Friday 31 October 2008
Sunday November 2nd 2008
Unsure of the reason but Seth advises that Chawton have no fixture this weekend.
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Unusual Football Injuries
Sunday December 5th 2004. Playing in the Swiss league, Servette midfielder Paulo Diogo scored against Schaffhausen, then jumped into the crowd to celebrate. On the way, he managed to catch his wedding ring on a fence and tore off the top half of his finger. He was booked for excessive celebration.
Arsenal vs Chelsea, Saturday 6th May 200. After scoring Arsenal's (and his) second (and winning) goal, Thierry Henry went to celebrate in the corner of the pitch and required treatment after hitting himself in the face with the corner flag (see report). ArseWeb reader Joel points out that Marco Tardelli (Italy) did a similar thing in the World Cup final in Spain, 1982.
New Scientist of 5th August 1999 reported on research into a condition called SARA (sexually acquired reactive arthritis) in sportsmen, particularly footballers. It seems that footballers have so much sex that they're particularly susceptible to the condition, which in turn makes them more susceptible to eg knee injuries. See this newsreel item for more.
Perry Groves was on the bench for an Arsenal match (before he'd played for us). We went one-nil up and he jumped up to celebrate only to hit his head on the roof of the dug-out! He knocked himself out and needed treatment from physio Gary Lewin.
Sometime in the 70s, Norwegian International defender Svein Grondalen had to withdraw from an International after an accident which happened while he was out jogging. He collided with a moose.
David Seaman once broke a bone reaching for his TV remote
Another time, when already out with an injured knee, Seaman went carp fishing and put his shoulder out while reeling in a 26 pounder.
Carlo Cudicini is also said to have damaged a knee reaching for a remote control. Could be that one or both (see David Seaman in the entry before last) is urban legend? Or that there's something about goalkeepers that makes them prone to this injury?
In 1970 the career of Chic Brodie (Brentford keeper) was ended by injury following a mid-match collision with a dog that had invaded the pitch.
In 1975 Man United keeper Alex Stepney screamed so hard at his team-mates that he broke his jaw.
Brazilian star Ramalho was in bed for three days after swallowing a suppository intended to treat a dental infection
Milan Rapaic once missed the start of Hajduk Split's season after sticking his boarding-pass in his eye at the airport.
Not so funny perhaps, but where else are we going to tell you about it?..... Indonesian star Mistar, 25, was tragically killed by a herd of pigs that invaded his team's training pitch before a Cup fixture in 1995.
in 1999 Portsmouth's Johnny "Lager" Durnin, playing a round of golf with Alan McLoughlin, crashed his buggy into a fairway hollow because he was admiring the view rather than watching the ground in front, and dislocated his elbow putting him out for 6 weeks.
In 1993 keeper Dave Beasant was kept out by a foot injury caused by a falling jar of salad cream. Yes, he fumbled it, and because his hands were full he stuck out a foot to stop it hitting the floor!
Barnsley's Darren Barnard slipped in a puddle of his new puppy's pee on the kitchen floor. The resulting knee ligament damage kept him out of action for five months.
Wolves striker Robbie Keane ruptured his knee cartilage in 1998 after stretching to pick up his TV remote control (cf Seaman & Cudicini, above).
Steve Morrow broke his collarbone after falling off Tony Adams while celebrating the 1993 League Cup final win.
David Batty's return from an Achilles tendon injury was put back when he was run over by his toddler on a tricycle.
Allan Nielsen of Spurs missed several matches after his daughter poked him in the eye
Republic of Ireland star Alan McLoughlin, John Durnin's golf-partner (see above), ruptured his right thumb picking up daughter Megan.
Alan Wright, Villa's little full-back, needed treatment for a knee strain caused by stretching to reach the accelerator in his new Ferrari. 'It gave me grief,' said Wright, who swapped the car for a Rover 416.
Arsenal legend Charlie George never fully recovered from cutting off his big toe with a lawnmower.
Lee Hodges of Barnet slipped on a bar of soap in the shower, wrenching his groin
Alan Mullery missed England's 1964 tour of South America after putting his back out while brushing his teeth.
Reserve Liverpool keeper Stensgaard once injured himself in an incident with an ironing board. We don't know if he was ironing at the time.
Rio Ferdinand of Leeds damaged his knee in January 2001, while relaxing in front of the telly with his feet up on a coffee table. He had to go for scans on a tendon.
Former Arsenal keeper Richard Wright, was warming up in the goalmouth in preparation for an FA Cup tie against Chelsea for his next club Everton, when he twisted his ankle. He did it landing on a wooden sign instructing people not to practise there ((see newsreel)/
From Sheila Dodds in the US. This is not a funny one! "In 1999, My sophomore son, who was a star tail-back got hit and lost his left kidney. There were no bruises on his body at all. Had they not done a cat scan, he would have died. He walked off the field, and laid down. His kidney was severed in half, and was bleeding internally. Doctors were amazed he lived. His story has been brought up numerous times to the board of doctors in the hospital, and they also watched the play of how he was hit. Unfortunately, he can never play football, soccer, or wrestle again".
Spain (and Valencia) keeper Santiago Canizares was ruled out of the 2002 World Cup finals after a bottle of aftershave dropped on his foot (by himself, we assume) caused cuts and serious tendon damage.
David Beckham needed stitches above his left eye following a dressing room incident after Arsenal's 2-0 FA Cup win at Old Trafford on 15th Feb 2003. The injury was caused by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson kicking a football boot at him.
Crystal Palace keeper Alex Kolinko was hit around the head by his boss Trevor Francis in October 2002. Kolinko was on the bench, and Francis took offence when he laughed at their conceding a goal. The FA fined Francis 1000 pounds over the incident.
In 1996, Grimsby manager Brian Laws broke midfielder Ivan Bonetti's cheekbone after the Italian threw food at him in a dressing-room row. Laws escaped punishment, but they both were forced to make public apologies.
Shaun Goater injured a foot while playing for Man City against Birmingham in the autumn for 2003. The injury was sustained when he kicked an advertising hoarding in celebration of a goal by Nic Anelka. Goater had to be substituted.
Also in 2003, Villa striker Darius Vassell injured himself while attempting DIY surgery on his own foot. He had a blood blister under the toe-nail on his big toe and was using a power drill to drill through the nail and drain the wound. Drilling to drain such blisters is not an uncommon procedure, but normally it is conducted by a qualified person under sterile conditions. Vassell made it worse, picked up an infection, and had to have half the nail removed.
Stalybridge Celtic keeper Mark Statham missed a game in 1999 after trapping his head in a car door. We presume that his absence was caused by a resulting injury (rather than that he was still stuck in the car at kick-off) but we don't know what the injury was.
Halifax defender Dave Robinson put his shoulder out falling off a kid's slide
Arsenal vs Chelsea, Saturday 6th May 200. After scoring Arsenal's (and his) second (and winning) goal, Thierry Henry went to celebrate in the corner of the pitch and required treatment after hitting himself in the face with the corner flag (see report). ArseWeb reader Joel points out that Marco Tardelli (Italy) did a similar thing in the World Cup final in Spain, 1982.
New Scientist of 5th August 1999 reported on research into a condition called SARA (sexually acquired reactive arthritis) in sportsmen, particularly footballers. It seems that footballers have so much sex that they're particularly susceptible to the condition, which in turn makes them more susceptible to eg knee injuries. See this newsreel item for more.
Perry Groves was on the bench for an Arsenal match (before he'd played for us). We went one-nil up and he jumped up to celebrate only to hit his head on the roof of the dug-out! He knocked himself out and needed treatment from physio Gary Lewin.
Sometime in the 70s, Norwegian International defender Svein Grondalen had to withdraw from an International after an accident which happened while he was out jogging. He collided with a moose.
David Seaman once broke a bone reaching for his TV remote
Another time, when already out with an injured knee, Seaman went carp fishing and put his shoulder out while reeling in a 26 pounder.
Carlo Cudicini is also said to have damaged a knee reaching for a remote control. Could be that one or both (see David Seaman in the entry before last) is urban legend? Or that there's something about goalkeepers that makes them prone to this injury?
In 1970 the career of Chic Brodie (Brentford keeper) was ended by injury following a mid-match collision with a dog that had invaded the pitch.
In 1975 Man United keeper Alex Stepney screamed so hard at his team-mates that he broke his jaw.
Brazilian star Ramalho was in bed for three days after swallowing a suppository intended to treat a dental infection
Milan Rapaic once missed the start of Hajduk Split's season after sticking his boarding-pass in his eye at the airport.
Not so funny perhaps, but where else are we going to tell you about it?..... Indonesian star Mistar, 25, was tragically killed by a herd of pigs that invaded his team's training pitch before a Cup fixture in 1995.
in 1999 Portsmouth's Johnny "Lager" Durnin, playing a round of golf with Alan McLoughlin, crashed his buggy into a fairway hollow because he was admiring the view rather than watching the ground in front, and dislocated his elbow putting him out for 6 weeks.
In 1993 keeper Dave Beasant was kept out by a foot injury caused by a falling jar of salad cream. Yes, he fumbled it, and because his hands were full he stuck out a foot to stop it hitting the floor!
Barnsley's Darren Barnard slipped in a puddle of his new puppy's pee on the kitchen floor. The resulting knee ligament damage kept him out of action for five months.
Wolves striker Robbie Keane ruptured his knee cartilage in 1998 after stretching to pick up his TV remote control (cf Seaman & Cudicini, above).
Steve Morrow broke his collarbone after falling off Tony Adams while celebrating the 1993 League Cup final win.
David Batty's return from an Achilles tendon injury was put back when he was run over by his toddler on a tricycle.
Allan Nielsen of Spurs missed several matches after his daughter poked him in the eye
Republic of Ireland star Alan McLoughlin, John Durnin's golf-partner (see above), ruptured his right thumb picking up daughter Megan.
Alan Wright, Villa's little full-back, needed treatment for a knee strain caused by stretching to reach the accelerator in his new Ferrari. 'It gave me grief,' said Wright, who swapped the car for a Rover 416.
Arsenal legend Charlie George never fully recovered from cutting off his big toe with a lawnmower.
Lee Hodges of Barnet slipped on a bar of soap in the shower, wrenching his groin
Alan Mullery missed England's 1964 tour of South America after putting his back out while brushing his teeth.
Reserve Liverpool keeper Stensgaard once injured himself in an incident with an ironing board. We don't know if he was ironing at the time.
Rio Ferdinand of Leeds damaged his knee in January 2001, while relaxing in front of the telly with his feet up on a coffee table. He had to go for scans on a tendon.
Former Arsenal keeper Richard Wright, was warming up in the goalmouth in preparation for an FA Cup tie against Chelsea for his next club Everton, when he twisted his ankle. He did it landing on a wooden sign instructing people not to practise there ((see newsreel)/
From Sheila Dodds in the US. This is not a funny one! "In 1999, My sophomore son, who was a star tail-back got hit and lost his left kidney. There were no bruises on his body at all. Had they not done a cat scan, he would have died. He walked off the field, and laid down. His kidney was severed in half, and was bleeding internally. Doctors were amazed he lived. His story has been brought up numerous times to the board of doctors in the hospital, and they also watched the play of how he was hit. Unfortunately, he can never play football, soccer, or wrestle again".
Spain (and Valencia) keeper Santiago Canizares was ruled out of the 2002 World Cup finals after a bottle of aftershave dropped on his foot (by himself, we assume) caused cuts and serious tendon damage.
David Beckham needed stitches above his left eye following a dressing room incident after Arsenal's 2-0 FA Cup win at Old Trafford on 15th Feb 2003. The injury was caused by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson kicking a football boot at him.
Crystal Palace keeper Alex Kolinko was hit around the head by his boss Trevor Francis in October 2002. Kolinko was on the bench, and Francis took offence when he laughed at their conceding a goal. The FA fined Francis 1000 pounds over the incident.
In 1996, Grimsby manager Brian Laws broke midfielder Ivan Bonetti's cheekbone after the Italian threw food at him in a dressing-room row. Laws escaped punishment, but they both were forced to make public apologies.
Shaun Goater injured a foot while playing for Man City against Birmingham in the autumn for 2003. The injury was sustained when he kicked an advertising hoarding in celebration of a goal by Nic Anelka. Goater had to be substituted.
Also in 2003, Villa striker Darius Vassell injured himself while attempting DIY surgery on his own foot. He had a blood blister under the toe-nail on his big toe and was using a power drill to drill through the nail and drain the wound. Drilling to drain such blisters is not an uncommon procedure, but normally it is conducted by a qualified person under sterile conditions. Vassell made it worse, picked up an infection, and had to have half the nail removed.
Stalybridge Celtic keeper Mark Statham missed a game in 1999 after trapping his head in a car door. We presume that his absence was caused by a resulting injury (rather than that he was still stuck in the car at kick-off) but we don't know what the injury was.
Halifax defender Dave Robinson put his shoulder out falling off a kid's slide
Monday 27 October 2008
Royal Oak v Chawton Athletic - Match Report
A grey, wet October morning met the Chawton squad as they gathered at Alton Train station for the short journey back to Bohunt School, the site of their famous victory in the cup the previous weekend.
Si unfortunately was unable to participate due to an injured back, but the squad was bolstered by the return of Bob and Lee making the squad actually number 15 in total.
Royal Oak, though looking a well organised outfit, forgot to mention the change of venue for the match so after waiting around for the opposition to arrive we finally established that we needed to go back to the REME pitch in Bordon.
Arriving obviously later than originally planned and with no changing rooms and it raining, it was not the best of starts for the Athletic boys.
Again the league were unable to provide a referee, the third time in 5 games, and again a random man provided by the home team filled the role exceptionally.
Oak started the game well, their neat; passing triangles were shifting the Athletic midfield around but opportunities were few and far between as both sides battled hard in the middle of the park.
The first moment of danger came as a thunderous right foot shot left Matt a spectator, only to watch as the ball cannoned back off of the bar. A lucky escape for Chawton who had yet to get a grip on the game. The ball was then cleared from danger.
Back came Oak, forcing corner after corner all dealt with comfortably by Matt in the Chawton goal. The back line of Old Shaun, Paul, Rich P and Martin, were inspired all doing brilliantly well to block, harry, close down and scramble clear on more than occasion each.
Oak then struck on the 20 minute mark, a speculative long shot through the rutted and muddy puddle strewn goalmouth saw the harmless shot bounce up and catch Matt on the upper arms, before falling into the path of the on-rushing striker, who slotted the ball home passed a helpless and disappointed Matt.
Chawton were edging back into the game, but Oak always looked dangerous in possession and Matt did well to push dangerous shots, one round the post and three over the bar. Despite the attention given to Matt by the striker, he still managed to come and claim most of the corners, snuffing out the danger.
Eventually Oak found a way past the Chawton defence to score the second, a deeper corner prevented Matt for coming to collect and the resultant scramble saw Matt slip and only palm the ball back to the penalty spot, it was forced goal wards where the striker was able to cutely finish.
The third came very quickly after and it started to look like it could become a rout, the right winger's mazy run, ended with a neat turn inside before firing passed a stranded Matt high into the far corner.
Chawton's heads were not to drop though as they continued to try and get the ball down and play the kind of football that saw them to victory in the previous fixture, despite Bob's return in the middle of the park they were just unable to put together the precise passing moves of the previous week, the final ball letting them down at the last.
An Oak corner sparked the best and most dangerous Athletic move of the half as Matt collected yet another corner inches from the head of a defender before launching an overarm throw into the Oak half, behind the full-back and into the path of young Shaun who had made an excellent and intelligent run. Sadly as he forged his was into the box, the move broke down and the ball cleared, but it proved that Chawton could still have a say in the outcome of this football match.
Half time saw a change of personnel with Seth and George being replaced by Lee and Rich E, sadly Lee's involvement was not to last long as an injured hamstring curtailed his involvement, after 15 minutes of the second half. It was enough time for the attacking elements in the Athletic side to show they were still up for the fight, Bob, Lee, young Shaun, Liam, Ben and Rich E, were finding more space in which to get the ball down and play.
Oak still pressed forwards but apart from corners their danger was restricted to very wayward shooting from distance, much to the relief of an untroubled Matt.
Chawton's best move came as Liam was set free of a very high and square Oak back four, he raced clear before superbly touching the ball one side of the keeper, running the other side and collecting before steering the ball toward the open goal, only for the full back to brilliantly block on the line, the block fell to Bob who could only steer his shot at the keeper, an excellent opportunity and one that lifted the Chawton heads even further.
Chawton kept plugging away and although mostly ineffective going forwards, the pressure on the Oak back four was increasing. Liam forcing the centre back to lob his own keeper and watch agonisingly as the ball slipped past the wrong side of the post for a corner. The resultant set piece saw Martin unluckily head over the bar.
Things turned a little ugly as the Oak number 11, who had left his foot, elbow and shoulder in for the majority of the game, finally got a talking too for a very high and very late challenge on Bob. The Chawton man very lucky to come away from the challenge with just a hole on his sock. The melee or pushing, shoving and finger pointing was handled fairly well by the make-shift ref, but many felt the punishment of just a talking too was perhaps a little lenient on this occasion. Especially as it was not the first time the official had spoken to the Oak man.
Chawton kept pressing and Oak kept shooting, waywardly, with Matt reduced to the occasional comfortable save and to retrieving the ball from the other side of the road.
And so the final whistle went in the rain, Royal Oak 3 - Chawton Athletic 0. A fair result and one that Chawton can be proud of; having drawn the second half 0-0.
Blog man of the match goes to Martin at Centre Back, he headed, intercepted and blocked shots and crosses all day, and alongside Rich P who also had a solid game, is starting to form an excellent partnership. His important contribution in yesterday's game ensured that the scoreline remained respectable, but special mention goes to old Shaun and Paul at full back who kept plugging away and to Liam who never stopped running from first minute to last.
On a sadder note, it now seems fairly apparent that Matt has re-injured his troublesome knee during Sunday's game. If the injury is the same as those previous injuries, which is almost certain, it will likely curtail his season as surgery will be required again. A real blow for the keeper, who despite having shipped 29 goals in 5 games; has been in great form so far this season. The Dr's appointment is this Thursday morning where he is likely to be referred back to the knee specialist at Basingstoke and hopefully join the waiting list to be operated on.
Si unfortunately was unable to participate due to an injured back, but the squad was bolstered by the return of Bob and Lee making the squad actually number 15 in total.
Royal Oak, though looking a well organised outfit, forgot to mention the change of venue for the match so after waiting around for the opposition to arrive we finally established that we needed to go back to the REME pitch in Bordon.
Arriving obviously later than originally planned and with no changing rooms and it raining, it was not the best of starts for the Athletic boys.
Again the league were unable to provide a referee, the third time in 5 games, and again a random man provided by the home team filled the role exceptionally.
Oak started the game well, their neat; passing triangles were shifting the Athletic midfield around but opportunities were few and far between as both sides battled hard in the middle of the park.
The first moment of danger came as a thunderous right foot shot left Matt a spectator, only to watch as the ball cannoned back off of the bar. A lucky escape for Chawton who had yet to get a grip on the game. The ball was then cleared from danger.
Back came Oak, forcing corner after corner all dealt with comfortably by Matt in the Chawton goal. The back line of Old Shaun, Paul, Rich P and Martin, were inspired all doing brilliantly well to block, harry, close down and scramble clear on more than occasion each.
Oak then struck on the 20 minute mark, a speculative long shot through the rutted and muddy puddle strewn goalmouth saw the harmless shot bounce up and catch Matt on the upper arms, before falling into the path of the on-rushing striker, who slotted the ball home passed a helpless and disappointed Matt.
Chawton were edging back into the game, but Oak always looked dangerous in possession and Matt did well to push dangerous shots, one round the post and three over the bar. Despite the attention given to Matt by the striker, he still managed to come and claim most of the corners, snuffing out the danger.
Eventually Oak found a way past the Chawton defence to score the second, a deeper corner prevented Matt for coming to collect and the resultant scramble saw Matt slip and only palm the ball back to the penalty spot, it was forced goal wards where the striker was able to cutely finish.
The third came very quickly after and it started to look like it could become a rout, the right winger's mazy run, ended with a neat turn inside before firing passed a stranded Matt high into the far corner.
Chawton's heads were not to drop though as they continued to try and get the ball down and play the kind of football that saw them to victory in the previous fixture, despite Bob's return in the middle of the park they were just unable to put together the precise passing moves of the previous week, the final ball letting them down at the last.
An Oak corner sparked the best and most dangerous Athletic move of the half as Matt collected yet another corner inches from the head of a defender before launching an overarm throw into the Oak half, behind the full-back and into the path of young Shaun who had made an excellent and intelligent run. Sadly as he forged his was into the box, the move broke down and the ball cleared, but it proved that Chawton could still have a say in the outcome of this football match.
Half time saw a change of personnel with Seth and George being replaced by Lee and Rich E, sadly Lee's involvement was not to last long as an injured hamstring curtailed his involvement, after 15 minutes of the second half. It was enough time for the attacking elements in the Athletic side to show they were still up for the fight, Bob, Lee, young Shaun, Liam, Ben and Rich E, were finding more space in which to get the ball down and play.
Oak still pressed forwards but apart from corners their danger was restricted to very wayward shooting from distance, much to the relief of an untroubled Matt.
Chawton's best move came as Liam was set free of a very high and square Oak back four, he raced clear before superbly touching the ball one side of the keeper, running the other side and collecting before steering the ball toward the open goal, only for the full back to brilliantly block on the line, the block fell to Bob who could only steer his shot at the keeper, an excellent opportunity and one that lifted the Chawton heads even further.
Chawton kept plugging away and although mostly ineffective going forwards, the pressure on the Oak back four was increasing. Liam forcing the centre back to lob his own keeper and watch agonisingly as the ball slipped past the wrong side of the post for a corner. The resultant set piece saw Martin unluckily head over the bar.
Things turned a little ugly as the Oak number 11, who had left his foot, elbow and shoulder in for the majority of the game, finally got a talking too for a very high and very late challenge on Bob. The Chawton man very lucky to come away from the challenge with just a hole on his sock. The melee or pushing, shoving and finger pointing was handled fairly well by the make-shift ref, but many felt the punishment of just a talking too was perhaps a little lenient on this occasion. Especially as it was not the first time the official had spoken to the Oak man.
Chawton kept pressing and Oak kept shooting, waywardly, with Matt reduced to the occasional comfortable save and to retrieving the ball from the other side of the road.
And so the final whistle went in the rain, Royal Oak 3 - Chawton Athletic 0. A fair result and one that Chawton can be proud of; having drawn the second half 0-0.
Blog man of the match goes to Martin at Centre Back, he headed, intercepted and blocked shots and crosses all day, and alongside Rich P who also had a solid game, is starting to form an excellent partnership. His important contribution in yesterday's game ensured that the scoreline remained respectable, but special mention goes to old Shaun and Paul at full back who kept plugging away and to Liam who never stopped running from first minute to last.
On a sadder note, it now seems fairly apparent that Matt has re-injured his troublesome knee during Sunday's game. If the injury is the same as those previous injuries, which is almost certain, it will likely curtail his season as surgery will be required again. A real blow for the keeper, who despite having shipped 29 goals in 5 games; has been in great form so far this season. The Dr's appointment is this Thursday morning where he is likely to be referred back to the knee specialist at Basingstoke and hopefully join the waiting list to be operated on.
Sunday 19 October 2008
Royal Exchange 1 - Chawton Athletic 2 Match Report
Chawton Athletic entered into this cup tie; after an enforced two week break; on high spirits and raring to put up a bit more of a battle than in previous fixtures.
They were immediately dealt a blow when Bob and Lee both had to pull out, so Chawton's 14 on paper had dissolved to 12.
Setting up in familiar 4-4-2 formation, Matt in goal, Rich and Shaun at centre back, Martin and Liam at full back, Seth and Rich E in the middle of midfield, Ben right midfield, young Shaun left midfield, with George and Si leading the line up front.
After many discussions on tactics but lacking the leadership of either Bob or Alex, the general consensus was to try to play a little deeper at the back this week, to try and ensure that we were not caught by the long ball and as the game kicked off it immediately paid dividends.
Exchange though started brightly were stifled by the workmanlike Chawton, both sides settling into their respective passing games.
The first chance fell to Exchange as the Chawton defence were caught a little square at the back, and despite their calls for offside, the referee waived the game on the Exchange striker bore down; one on one on Matt's goal, the keeper doing well to stay tall and palm to safety before scrambling to collect and start another break.
Shaun, Seth, Rich E and Ben were all exceptionally industrious in midfield and soon were stretching their Exchange opponents, Ben doing well to beat his man several times down the right hand side.
Chawton survived a couple of scrappy passages of play, Matt snuffing out several chances and confidently claiming corners. During that Liam caught a very solid blow to the head whilst executing a great tackled clearance; it clearly shook him up and he took some time out to recover but soon re-joined the fray making visible contributions.
And then the deadlock was broken, Rich E drifting to the left in possession, cut back on to his favoured right foot, and placed a superbly lofted ball over the stretching Exchange centre back finding George.
George's one touch control took him clear of the last man and he honed in on goal, the Exchange keeper perhaps surprised by his first piece of real action seemed slow to advance and George hammered the ball home past him into the corner of the net. A superbly taken goal, which was celebrated in excellent style by George.
Chawton, though perhaps fortunate for the lead, looked very settled with their new found success, (having only scored in one game prior to this one and certainly never having taken the lead before) they passed the ball round confidently, and despite the odd half chance had restricted Exchange to shooting from long distance which rarely troubled Matt.
Chawton forced a corner, from which Ben's well struck shot screwed past the post. But just when it looked like Chawton had weathered the storm, Exchange struck back to level. Matt being left with no chance as the Exchange striker smashed to ball home high into the corner from 20 yards.
Chawton's heads dropped a little and Exchange grew in confidence, Matt having to smother well at the feet of the striker, catching a well struck shot and palming aside another one on one.
The Half time whistle went with the game evenly balanced at 1-1. The break seemed to restore the confidence in the Chawton boys, and knew we had a great opportunity in the second half having competed so brilliantly for the first 45 minutes.
And so the second half kicked off, Chawton settled back into the game well, Martin and Rich P marshaling the defensive line well and ensuring that Chawton's eagerness to push on did not leave them vulnerable at the back.
Seth and Rich E had swapped slightly in the second half, giving Seth a more defensive role; sat in front of the back four and he helped to mop up the Exchange attacks, whilst Rich E's more unrestricted role enabled him to affect the game a little more.
Fifteen minutes in and the scheduled change of Paul for Seth was altered slightly and with it came a total shift. Paul came on for Shaun, with Liam going up front, Si to right back, Paul to Left back and Martin moved across to partner Rich at centre back. Chawton still looked dangerous on the break but Exchange were now looking like the better footballing side. Rich P, Martin, Si and Paul all doing well to stifle the Exchange forwards, whilst the tireless George, young Shaun, Liam and Ben looked dangerous as the Exchange defence pushed higher and higher up the pitch trying to push home their advantage.
Exchange's dominance was tempered by their poor choices and equally poor finishing, all the time Chawton soaking up the pressure and all the time always in it.
Then a magical moment as Liam was set away by a great through ball and confidently struck the ball home under the Exchange keeper. Against the run of play but Chawton gleefully accepted the advantage.
Back came Exchange but their poor finishing again were their downfall. Matt did have a scare as a routine cross evaded his grasp and he required Si's intervention to maintain that advantage.
The tension started to affect both sides and tempers flared several times throughout the game, none more so when Matt, feeling slighted by a late challenge as he came to collect another corner and making the Exchange player very aware of his feelings on the matter. The playful push turned into quite a shoving match with Matt wisely deciding the floor was the safest place to be, the referee doing well to restore order as the Chawton boys rallied round to protect one of their own.
Exchange chances were coming thick and fast as Chawton were drawn deeper and deeper, Chawton finding it difficult to clear their lines. Two chances falling late on as a header struck the post and then defensive moment of the match as Martin's attempted header back to Matt fell at the feet of an Exchange player, pulling back his foot to fire at goal, he was thwarted by a superbly timed tackle by the tireless Si.
And so the final whistle; a momentous 2-1 victory for Chawton, very probably not really deserved, but the cohesion and fitness is finally making an appearance.
Chawton progress to the semi finals where they face Blue Bells in this the short filled Challenge cup competition.
Blog man of the match was almost very nearly impossible to decide, several real contenders with special mentions for both goal scorers; Liam who did brilliantly after the kick to the head to score the winner later in the game and George who closed down and hassled the Exchange defenders in the second half and who took his goal superbly, but the Blog Man of the Match goes to Si, for his excellent all round play and his match winning tackle at the end.
Next fixture away to Royal Oak at Bohunt again.
Just a quick reminder about the Farnham Sunday football league website, which is hosted by Sports Today.
Follow this link http://www.sportstoday.co.uk/
Choose results from the choices at the top of the page
Then Surrey from the England drop down box
Click on the Farnham & District Sunday league.
They were immediately dealt a blow when Bob and Lee both had to pull out, so Chawton's 14 on paper had dissolved to 12.
Setting up in familiar 4-4-2 formation, Matt in goal, Rich and Shaun at centre back, Martin and Liam at full back, Seth and Rich E in the middle of midfield, Ben right midfield, young Shaun left midfield, with George and Si leading the line up front.
After many discussions on tactics but lacking the leadership of either Bob or Alex, the general consensus was to try to play a little deeper at the back this week, to try and ensure that we were not caught by the long ball and as the game kicked off it immediately paid dividends.
Exchange though started brightly were stifled by the workmanlike Chawton, both sides settling into their respective passing games.
The first chance fell to Exchange as the Chawton defence were caught a little square at the back, and despite their calls for offside, the referee waived the game on the Exchange striker bore down; one on one on Matt's goal, the keeper doing well to stay tall and palm to safety before scrambling to collect and start another break.
Shaun, Seth, Rich E and Ben were all exceptionally industrious in midfield and soon were stretching their Exchange opponents, Ben doing well to beat his man several times down the right hand side.
Chawton survived a couple of scrappy passages of play, Matt snuffing out several chances and confidently claiming corners. During that Liam caught a very solid blow to the head whilst executing a great tackled clearance; it clearly shook him up and he took some time out to recover but soon re-joined the fray making visible contributions.
And then the deadlock was broken, Rich E drifting to the left in possession, cut back on to his favoured right foot, and placed a superbly lofted ball over the stretching Exchange centre back finding George.
George's one touch control took him clear of the last man and he honed in on goal, the Exchange keeper perhaps surprised by his first piece of real action seemed slow to advance and George hammered the ball home past him into the corner of the net. A superbly taken goal, which was celebrated in excellent style by George.
Chawton, though perhaps fortunate for the lead, looked very settled with their new found success, (having only scored in one game prior to this one and certainly never having taken the lead before) they passed the ball round confidently, and despite the odd half chance had restricted Exchange to shooting from long distance which rarely troubled Matt.
Chawton forced a corner, from which Ben's well struck shot screwed past the post. But just when it looked like Chawton had weathered the storm, Exchange struck back to level. Matt being left with no chance as the Exchange striker smashed to ball home high into the corner from 20 yards.
Chawton's heads dropped a little and Exchange grew in confidence, Matt having to smother well at the feet of the striker, catching a well struck shot and palming aside another one on one.
The Half time whistle went with the game evenly balanced at 1-1. The break seemed to restore the confidence in the Chawton boys, and knew we had a great opportunity in the second half having competed so brilliantly for the first 45 minutes.
And so the second half kicked off, Chawton settled back into the game well, Martin and Rich P marshaling the defensive line well and ensuring that Chawton's eagerness to push on did not leave them vulnerable at the back.
Seth and Rich E had swapped slightly in the second half, giving Seth a more defensive role; sat in front of the back four and he helped to mop up the Exchange attacks, whilst Rich E's more unrestricted role enabled him to affect the game a little more.
Fifteen minutes in and the scheduled change of Paul for Seth was altered slightly and with it came a total shift. Paul came on for Shaun, with Liam going up front, Si to right back, Paul to Left back and Martin moved across to partner Rich at centre back. Chawton still looked dangerous on the break but Exchange were now looking like the better footballing side. Rich P, Martin, Si and Paul all doing well to stifle the Exchange forwards, whilst the tireless George, young Shaun, Liam and Ben looked dangerous as the Exchange defence pushed higher and higher up the pitch trying to push home their advantage.
Exchange's dominance was tempered by their poor choices and equally poor finishing, all the time Chawton soaking up the pressure and all the time always in it.
Then a magical moment as Liam was set away by a great through ball and confidently struck the ball home under the Exchange keeper. Against the run of play but Chawton gleefully accepted the advantage.
Back came Exchange but their poor finishing again were their downfall. Matt did have a scare as a routine cross evaded his grasp and he required Si's intervention to maintain that advantage.
The tension started to affect both sides and tempers flared several times throughout the game, none more so when Matt, feeling slighted by a late challenge as he came to collect another corner and making the Exchange player very aware of his feelings on the matter. The playful push turned into quite a shoving match with Matt wisely deciding the floor was the safest place to be, the referee doing well to restore order as the Chawton boys rallied round to protect one of their own.
Exchange chances were coming thick and fast as Chawton were drawn deeper and deeper, Chawton finding it difficult to clear their lines. Two chances falling late on as a header struck the post and then defensive moment of the match as Martin's attempted header back to Matt fell at the feet of an Exchange player, pulling back his foot to fire at goal, he was thwarted by a superbly timed tackle by the tireless Si.
And so the final whistle; a momentous 2-1 victory for Chawton, very probably not really deserved, but the cohesion and fitness is finally making an appearance.
Chawton progress to the semi finals where they face Blue Bells in this the short filled Challenge cup competition.
Blog man of the match was almost very nearly impossible to decide, several real contenders with special mentions for both goal scorers; Liam who did brilliantly after the kick to the head to score the winner later in the game and George who closed down and hassled the Exchange defenders in the second half and who took his goal superbly, but the Blog Man of the Match goes to Si, for his excellent all round play and his match winning tackle at the end.
Next fixture away to Royal Oak at Bohunt again.
Just a quick reminder about the Farnham Sunday football league website, which is hosted by Sports Today.
Follow this link http://www.sportstoday.co.uk/
Choose results from the choices at the top of the page
Then Surrey from the England drop down box
Click on the Farnham & District Sunday league.
Friday 17 October 2008
Away to Royal Exchange - Bohunt School
After an enforced two week hiatus, Chawton Athletic return to footballing action this Sunday (19th October 2008) with an away cup tie against Royal Exchange at Bohunt School.
According to the word on the street, we have 14 for Sunday's game which sadly means someone has to miss out. Patrick is missing again this weekend, his extremely busy social life preventing him from joining back up with the squad and Jimmer is unavailable also. Paul I is again available after his impressive cameo debut at the Wey Valley game.
Meet at 9:15 at Alton Station.
According to the word on the street, we have 14 for Sunday's game which sadly means someone has to miss out. Patrick is missing again this weekend, his extremely busy social life preventing him from joining back up with the squad and Jimmer is unavailable also. Paul I is again available after his impressive cameo debut at the Wey Valley game.
Meet at 9:15 at Alton Station.
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