SYDENHAMS (WESSEX) LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
SATURDAY 4TH JANUARY 2020
VERWOOD TOWN 2 LAVERSTOCK & FORD 7

An abysmal start was epitomised by our Madame Tussauds 11 ‘look a likes’ watching a long ball drop for a runner and with five minutes gone saw the scoreboard indicate L&F taking the lead. 0-1.

Passing was atrocious. L&F looked as if they had 22 players on the park. Shane Cooper’s first game between the sticks for us was a fiery baptism. His body block two minutes after the goal was excellently timed. The rebound was cleared by Danvers.

Hall dipped a ball over L&F’s backs for Vint to run on goal. A cut back for Butler was intercepted and we gained a corner. Kelly slammed a half clearance on target but the keeper beat the ball off the line and a hefty boot cleared the danger. It was a sharp short flurry that gave miniscule hope of a lift in our game. It didn’t last.

Cooper was off his line quickly to clear a high ball dropping on the edge of the area and then Nicholson blocked a shot heading for the bottom corner.

L&F persisted in long but accurate balls into channels giving us more than a headache.

Lambert cleared a couple of central efforts and Kelly was on hand to cut out another run on goal with 25 minutes gone.

16 minutes left of the half and another ball down the flank wasn’t covered leaving room for a pin point cross into the box allowing an unmarked player to place a simple nodder past Cooper. 0-2.

7 minutes left and a simple passing move through the middle went unchecked. A half hit shot hit the inside of the post and rolled over the line. 0-3.

Half Time 0-3.

Could we recover and produce a Verwood fight back ? Not today.

Lambert came off for Maddocks. A positional shuffle had hope that it would give a lift to our play. Davies gave added hope with a run down the left. A low cross gave space for Vint but the ball finished up wide of the post.

11 minutes into the half we drifted into another somnambulistic state. Soft tackles in the middle of the park didn’t stop a run on goal. 0-4.

Two minutes later 0-5. It was Christmas all over again for the visitors.

Callum Butler pulled one back with a brilliant free kick but it was shaded a few minutes later when a deep cross dropped in our box for an unmarked visitor to put the ball in the net 1-6.

24 minutes Driscoll came on for Hunt and on 31 minutes Hall came off for Cooper (Elliott).v L&F slammed a seventh with 16 minutes left and Lee Vint reduced the score line to 2-7 with a well taken penalty.

Result 2-7