05/12/2020 – REPORT – Felsted Rovers AFC versus Sporting Rebels FC

ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE

DIVISION THREE.

FELSTED ROVERS AFC: 2. SPORTING REBELS FC: 3.

Date: Saturday 05^th December 2020. Venue: Felsted Playing Fields.

Welcome back to the ESBFL, I trust every Club, its players and Management plus the referees panel have avoided the Coronavirus, thankfully we are now back playing football, clearly some players will be unfit and Christmas is only four weeks away so it could be a long month but hopefully we can continue playing. On Saturday there were thirty-nine eagerly awaited matches scheduled but then mother nature intervened on Thursday and Friday with heavy rain and snow which forced eighteen postponements but twenty-one matches did go ahead with some teams changing venues in order for this to happen, so well done to them and to the Fixture Secretary.

For me, I chose a Division Three match between two new teams, second placed Felsted Rovers AFC and third placed Sporting Rebels FC, both had experienced only one defeat so far so I expected a close match, it was, and in all the years I’ve been involved in grass-roots football some of the action and on-field antics defied belief!

The appointed match official was Derrick Packer who on a bright but cold afternoon would be assisted by Club volunteers, the pitch by the way was in excellent condition, a bit soft but perfectly playable. A decent crowd had assembled in numerous socially distanced groups, good to see other local teams and players take the chance to make a visit when their games were postponed and it was also a chance to catch up with some of these people I have met over the years as a roving reporter.

Felsted Rovers kicked off and pushed Sporting Rebels back for the first ten minutes or so, during which time Prow had the ball in the net, this from a corner taken by Jones, keeper Cousin made two decent saves on his goal-line as the home team pressed, but when the ball was poorly cleared a cross found Prow who turned to score, or so he thought but the Club Assistant had his flag raised, albeit late, and after the referee consulted him the goal was disallowed. Felsted Rovers picked the ball up again as Sporting Rebels failed to clear and Hamill was allowed to run around the back of the defence only to be stopped by keeper, Cousin rushing off his goal-line. On six minutes a run by Towsey down the left side saw his driven cross fly across the face of the goal to be cleared and from this point the visitors gained some confidence with Maka running through only to be thwarted by home keeper, Wilkes who saved at the foot of the post. The game was now a midfield battle, several off-side decisions came about through forwards being too eager and several petty fouls kept the referee busy. Burgess was fouled by Kavanagh who followed up with some choice words and Felsted Rovers pressed forward but that final ball was lacking at the top end of play.

On fifteen minutes Smith (L) tripped Russell and the referee asked for calm, then Kavanagh tripped Smith (L), twenty yards out and just to the right of a central position, Burgess struck a fine dipping free-kick, destination top right hand corner, at least until keeper Cousin flew himself across to palm the ball over the cross-bar, a fine save. Jones for Felsted Rovers had a shot blocked by Rose (B) at the expense of a corner, taken by Jones but saved by keeper, Cousin, then Buckland broke through and once again keeper Cousin was quickly out to clear with his feet. Crolla clipped Smith (L) who was driving through, a free-kick, yes, the fall was graceful if a bit theatrical and Burgess was spoken too at length by the referee, Burgess took the free-kick and his effort was tipped over the cross-bar by keeper, Cousin. When Maka, for Sporting Rebels was impeded running across the pitch the referee played on as Sporting Rebels still had possession with Russell whose run and shot clipped the outside of the left hand upright and rebounded into play where Towsey gained control, stepped inside the penalty area only for Burgess to commit a foul and concede a penalty kick, ALFIE TOWSEY stepped up to place the ball down the middle of the goal with keeper, Wilkes diving to his right, half an hour gone.

This disjointed first half had now come alight, a run and shot on the turn from Buckland forced keeper, Cousin into another fine save at the near post, another corner, taken by Hamill saw Crolla head clear, in fact the Sporting Rebels captain had led his defence well as they threw bodies into challenges and to block shots from distance. On forty minutes another goal, this time not against the run of play as Sporting Rebels had upped their game considerably so when the ball was played through, in came ALFIE TOWSEY who rode one challenge and ran on to score past the advancing keeper. Keeper, Cousin made a fine save from Jones at the bottom of the right-hand post and you could sense the frustration of the home team players and supporters. A chance for Felsted Rovers to pull a goal back came just before half-time, Day (B) fouled Hamill in full flight, a spot kick was awarded but Burgess, who stuttered in his run up proceeded to drive the ball over the crossbar, clearly not a good half for the home team as the half-time whistle was blown after seven added-on minutes!

HALF-TIME: 0 – 2.

Immediately at the re-start Felsted Rovers made a triple substitution, off went Scott, Windsor and Jones with Lucas, Marsh and Heap entering play, first action fell to Heap who got a smack in the face from the ball and needed a bit of time to recover. It was then noticed that neither team had a linesman so another short break as someone was press-ganged into doing that thankless task! A free-kick taken by Smith (K) for Sporting Rebels found the head of Kavanagh, but the free-header flew straight to keeper, Wilkes, then Kavanagh fouled Prow and Crolla was forced to defend when Buckland threatened down the right side, and another corner followed taken by Marsh. Kavanagh was guilty of a poor, off the ground challenge on Evans, handbags were coming out, I thought, as a verbal spat followed and Kavanagh rightly received the first caution of the match. When play resumed Smith (L) made a fine run down the left side for Felsted Rovers but once again Crolla for Sporting Rebels made a fine tackle albeit conceding a corner.

On sixty minutes Day made a fine intercepting challenge on Marsh whose pace was beginning to tell and when the ball left the field Sporting Rebels replaced goal-scorer Towsey with Rose (T), Powell was cautioned for a poor challenge on Carey which left the player limping for some time after. Felsted Rovers kept pushing forward and some desperate defending followed from Sporting Rebels who clearly had no intentions of conceding, another penetrating run from Smith (L) set up Marsh whose driven cross was sent flying over his own goal by the knee of Crolla, who always seemed to be in the right place to clear. Smith (L) was cautioned for adopting an aggressive pose after an off-the-ball incident and there were several of those! Lucas, for Felsted Rovers, had the ball in the Sporting Rebels net only to see the flag being waived for in my opinion a correct off-side decision and more tetchiness followed as players disagreed with the decision. Worse followed, as when Russell, of Sporting Rebels was clearly impeded by Hamill, play continued with Russell diving into the next challenge, words were said from both sides and a melee ensued, Russell was eventually cautioned but a Felsted Rovers defender, was guilty of putting his head in the wrong place and if the blind-sided referee had seen it through the crowd the players would have been rightly dismissed.

Once tempers had been calmed down, play resumed, Felsted Rovers pushed forward and LIAM SMITH sent in a dipping volley from outside the penalty area which caught keeper, Cousin, off his goal-line, the ball striking the underside of the cross-bar to nestle in the back of the net, this game has more in it, that’s for sure, fifteen minutes to go! Day fouled Marsh, Lucas hit Kavanagh hard with a strong challenge and Crolla also impeded Marsh whose pace against a tiring defence might be crucial. Felsted Rovers kept up there attacking play Lucas scuffed the ball wide from close range, a long clearance from keeper, Wilkes fell to Lucas who passed across the field to Buckland who held his head in his hands as keeper, Cousin, made yet another fine save at the expense of a corner. The first half had over-run and with numerous stoppages this half the light was beginning to fade, and it was also getting cold, well at least my feet were telling me so. On eighty-five minutes, play was stopped, a drop ball had been awarded, not quite sure what for but read on, Smith (L) played the ball back towards Sporting Rebels keeper, Cousin who ran the ball back towards the edge of his own penalty area in order to pick it up but lost control as Lucas challenged to such an effect that JOSH LUCAS managed to retrieve the ball from a wide position and then run on to score and unlikely equaliser and we still had several minutes to play. Was a draw a fair result, probably, but you are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored and that is exactly what happened, Sporting Rebels played a long ball from the left side, over the top of the home defence and JASON POWELL ran through to score the winner and cue some wild celebrations, likened to a pitch invasion, from their players and supporting contingent. Game over as they say!

When the final whistle was blown, again an extended half, there was a player to player confrontation which required some sorting out, there is no place in football for those scenes, passions did run high in this top-of-the-table clash but seemingly the term “respect” has been forgotten by some, if only a minority, Clubs are reminded that they are responsible for the behaviour of their players and officials / supporters.

FULL TIME: 2 – 3.

This match lived up to certain expectations, especially considering that both teams were at the top end of the table, Sporting Rebels go top after this win with only a single defeat, that to close revivals, Kelvedon Social FC to date, for Felsted Rovers this reverse undid the good victory they had over previously unbeaten Thorpe Athletic before lockdown, a topsy-turvy division for sure.

Now let’s turn to my Star Player, a difficult one this as after a four week break some players were clearly struggling for fitness, but it’s all about their application and the desire to get through a match, however testing the pitch, which was in good shape, was, and under the duress of niggly fouls and the constant bickering at each other and the referee. Home keeper, Cousin, made some useful saves, central defender Prow stood tall and “apparently” his “goal” attempt should have been allowed, it might have changed the match went. Elsewhere Hamill put in a good shift with Smith (L), scorer of a fine goal and Burgess who is probably still ruing having two free-kicks expertly saved but then contrived to miss a penalty at a crucial time. Up top the service could have been better, the best chances falling to Manager, Buckland but to his frustration he found keeper Cousin always in the way. Turning to the visitors, keeper, Cousin made some outstanding saves but made a terrible mistake for the late equaliser, fortunately his team-mates helped him out for a late victory, just after that unusual faux-par. This was however a team effort, not always pretty to watch but played by a committed young team led by Keiran Crolla who was one of few who kept their heads when things got heated, and they did!

Teams:

FELSTED ROVERS AFC: Colours: Yellow & Blue Shirts, Yellow Shorts and Yellow Socks.

Ben Wilkes.,. Joe Carey., Ben Evans., Charlie Prow., Samuel Scott., George Hamill., Liam Smith (C)., Josh Burgess., George Windsor., Jake Buckland., Joshua Jones.

Manager: Jake Buckland.

Used Substitutes: Josh Lucas., Jordan Marsh., Kieran Heap.

Unused Substitutes: Chris Moore.

SPORTING REBELS FC: Colours: Red, Blue & White Shirts, Black Shorts and Red Socks.

Charlie Cousin., Kane Smith., Ruaidhri Kavanagh., Billy Day., Jason Powell., Keiran Crolla., Alfie Towsey., James Whitear., George Russell., Charlie Maka., Brandon Rose.

Manager: Stacey Thurbon.

Used Substitutes: Tommy Rose.

Unused Substitutes: Jay Sellwood., Jesse-Lee Chambers

Referee: Derrick PACKER

Star Player: Keiran CROLLA (SPORTING REBELS FC)

************************************************************************************

“COVID-19” “CORONAVIRUS”

THE “ESBFL” IS MINDFUL OF THE CONTINUING SERIOUSNESS OF THIS INFECTION, MATCHES CURRENTLY BEING PLAYED WERE ALLOWED TO PROCEED UNDER THE GUIDANCE GIVEN BY THE “FA”.

THIS SITUATION IS BEING CONSTANTLY MONITORED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE “FA” WHO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE REGULAR UPDATES DIRECTLY TO CLUBS AND THE LEAGUE. PLEASE ENSURE THESE ARE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND ADHERED TOO.

IT IS INCUMBENT ON ALL MEMBER CLUBS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF VISITORS, THE FA HAS ISSUED NUMEROUS DIRECTIVES THEREFORE THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE OF THESE GUIDELINES etc

ALL MEMBER CLUBS, ITS OFFICIALS, PLAYERS AND SUPPORTERS “MUST” ADHERE TO THESE GUIDELINES OTHERWISE THIS SEASON MAY ALSO BE CURTAILED EARLY.

*************************************

Additional Reporting:

YOU TUBE., FACEBOOK (x2) & TWITTER

Once again, this season the ESBFL is widening its match-day reporting coverage, in addition to a full report written by Brian Reed, our other roving reporter, Spencer Hume, has once again made himself known during the friendlies season and he will also attend games reporting via You Tube, Facebook and Twitter to communicate up-to-date information and replicate other match reports. In addition, John Campany, Vice Chairman will continue to provide a weekly summary, published in The Gazette.

****************************************************************************************

Reminder to Club Secretaries / Fixture Secretaries

Once again this season the fixtures, results, referees and “kick-off” times will be shown automatically on “The FA Full-Time / The Whole Game System” ( http://full-time.thefa.com ) but would all Club / Fixture Secretaries please advise any agreed changes, as required, to either Mick Willmore (mjw1947@sky.com)

or M/s Alison Stanford (esblsec@icloud.com) especially for evening games and for those matches being played under floodlights etc.

KO is 2:00pm from: December & January

KO is 2:30pmfor: February

KO is 3:00pm from: March to end of season

Cup Matches:

Kick-Off times for ESBFL cup matches, are generally 30 minutes earlier than those shown above but check competition rules beforehand.

Kick-Off times for Essex County Football Association cup matches are published on the ECFA web-site.

( www.essexfa.com/competitions/county-cups )

************************************************************************************

ESBFL “web-site”

The web-site for the Essex & Suffolk Border Football League is: www.esblfootball.com

Clubs are reminded that the following documents are all available on this website under Clubs / Documents etc: