Cup
Quarter Final: Corinthians 4 - 3 TESTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH
After our heroics
in the previous round (we beat opposition from a division above us 7-1),
we found ourselves drawn against a 'superior team' once again. Corinthians
won the first division title last year (whilst we got relegated) so on
paper we were expecting an easy..... erm, defeat (especially with several
key players missing).
We kicked
off with a bare eleven players (insert your own 'missing kit' joke here!)
as we had no substitutes to begin with. To our surprise the teams appeared
evenly matched and an very open end-to-end game developed. Testwood's make-shift
strike force of Grant
Angel and Chris
Hendley gamely battled away putting real pressure on Corinthians' defence.
Whilst at the other end Chris
Hutchings , Jof
and
Marcus
Billows stood firm and repelled most things that came their way, but
when the hosts broke through Duncan
Cheyne was there in goal to pull off a fine string of saves.
Then, with
about 25 minutes gone, Corinthians benefited from a fortunate deflection
in the Testwood box, the defence was wrong footed, and the striker was
left with a simple tap in.
10 minutes
later another Corinthians move led to a second goal.
It was
around about this time someone notice the (late) arrival of Rob
Oag on the sidelines, and he was quickly thrown into the fray, at the
expense of Grant
Angel .
Within
minutes the substitution paid off, as Graham
McClaren ran half the length of the pitch, and cut the ball back invitingly
for OAG
to slide into the net.
Half-time.
Corinthians 2 - 1 TESTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH.
The second
half started as did the first with chances being created at both ends.
Oag
shooting over from 30 yards, and having a shot comfortably saved from the
edge of the area. Chris
Hendley also had a few opportunities but the host's defence stood firm.
Then a
Corinthians move down the right ended with a low cross being swept into
the bottom left hand corner of the Testwood goal. 3-1, our cup dream was
slipping away.
Mid-way
through the second half a pass across the Corinthians defence was intercepted
by OAG
, who kept his nerve and steered the ball round the 'keeper to make it
3-2.
At the
other end Duncan
Cheyne continued to defy the home team another goal, until terrible
defending on the Testwood left allowed Corinthians right winger to measure
his cross, and a simple header made it 4-2.
For the
last 10 minutes Testwood pushed everyone forward, including our centre
back, Chris
Hutchings , playing up front. This tactic(?) reaped rewards when HUTCHINGS
was put through and calmly slid the ball under the 'keeper to set up a
nail biting finale.
In the
dying seconds Testwood were awarded a free kick out on the right wing.
Hutchings swung it in, Colin
Hayward got on the end of it sending it back towards the far post,
it looked destined to be a goal as the 'keeper couldn't possibly have reached
it with his hands, but he managed to tip the ball over the bar by doing
only what can be described as 'the splits in mid air' and poking the ball
over the bar with his foot!!
Soon afterwards
the final whistle blew, and we wuz robbed!!
Final score.
Corinthians 4 - 3 TESTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH.
Team.
Cheyne
, J
Billows , Hutchings
, M
Billows , Elliot
, Hollingsbee
, Angel
(Rob Oag
35), Hayward
, Hendley
, P
Mansbridge , McClaren
.
