Match Report
MATCH REPORT
Garrison Cup
02.11.19 – Result 1:4 Win
The damp, misty conditions of the day where a welcome change from the normally apocalyptic conditions of Warren Lane. The pitch was soft but flat and Ramblers 1’s where revved up to face Port Sunlight in the Garrison Cup.
The problem of a strong squad of exclusively outfield players led to O Handley admitting he owned a pair of keepers gloves thereby volunteering himself for the first stint in goal. J Faulkner joined Doherty and Duffy in defence with Whittingham in the ‘Dan Wise’ role in front of them. White returned on the right and Parker shifted to a familiar role wide left. Philips and Kresnyak where the midfield puppeteers behind the front two of Captain Holt and Shields.
Ramblers started well with a good intensity which seemed to subdue Sunlight from the start. Not 10 minutes on the clock and Ramblers took the lead through Parker with a clinical finish, assisted by Holt. Ramblers continued to dominate possession and on the half hour mark White raced clear and doubled the lead.
At this point Sunlight woke up and steadily hauled themselves back into the game by starting to string a few passes together and progressively asking some questions of the Ramblers backline. The home side have a number of players who can shoot from distance and after a few sighting efforts had sailed wide. They were however punished in devastating style as Holt managed to capitalise on a sloppy pass, nipping round the keeper, swivelling round a defender and cooly slotting the ball into the back of the net.
This prompted a re-shuffling of the Ramblers personnel with Faulkner making way for the return of Egan and Kresnyak who moved into a deeper central midfield position. 3-0 Half Time.
Half time was welcomed so as to assess, plan and implement the punishment of Shields for some off-target shots by handing him the keeper’s gloves for the start of the second half. This released Handley to enter the outfield wide on the left.
Not long after the restart this change proved positive as Handley and his fresh legs cut inside and delivered a confident right foot finish low into the right corner of the net from 20 yards. 4:0 Ramblers.
Port Sunlight did manage to nab one, helped rather drastically by the inability of Shields to catch a ball dinked right into the palm of his hands. Perturbed by this, he was sure to make up for this error later on in the match.
With 50 minutes gone, Sunlights centre forward raced clear and Egan’s reward for probably the most well timed sliding challenge you will see this season was to concede a penalty. Cometh the Hour Cometh the Man, Shields eyeballed the oppo, nothing more was passing him today….SAVED! RAMBLERS CELEBRATED.
Port Sunlight who had looked threatening for periods could not match he tenacity and fitness of a youthful Ramblers side and after M.O.M. Whittingham replaced the heroic Shields in goal for the final 15 minutes it was all Ramblers playing the majority of the remainder of the match in the attacking half.
The game finished 4-1 to Ramblers and in spite of some continued shuffling of positions as some of the newer members of the squad continue to settle in it was an assured performance against a traditionally strong opposition. Confidence and enjoyment levels remain high for the 1s after this. The Unbeaten Run continues, 8 on the bounce.
Win: 4:1
Goals: L Holt, E White, O Handley, D Parker
Assists: L Holt, D Parker