AFC v Arthurian League, Hanwell Town FC, Wednesday March 23^rd 2005

After the disappointment of the heavy defeat to Cambridge and the cancellation of two fixtures due to sides not being able to raise full teams, the Arthurian League Rep side was determined to finish its season on a high note in the final match against the AFC in late March.

As with previous fixtures, however, there were a number of absentees through either work or injury and this meant a rather unfamiliar line-up, notably up front where the outstanding player of the season, Etonian Matt Lowe, and his usual strike partner Harry Hoffen (Harrow) were both absent. This did mean however that Charterhouse`s Henry Nash and Chigwell`s Oli Compton could both get a full run-out - or at least that was the plan until the latter got stuck in traffic and arrived a few minutes after kick-off, with fellow Chigwellian and Rep side debutant Kelvin Taaffe in tow.

Nevertheless, the Arthurian League side still looked a strong one on paper. The new Harrow central defensive partnership of Paul Molloy and Tim Dalton were joined on either side by Ben Murphy (Forest) and Piers Bourke (Harrow), who filled in again at left-back after previously excelling in the position. In midfield, the mercurial Matt O`Brien (Cholmelians) started on the left, Nick Warner (Harrow) on the right, with a strong central pairing of Rob Cooke (Shrewsbury) and Rob Marshall (Forest) between them. And James Dunne (Forest) switched from his usual left wing berth to partner Henry Nash up front for the first half.

Despite starting the game with a great deal of confidence, especially given the 3-0 victory over the AFC the season before, the visitors soon found themselves under pressure as their opponents settled quicker and they were soon forcing the Arthurian League side onto the back foot.

The rearguard held firm, however, with Molloy and Dalton proving an effective partnership at the back - the former sweeping round and distributing with the confidence of a converted midfielder, the latter able to use his turn of pace and excellent tackling technique to thwart any opposition attacks. But in front of them, the Arthurian midfield was struggling to retain possession and the forward pairing of Nash and Dunne were starved of opportunities to challenge the AFC back four.

It was somewhat galling therefore that just when it appeared as though the visitors were beginning to find their feet in the game, the AFC took the lead through an easily-avoidable goal. A corner was flicked on at the near post and scrambled in via a couple of deflections to give the side in yellow and black a deserved 1-0 lead.

Nevertheless, the Arthurians continued to pick up the pace as half-time approached, with Nash and Dunne using their pace up front and Piers Bourke providing a good outlet on the left wing. Although there were few opportunities created, it boded well for the second half.

A number of changes were made at the break which seemed to benefit the Arthurian side: Oli Compton joined Henry Nash in the forward pairing that should have been on from the start; fellow Chigwellian Kelvin Taaffe made his Rep side debut alongside Tim Dalton at centre-half, with Matt O`Brien now playing right wing and James Dunne reverting to his more conventional left wing role. Nick Warner (Harrow) replaced Ben Murphy at right-back, who could not continue because of injury.

The Arthurians started with purpose and gained more of a foothold in central midfield, but the front two continued to find it hard against a well-organised, if slightly ponderous AFC backline. Several times Nash and Compton were put through with the last defender to beat, but each time they came up short, Compton unsurprisingly given the lack of preparation time he had enjoyed.

Nevertheless, the game was well-balanced until Westminster `keeper James Kershen miss-hit a clearance and presented the AFC with a simple opportunity to double the lead.

The Arthurian side kept up the pace however, with James Dunne and Piers Bourke proving especially threatening down the left side - indeed, Bourke seemed to have been possessed judging by the amount of running he was getting through.

But try as they might, the visitors could not fashion enough clear-cut openings to seriously threaten the home side and the game ended in a deserved 2-0 win for the AFC.

It was a disappointing finish to what, in truth, had been a season that promised much for the Arthurian League Rep side. The side comfortably beat the London Legal League and would have beaten Lloyds of London, but for a last-minute equaliser having controlled the game for long spells.

But the season tailed off badly with the defeats to Cambridge University and the AFC sandwiching the failure to produce a side for the important SAL game. Hopefully, however, the blooding of a high number of new, younger players will prove beneficial for the future and the strength of the Arthurian League side can still be measured by the reference a number of opposition coaches made to the fact that they still consider a fixture against the Arthurian League to be one of the toughest tests of their season. Next year, the team will have to prove it.

Arthurian League v AFC (4-4-2): James Kershen (Westminster); Ben Murphy (Forest), Paul Molloy, Tim Dalton, Piers Bourke (all Harrow); Matt O`Brien (Cholmelians), Rob Cooke (Shrewsbury), Rob Marshall (Forest), Nick Warner (Harrow); Henry Nash (Charterhouse), James Dunne (Forest)

Subs: Oli Compton, Kelvin Taaffe (both Chigwell)

Arthurian Man of the Match: Piers Bourke (Harrow)