14/03/2015 – Wormingford & Colne Engaine FC versus Gosfield United FC

ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE

DIVISION ONE

WORMINGFORD & COLNE ENGAINE FC:   6.   GOSFIELD UNITED FC:  0.

Date:  Saturday 14^th March 2015.               Venue: Wormingford Playing Fields.

 I stayed with Division One, football again last Saturday as in a Division with fifteen teams, there are seven Reserve Teams which theoretically means that a First Team finishing mid table or below might be considered for promotion providing the standard of club facilities meet League criteria.

Hatfield Peverel FC (P22 – 51 pts) lead the Division with Harwich & Parkeston FC (P24 – 43 pts) now tucked in behind them however with four games in hand, Wormingford & Colne Engaine FC (P20 – 35 pts) could close the eight point gap. After this weekend’s games Gosfield United FC sit tenth in the Division but are the fifth highest First Team, Wormingford lie sixth in the Division but are the third highest First Team, all a bit confusing.

A bright but windy afternoon saw a fairly hard pitch that has dried well allowing the heavy roller to be deployed before kick-off, Referee for this game was Simon Bird, assisted by Club Linesmen who, whilst changing fairly regularly to allow substitutions, did in my opinion, a good job.

Gosfield United FC kicked off playing against the wind which was from one end to the other and I took advantage of the shelter of the trees on the far side but having to allow for the low spring sunshine. After a tentative start on the hard pitch both teams started to push the ball around with home keeper, Close, making a poor clearance which a more alert Day might have capitalised on but Dobson (L) cleared the danger. Day then made a telling run chasing down a long clearance down the left wing, crossing goalwards the ball clearing the head of Dobson (L) but Taylor could only direct his effort into the arms of the keeper. Parker tried to set Whybrow (L) away down the left but Kayley shielded the ball back to his keeper, Greenwood. More attacking pressure from the visitors through Greaves down the right side saw his left footed cross almost find the head of Taylor and we looked set for a decent game with midfield seeing the concentration of play. A run and cross from Dobson (R) was headed behind by Gazmuri-Symmes with Morris breathing down his neck, the corner taken by Dobson (R) was collected by Greenwood who kicked long with his opposite number Close collecting.

Greenwood saved a decent low shot from Dobson (R) who had been allowed to drift inside from the left wing to create space for his shot. Gosfield used the long throw from the right wing with reasonable effect, almost as good as a corner, but the tall Wormingford defenders looked comfortable with this form of approach and Gosfield were beginning to hit long balls and hope they could reach the ball first, but without any result. With seventeen minutes played and both teams having effectively cancelled each other out it took an error from Smith to open the door for the first goal. LUKE WHYBROW, alert, as ever for such an incidence latched onto the poorly struck back-pass, ran goalwards, rounding the keeper to side-foot home. Two minutes later and Symmes for Gosfield was guilty of giving the ball away, this time allowing JOSEPH MORRIS to run through to score with keeper Greenwood saving the first attempt but only parrying the ball back to the scorer to complete the job and the visitors were clearly rattled with players blaming each other.

Mid-fielder Pike tried his luck for the visitors with a volley that had Close, scrambling across goal as the ball drifted wide of the right hand upright. With a two goal cushion Wormingford looked sharper and were quicker to the ball, Gosfield appeared in disarray, allowing Norfolk and Brown (M) to impose their presence in many of the home attacks. A forward ball from Charlton saw Whybrow (L) lob Greenwood from the edge of the penalty area only to be flagged for off-side. When Greaves was dispossessed by Brown (M) he shot straight at Greenwood who was beginning to have a busy afternoon, but Smith for the visitors forced Charlton to head out for a corner but Smith over-hit the kick and a chance was wasted. Smith and Taylor did combine to get the ball forward to Greaves whose driven shot was over the cross-bar. On the half hour mark Wormingford increased their lead, Brown (M) started the move down the left side, working the ball inside to Dobson (R) whose low cross was met by Whybrow (L), only for Greenwood to save at close range but LUKE WHYBROW followed up to put the ball into the unguarded net.

Whybrow (L) should have scored again from a cross from Morris, the ball being directed wide of the goal but his goal threat remained, so much so that the referee had to halt the game and call the Gosfield captain over to speak about the language being used by his players who over-expressed themselves in frustration at being out-played and for giving the ball away too cheaply when over-elaborating their defensive play and clearances. Two goals had resulted when the ball was given away, but maybe credit should go to the home side for pressurising the visiting players into making those errors! As the half closed Pike defended well when Morris threatened when running onto a pass from Whybrow (L) then a ball forward by Symmes found Taylor whose control and shot on the turn ended with ball flying wide and the last action was when the persistence of Day saw him beat Dobson (L), who was injured but Close saved the low goal-bound shot.

HALF-TIME:      3 – 0

Wormingford who restarted the match had replaced the injured Whybrow (B) with Brown (L) with Gosfield replacing Kayley with Swann and Pike sent a soft shot towards Close who cleared with a long ball downfield where Swann attempted to control but allowed Dobson (R) to run goalwards until the ball rose up to hit his hand. Norfolk forced a corner off Symmes, taken by Dobson (R) but cleared by Gazmuri-Symmes. With only five minutes of the second half gone and with the visiting defence just standing watching goal-poacher LUKE WHYBROW drifted in to head home from only six yards, this from a long throw-in thus completing his hat-trick. Dobson (R) took a direct run at goal only to be blocked off but when the ball fell free, Brown (L) swept the ball goalwards only for Greenwood to save. Wormingford had started the second half, just as they ended the first, in full attacking mode, a long clearance from Close reached Dobson (R) who fired high and wide when well placed and Dobson (R) was again given too much room when he cut in from the left but his cross was over-hit. Gosfield tried a rare move down the right hand side when Gazmuri-Symmes beat both Parker and Pringle before being fouled, unfortunately the free-kick from Pike hit the defensive wall and was cleared and it is worth mentioning that the home defence are all over six-foot!

Swann received a caution for a rash challenge on Charlton and Morris was replaced by Earle who had managed to keep warm by running the line and on sixty-five minutes Greenwood produced an excellent save to deny Whybrow (L) who latched onto a corner from Dobson (R) with his head. Doughty was replaced by Turner for Gosfield but Brown (M) sent in a cross towards Brown (L) with Fraser just getting a touch to clear as Whybrow (L) was set to pounce. Wormingford were playing with more confidence this half, four goals to the good and more would follow as Gosfield had to desperately defend on a regular basis. When the referee gave a free-kick for and infringement by Smith on Norfolk, LIAM DOBSON strode up to hit a low forty yard shot past the wall beating the keeper with ease, that’s six goals for the season and from a defender! Greenwood was alert to advance when Dobson (R) threatened with Gazmuri-Symmes shielding the ball out for a goal-kick then Dobson (R) sent in a deep cross that Greenwood held, Swann scooped another Dobson (R) cross over his own goal for a corner and Dobson (R) sent Brown (L) away only for him to lob the advancing keeper and the goal.

Gazmuri-Symmes was the second Gosfield player to receive a caution when diving into a tackle with his studs showing, and Symmes showed his frustration when Swann, who had already been cautioned, dived into a needless challenge. Gosfield had hardly got into the Wormingford half but by playing high balls towards a tall defence they were soon on the back-foot and defending themselves. Another in-swinging corner from Dobson (R) found the head of Whybrow (L) but Greenwood excelled when tipping the ball over the cross-bar. Swann cleared the next shot from Dobson (R) off his own goal-line and Gosfield were struggling to clear the ball out of defence. Dobson (R) was causing numerous problems with his close control and direct running at the visiting defence he just needed a goal as a reward for his overall play. A rare Gosfield attack saw Close save from Taylor from a pass from Day then Fraser ballooned, his effort high and wide from ten yards.

With the final minutes now being played Charlton found Whybrow (L) who lobbed wide, Dobson (R) fed Charlton with Fraser just getting a toe on the ball to divert it away from the feet of Whybrow (L). Gazmuri-Symmes was caught off-side from a forward pass by Day but it was Wormingford who rounded off an emphatic six goal to nil victory when the hard-working ROSS NORFOLK swept the ball home at the far post after running on to a pass from Whybrow (L).

FULL TIME:  6 – 0

Despite useful defensive performances by Dobson (L) and Pringle, plus midfielders Norfolk and Dobson (R), my Man-of-the Match selection was going to be relatively easy once Luke Whybrow had converted his third goal, always a threat up front he remains the leading goal-scorer in Division One and perhaps should have scored more goals.

By quirk of fate or pure luck of the draw, these teams meet again next Saturday in the Quarter-Finals of the Knock-Out Cup with the victorious team at home to the winners of the Cinque Port FC / Coggeshall Town FC tie.

Teams:

Wormingford & Colne Engaine FC:

Colours: Blue Shirts & Blue Shorts

Liam Close., Steven Parker., Gregory Charlton., Jamie Pringle., Liam Dobson., Ben Whybrow (C)., Ross Norfolk., Marc Brown., Ross Dobson., Luke Whybrow., Joseph Morris.

Manager: Lee Whybrow

Used Substitutes: Lloyd Brown., Thomas Earle.

 

 

Gosfield United FC: Colours: Green & White Striped Shirts & Green Shorts

Peter Greenwood., Michael Kayley., James Gazmuri-Symmes., Daniel Fraser (C)., Daniel Symmes., Tom Doughty., Kieran Smith., Bobby Pike., Ashley Taylor., Greg Day., Alex Greaves.

Assistant Manager:      Mark Wiskin.

Used Substitutes:          David Turner., Ross Swann.

Unused Substitutes:     Mark Wiskin.

Referee: Simon Bird.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Luke WHYBROW (WORMINGFORD & COLNE ENGAINE FC)

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Request to Club Secretaries.

On “MITOO” would all Club Secretaries please amend Club Contacts, Team Colours and correct home venues in addition to adding the time of “Kick-Off” for HOME matches.

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

NB – Kick-Offs for Cup-Ties are generally 30 minutes earlier but check competition rules beforehand.

By making these changes it will aide any enquirers going forward.