Reeves Rangers 3 vs. Binfield 7  

It wasn’t quite High Noon or Gunfight at the OK Coral but the second fixture of the season between Reeves and Binfield was as close it gets. This fixture finally came to pass after two earlier postponements due to a frozen pitch. The frosty atmosphere still prevailed but it was game on in what could be a title decider.

High margin wins in recent weeks gave Binfield a 24 goal difference advantage over Reeves and a win today would see us go 6 points ahead. And though mathematically we could still be caught, the chances would be so remote that we could consider ourselves to be division champions.

A cold, damp, windy morning with the constant threat of rain could not dampen the eager anticipation of the team and supporters. The kick off was delayed for an interminable length of time as the ref seemed to wait for the sun to come round and the sun-dial to move to the allotted hour. The game finally got under way though.

The game was always going to be a tight one and the early cut & thrust was evident as both teams tried to push up. After 5 minutes an attempted cross from Dan Bardon from the right was deflected for corner. Simon’s resultant kick cleared the keeper and fell at Robbie Rumble’s feet and a calm pass put the ball in the goal and Binfield ahead. 0-1

After 10 minutes Lewis contested and won a header. The referee though considered he had used his arm to ease his opponent out of the way and gave a contentious free kick to Reeves. The resultant shot was directed high towards the goal but disappointingly was allowed to travel all the way into the net. 1-1

Goals were coming every 5 minutes and after 15 it was Binfield again who took the lead. Another cross into the middle of the Reeves area was not cleared and Joshua Tighe was able to get a shot on goal that flew past the Reeves keeper. 2-1

The 5 minute interval sequence continued with another disappointing equaliser. A free kick to Reeves skimmed of the top of Lewis’s head and fell to an unmarked Reeves attacker who gratefully slotted the ball home 2-2.

The referee then decided to take umbrage with the cries emanating from the Binfield supporters and spent the next 4 minutes instructing the coaching staff in how to behave. Mouths shut and polite applause seemed to be the required level of involvement.

When the game restarted it was then Reeves turn to take the lead. It came from good attacking play, with the Reeves winger taking the ball well on the run and composing himself before hitting his shot low past Nick. 3-2.

The battle in midfield was keenly fought with Dan Collier outstanding, winning the ball in the ground or in the air and setting up the ball for the pacey, physical joint attack force of Robbie Rumble and Joshua Tighe.

Out wide, Dan Bardon tackled and harried and his efforts eventually got his reward with a first goal of the season. A tussle on the edge of the area resulted in the ball falling out to Dan and his low effort was forced past the Reeves keeper to put the sides back on level terms. 3-3

It was all very close.

Half-Time 3-3

All square and the division title was likely to come down to the forth-coming 35 minutes. The change of ends gave Binfield the advantage of the wind as they sought to secure the result they wanted.

The flow was all one way though as Binfield took full advantage of the conditions. Much of the pressure came down the right and it was from this side that a great piece of football resulted. A cross floated over the top of the defence was smartly hooked back goal-wards by Joshua Tighe. But the Reeves keeper made an excellent save, managing to reach back from the direction he was traveling and acrobatically tip the ball onto the cross bar.

And after 13 minutes Binfield regained the lead. A corner kick was met and controlled by Robbie Rumble but as he turned and tried to shoot he was caught by a Reeves tackle. Cries of “penalty” went unheeded by the referee, but thankfully the ball was collected by Joshua who smartly put in the back of the net. “Great advantage Ref” was the resultant cry from the Binfield spectators. 3-4.

Binfield kept pressing, trying to secure the game with a further goal. Joshua & Robbie’s power and pace were a constant threat up front and in the middle Dan Collier kept control of the game. It was he who next came close hitting a powerful long-range effort that was well saved by the Reeves keeper.

In the earlier fixture, the Reeves keeper made some wonderful saves to keep Joshua Tighe at bay, and he repeated the feat again as he kept Binfield and Joshua at bay thwarting him on two occasions.

But it was Robbie Rumble who eventually sealed the game. A typical surging run took him clear of the defenders and one on one with the keeper he smashed the ball past him low into the bottom of the net, past his outstretched left hand. 3-5

The game was won but there was more to come. Robbie again helped himself to a hat-trick with a cool finish having again got through to another 1 on 1 with the keeper. 3-6

The icing on the cake came in the final minute. The referee had had quite an influence on the game and it was his decision to give Binfield a penalty when Robbie was adjudged to have been fouled when tackled by both keeper and defender in the final minute. Robbie himself took the kick and calmly struck the ball low to the left and into the side-netting past the keepers outstretched right hand. 3-7.  Nice cake that!

Final Score: 3-7

This was a good contest. As had been the whole season. Binfield deservedly won on the day with a terrific second half performance. As well as the dominant forward performance, at the back the defence recovered their organisation and managed to prevent Reeves having a single shot on goal in the second half.

In the end a comfortable score to reflect a great team performance. All the boys played their part in achieving a stunning victory that sees Binfield go 6 points clear with a goal difference of +80 with 2 games to go. Promotion is assured which was the main objective, but with Reeves goal difference at just +50, the advantage is worth an extra point and so virtually guarantees we shall  win the title.

Next comes the Cup and Eldon Celtics. Runaway leaders of the first division, physically intimidating as well as skilful, they will be a real challenge. But this will be a good insight into how all the boys cope with the higher standard of play next season.

Binfield 1st Half  line-up:   Runham              Haywood         C Edwards (c)    Perry Sumner     Bardon (c)                        Simmonds        Collier      S Edwards                  Tighe      Rumble

Binfield 2nd Half  line-up:

Runham              Haywood         C Edwards   Kelf Cleveland     Dowling                        D Bardon (c)         Collier         S Edwards                  Tighe      Rumble
Scorer(s):	Tighe (2), Rumble (4)  Collier,
Captain's Corner Hi everyone, this week its my honour as captain to be able write this. Well what a game eh!! We are now within a whisker of the title and the game yesterday was proof of why we should be champions. It would take a lot for Reeves to overtake us in the league now, but we must not forget anything is possible. We can take a lot away from yesterdays game. Team work was brilliant, spirit, determination and grit was shown to get back into the game even when we were 3 - 2 down. This attitude and style of play needs to be shown at every match especially next season when we will face more of a challenge which I am confident we will rise to. We listened for calls from our team mates, passed and controlled the ball well and challenged more in the air. Our defence was solid, and when Reeves did make a counter attack they were there to cover it. Midfield still had some gaps and we should address this as it could have thrown up some problems. Marking needs to be tighter and gaps need to be filled. Up front we were on fire, Joshua and Robbie you were both stars!!! We like a lot of teams we have faced this season are a quiet team but we get on with the game in hand and it pays off. I did notice and was on the receiving end of some of the frustrations of some of the Reeves players. It seemed at points in the game that if they couldn't win the ball the easiest way was to hack the player. Again, I am proud we do not show this style of play and they got their comeuppance when we were awarded the penalty. This coming Saturday sees another great challenge. Lets do ourselves proud, our supporters (rally round and get as many as you can) and bring the silverware back with us. We have had a great season and we deserve to win!!! On a personal note, it was my first goal of the season yesterday - Mum it was for you - Happy Birthday! See you all on Thursday, lets have a great training session and then focus for Saturdays game. Cheers Skipper Dan