Amateur Football Combination 3-0 Arthurian
League, Hanwell Town FC,
After a disappointing result but encouraging performance
against the SAL, the Arthurian League faced the AFC in their final
representative game of the season. The venue, as usual, was
With availability for the evening kick-off slightly
better than against the SAL, the Arthurian side reverted to two strikers up
front, with George Wilson, who made his debut against the SAL, partnered by
another player appearing for the first time, Bradfield`s
Mike Clarke.
Otherwise the side was little changed from that which
had represented the League throughout the season, with Phil Slater in goal, a
back four of French, Adams, Baker and Murphy - the latter switching to
left-back, allowing Piers Bourke to revert to his usual role in midfield for
the first time this season.
Matt O`Brien started on the
right, with Paul Molloy and Rob Marshall in the middle of midfield. Lederman
and Warner started on the bench.
In a see-saw first-half the Arthurians
initially began well, looking solid at the back and sprightly up front, the
added benefit of a twin strike partnership clearly aiding the side`s play. Although there were few chances created, it
was the Arthurians that looked the more likely to
break the deadlock.
The AFC began to impose themselves midway through the
half and for a fifteen minute spell began to take control, but aside from a
couple of corners, there was little to trouble Slater in the Arthurian goal.
The spell before half-time once more belonged to the
Arthurian League but disaster struck when a poor clearance a corner fell kindly
to an AFC striker and it was 0-1 on the stroke of half-time.
The Arthurians went in at
the break yet again feeling hard done by - it was the second game in a row when
they had played well in a first half only to lose a careless goal and go in
behind. Injuries to Bourke and O`Brien saw both
Lederman and Warner come on out wide for the Arthurians,
but within ten minutes of the second half, any thoughts of a comeback were
dashed by the concession of two sloppy goals, giving the AFC an unassailable
3-0 lead.
Despite this, the Arthurians
battled bravely to end their season on a high note and recovered well to cause
the AFC some problems in the final half hour. Lederman went close when lobbing
the `keeper only for his effort to be cleared off the line and both Wilson and
Clark had several half-chances which on another day may have found their way
into the net.
It was a sad way to finish what on the whole was an
encouraging season from the Representative side, with the results gained not
accurately reflecting some of the excellent play the team put together.
Several new faces were brought into the side including
goalkeeper Phil Slater, who has now provided James Butcher with stern
competition for the number one jersey, defenders Joe Adams and Billy French,
who have both excelled at various stages during the season, and striker George
Wilson, who coped manfully in the final two games with many of the first-choice
strikers unavailable for one reason or another. All very
encouraging for the seasons ahead.
Arthurian
League (4-4-2): Phil Slater; Billy French, Joe Adams, Gordon
Baker, Ben Murphy; Matt O`Brien, Paul Molloy, Rob
Marshall, Piers Bourke; George Wilson, Mike Clarke. Subs: David Lederman, Nick Warner