.
Half
Time 0-0.
The late kick off may have meant energy levels were low as lunch was
delayed so the production of a bag of bananas and oranges were gratefully
received by the boys.
But whether it was the fruit or Steve's pep-talk but the boys came out
with a lot more energy and the tempo was raised right from the restart.
Laurel
came this time with a
different keeper from the previous fixture and it seemed it would be a
frustrating afternoon as he turned in an excellent performance. 10 minutes
into the half and a well struck effort from George was wonderfully saved
as the
Laurel
keeper, at full stretch, palmed the ball round the post for a corner. But
from the resulting corner Binfield took th lead. Without Sam it was Joshua
Tighe who took the corner and the ball was met by Kieran running in
at the near post and his flicked header was past the keeper before he
could react. A lovely finish and a sigh of relief as Binfield took the
lead. 1-0
It was soon to be two as Joshua Tighe got back on the score-sheet. A
typical swashbuckling run from Robbie Rumble ended with a shot across the
face of the goal, saved by the ‘keeper but Joshua Tighe was there to
meet the ball and return it back past the keeper. 2-0
At
the back, it was a solid enough performance as Robbie and Lewis coped with
everything in the ground or air and wide Dan Kelf and Luke covered the
threat out wide. Luke in particular make a number of timely interceptions
and taking up good positions as
Laurel
threatened.
It was a pretty quiet for day for Nick in goal as he held on well to
anything that came his way. Pushing one effort wide of the post and
picking up a wrist strain for his efforts.
In midfield, Simmo and Chris kept the pressure up and it was Chris who got
his 3rd goal of the season. Joshua Tighe it was again who the
ball in midfield and his pass over the top brought Kieran into play. His
ball inside found Chris in space just inside the area. Chris had the time
and composure to pick his spot and a well struck left-footed shot flew
past the
Laurel
keeper. 3-0
Other
efforts came from distance. Shorts from Lewis, Robbie Rumble and the best
of the lot from Dan Kelf but none really threatened the goal.
Final
Score 0-3
Whether
it was the late kick off or the sun or simply complacency coming in, this
was a strangely subdued performance from Binfield. The main thing was to
get the three points and continue the run and we got this but a more
positive display will be needed if the challenge for the title is to be
maintained.
The
defence, midfield and attack all did their jobs but a feature of recent
weeks has been the team spirit and collective performance. But today it
was missing.
Man of the match was awarded to Luke for his all round effective
performance and Parents’ man of the match was shared between Dan Bardon
and Robbie Rumble.
Final thought is for Sam Perry and his arm. All our wishes for a speedy
recovery Sam!
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