Won 3 - 1 v Crouch End Vampires (H), SAL Junior Div 2

Another important game in the context of our league position, with AP seeming to win every game they are playing at the moment.
A difficult week with Williams, White, Howard, Reddington and Robery all missing.
We welcomed back Bevers, and Zak came in for Jack.
Crouch End started well with their obvious plan of flooding the midfield and lumping the ball forward wherever possible, which we sort of expected.
We stuck to our game plan trying to stretch them out wide and this paid dividends.
Porky latched onto a through ball and managed to race into the box, he decided with his new found confidence in goal to attempt to beat the keeper with Green square. The ball scuffed off of a defender allowing Green to find the bottom corner with the outside of his boot for 1-0.
We continued to press, and another goal came from a long throw! Chris launched the ball towards Lee who flicked the ball into the 6 yard box, and with the keeper deciding to stay rooted to the spot Amico had the easy task of nodding home for 
2-0.
We looked fairly comfortable with no shots or major threats until Zak came about 100 yards off his line to try to intercept a ball and completely missing it allowing their forward the simply task of making it 2-1.
HT 2 - 1
The HT team talk was fairly positive, with the obvious saying that the next goal is crucial being bandied about.
We started well again, with Lee winning every ball in the air and Deano snapping away as usual. 
We eventually broke them down with a long ball played into the area, Green managed to get his ripped frame in front of the defender before the ball dropped from the sky, he then managed to flick the ball back into the path of Amico, who despatched the ball with his left foot low and hard into the corner.
Game over – or so you would think.
They still had time for a pen miss, which also resulted in Nick being sent off (unfortunately) for accidental handball on the line. Basically the ball was blasted at his hand from about 10 yards.
The sending off was harsh in the context of the game, with Vamps up to their same old tricks of kicking out leaving their foot in and in general being a___holes. And as always seems to be the case with the refs nowadays getting away with it. Ross got booked for getting kicked 3 seconds after the ball had gone… Green also got booked for telling the centre half that had just taken him clean out through on goal that “he’s ridiculous”. But Nick gets sent off… ref’s seem to be getting gradually worse, whilst the captains in the club take the flak for bookings etc…. 
Anyway, their number 9 stepped up to take the penalty with Green, Pett, and Bevers giving him all sorts of stick “one step” “don’t slip” “Ian Shite” were a few, he then managed to balloon the ball 10 yards wide and over.
There were a couple of half chance after that, but nothing of note and the messy 3’s collected the 3 points to move up to second a point of AP at the top.

Onto the SAL cup next week against AP, where a win will carry us into the ¼ finals.

Walk Tall