Match Report: November 17^th 2004: Arthurian League 2 - 2 Lloyds of London

The Arthurian League travelled to north east London for their second fixture of the season against a team they traditionally fare well against, Lloyds of London. The squad was similar to the one that lined up for the opening fixture against the Legal League, but Gordon Baker made a welcome return at centre-half to add some much-needed height to the side and Harry Hoffen returned up front after a head injury had ruled him out of the first game.

Some unforeseeable travel problems, coupled with a strange reluctance from Leyton Football Club to switch on their floodlights, meant that the warm-up before the match was somewhat shorter than usual, but this would have been a poor excuse for the start made by the home side, who took a good twenty minutes to find their feet in the game.

It was evident from the outset that Lloyds were a physically big, strong side and that they were going to use this advantage whenever they could. Challenges were attacked with relish and a number of long balls over the top put the Arthurians on the back foot. Initially, Paul Molloy and Rob Cooke struggled to compete in midfield and passes from all areas of the pitch were too hurried and, in general, too long.

Ironically, it was just as the home side began to come out of their shell and enjoy some possession that they fell behind to an extremely soft goal. Another long ball forward earnt the visitors a corner from where two simple mistakes gifted Lloyds a goal. First, the marking fell to pieces and a Lloyds player was allowed a completely free header from six yards out, then, with Oli Compton having been taken off injured, the far post was left completely unguarded and the ball flew in unchallenged.

Despite the setback, the Arthurians continued to pick up the pace in the latter stages of the first half and were duly rewarded for their better play with two goals in quick succession. An excellent passing move released Warner down the right wing who skipped past two defenders before freeing John Bentham just inside the box: the Westminster striker made no mistake, firing home with a well-placed shot into the far corner.

Then, two Harrovians combined to punish Lloyds for conceding a free-kick just outside their box: Lederman crossed to an unmarked Quentin Baker whose glancing header was too good for the `keeper.

There were several other occasions when further goals looked likely: Lederman made a forceful run down the centre of the pitch and as the two centre-halves were drawn wide, it appeared as though the right-winger had a clear run on goal. Unfortunately, a heavy touch at the crucial moment allowed the alert goalkeeper to parry the ball, but still the danger wasn`t over. Quentin Baker followed up to lob the ball back towards goal, but the `keeper recovered superbly to tip the ball onto the crossbar from where it was hacked to safety.

Lloyds also hit the bar before the break, another corner causing panic in the home defence and the Arthurians were lucky to escape when the ball crashed against the underside of the bar, rebounding down onto the line and out to safety.

If the 2-1 scoreline was more than the home side deserved, the balance was redressed after the break as the Arthurians finally made their superior technical ability tell. Matt O`Brien came on to play on the right wing, Harry Hoffen permanently replaced the unfortunate Oli Compton who had to depart with a twisted knee, and Piers Bourke came on ahead of Tom Maberley on the left wing.

It was one-way traffic from the first whistle. Quentin Baker and Paul Molloy enjoyed far greater control of proceedings in the middle of midfield and both John Bentham and O`Brien began to make their class tell, regularly combining in midfield to cause the visitors defence problems. Harry Hoffen had a frustrating time of things, but several times eluded his man to arrive in dangerous positions and fellow Harrovian Piers Bourke also made inroads down the left.

In contrast, Lloyds appeared to have abandoned any attempt to play football and relied on long balls over the top almost exclusively. Fortunately, Gordon Baker dealt with everything in the air in his usual calm way and James Morson, along with the two full-backs, mopped up everything on the ground. Goalkeeper James Butcher hardly touched the ball for the first half an hour of the second half.

Despite their excellent possession however, the Arthurians could not get the vital third goal. At least ten crosses must have been delivered into the Lloyds box in the second half from good areas, but not a single one found its intended target. Perhaps the best opportunity was from an excellent through ball that found Lederman in acres of space on the by-line, but his pass to Harry Hoffen was intercepted at the last moment.

As so often is the case in sport, when a side fails to capitalise on a period of dominance it pays the price later in the contest and with injury time approaching, the visitors grabbed an unjust equaliser with practically their only attack of the half. A huge goal-kick was allowed to bounce, then got flicked on twice, before finally being stabbed over the line by the centre forward as James Butcher rushed off his line a fraction too late. It was a cruel climax to what had been an excellent second half from the home side.

Despite the disappointing end to the game, there were a number of plus points for the Arthurian League. John Bentham and Matt O`Brien were excellent, especially in the second half, and the two full-backs Nick Warner and Tom Maberley also attacked and defended well. There has also been an excellent spirit building in the team and everyone appears more than comfortable in the set-up.

The next test for the team is against Cambridge University, traditionally the hardest fixture in the calendar, but after last night`s performance, the team can look forward to the New Year with great confidence.

Arthurian League (4-4-2): James Butcher (Lancing); Nick Warner (Harrow), James Morson (Witley), Gordon Baker (Winchester), Tom Maberley (Lancing); David Lederman (Harrow), Paul Molloy (Harrow), Rob Cooke (Shrewsbury), Quentin Baker (Harrow); John Bentham (Westminster), Oli Compton (Chigwell)

Subs: Harry Hoffen (Harrow), Piers Bourke (Harrow), Matt O`Brien (Highgate)

Goalscorers: John Bentham (30), Quentin Baker (37)