Match Report
Five gold rings. Eton Fives. Five go mad in Dorset. Five bar gate. Five loaves and two fishes. Five Gold Stars.
And five wins on the bounce.
It can not, however, be said that it was never in doubt. The usual (yes, usual) excellent start produced chances but unusually (yes, unusually) no goals. Woolton Vets had many familiar faces but an unwelcome new one in the form of their Number 24, who has clearly played at a level that is alien to most of our players. But in the first half he was outshone by Chester, whose movement, touch and passing was as good as has been seen in this team for quite some time. The opening goal, however, came from a simple set piece, Rogers chipping in a free kick for Mornington to head home.
Woolton fought back and won a penalty. It was clearly a foul by Hall, whose varifocal eyes claimed it to be outside the box. Everyone else, including Jim the ref, thought it was inside. Number 24 took the penalty with all of his class and skill. It was saved. But indecision in the box 90 seconds later saw Woolton equalise anyway.
Lesley had helpfully chopped the Tesco Express oranges but too many people had a second bite and the start to the second half was sluggish. A wonder goal put the Vets ahead a little against the run of play, a Mornington cross smashed in on the half volley by Chester. The run of play continued though, Number 24 now causing problems that were dealt with variously by the careful management of Rogers and the brute force of Bodey. “I’m not going to give you a red card for that one, Kevin, but if it was a competitive game you’d be off” was one of Jim’s more mooted responses to one of a series of pieces of controlled thuggery. We knew what Jim meant, but this game was most certainly competitive. More free kicks were repelled, but finally one defeated the Skipper’s awkward movement and chocolate wrists. Back on level terms.
Out of nowhere, Mornington smashed a third into the side netting. From a distance and to most observers, it seemed to be the outside of the side netting but the trademark high-pitched squeak of a celebration told otherwise. Then followed twenty minutes of attrition. McNay, making a welcome and surprisingly effective return, excelled and repelled from right back, where amazingly he stayed in position. Ainsworth made some neat interceptions, that new haircut of his reducing the wind resistance that sometimes holds him back. Yet more free-kicks were repelled, corner after corner was dealt with, and December picked up wherever November dropped off.