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Winnersh’s
withdrawal from the league and the deletion of their season’s history
from the table saw Binfield go clear at the top by three points and an
improved goal difference of 8 over Reeves. So it was as clear leaders that
Binfield sought to improve their position with a win over FC Bracknell.
The earlier fixture in the season had been a closely fought 5-0 victory
with the score somewhat flattering Binfield.
The pitch was again in good condition and Binfield’s only absentee on
the day was goalkeeper Nick with a thumb injury.
Skipper Dan willingly agreed to dust down his goalkeeping gloves
and assumed responsibility for keeping goal. Kieran was nursing a thigh
strain so started on the side along with Dan Kelf and Robbie Cleveland.
Binfield kicked off and immediately took the game to
Bracknell
. Pressure from Midfield kept
the ball in the
Bracknell
half and a number of hurried clearances frustrated the Binfield attempts
at breaking the deadlock. But the team were playing well and particularly
in midfield, and it was from here that the breakthrough came.
The left hand side was working particularly well and it was from this
source that the ball came to George. He cut inside from the left and
working his way across the edge of the box he rolled the ball perfectly
into the path of Simon who’s first time effort was driven hard and flew
into the top right-hand corner of the net for a spectacular opening goal. 1-0
The second followed soon after. It was Simon again with another edge of
the box effort. With his left foot this time, he lifted his shot over the
Bracknell
defence and in to the top left hand corner. 2-0
It was all Binfield at this stage and Dan was left watching from afar and
the midfield and defence, organised by Chris in Dan’s absence, prevented
any threat on the Binfield goal.
The whole team worked to keep
Bracknell
pegged back in their own half. The football played down the left was
especially attractive at times with Josh Kelleher and Luke combining
really well on a number of occasions. Down the right Robbie Rumble was a
real threat as his strength and pace caused the
Bracknell
left back some serious problems.
The ref denied a good penalty shout as Joshua Tighe was tripped as he was
about to get clear on goal. Also, long range efforts from Robbie and Lewis
threatened the goal as well.
It’s fair to say that at this stage
Bracknell
were not in the game at all and Dan’s gloves started to gather dust
again.
The final word of the half was again with Simon as he hit another shot
from distance, this time a low effort which squirmed out of the
Goalkeeper’s grasp over the line and into the net to give Simon a
half-time hat-trick and ensured Binfield took a solid lead in at the
interval.
Half-time:
3-0
In
the interests of fairness, a half-time reshuffle saw changes on the
flanks. This understandably disrupted the momentum and together with a
resurgent
Bracknell
team after their half time talk, the second half turned into a real
battle. A battle which Binfield were losing and after 15 minutes of
running the show, it was Bracknell who scored next with a long range
effort that beat Dan in goal.
Bracknell
had the bit between
their teeth and pushed forward searching for a second. But it was Binfield
who scored next and it was special goal from Joshua Tighe. Picking the
ball up in his own penalty area, he ran the length of the pitch, beating
three
Bracknell
players on the way before a final surge took him past the last defender.
One on one with the keeper he drilled the ball low into the far corner for
wonderful individual goal. 4-1.
The goal restored the three goal cushion but still
Bracknell
camped out on the edge of the Binfield penalty area. A free kick awarded
wide on the left was directed at the far post and the wind and spin turned
it in towards the centre of the goal and up and over the last defenders. A
Bracknell
striker running clear through hit it on the volley giving Dan no chance. 4-2.
However, the nerves and the result were settled shortly after. And it was
Simon again at the heart of it. He collected the ball on the edge of the
box from Simmo and returned the favour from the first goal as he put a
pass in to George and a good first touch allowed him to coolly slot the
ball past the Bracknell Keeper. 5-2
It could have been more. Joshua Tighe managed to make contact with a
couple of headers from Simon’s corners and George had a good effort well
saved by the
Bracknell
keeper.
Finally it was Binfield again who scored a sixth with Simon again the
provider when playing in Joshua Tighe to put away yet another well taken
goal low past the keeper. 6-2
The final moments were played out in relaxed manner as Binfield gained
another three points in their chase for the title.
Final Score: 6-2
For
the second time against
Bracknell
this season the score probably flattered us somewhat. After a terrific
start and an excellent performance from midfield we should have gone on to
secure a comfortable win. Changes to the starting line up certainly
disrupted our rhythm and even allowed the opposition to take control of
the game. And but for our forward’s performances in the second half,
this would have been a closer score. Against better sides we would have
paid a higher price and soon we shall face better sides.
But the foundation for the win was the first half performance and Simon in
particular. His new boots paid off and showed a good return with 3 goals,
2 assists and 1 man of the match award.
Next week we face the other
Bracknell
side, Bracknell Celtics, who have secured some new players and having
scored 13 goals in their last 2 games they will be looking forward to
taking on the division leaders. There are no easy games any more and as we
seek to maintain an unbeaten record for the whole season, it is clear that
we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas against any team.
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