Match Report
MATCH REPORT
14 October 2017
Chester Nomads 0 – 0 Ramblers
It was a day for returns. Taylor’s return from a persistent injury to his buttock. Nolan’s return from an unhappy spell with the Vets. Burgess and Mills’ return from… wherever they have been all season. Birrell’s return as captain, as deputy for Shannon ‘Pep Guardiola’ Eastwood.
Chester Nomads’ home ground is Boughton Hall Cricket Club which has one of the finest pitches in amateur football. Naturally, that sumptuous surface was not for the Ramblers 3rd XI. Our pitch was 100 yards away in Chester’s only ravine.
Pep Eastwood gave Birrell strict instructions to use the 3-5-2 formation that has worked so well this season. However, what Eastwood failed to give Birrell was Ant Chow, responsible for 98% of the Ramblers goals this season. In his infinite wisdom, Eastwood had sanctioned Chow’s temporary transfer to the 2nd XI. Going in to the match, Birrell pondered where the goals would come from. Nowhere, as it turned out.
Nomads fielded an old side with a particularly old woman playing up front. (S)he moaned about everything. Conscious of his responsibilities as captain, Birrell bit his tongue and only fouled him once. Nomads’ best player was a tall, rangy central midfielder. Nolan competed against him admirably for the first 4 minutes or so before running out of steam. After that, the debutant Brown was tasked with man marking him and did a commendable job.
The first half was, quite literally, an uphill struggle. The Ramblers defended well. Allison and Rodgers were strong in the tackle and disciplined. The wing backs, Wolff and Burgess, worked hard to neutralise the Nomads’ wingers. Despite having gravity on their side, Nomads did not threaten Mills who, as ever, was solid in between the sticks.
Morgan picked up an injury midway through the first half. Martin Cooke’s mate, Adam, came on in centre mid. Cooke went up front, where he caused problems for the Nomads defence. Taylor, too, looked dangerous whenever he was on the ball.
Ramblers started the second half brightly and began to dominate. However, we failed to capitalise on our possession. Taylor missed a good chance which, to be fair, he had created for himself. We wasted the ball in good positions. There was too little passing to feet and too much individuality. Cooke’s mate, in particular, was guilty of that when he started shooting from 30 yards or more.
Ramblers allowed Nomads to get back into it and the 20 minutes were full of scrappy end-to-end football. Towards the end of the game Ramblers committed too many men forward and Nomads broke. Their winger was one on one with Mills, who saved smartly to keep Ramblers in it.
The points were shared but, in truth, it felt like a defeat. Ramblers could and should have done better against an older side.
The brevity of this match report reflects the lack of any real highlights.
MOM: Mills (GK)
D.Birrell
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