My first Friday night game for a while took me to Parkside
and Aveley FC for a Thurlow Nunn South encounter between May & Baker and
Newbury Forest, and goals from Ian Thompson, Tommie Turner and Pat Duggin saw
the visitors to the points, sending them a point clear at the top.
This was Bakers first league match since October 24th,
almost two months, when they lost at Burnham Ramblers, in fact this was only their
fifth league match of the campaign due to various reasons, so they were
certainly on catch up that was for sure!!!
They sat bottom of the division largely due to the fact they
had played so few league matches, so a rather false position you could say, but
their only win so far in the league had come at home back on October 21st,
so they desperately wanted another to send them up a few places at least.
And they had thrashed their opponents already this season in
a Vase encounter at the start of November, 4-0, so they would have been confident
of getting a positive result here, but the visitors knew a win here would send
them up from fourth to first and ahead of the rest by a point (albeit for a few
hours if White Ensign won at the weekend).
Forest’s form was mixed coming into this too, defeat at home
to Athletic Newham was followed by a superb late win at Frenford, so it was
hard to tell what sort of game or indeed result we would get in this one.
The opening exchanges belonged to the hosts, and they
created the best chance in that time too but saw visiting keeper Oliver Bessex
make a brilliant save to deny them before the loose ball was hacked clear, but on
twenty minutes things changed as Forest struck, after a long through ball from
deep inside his own half by Steve Carvell, it made its way through to Thompson
who sprinted clear to round Frankie Worboyes and slot home.
You felt the hosts defence should have cut out the ball as
it did travel a long way, but that lapse allowed the visitors to edge ahead,
and for the remainder of the half they took control as the hosts defensively
crumbled.
The second Forest goal eleven minutes before the break was a
total mess from the hosts, they gave the ball away to Joey May who drove into
the box and squared for Turner who side footed into the gaping net, and then
just before half time gave a needless free kick away on the left, and Duggin
whipped a lovely effort over Warboyes into the far corner for number three.
It was a good strike, but should a keeper be beaten from
there, I doubt it, and he would have been disappointed with that no doubt, but
after such a good start to the contest, Bakers now had a mountain to climb as
they trailed 0-3 at the break and the visitors were cruising to the points and
top spot in the division as it stood.
Half Time May & Baker 0 Newbury Forest 3
Bakers knew they must score the next goal if they were to
have any chance of getting themselves back into this one, and Bessex had to
pull off another superb save to deny the visitors a breakthrough early in the
second period, but Forest almost put the game to bed but somehow missed from
point blank range.
Apart from that Forest chance though the second half had
been all Bakers as they were putting the visiting defence under a lot of
pressure, but they just could not find a way through, but with eighteen minutes
remaining a glimmer of hope for the hosts after keeper Bessex came to block a
Josh Lowbridge lob but clattered into the attacker in the process.
The result was a penalty to the hosts and a straight red for
the keeper, slightly harsh in my view, thought a yellow would suffice, but a
red it was, and this meant Forest were down to ten and had Duggin, scorer of
their third goal, donning the gloves for the remainder of the contest.
First thing he had to do was face a Carl Patten spot-kick,
which he could do nothing about as Patten slammed the penalty into the bottom
corner, and Bakers had a goal back at last and a sniff of a comeback which had
seemed unlikely at the break.
The hosts had openings to grab more goals and make this very
interesting, but they failed to convert, and near the end of the game Duggin
pulled off a brilliant save to deny the hosts a second as the game entered
stoppage time, Forest only had a few more minutes to defend and take the points
as time was now running out for Bakers.
Forest were dangerous on the counter though with raw pace,
and one such break saw hosts keeper Warboyes take out one of the visitor’s
attackers and the bench were screaming for a red, but only a yellow followed,
rightly so, but it incensed the Forest bench so much one said to much as was
sent off by the referee, so it was turning into an expensive night fine wise for
the visitors at least.
Forest though were almost there and nearly added gloss to
the score line with another break, but Warboyes pulled off a decent save to deny
them a fourth goal, but soon after the whistle blew, and Forest had taken the
points thanks to those first half goals.
A good victory for the visitors then whilst Bakers will look
to a poor first half performance defensively which ultimately cost them here,
they gave it a good go in the second period but left themselves far too much to
do as that mountain proved to big to climb in the end.
Full Time May & Baker 1 Newbury Forest 3
This is how the table looks following tonight’s game
Forest climb to the summit of the division and lead by a
point, whilst Bakers remain bottom although having only played five games that
position is a false one quite frankly, although just one win so far is not what
they were hoping for I’d suspect. Currently
the next fixtures for the sides see Bakes travel to Ensign on the 28th
December, so that will not be easy, whilst Forest travel to Spa Road to take on
Hackney Wick, that will be a tough one no doubt, but one Forest will expect to
win.
Just one other game takes place in the division tomorrow
this weekend, and I hope to be present at that too, and that is Hackney Wick
Vs White Ensign, with the visitors knowing three points takes them top and
above Forest in the table. Wick though will
no doubt put up a fight and if they can grab the three points, they would go
level with tenth placed Barkingside, which would be a very good return so far
this season.
Anyway, here are some snaps of the game this evening, apologies
for the blurriness in some, my pad’s camera can’t deal with the dark to well!!!
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