Match Report
Whilst the local councils called off all games on their pitches, sterling work by Jon Duffy brought the Moor Lane pitches to a playable state. This gave the Vets a quick chance to avenge their 5-2 loss to Essemmay a month ago. This looked entirely possible in the opening twenty minutes as a number of good chances were created but wasted. The habit of giving the ball away seemed mostly to have been eradicated and the defending was solid too.
Matty Gray played a sweet pass to Chester with half an hour gone and Chester took the ball around the keeper and made no mistake with his finish. The lead was held until the stroke of half-time but when Essemmay broke, a shot crept under rather than beyond Power’s despairing hand to level the score. This was frustrating as the performance level deserved a lead.
The second half was a closer affair, but the Vets took a deserved lead when McGuckin’s free kick floated in at the back post. Asked about the effort afterwards, the Skipper gave Antonio Conte his line for later, saying “I didn’t speak with the player about the goal, if he tried to kick and score in this way, but we deserved to score.”
An equaliser came as the Vets lost their way for a ten minute spell, then the deciding moment of the game. In a plea for a more advanced role, Bodey in the week sent an email saying “Have you maybe considered deploying me as a defensive midfielder in front of Gort and RvP. Allowing Ade and Mcguck to bomb on a bit … I can move and everything … I actually played right side of midfield in my teens/twenties”. Well he let his playing do the talking and pressed down the right wing and delivered a perfect cross from which it was harder to miss than score. Always prepared to take on a challenge, Mornington stooped and managed to head wide.
Inevitably, Essemmay scored the winner with only minutes left, the offside trap being sprung once more.
Malvern next week will allow the chance to try out the Catenaccio away from the prying eyes of the North West scouts.