The Jeckyll and Hyde personality of Chawton Athletic continued when a poor second half against Castle City once again undermined the hard work put in beforehand.
A uncharacteristically slow start from Chawton in very wet conditions was not punished by the home side. It didn't take long for the Yellows to get into their stride, as they started pinging the ball about on the exceptionally flat pitch.
The ball was skidding off the surface when allowed to bounce, but the away side seemed to control it better. They forced a few corners early on which came to nothing, while Castle City were being limited to skying long shots over the bar.
Some slick passing between Luke Ingram, Paul Nicholson and Andy Vickers down the left resulted in an opening for Ben Hodkin, whose shot went wide. Nicholson went close soon after with a thirty yard effort whizzing past the post.
Chawton failed to heed the warning when Castle broke forward, and after a corner was cleared by brothers Nicholson, the hosts did take an undeserved lead midway through the half. The ball was worked into the box, where there were too many defenders in the way to clear the ball. The ball was eventually smashed home, off Dave Nicholson, for 0-1.
Athletic set about righting the wrong and some more slick passing set Nathan Ingram up, his shot deflected narrowly wide. The corner came to nothing... a theme that would continue.
A missed tackle from Karl Teague and another from Dave Nicholson put Chawton under some pressure, but Marc Taylor-Penfold was able to clear for a corner. For his next clearance, Taylor-Penfold used the scorpion kick, to much adulation from the watching substitutes!
Taylor-Penfold then turned provider, when his excellent long ball found Hodkin on the right. His cross was knocked back by Vickers to Luke Ingram. His shot was knocked out for another corner.
More great work down the left, this time from Olly Williams and the brothers Ingram. Luke's cross is just out of the reach of Ben. Chances were starting to come Chawton's way, but none could be taken. Another through ball from Paul Nicholson resulted in the ball striking the hand of a City defender, but it was deemed ball to hand.
When City did get the ball into the Athletic box, panic was beginning to set in. A lack of communication between Dave Nicholson and Skilts in goal almost set up another chance, but Taylor-Penfold was on hand to clear the ball.
The left wing was proving a valuable outlet for Chawton, and another triangle of passes and runs from Luke Ingram, Paul Nicholson and Vickers saw the ball again in the Castle penalty area. James Harvey, who had been working solidly all game, eventually put the ball wide. He did have a very strong call for a penalty after bringing hauled down, but the referee was way behind play on the halfway line and didn't see it.
By this time the profligacy in front of goal was beginning to take it's toll on new manager Carlos Waterfield's voice...
Skilts made up for the earlier mis-communication by collecting the next ball into the away side's box. Skilts set Williams away down the left and he continued all the way to the by line, but the City defender worked well to knock the ball out for a throw.
The score remained 0-1 at half time.
It could have been worse straight from the kick off. A ball was not cleared or closed down and it was hit from just outside the area, rattling the crossbar and issuing a clear warning that City aimed to end the frustration that had set into their game.
This did kick start the Yellows and they duly scored not long after. Luke Ingram, working down the right, beat two men and let fly a vicious shot. The City keeper parried it but couldn't recover in time to stop top scorer Hodkin from turning it in the equalise with three second half minutes on the clock.
But after another ten minutes the game had been turned on it's head. Another high ball into the Chawton box isn't dealt with and after a little pinball it's smashed past a helpless Skilts.
Not long later, City take complete control of the match by scoring twice in quick succession with two copycats goals hit from just outside the area. Neither shot was closed down, with the City player using the wet surface and skimming both shots into the bottom corner. The ball was there to be won in the box, but nobody took charge.
Chawton almost hit back immediately, but Vickers' through ball over the City midfield was dinked over the advancing keeper and the bar by Hodkin. In fairness, he wasn't favourite to win the ball, as it was quickly closed down by two City defenders, but Hodkin was just a little quicker.
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Despite giving the ball away cheaply in the second half on occasion, Chawton were still creating half chances. At the third time of asking from a James Russell throw-in(!) a free kick was won. Despite the initial header being won by Athletic, the keeper managed to get hold of the loose ball, taking a hit to the face in the process.
Moments later, Paul Nicholson breakdances in the middle of the pitch. Whilst tackling the opposition.
Pat Cross, on as a sub for Harvey, set about running at the opposition's left back. His first run of significance sets Hodkin free, but his drilled cross is missed by everybody. Cross was being afforded plenty of space down the Athletic right, despite the opposition being warned that he was the Chawton George Best. After a quick one-two with Hodkin up front he got a shot off, which was saved by the keeper.
Hodkin himself was still looking for the net, and his thirty yard shot whistled past the far post. Time was running out for the away side. Shortly after, he again latched onto a Paul Nicholson through ball but his shot was just about saved by the keeper.
Then, out of nothing, the ball is at Hodkin's feet with the keeper way out of position. He looked up after the entire Chawton team shouted at him to shoot, and calmly slotted it home. The Castle defence had only conceded four goals in their first six games keeping four clean sheets so scoring two goals was better than most opposition sides had done.
Unfortunately it was City who ended the game on a high, with a tired looking Chawton side conceding two late goals. The first was again a ball that wasn't cleared, although it appeared that Williams at left back was fouled in the build up.
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The final nail in the coffin was hammered in before the end. A poor second half again leaving the scoreline looking incredibly flattering for the opposition, the match ending 2-6 on Waterfield's debut as Manager.
Even the exceptional first half couldn't mask the the areas requiring improvement. The profligacy in front of goal, particularly in the first half when so many chances were created continues to limit Chawton's scoring to two a game. Ben Hodkin again had another good game, but the burden needs to be spread a little.
The defence started strongly, but in the end six more goals were conceded and a lot of them were needless. A lack of closing down, a lack of of tracking back from the midfield and a poor touch in the area was the side's undoing in the second half, despite the first half warnings.
That said, the attacking play was quick and incisive. There was plenty of nice passing down the left, with Williams and Luke Ingram linking up well and bring in Vickers and Hodkin.
Man of the match though was Paul Nicholson who once again ran his arse off. He constantly tracked back to win the ball and put through some fine forward passes.
In his absence next week (for personal reasons), Waterfield hopes to hear of a significant improvement particularly in the second half performance. The matches in November are all away from home, so more time can be had preparing for the game. Half time must also be utilised to it's full potential to stop the second half rot... Plough and Horses Reserves have also struggled this season, so it would be nice to get the result our generally good performances deserve!
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