Burghfield B 4-2 Bracknell Cavaliers

The game started evenly with most of the action in midfield as both sides closed down quickly giving players very little time on the ball. However, with 10 minutes gone we took the lead when Justin played a lovely ball over the top for Liam to run onto and show great composure to wait for the bouncing ball to come down before volleying the ball home from the edge of the box. Fair play to Bracknell , they scrapped for everything in midfield and for much of the half it was they who pushed forward in search of the equalizer. They are another team with a long throw specialist and Jamie Hutchins , Nat, and Justin all did well to head clear under pressure. Cameron twice had to punch away missiles thrown deep into the 6 yard box and Ryan twice put in crucial tackles. We defend so well as a team now – everyone knows their job when we lose the ball – and although we weren’t at our best, the team showed great discipline to hold a good shape. As the half progressed we put together some neat passing moves usually prompted by Tom and Jamie Fisher both of whom play the simple ball so well. David shot narrowly wide following some great footwork after one move involving 4-5 players and James forced the keeper into an excellent block after another sweeping move.

At half-time, we talked about the need to win more 50-50 balls and for the first 20 minutes of the 2^nd half we did exactly that and dominated the game. Justin went close with a header from a corner, James had a couple of marauding runs down the left, shooting narrowly wide on both occasions, and Liam had a shot tipped round the post by the ‘keeper. Eventually the 2^nd goal came when Ben Fisher, so confident on the ball, was tripped in the area following a neat passing move, and Jamie Hutchins held his nerve to step up and coolly slot the ball home from the resultant penalty. With Ben Thomas marshalling the defence well and covering superbly at the back we were completely in control and 5 minutes later it was 3-0 when James latched onto a neat ball from Keith and beat a couple of players before hitting an unstoppable shot from just inside the penalty area into the top left hand corner – a superb strike but I’m not so sure about the celebration James … I think you might need to work on that!!! With 15 minutes to go and thinking the game was won, we switched off a little and Bracknell scored from a loose ball after another long throw. But we soon restored our 3 goal advantage when James nodded the ball goal-wards from a corner and the ball crept in at the far post. Great credit to Bracknell who kept going to the end and they pulled a goal back in injury time converting a penalty awarded for hand-ball.

I was delighted with how we scored our goals today. I talked before the game about the need to use the different threats we have in the team and the lads executed the plans superbly. Our first 3 goals came from different types of attack; pace in behind the defence, simple passing and movement, and the ability to take players on and beat them, all allied with superb finishing. Keeping the ball is all very well but you need a threat and to do something with it when you’ve got it and the whole team did that superbly today. It helps that we have players playing in the same positions each week – they build an understanding with each other and know their responsibilities. Combine this with the ability to defend as a team, a real work ethic, and an excellent team spirit, and it’s easy to see why we’ve lost just 2 of our last 10 matches. That’s a fantastic effort, lads, keep it up!