31/12/2016 – Report – Harwich & Parkeston FC versus Little Oakley FC
ANDREAS CARTER ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PREMIER DIVISION
HARWICH & PARKESTON FC: 0.
LITTLE OAKLEY FC: 2.
Date: Saturday 31st December 2016. Venue: The Royal Oak, Dovercourt.
Happy New Year, its New Years Eve and I thought the local derby between fierce Premier Division rivals, Harwich & Parkeston FC and Little Oakley FC deserved my attention and clearly the other three hundred or so attendees thought so as well for what would be local bragging rights at least until the reverse fixture is played. The much changed and youthful home team sat in tenth place under the guidance of Glen Eldridge as they acclimatised to the Premier Division whereas neighbours Little Oakley FC sat undefeated, in second place before kick-off.
The match officials for this Premier Division game were Lewis Farthing who would be assisted by Adrian Arnot and John Watson and once the mandatory “respect” handshake was completed the players, officials and those already through the gates stood for a minutes silence in recognition of Terry Farrow, former Club Secretary of West Bergholt FC who sadly passed away on Thursday.
Harwich & Parkeston FC kicked off playing away from the changing rooms and referee Farthing, with only three minutes on the clock, soon issued the first caution of the game when Hammond (M) needlessly dived into a challenge on Palmer just to the side of the team’s dug-outs. This early decision probably helped the discipline and attitude of the players where two sets of brothers played against each other, brothers were also evident in their respective own teams / squads and I believe an uncle and nephew whose father manages the visitors, so a bit of family affair all round. It is also a case that many players from both sides have played for the opposition at some stage so player personalities were very well known.
As expected Little Oakley were keen to get on top in the early stages and people were still arriving as Selwyn crossed from the right side with Felgate, now back at Harwich after a few months with Little Oakley, punching clear under the close attention of Heath, playing against a former club. Harwich worked the first shot towards goal, Wood (A) started the move finding Geen, and when Wood (A) received the return ball he fed Barnard whose snatched shot was high and curling wide. A free-kick taken by Kioussis (J) on the right side was headed firmly away by Murray just the tall Little Oakley central defenders looked to capitalise on the driven free-kick.
Selwyn played the ball into Heath inside the six-yard box and when he turned Munson his low shot flew into the side netting with Felgate covering his near post but the visitors had got into an early attacking rhythm. Hammond (M) and Hammond (B) clashed heavily on the half-way line but play continued with the visitors in possession. An overhead-kick attempt by Barnard, from a Hammond (M) cross fell into the lap of Harmon, back defending, but despite the ball appearing to strike his arm there was no intention to handle the ball and the closeness of the kicker to the midfielder was only a few yards giving him no time to move his arms away from the flight of the ball. Hammond (B) fouled Barnard on the half-way line, Wood (A) took the free-kick but the ball was too high and troubled nobody and even at the mid-half stage neither team had settled down. On twenty-seven minutes a forward ball from Wood (A) found Barnard down the left side and he used his pace to get around Reynolds only to find Wood (L) covering and making a good tackle, Little Oakley were also using the left flank with Kioussis (J) always demanding the ball. Lamb (O) was hard in a challenge on Heath and Palmer exacted retribution with a foul on Richardson just as tackles got a bit feisty, then a long ball from Hammond (B) was headed clear by Murray but Harwich were making heavy weather of defending in the soft conditions.
Ten minutes before half-time Little Oakley took the lead, Reynolds got forward on the right to play in a deep curling cross that the home defenders thought had gone out of play on the far side but Kioussis (J) chased forward to collect the ball and send in a near post cross where JORDAN HEATH had little trouble in heading home. Two off-side decisions, one at each end followed, then Palmer was cautioned for a foul on Lamb (O) and from the free-kick, taken by Hammond (M) Dobkin just got the better of Barnard with his head to concede a corner, taken by Richardson, finding Barnard whose second over-head attempt of the game lacked power and Tynan (L) saved comfortably on his six yard line. With the referee allowing play to continue several fouls might normally have been given and voices were raised, personally I though he got the plan right as who wants to stop a game of this significance. Felgate had a rush of blood to the head when he raced out of his area to the touch-line to try to intercept a forward pass by Reynolds, Heath read his intentions well, blocked the clearance and then tried to roll the ball towards the empty net but found the side-netting once again, a real chance to increase his teams lead before half-time though.
HALF-TIME: 0 – 1
Little Oakley re-started the second half and neither team made player changes Tynan fouled Richardson, Wood (A) took the free-kick with Wood (L) feeling that he was fouled as he tried to head the ball clear but play continued. Home players, Lamb (O) and Thompson took out Heath just he was about to burst through on goal, Kioussis (J) took the free-kick with Hammond (M) heading clear but Little Oakley came straight back and Felgate had to advance to catch a cross from Reynolds on the right side. Barnard and Thompson linked up to provide a cross but Harwich had no one in an advanced position to threaten the visitors. Richardson fouled Palmer and from a Tynan (P) cross, Kioussis (J) lost his footing just as he was about to shoot allowing Felgate to retrieve safely. Richardson and Palmer received a talking too from the referee for some niggly play and from the free-kick taken by Wood (A), Dobkin headed clear to Murray whose first time volley crashed into Wood (L) who had dived in to block the effort. Wood (L) was cautioned for a foul on Barnard, probably persistent misconduct as he had been warned earlier, Hammond (M) took the free-kick but with a low trajectory the ball was easily cleared by Wood (L).
As we approached the hour mark this game had never reached the heights probably expected from a local derby there had been few goal-scoring chances and very few robust challenges that would cause discussion on the terraces. Wood (L) chanced his luck when he impeded Geen, wide on the right side, Wood (A) took the free-kick finding the head of Hammond (M) but Tynan was well placed to save. Selwyn was replaced by Rusby, another youngster brought through from the Little Oakley FC Youth operation and Kioussis (J) found himself in space when he received the ball but was thwarted by a fine save by Felgate who caught the ball after initially parrying the shot and play was held up for an injury to Heath who limped off for treatment. On the hour mark Thompson was replaced by Smith for Harwich and just like his opposite number keeper Tynan raced out to attempt a flying clearance but only managed to miscue the ball behind his position for a throw-in on the left side. A fine run forward by Reynolds saw him beat three players to then pass to Kioussis (J) whose curling left-footed cross fell behind forward players, Heath and Kioussis (S) who had replaced Tynan (P) and when Heath retrieved the ball his left foot shot lacked power and Felgate collected.
Lamb (O) cleared off his goal-line from Kioussis (J) following a goal-mouth scramble Curtis was cautioned for a foul on Hammond (B) and there followed a spate of substitution Edwards and Hammond (M) for Harwich were replaced by Townend and Gibbons whilst Little Oakley replaced Heath with McFarlane. Lone striker Barnard had two strikes at goal, in quick succession the last clearing the goal and at the other end a corner taken by Kioussis (J) was headed wide by Wood (L), a run by Palmer was checked by Lamb (O), Kioussis (J) took the free-kick with Hammond heading straight at Felgate. With five minutes remaining another goal for Little Oakley followed when JACOB KIOUSSIS struck a fine left-footed effort from twenty yards, over Felgate who had advanced marginally off, his goal-line. Harwich went in search of some consolation and when Geen was played clean through by Wood (A) he tried to draw the keeper who made a fine save in a one-on-one situation and the chance went by. Harwich threatened again when Kioussis (J) handled the ball thirty yards from his own goal, Wood (A) stepped up to rifle a low goal-bound shot that keeper Tynan (L) was equal too diving to his right to save low at the foot of the post. In the last minute Harwich knew it was not to be their day as when Barnard drifted round a static defender, his cross was missed by defender Hammond (B) and substitute Gibbons missed the goal completely from inside the six-yard box!
FULL TIME: 0 – 2
No a classic game by any means, local rivalries aside, the better team won on the day with a late goal in each half, Harwich put up a decent fight with Wood (A), skipper Murray and Felgate playing well. Little Oakley always seemed to have just that little bit more across the pitch, strong in defence, solid in midfield with the guile of Heath and Kioussis (J) in forward positions to create problems with the latter playing getting my Man of the Match selection, by creating goal-scoring opportunities, laying on the first goal, scoring fine goal himself and for behaving himself! This victory takes Little Oakley to the top of the table.
Teams:
HARWICH & PARKESTON FC: Colours: Black & White Shirts, Black Shorts and Black Socks.
Samuel Felgate., Oliver Lamb., Ryan Munson., Jake Richardson., Curtis Edwards., Michael Murray (C)., Samuel Thompson., Ashley Wood., Luke Barnard., Michael Hammond., Matthew Geen.
Manager: Glen Eldridge
Assistants: Gary Culip., Russell Mead, Mark Newell
Used Substitutes: Rhys Townend., Bradley Smith., Andrew Gibbons.
Unused Substitutes: Billy Eldridge., Russell Lamb.
LITTLE OAKLEY FC: Colours: Blue & Black Shirts, Black Shorts and Blue Socks.
Luke Tynan., Louis Reynolds., Jamie Dobkin (C)., Rory Harmon., Lewis Wood., Benjamin Hammond., Patrick Tynan., Mark Palmer., Jordan Heath., Jacob Kioussis., Franky Selwyn.
Manager: Sean Tynan.
Assistant Manager: Paul Sadler.
Used Substitutes: Stewart McFarlane., Shaun Kioussis., Brandon Rusby.
Unused Substitutes: Nathan Kioussis.
Referee: Lewis Farthing (West Bergholt)
Adrian Arnot (Colchester)
John Watson (Colchester)
Man of the Match: Jacob KIOUSSIS (LITTLE OAKLEY FC)
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Request to Club / Fixture Secretaries
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 advice any agreed changes, as required, to Alison Willmore ( mjw1947@sky.com ) especially for evening games and for those matches being played under floodlights etc.
KO is 2:00pm in: January
KO is 2:30pm in: 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
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