Undefeated Crofton Knocked off Top Spot by Superb Ford Performance

Crofton Saints 3-3 Chandlers Ford Youth

Mid Solent Under 14 B League – 10th November 2007

Chandlers Ford had not enjoyed the best times over the past couple of weeks with difficult games and heavy defeats. Despite a very tough game on paper in their latest game, away to undefeated, top of the table Crofton Saints – Ford did themselves proud with arguably their best performance this season.

Without both Josh Harrigan and Michael Sawbridge, few could expect the way CFY fared. David Smith was drafted into the centre of defence alongside Jake Beattie, meanwhile Jozef Montigue having completed a full game last week at right back kept his place in the side this time as a centre forward.

Ford were by far the better side throughout the half and the game as a whole for that matter, winning their battles across the park keeping things tight at the back when needed and getting the ball forward well also.

It was Crofton who took the lead though, against the run of play with a quick break down the right seeing the cross come in leaving a simple finish past Lee.

Deservedly the visitors hit back instantly with a superb goal. Good play down the left by the excellent Daryl Winter and David Bromhead saw the ball floated beautifully into the path of Joe by David. In true style, letting the ball bounce once before pulling the trigger, Montigue took full advantage of the opportunity to keep his head in front of goal and fire an unstoppable half volley past the keeper for 1-1.

That was the way it stayed at the interval with Chandlers Ford coming off full of confidence having every reason to be pleased with their first half performance, having the belief that they could get a result.

HALF TIME: Crofton Saints 1-1 CFY

Crofton were allowed to take the lead for the second time in the game due to a sloppy mistake and lack of communication between goalkeeper and centre half in the penalty area.

Daryl Winter in only his second game for the club, not only did his job well at left back but netted his first and second goals for the club with quality deliveries from free kicks and corners.

Getting back on level terms as soon as possible was crucial and thankfully Ford were able to do just that with a free kick from way out, not far from the halfway line.

Not that this put Daryl off in any way from getting a strike in on goal! Again it was a top delivery whipped in with pace, swerve and height making it difficult for the defence under pressure from Godfrey. It came off a Crofton shirt to divert past the keeper, but the effort was on target and will go to Winter to make it 2-2.

Richard’s men now had the momentum in their favour and amazingly took a 3-2 lead through that man Winter once more. This time it came from a teasing, dangerous ball in from the right with the left peg of Winter. Flighted across the face of goal and with the help of a Crofton defender, the ball found it’s way to the net.

From here, Ford went defensive and played their hearts out with brave tackling, fine heading and clearances right the way across the back four with the midfield tracking back well to help out also.

Cruelly, having given of their all throughout the game Ford heading for victory, had all of this snatched away as Crofton rescued a point with just 60 seconds to spare.

There was a mixture of emotions at the full time whistle. Obviously pleased to be the first team to take any points from Crofton this season, to have come so close to taking all three points it was a little frustrating as Ford deserved so much more than what they came away with.

A great all round performance from everyone. Men of the match were Liam Godfrey who ran his socks off and was key in the win with non stop hassling to dominate the midfield, and Daryl for another solid game and two goals. If we see this effort and work rate every game we will be celebrating a few more wins I have no doubt.

FULL TIME: Crofton Saints 3-3 CFY

Cruel Cup Tie Brings Minor Improvement

College Youth 15-0 Chandlers Ford Youth

League Cup – 3rd November 2007

Up against the best youth team in Hampshire was by far the worst possible draw for Chandlers Ford in this League Cup tie.

We all know just how good the side are, and how they will score goals for fun if you let them play. Today was no different, but there was a very minor improvement in past seasons, even if it was just by one goal!

The morning didn’t start all that great either in the hour before the game. With Josh Harrigan unavailable, matters were not helped when numbers were depleted by a further two - both James Parsonage and Dan Whitlocke pulling out of the squad unexpectedly.

This meant a place in the starting line up for Jozef Montigue at right back, despite still recovering from a broken arm.

College predictably controlled the game and scored beautifully worked goals with headers from crosses, excellent passing moves rounded off with finishes as well as the special strike or two from distance.

Precious little could Liam Godfrey do between the sticks as the home side bombarded Ford with pressure.

In the 4-5-1 formation, perhaps the midfield were a little lazy in closing down meaning the defence were stretched in having to cover positions further up field.

Alex Evens was the lone striker and chased everything down when the ball did get that far down the pitch.

The lack of protection for the defence was ultimately the downfall for CFY as on too many occasions the centre backs Michael Sawbridge and Jake Beattie were drawn out of position to try and make up for the midfield.

Daryl Winter came in for his debut and looked good at times but the pace and skill down the right flank was always going to be a difficult test for any defender.

HALF TIME: College Youth 10-0 CFY

A few changes were made at the break with Lee Robertson replacing Liam in goal, with Jacob Ellery, Tom Pope and Ryan Chinn all also introduced.

There was a noticeable difference in fight and effort from Ford in their second half display even if the scoreline was demoralising.

Leading by a great example, Joe at right back showed great spirit and never stopped hassling all game. Sure, Youth have some fantastic players but Joe showed that bit of bite, grit and determination to make it that much more difficult for them.

Jacob Ellery is well worthy of a mention for his attitude and the running he did in midfield during the second half also but generally the whole side had a different outlook on the game and did themselves proud in the way they kept going right until the final whistle.

Lee in goal made a couple of decent saves and catches also, obviously it was inevitable that Youth would find goals at some point and sure enough they did. Quite easily had the players just rolled over and packed in at half time the score would have been well into the twenties somewhere.

The games do not get any easier with a league match against top of the table Crofton Saints up next for Chandlers Ford.

FULL TIME: College Youth 15-0 CFY

CFY 2-7 East Lodge B

Chandlers Ford 2-7 East Lodge B

Mid Solent Under 14 B League – 20th October 2007

Chandlers Ford dropped down to sixth position following today’s disappointing result.

Before East Lodge took the lead, Ford had several chances with Alex Evens and Michael Sawbridge coming close.

Midway through the half, the visitors took the lead through a free kick that saw the Lodge centre forward loft the ball over the head of goalkeeper Michael Wall before finishing off.

From here there was still little between the teams. It seemed every time Ford came forward, they either missed a good chance or got caught offside whereas the pace from their opponents troubled the Blues on several occasions.

Two more goals were conceded before the break leaving CFY paying the cost for not making the most of their own chances.

Jozef made a return to action having missed five weeks due to a broken arm. He was used sparingly however as a precaution.

HALF TIME: CFY 0-3 East Lodge B

Things looked a lot better for Richard’s side at the beginning of the second half and sure enough they managed to claw a goal back through Alex Evens who chased down well to make the most of a goalkeeping error.

Miles Hodge then won a penalty as he blasted the ball into a crowded penalty area. The East Lodge defender made a clear movement towards the ball with his arms and the referee had no option but to award a spot kick.

Scoring his first goal of the campaign, Ryan Chinn stepped up confidently from 12 yards to tuck away the kick and give his side a real chance of getting back into the game. 3-2.

Hodge, nearly equalised with a looping volley that the keeper had to claw away for a corner.

It was at this point that two injuries, that of Michael Sawbridge and Jake Beattie – both key players, forced changes to be made and perhaps unsettled Ford.

In an amazing turn of events, seeing as Chandlers Ford had done so well to give themselves a real chance with a determined opening to the second half; East Lodge took the upper hand once more and caused continuous problems for the defence.

The pace from East Lodge in attack was electric and there was no stopping them once they had made it 4-2.

Heads dropped from the home side and East Lodge didn’t need a second invitiation to go and kill the game off, which is exactly what they did.

All in all, very disappoiting to see such hard work go to waste with a bad ending to the game against a side on our day, we are more than capable of giving a game.

Dan Whitlocke, was deservedly the man of the match winner. Coming on at half time, Dan was asked to do a job at left back and failed to disappoint with an excellent display and some crunching tackles.

FULL TIME: CFY 2-7 East Lodge B

Portchester Run Riot - Beattie Stands Out in Hants Cup Disaster

Chandlers Ford 1-14 Portchester Under 15’s

Hants Cup – 13th October 2007

It was always going to be a tough game. Playing in the Under 15’s competition drew Chandlers Ford a home tie with Portchester – a strong side full of boys a year older.

I think you’ll all agree the less said the better on this game!

The first half wasn’t too bad, as Ford managed to contain a side who had scored 18 goals just last week in their own age group.

Jake Beattie was the star of the show for the home side giving 110% effort with some superb tackles and sweeping up at the back.

Not only was Jake strong in the challenge but also commanding and showed just what he is capable of. One tackle in particular saw our very own Rio Ferdinand give chase down the left wing and instead of giving up and allowing the Portchester attacker a shot at goal, which would have been quite easy to do, Beattie did really well to keep up with the pace of his opponent and then slide in with a perfectly timed block to cut out the danger.

HALF TIME: CFY 0-4 Portchester Under 15’s

There were very few positives to come out of the second half, if any.

Portchester strolled comfortably helping themselves to goal after goal and there was nothing the heroics of Beattie or James Parsonage could do about it.

Having been so far behind their opponents in many ways, Chandlers Ford finally had something to celebrate as they had the last say with the very last kick of the game.

Liam Godfrey was shoved to the ground in the area right in front of the referee and Michael Sawbridge stepped up, making no mistake from 12 yards with a powerful left foot strike.

FULL TIME: CFY 1-14 Portchester Under 15’s

Missed Opportunity - Ford Take Lead 4 Times, Ensinger Fight Back to Win

Ensinger 6-5 Chandlers Ford

Mid Solent U14 B League – 6th October 2007

On the back of two straight wins, Ford let slip their good run against a side who had yet to win a game in the league.

Without the commanding figure of Josh Harrigan, CFY looked weak defensively with the home side making a good start to the game.

A piece of individual brilliance from Michael Sawbridge saw the Blues take a 1-0 lead. Liam Godfrey’s free kick down the left saw Mike bring the ball forward and finish with a powerful, unstoppable strike past the goalkeeper.

The weakness at the back was exposed however, as Ensinger were gifted an immediate equaliser.

In an end to end game, Alex Evens restored the lead for Ford with a wonderful strike that found the net from the edge of the area.

Following the same pattern as before, Chandlers Ford threw away their lead letting Ensinger equalise shortly after Evens’ goal.

It was a matter of minutes before the in-form Evens grabbed his second of the game to continue his goalscoring record following an excellent four goal, man of the match winning performance last weekend in the 7-1 win over Lee Rangers. It was another wonderful strike, one which beat the outstretched arm of the keeper to make the most of the poor goal kick’s from the home goalkeeper.

Michael Sawbridge did well for the assist in this goal.

The score remained 3-2 for a brief period with Chandlers Ford creating a couple of chances. Sawbridge had an excellent opportunity to extend the lead when clean through but fired high over the cross bar. Later Tom Pope intercepted well to feed through for Michael once more who this time forced a good save out of the Ensinger stopper from a tight angle.

Just when it seemed Ford had done enough to stay in front going into half time, for the third time in the game Ensinger forced yet another equaliser from a quickly taken throw in down the right. The defence were caught out of position leaving Lee facing the impossible in an easy one on one for the Ensinger forward who was not marked closely enough and punished Ford to level the scores.

HALF TIME: Ensinger 3-3 CFY

At half time Richard changed things around slightly with Michael Wall replacing Lee Robertson in goal and James Parsonage coming across to left back to try and handle the tricky right winger. Liam moved further forward to left midfield and Jacob Ellery came on to play at right back.

Leading the way from the front, Sawbridge wearing the captain’s armband fired Ford into the lead for his second of the game. Winning the free kick in the first place with an excellent run down the middle before being brought down, Michael stepped up to power his shot past a crowd of players and into the net from the edge of the area.

Ensinger, at the opposite end missed an golden opportunity with Wall beaten an open goal to shoot at from five yards, somehow the ball flew over the cross bar when it was easier to score.

This was the start of a whole number of attacks and pressure on Wall’s goal with the midfield losing their grip and the defence struggling with the pace and strength up front from their opponents.

The home side pulled level and then for the first time in the game took the lead to make it 5-4.

Ford did not give in, and substitute Dan Whitlocke scored a lovely goal with near enough his first touches of the ball as he weaved his way through the penalty area before smashing into the bottom left hand corner to keep his side in the game.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for Chandlers Ford. Despite forcing their way back in with a fighting chance of getting something from the game (a point was the very least they deserved), a long ball forward saw Wall come to the edge of his area and tumble allowing the Ensinger centre forward to tap into an empty net.

There was no way back from 6-5 down as Ensinger sealed their first win of the season.

Chandlers Ford will no doubt look back at this game as a missed opportunity to have taken more from the game and will have a lot of questions to answer when the two clubs meet again back at Crestwood later in the season.

FULL TIME: Ensinger 6-5 CFY

Excellent Evens Bags 4

CFY 7-1 Lee Rangers

Mid Solent U14 B League – 29th September 2007

Two back to back big wins for Chandlers Ford now sees the club up to 3rd in the table.

Today was the perfect performance to build on the 8-2 win over Stubbington last weekend, and it was all about one young striker – Alex Evens.

Alex played his heart out for the team this morning with four tremendous goals to set his side on their way to a dominant victory.

CFY went 1-0 up through Evens who beat the offside trap to fire past the keeper from the edge of the area with a powerful strike into the bottom left hand corner.

It was soon to be 2-0 as Josh Harrigan stroked home a free kick from range into the top corner with a floated right foot effort. A quality strike.

With Lee rarely troubled and the defence in control, Ford were able to push forward in numbers to control the game and keep Rangers inside their own half.

Netting his second of the day, Evens volleyed home with an excellent finish, a real strikers goal inside the penalty box to punish some wayward defending from the visitors.

To cap off a brilliant start to the game, Michael Sawbridge finally got the goal that his performance merited as he bundled home a parry from his left foot blast that the keeper initially kept out.

HALF TIME: CFY 4-0 Lee Rangers

Michael Sawbridge was given a rest in the second half due to his Tyro Rep trials which took place in the afternoon. Richard was grateful for the way the effort he gave and for putting in a half for him.

This led to Josh Harrigan being pushed up front from defence in order to continue the aerial presence in attack.

The game continued in the same pattern with Chandlers Ford always threatening and looking likely to extending their lead.

Despite several chances and lovely one and two touch passing football to create opportunities, Ford had to wait until ten minutes into the half before they made it four.

Liam Godfrey’s excellent driven corner from the right went all the way through a crowded penalty area before Harrigan kept the ball in to direct the ball goalwards and into the net with the help of a deflection. There was no taking this away from the Josh though!

Continuing his fine form, Alex Evens put in a blistering second half performance to net two superb headers to seal his hattrick goal and then his fourth much to the delight of the home side.

The way the little man took his headers were incredible, to get so much power behind them was amazing, yet alone the finishes. Alex now has seven goals in seven appearances. A superb effort.

Josh probably should have had a hattrick himself with his powerful running through on goal with only the finishes letting him down.

Yet again a top performance and effort from all the boys to send Richard and Neil’s team to a new high.

The passing work in training is paying off. Keep up the good work everyone and lets hope for another win next weekend.

FULL TIME: CFY 7-1 Lee Rangers

Match Photos by Jozef Montigue

Back To Their Best - Up to 4th

Stubbington 2-8 CFY

Mid Solent U14 B League – 22nd September 2007

Chandlers Ford were back to their best, thoroughly outplaying their opponents away from home to help see them rise to fourth in the table.

The first half was fairly even to begin with as Stubbington caused a few problems down the right, however CFY fought for every ball and won their battles extremely well across the park with the kind of hunger and determination that deserves to win football matches.

Getting their just rewards, Michael Sawbridge opened the scoring with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area following impressive short passing.

Michael Wall, who was playing on the left of midfield put in a classy performance tormenting the Stubbington right back all morning and whipping in some dangerous crosses. Wall came close from the edge of the area more than once but snatched at the chances and both flew narrowly wide of the mark.

The Blues were full of energy and seemed to benefit from the two-touch passing worked on in training on Thursday night. David Bromhead a classic example of this with his simple method of getting the ball down and picking the right option.

Alongside him, David Smith looked equally at home in the centre of midfield and did his best for the cause to create his fair share of opportunities for the front men.

Deservedly, Chandlers Ford went 2-0 up through a pumped-up Michael Sawbridge who seemed to thrive on the occasion bursting the net once more with a typical stylish finish.

On the rare occasions that Stubbington did come forward, solid defending from Jake Beattie and Josh Harrigan was more than enough to protect Lee Robertson, ably supported by the two full backs, Liam Godfrey and the superb James Parsonage.

HALF TIME: Stubbington 0-2 CFY

You could not have scripted the next five or so minutes as Michael Sawbridge capped a blistering opening to the second half with three of the best goals you are likely to see in a while. Saying that, Michael seems to finish the same way every time!

Adding to his collection of beautiful strikes from distance, I think his fourth goal was the most special for the composure he showed in front of goal to chip the keeper with real confidence.

One person in particular was sweating each time Michael brought the ball forward as he got nearer and nearer to his double hattrick!

Liam Godfrey was the next to mark his name on the scoresheet to make it 6-0 as he chested down and volleyed home from close range to finish off another well worked move.

It was at this point in the game that the dominance got to CFY a little, as they dropped off the pace and allowed the hosts to get the better of their defence.

With what was probably Lee’s first action in the game, he was unable to stop a red shirt finding the net to make the most of poor defending. The ball bobbled around in the Ford area and with more than three chances to clear the ball, Stubbington came out on top from this scramble.

Following a shot in off the post, proving concentration is needed at all times no matter how many you might be winning by.

Ford restored their six goal lead through Alex Evens who was in the right place at the right time to turn Michael Sawbridge’s effort over the line for his first competitive goal for the club.

Stubbington went on to have a spell of pressure and as a result pulled a second goal back from a throw in, with Lee well beaten from an excellent strike which sailed over Robertson and into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

The best moment was yet to come however as Tom Pope capped an excellent performance with his first ever league goal. David Bromhead raced through on goal but was denied by a smart stop from the keeper who came to the edge of his area to save. Tom followed up with a 30-yard cracker from the right wing, one which he will remember for a long, long time.

This bringing to an end a very positive match from Chandlers Ford Youth. One, which saw every single player make a real difference.

James Parsonage received the man of the match award for a wonderful display at right back, where he was also very positive coming forward with skillful dribbling as he continues to progress at an amazing rate.

Had Richard not been told to substitute Michael for kicking the ball away, who knows how many this young man might have ended up with?

There were too many positives from this performance; it was unreal – now we must build on this to prove we can do it consistently. Well done all.

FULL TIME: Stubbington 2-8 CFY

Match Photos by Jozef Montigue

Joe In Plaster

A little over a week ago now, Chandlers Ford forward Jozef Montigue jumped off the trampoline in his garden over the fence but landed badly and it was later found out that it would prove to be costly.

The next day at school, the pain was unbearable and after a trip to the local A&E it was discovered there was indeed a fracture following the x-rays.

CFY will be without their captain for roughly five weeks, one of these has thankfully already gone as Joe already sat out the Warsash defeat on the first game of the new league season.

It remains to be seen how this injury might effect the opening few games. That said, we are confident in the likes of David Smith, Alex Evens and others stepping up to take their opportunity whilst Joe is out.


Meanwhile, the club have been drawn against AFC Portchester B Under 15's in the second round of the Hampshire Cup on Saturday 13th October 2007.

League Season Begins With Defeat

CFY 1-5 Warsash Wasps

Mid Solent U14 B League – 15th September 2007

This, the first league game of the new season saw Chandlers Ford punished by the Wasps once more. The same match a year ago ended in a similar scoreline.

Chandlers Ford were probably the better team to begin with, with both David Smith and Liam Godfrey coming close in the opening stages. Liam, operating as a centre forward due to Joe breaking his arm last Tuesday, which will keep him out for around five weeks.

However, failing to make the chances count, Warsash were allowed to come into the game and take the lead against the run of play.

Under little pressure, the visitors’ left winger was allowed time and space as CFY defender’s stood off. This proved to be costly as the ball was soon thumped into the roof of the net from way out by the touchline from a hit and hope strike.

Right at the end Liam Godfrey appeared to have found the equaliser, a goal that Ford thoroughly deserved for the way they responded to conceding. However, as Liam broke free into the area holding off his marker and rounding the keeper cleverly to stroke the ball home; the Warsash linesman was determined he saw a hand ball earlier as the ball was brought down.

On the grounds that the linesman had a better view of the incident than the referee, the goal never stood and CFY will perhaps feel a little hard done by. Clearly if the goal was given Ford would have had all the momentum they needed to go on further and kill the game off.

HALF TIME: CFY 0-1 Warsash Wasps

The setback at the end of the first half worked against the home side as they struggled to find their feet in a below par 35 minutes that followed.

It could have been so much better for Ford had David Smith finished the golden opportunity that came his way literally seconds into the second half. Alex Evens played the ball through to his strike partner but with David clean through on goal, it looking easier to score; Smith got it all wrong with a wayward effort.

From here Warsash took full advantage of these couple of missed opportunities from the Blues, as they did the simple things well with short, sharp passing and quick movement.

They were soon 2-0 in front when a weak effort slipped hopelessly through the legs of Lee Robertson in the Chandlers Ford goal.

The heads immediately went down from the home side and Warsash went on, helping themselves really, to a further three goals one of which was a penalty.

Michael Sawbridge was pushed up front in order to restore some pride with ten to fifteen minutes remaining.

Ford all of a sudden looked very lively and dominated all the play to put the Wasps under a whole lot of pressure, Michael producing a number of saves out of the keeper with long range shooting before finally getting a reward for his efforts.

A long throw from Josh was handled in the box and a penalty kick was given. Sawbridge stepping up to coolly slot the ball to the keeper’s left.
Moments later, another dangerous ball into the box was handled in the area leading to another CFY penalty. This time, Michael wasn’t so fortunate as his spot kick was saved extremely well.

There were still chances even after this and really the score line didn’t tell the whole story on this disappointing start to the new season.

Man of the match – David Bromhead

FULL TIME: CFY 1-5 Warsash Wasps

CFY 0-4 Locksheath Lions

CFY 0-4 Locksheath Lions

Pre-Season Friendly – 8th September 2007

Starting extremely well, Chandlers Ford had the better of the first half but could not repeat their performance in the second as they eventually went down by four goals.

Defending very well with James Parsonage and Jake Beattie in particular standing out alongside both Michael’s as well as good goalkeeping from Liam Godfrey, meant Locksheath were unable to find a way through.

CFY looked solid throughout the park in fact, David Bromhead put in yet another glowing performance in the centre of midfield, stringing together nice passes and breaking up the play when he had to also.

Up the front, David and Joe looked sharp linking up well. One move midway through the half saw Montigue hold the ball up before playing the ball through for Smith but following this good move, the shot unluckily, went over the cross bar.

Despite the Lions coming closest with a shot coming back off the cross bar, Chandlers Ford took charge and dealt with everything thrown at them as well as attacking as a unit.

On the stroke of half time, Ford were very unfortunate not to have taken the lead as Michael Sawbridge’s superb, pinpoint delivery from the back, was met by an excellent finish from Joe to lob the keeper and find the back of the net.

The linesman had his flag up for offside however, and it wasn’t to be, though it did look like a tight call.

HALF TIME: CFY 0-0 Locksheath Lions

Ringing the changes at the break to give everyone a chance, unsettled the home team’s momentum having played so well in the first period.

Straight from kick off Lee Robertson, who had replaced Liam in goal, was under fierce pressure and had to block with his legs immediately.

It wasn’t long before Locksheath had gone 1-0 up after just a few attacks on goal. CFY cracked and were unable to stop the pace and liveliness of the visitors strikers.

Ford went 2-0 down, failing to pick up their players from a throw in.

The game went quiet for a bit and Chandlers Ford began to pick up slightly, but Lee soon found himself pulling off a number of saves to keep the score respectable.

As it was, the Lions it has to be said deservedly, went on to score a further two late on.

The score probably doesn’t tell the full story as there was pretty much just the one side in it first half.

All in all, a much-improved result from this time last year when we lost 7-1.

FULL TIME: CFY 0-4 Locksheath Lions

Amazing Fightback, Not Quite Enough

CFY 3-5 Winchester B
Pre-Season Friendly – 6th September 2007

In a game of two halves, this mid-week friendly saw a close game settled in the end by a narrow margin.

CFY will be delighted with the way they fought back in the second half after being largely outplayed in the first, conceding three soft goals.

Ford began brightly however, and probably should have taken the lead well before Winchester opened the scoring.

Probably against the run of play, the visitors were awarded a penalty and this ultimately changed the game from that moment to put Winchester on the front foot.

Michael Sawbridge took the legs of their forward just inside the area, with the referee left no choice but to point to the spot. From the kick, the ball was fired to Lee’s right and into the bottom corner for 0-1.

It got worse for Chandlers Ford as Winchester made the most of their opponents dropping their heads.

A cross coming into the CFY penalty area moments later, saw a well guided header find the back of the net as Winchester stretched their advantage to two goals.

Just before the break, a quick attack saw the Winchester forward break free, before slotting past the advancing keeper.

HALF TIME: CFY 0-3 Winchester B

Winchester continued where they left off finding a fourth goal through a well stuck volley from the right hand side, though it was all about Chandlers Ford in the second half in their superb comeback that deserved a whole lot more.

At four goals down, it appeared the home side were down and out – full credit for the way they worked their way back into the match.

It came with a thunderbolt of a strike to get the ball rolling. Michael Sawbridge stepping up to fire an unbelievable finish into the top corner from way out, past the halfway line, as the centre half was quickest to react to a clearance from a Josh Harragan long throw.

This was a huge relief for CFY and gave them tremendous hope to push on from there, and this is exactly what they did, with tremendous all round effort.

Jozef Montigue helped to pull another back within a matter of minutes. Sawbridge’s dangerous corner from the right made it’s way to the back post and was met by a brave header under pressure from Montigue who got in behind his marker to nod home from close range, bringing the scores even closer.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Montigue continued an excellent second half performance to get CFY to within one goal of being level. A Harragan throw was never dealt with by the Winchester back line, allowing the superb Tom Pope; who was nothing short of exceptional since coming on at the break, to back heel the ball cleverly into the path of Montigue. Joe needed no second invitation as he blasted a fine effort into the top corner from the edge of the area for his second of the match.

Even getting to this stage was a credit to all of the players, but unfortunately the equaliser didn’t come, despite the best efforts.

Ford dictated all the play and pinned their opponents back with chances from Pope, Wall and Beattie all coming close.

A late free kick from Sawbridge out on the right came within a whisker of squaring things up, which would have been a fair reflection on the game had it gone in. It wasn’t to be as the fine long shot brushed sidenetting.

Right in the final few stages, CFY’s tremendous second half display may not have been enough to win the game, but will give every confidence for the season ahead and many positives can be taken from this.

With virtually the last kick of the game, Winchester were awarded a free kick for a foul by David Smith and from it, the visitors found the top corner with a top drawer effort.

Well done all of you, for a tremendous battling performance and for the attitude shown to play your way back into contention.

Men of the match, Tom Pope and Joe.

FULL TIME: CFY 3-5 Winchester B

Ford Crash Back Down to Earth!

CFY 3-7 Ranville Rangers
Pre-Season Friendly - 1st September 2007

After last week's storming win over Totton, Chandlers Ford were handed a reality check this morning at the hands of Ranville Rangers – a side they have beaten in past seasons.

Having gone 1-0 up through a Michael Sawbridge penalty, following a foul on Joe in the area, the visitors hit back quickly with some lovely football.

CFY did however make a good opening to the game, obviously getting the goal from the spot kick to take an early lead but even before then the Blues looked dangerous with the long ball over the top with Montigue and Smith putting pressure on the Rangers back four.

Immediately after, Sawbridge fired home from 12 yards – picking out the bottom left hand corner, captain Josh Harrigan was forced to leave the field with a back injury to unsettle Chandlers Ford defensively.

Unusually, having gone a goal in front, this seemed to work against Ford as Ranville upped their game; passing the ball well and making the most of the space they were allowed to play in, the visitors played their way through to an equaliser with a free-flowing move that resulted in a good finish.

Ford were soon 1-2 down when another well-worked Ranville goal made a mockery of some lacklustre defending.

Straight from the kick off, CFY found an instant reply and came right back into the game when just moments ago it seemed things were heading down hill rapidly. Michael's long ball up the park from centre half, saw the Ranville defence incapable of dealing with the pace and bounce on the delivery allowing Jozef Montigue to run through on goal, out sprint his marker, before slotting past the keeper into the bottom right hand corner to level things up.

Other chances throughout the half saw Michael Wall come close when he ran through from full back to shoot narrowly wide of the post. Miles Hodge who put in a solid display in the centre of midfield, set up Montigue with a fine header. Joe on this occasion was very unlucky to see his flying volley fall just the wrong side of the net.

With time running down, Ranville restored their lead and momentum with a third goal to knock the stuffing out of CFY before the break.

HALF TIME: CFY 2-3 Ranville Rangers

Their was only one side in it really from here on, as Ford had all but given up hope whilst Rangers dominated the play.

Chandlers Ford lost Montigue in the second half, as the goalscorer found himself unable to continue after picking up a knock.

Rangers went on to grab four more goals throughout the remainder of the match, their better use of the ball and passing movements too much to handle for the home side.

Right at the end, Harrigan, who had gone off earlier in the game, had come back on in the second half and looked the most lively player on the park in a blue shirt with brave defending to stop further humiliation, not to mention sending in one trademark long throw after the other; in the final few stages to earn himself the man of the match award.

This pressure from CFY was deservedly rewarded with a goal, Harrigan claiming it with his dangerous throw (better than a corner!), bouncing off the head of a Ranville defender up into the top left hand corner of his own goal in a crowded penalty area to pull it back to 3-5.

Though it was too little too late. Ranville punishing the poor concentration of their opponents still finding time to net their sixth and seventh goals of the day to kill the game off.

FULL TIME: CFY 3-7 Ranville Rangers

Totton Brushed Aside

CFY 14-1 Totton Tornadoes
Pre-Season Friendly - 25th August 2007

If ever there was a perfect way to boost your confidence in front of goal, it was this very game for CFY as they dominated from start to finish and in the end it became a bit of a mockery for the visitors Totton of Division 6 in the Tyro.

This being the first game back following a short break, gave Richard and Neil the opportunity to see their new signings in action for the first time whilst giving the squad valuable match practice.

Their were goals flying in from all angles - left, right and centre as CFY took command from the very first whistle.

In the opening stages both Michael Wall and Michael Sawbridge confidently strode forwards from defence powering their way through and having good efforts fall narrowly wide of goal.
It wasn't long before the first goal came when a long ball forward from Sawbridge found Jozef Montigue in the clear and he did all the rest with a decent finish past the helpless keeper.

New signing, one of six over the summer, David Smith looked lively and ran the line well up front and it was he who created the second goal just moments later. Montigue again in the right place at the right time to turn home Smith's cross to make it 2-0.

Confidence now brimming all around, Michael Wall found himself on the scoresheet with a typical stylish long range volley from the edge of the area – despite playing left back. The keeper stood no chance as the shot flew into the top right hand corner.

Smith made it 4-0 when Joe returned the compliment of his second goal to turn provider. David ran through on goal and finished into the bottom right hand corner.

Before the half was up, there was still plenty of time for more goals. Michael Wall grabbing his second of the game from close range for goal number five.

David Bromhead added to an ever-growing tally minutes later finding the net from a corner kick on the right hand side.

HALF TIME: CFY 6-0 Totton Tornadoes

The second half was told the same story only this time things got worse for the visitors.

Playing with a bare minimum of eleven players, one of which was borrowed from CFY (Alex Evens in the first half and Jake Beattie helping out in the second), Totton lost a further two players due to cut knees from the astro turf surface.

Ryan Dennis finding space and freedom down the left opened his account for the new season with a stunning strike finding the roof of the net with great power.

Not only did the goals keep coming, but they seemed to be improving with quality – though you couldn't help but feel sorry for the struggling opponents.

Right out of the top drawer, David Bromhead picked out the top left hand corner with an incredible volley with his weaker left foot from a corner ball. This his second and Ford's eighth of the game.

Back on his own side having played out of position as a centre half for Totton during the first half, Alex Evens popped up to fire his first goal for the club.

David Smith continued the rout to make it 10-0, before a little bit of controversy.

After a long delay due to a further Totton injury, Michael Wall took a corner on the left when play restarted and as it came back out to him there was some debate as to whether the ball crossed the line as the CFY defender took it into his stride. The referee was uncertain and play continued though the Totton defence were bemused by this, meanwhile Wall helped himself to a hat trick and the goal stood – not that it would have made much difference to the outcome of course!

Ryan Dennis and Alex Evens picked up a further one apiece to bag themselves doubles for the match as the lead stretched to 13-0.

By which point, CFY had sacrificed their goalkeeper Lee Robertson, who had very little to do between the sticks for his own side so he was offered to Totton to give them an extra player. The Totton stopper moving to the outfield.

Michael Wall jumped at the chance to test himself as a keeper and did make one decent save before conceding a late goal as just Mark Legskovska and Miles Hodge found themselves at the back trying to defend against three, with all other blue shirts pushed forward – perhaps not taking as seriously as they would usually with the game never ever being a contest at any stage.
The match finally came to an end when a delighted Michael Sawbridge, got his deserved goal after several decent attempts to get his just rewards powering his way through before beating Lee with a quality strike.

One for the self-esteem – I guess? Still decent performances all round albeit against lesser opposition. The new signings all doing very well. Tom Pope and Miles Hodge having good games, in particular first half were Tom nearly scored firing narrowly over the bar and Miles looked solid in the centre of midfield with a good battling display.

The usual suspects aside, David Bromhead and Ryan Dennis also looked particularly positive. Well done all.

FULL TIME: CFY 14-1 Totton Tornadoes

S&D Tournament - Sat 9th June

After a long hard season battling in the B division, Chandlers Ford Youth competed in their first six a side tournament this season. With a decent track record in years gone by, they had a lot to live up to.

The red team managed by Jamie was made up with the following eight players:

Robbie Hurst (c), Afmed Sfagsi, Liam Godfrey, Dan Whitlock, Tom Pope, David Harris, Miles Hodge, Ryan Dennis.

Meanwhile, Richard took charge of the blue team which saw a welcome return to the club (even if it was just for the day!), for Matt Lucas and Ronan Galloway. The squad in full:

Michael Sawbridge, Jozef Montigue (c), Josh Harragan, Thorsten Tramischus, Matt Lucas, Michael Wall, Ryan Chinn, Ronan Galloway.

In a very tough group, the red team began the day well with a point but things went downhill from there with four straight defeats and no goal to celebrate all day. Liam Godfrey came the closest in the final match against Hiltingbury striking the bar with a powerful volley.

Fortune may have been against the reds, but Richard's blue side cruised through the group stages with some heavy wins including a marvelous 4-0 demolition to begin the day on a high. Ronan, Matt, Joe and Josh were all on the scoresheet, with Josh's free kick one of the highlights of the day.

Ronan continued to work his magic in front of goal, helped out tremendously by the talent around him who provided the assists, along with some decent goalkeeping which was shared throughout the day by Michael and Thorsten.

The quarter final draw saw Chandlers Ford up against Hiltingbury and things looked to be going to plan when Thorsten made it 1-0 early on. Into the second half and Hiltingbury had fought back to punish a lack of concentration in the CFY defence. Things could have been an awful lot worse had Michael not made a tremendous double stop from point blank range right at the end, this keeping his side in the game. Extra time was not out of the way meaning the game had to be settled by the dreaded penalties.

Ronan took the first penalty to give CFY the lead in the shootout, Hiltingbury equalised before Matt restored the lead. Once more the scores were level before Thorsten's effort was saved well. Hiltingbury scored their next penalty to win 3-2 to send the Blues out of the tournament.

All in all an enjoyable morning of football, well done to all who participated.

Pics from Quarter Final match against Hiltingbury

Winchester Friendly - Goals Galore

CHANDLERS FORD 6-4 WINCHESTER
26.04.07 – FRIENDLY

With the league season finally out the way, Chandlers Ford were able to enjoy a friendly match against a decent Winchester side.

The first half didn’t go the right way for the Blues, who despite having all of the play, lost confidence when they conceded a freak goal due to a defensive mix up.

Montigue had already smashed an early free kick against the cross bar as well as other good chances coming close, before Winchester took the advantage against the run of play.

A long ball forward saw Basker out off his line quickly but miss the ball as it slipped through his legs and into the net.

Winchester went further ahead through a lobbed finish from a very tall centre forward who ran through the defence before hammering the ball home from distance.

Little did we know that CFY could come back from this in an enthralling second half performance.

HALF TIME – CFY 0-2 Winchester

Playing like a completely changed side, Chandlers Ford came out with a tremendous attitude to turn the match around completely.

It was a matter of minutes before CFY had pulled one back through Jozef who reacted quickest in the box to a keeper parry to poke home inside the six yard box.

Nothing could stop Ford now once they had found the breakthrough, and minutes later Winchester watched their lead fade out of sight as Montigue netted a second to equalise with a good finish.

Things just got better and better for Chandlers Ford as they soon completed an amazing comeback with a third goal, in fact the goals didn’t stop coming with Joe wrapping up a very impressive hattrick and two typical strikes from Ryan Chinn making things even more comfortable.

Chinn’s first was a perfect lob from the right, and his second just as good, waiting for a gap before squeezing past a number of players on the line.

At the end, Thorsten netted goal number 6, his thirteenth of the season as he lifted the ball over the goalkeeper, in no man’s land on the edge of his area, to seal a very enjoyable victory.

There was a brief fight back from Winchester who salvaged some dignity with two late strikes.

FULL TIME – CFY 6-4 Winchester

Final Games - Crofton Reports

CHANDLERS FORD 1-4 CROFTON SAINTS
21.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

To begin our third double match of the season, that is two games of twenty-five minutes each way against the same team on the same day, Chandlers Ford were unable to find the same kind of form that they showed in their performances against Whiteley just two days earlier.

Crofton were more than ready for the fight and both teams were more or less playing for fourth spot.

With a great chance to end the season on a high, needing just four points to secure a finish in the top four, however the visitors wanted to win a lot more than CFY and as a result deserved to come out on top.

As soon as Ford had gone a goal down, they almost seemed to drop their heads and lose their confidence.

A second lobbed goal saw Crofton storm into a 2-0 lead going into half time.

HALF TIME – CFY 0-2 Crofton Saints

Similar to the first half, Saints grabbed another two goals in the same style.

A combination of bad defending and the pace of the Crofton strikers being too hot to handle led to silly goals being conceded.

In fact there was absolutely no support given to Karthik with the way his defence would sit too deep playing their opponents on side with every attack.

The only real chance from memory in this match was Jozef Montigue’s goal from a corner, but it was too little too late and nothing but a consolation.

Michael Sawbridge’s corner from the right, was met by Joe who held off challenges from his marker with good strength before hitting on the turn to find the bottom corner and beating the keeper, this his first goal since the Locksheath match, several weeks ago now.

With this slightly disappointing match behind them, Chandlers Ford put themselves at a disadvantage for the second game due to losing this one to give Crofton more confidence going into the final game in this double header.

FULL TIME – CFY 1-4 Crofton Saints

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CROFTON SAINTS 2-1 CHANDLERS FORD
21.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

After the very disappointing first result, and a mini break before the second game got underway Chandlers Ford had a big task ahead of them to try and get three points, or even one to give them the best possible chance of finishing fourth or fifth.

Starting the day, with a fourth placed finish in mind, this goal was pretty much out of the question having lost 4-1, and there was even the thought of ending up finishing 6th, which would be more than likely with another loss.

All credit to Chandlers Ford for the much more spirited and determined display second time around.

It made for a much closer game, and it was Ford who had the upper hand to begin with, having many chances early on.

The best one falling to Jozef Montigue from David Harris’ brilliant cross from the right hand side, but our scorer from the first match failed to beat the excellent Crofton goalkeeper from close range.

There was more early pressure from CFY but they didn’t make the best of their chances and because of this Crofton were able to hit Ford on the break to grab the opening goal of the game.

With this lead, Crofton went on to double their lead just before half time to make Chandlers Ford early possession and good football count for nothing.

HALF TIME – Crofton Saints 2-0 CFY

After the break, Richard’s side again upped their game and tempo and were largely the better side pegging their opponents back into their own half continually.

David Phillips came close when he ran on to a brilliant through ball from the middle but, yet again Crofton’s goalkeeper was out to make an important save and keep his side in the game.

Other chances went astray for Chandlers Ford, with many players working together now, perhaps they had woken up a bit by this point!

Miles Hodge came on and had a very good half to show just how far he has come, along with Tom Pope and others who did well.

In fact the whole side deserve a lot of credit for their character and helping to end the match, our last league game of the season, playing the better football.

The goal that had been a long time coming for Chandlers Ford, came around ten minutes from the end with Robbie Hurst thumping an excellent cross into the box from way out on the right wing. A Crofton defender put the ball past his own goalkeeper, but Robbie claimed the goal and deservedly so. Just try taking it away from him! It was the least he deserved for all his effort.

Crofton became very rattled towards the end, as Robbie’s goal set up a very tense finish, however Ford just couldn’t find another goal despite giving their all.

FULL TIME – Crofton Saints 2-1 CFY

Match pictures by Neil Sawbridge

(Click images for larger size)

Whiteley Double Header

WHITELEY 2-5 CHANDLERS FORD
19.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

A fantastic opening to this double header saw Chandlers Ford get off to the perfect start with a goal inside the first minute.

A hopeful ball forward saw the Whiteley goalkeeper come out of his area and make a mess of the clearance hitting the ball straight against Thorsten Tramischus who fired into an empty net.

Thorsten continued his excellent performance when he added a second goal following Liam Godfrey’s brilliant pass behind the defence where Thorsten looped his shot over the keeper and into the net, another lovely move with a neatly taken finish.

Things just got better and better for CFY. Michael Sawbridge hit an incredible free kick from way out, close to the half way line, which floated beautifully into the top corner leaving the goalkeeper no chance. It seems every goal Michael scores is something special!

Whiteley were simply unable to compete as the Blues continued to dominate and pass their way through to an even bigger lead. Jozef Montigue created goal number four with a clever pull back from the right hand side where birthday boy Liam Godfrey found the back of the net from close range.

Once again, Ford came forward with real purpose and made it count with Montigue making another goal with his second assist as Thorsten poked home his hattrick goal to complete an amazing half of football.

HALF TIME – Whiteley 0-5 CFY

After completely tearing their opponents apart first half, it was almost a completely different story in the second.

The points were already secure, but Whiteley piled on the pressure and grabbed two goals to make the most of some sloppy defending.

Their first came from a break down the left, and after saving the first strike, Karthik couldn’t stop the follow up.

More hard work from the Whites saw them snatch another consolation goal with a lobbed finish to set up a nervy finish to the match.

It proved to be a game of two halves, but thankfully CFY’s fantastic football was deservedly more than enough to grab a very good three points against a team high up the table.

FULL TIME – Whiteley 2-5 CFY

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHANDLERS FORD 1-1 WHITELEY
19.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

The second of this double header saw Whiteley confident from their second half performance in the last match, where admittedly they had the upper hand, to take the same kind of confidence into this one.

Whiteley took the lead early on when Karthik Basker came off his line well but the ball rebounded into the path of the visitors’ forward who found the back of the net from the edge of the area.

They could have gone further ahead, having most of the play, but Basker made some good saves along with the strong defending from Josh Harragan, Robbie Hurst and co.

Fortunately, CFY equalised with their first real strike on goal when Michael Sawbridge scored another wonder goal this time looping a brilliant volley into the top corner to put Richard’s side back in a strong position.

HALF TIME – CFY 1-1 Whiteley

The second half was still very much a close game with nothing between the sides to separate them.

It really was a closely fought tie with both teams going all out in search of a decisive goal.

Chandlers Ford were awarded a penalty midway through the half when Jozef Montigue was pushed in the back right in front of the referee. It was Joe who brushed himself off, to step up and take the kick from 12 yards, but the Ford striker couldn’t take advantage from what was a very good opportunity to steal a second win. The goalkeeper made a great save diving low to his left to keep the scores level.

Lots of long throws and corners saw late pressure from CFY but they were unable to find the second goal. David Harris came the closest with a powerful strike inside the area where, yet again the Whiteley goalkeeper and captain pulled off an excellent save to tip over the bar.

To come away with four points from two games, was a credit to Ford who have now moved up to fourth in the table to do themselves proud.

Well done to men of the match, Thorsten for his hattrick in the previous game, Karthik Basker for his fine performance in both games and David Phillips who came along to help out and played very well.

Next up is another double header, this Saturday against Crofton Saints.

FULL TIME – CFY 1-1 Whiteley

3 Points, Clean Sheet, Up to 5th!

STUBBINGTON 0-3 CHANDLERS FORD
14.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

A commanding performance from Chandlers Ford, saw them come out comfortable 3-0 winners against Stubbington although it could and probably should have been a lot more.

This win has seen CFY up to fifth in the table level with Whiteley on points, who we are due to play twice this coming Thursday. It was our first clean sheet of the season as Richard's continued their fine form of late building on the highly impressive display against East Lodge just two days earlier.

Ford had too many chances to name and count but didn't take the lead until their sustained pressure finally paid off. Michael Sawbridge's corner from the left hand side was headed up and on to the cross bar by a Stubbington player. David Harris picked up the pieces to follow up with a tap in on the goal line to give the Blues a thoroughly deserved lead going in at the break.

HALF TIME – Stubbington 0-1 CFY

It was more of the same in the second half with attack's coming from all directions on the Stubbington goal.

There were by far enough chances to have been well into double figures, such was the visitors pressure it was just a matter of time before they increased their lead.

Midway through the half the second goal came for CFY and it was Harris again though it appeared to be an own goal. It was a well worked move across the park which ended with Thorsten Tramischus playing the ball out to the right with an excellent pass behind the defence for Harris to run on to.

David was presented with a glorious opportunity but the keeper saved the first before hot shot 'Harry' crossed the ball back in with a defender heading into his own net on the line, though David claimed the goal. (Just try stopping him!)

Corner after corner from Michael Sawbridge saw the pressure mount even more, along with Josh Harragan's usual danger throws darting into the penalty area.

Jozef Montigue's superb work down the left created the next best chance, one of many, as he got past his man on the wing before chipping into the box with his weaker left foot. Thorsten was completely unmarked in the area and controlled the ball with a lovely first touch but somehow he couldn't beat the keeper.

The final goal of the morning came from Thorsten who more than made up for his previous miss when the same combination linked up once more. Montigue crossed from the left and Thorsten made no mistake with a good finish to grab goal number three.

Well played everyone, if we can keep this run going we could even finish fourth!

Men of the match - David Harris and Liam Godfrey (great second half!)

FULL TIME – Stubbington 0-3 CFY

Match pictures by Neil Sawbridge

(Click images for larger size)

CFY 5-2 East Lodge B

CHANDLERS FORD 5-2 EAST LODGE B
12.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

In this midweek, Thursday night fixture, Chandlers Ford were on blistering form against the very side that thumped seven goals past them a matter of weeks ago, with an excellent win.

They could not have got off to a better start, with Michael Wall firing another beauty into the top corner with a long range rocket that sailed past the keeper and into the net after just 29 seconds. It is not often that Michael will pop up and score, but when he does you can guarantee it will be special. Wall now has a terrific five goals for the season.

Daniel Whitlock held the ball up nicely on the left hand side before Michael settled himself and fired his side into a storming, early lead.

1-0 soon became two as Ryan Chinn grabbed his first goal of the season with the perfect lob. The excellent Josh Harragan cleared the ball from an East Lodge corner, all the way up the park with Chinn doing the rest with a quality finish, up and over the keeper’s head.

CFY could not believe their luck as they continued to brush East Lodge aside, with a third goal. Daniel Whitlock the scorer this time, as he chested one of Harragan’s trademark long throws over the line for goal number three.

Back in goal, for the first time in a couple of weeks, Karthik Basker made a very welcome return to the side. Unfortunately for him, the first action of note for him was picking the ball up out of his net when the visitors clawed a goal back just before half time.

HALF TIME – CFY 3-1 East Lodge B

A patchy spell to begin the second half resulted in Lodge pulling the scores even closer with a second goal, however Ford did not let their lead slip even once as they bounced back in style to seal a very impressive victory.

Ryan added to his tally with another good finish to restore the two goal cushion, making it 4-2.

Shortly after, Michael Sawbridge grabbed a deserved goal with a very well taken poke past the keeper with the outside of his left foot. The points now secure.

Chances kept coming for Chandlers Ford with Jozef Montigue striking the post, Thorsten unlucky not to get a goal, and David Harris producing some excellent saves out of the East Lodge goalkeeper towards the end.

Everyone played their part once more, Miles Hodge improving with each performance and Afmed Sfagsi must get a big mention for the way he never stopped battling after coming on as a sub in the second half.

Well done to you all on this fine victory against tough opponents, hopefully we can follow this up with a win over Stubbington at the weekend.

FULL TIME – CFY 5-2 East Lodge B

CFY 1-3 Portchester B

CHANDLERS FORD 1-3 PORTCHESTER B
07.04.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

Today was Chandlers Ford's second tough game in a row, having been on the receiving end of a lesson from league leaders College Youth last weekend.

This time, they faced an equally challenging game with Portchester B the visitors.

Beginning at a frantic pace, both sides had early opportunities, however, in the blink of an eye, Portchester were a goal in front with the Blues' defence sitting far too deep.

A long ball came forward bouncing over a couple of defenders before the Portchester striker lofted the ball over Liam Godfrey and into the net. Liam, standing in for Karthik who is still injured, could do little about it. The goalscorer also slightly surprised to have seen the wind guide his effort into the top right hand corner.

Despite this, there really was nothing between the teams and to CFY's credit they had fought their way back into it, playing nice passing football and looking the better side.

David Harris took his tally for the season into double figures, stabbing the ball over the line to get Ford back in the game with a deserved equaliser. Thorsten Tramischus fought well on the left hand side of the penalty area in the build up to create the goal with a good cross.

With the scores now level, the last thing the home side needed was an immediate response from Portchester. This is exactly what happened though, due to stepping off the gas and a moments sloppiness. CFY had barely finished celebrating when a similar long punt up the field from an orange shirt was met by another chip over the helpless Godfrey.

Ford had countless chances thereafter with Michael Sawbridge firing wide on a couple of occasions with the visitors goalkeeper being kept on his toes, but standing up to the pressure well with some remarkable saves.

Joe was the next player to get a sniff at goal as the home side continued to threaten and cause problems but again the excellent keeper stood his ground well to block and save at the feet of Montigue.

For all of Ford's chances it was Portchester who went in at the break with the advantage simply because they took their chances. Other than that there was only one side in it.

HALF TIME – CFY 1-2 Portchester B

A second half mixed with free kicks and fouls along with a more open end to end game, saw Portchester come out on top in the end, though they were made to work hard for the points.

It was a case of who could score next, and that team would go on to win the game. Had Chandlers Ford pulled it back to 2-2, they would almost certainly have had the momentum to go on and get another.

There was so little between them though, and Portchester's third goal killed the game off late on, when yet another long ball from a free kick caught CFY's defence off guard and sleepy allowing the Portchester striker to pick his spot and win the game.

All in all, there were a lot of positives to come out of the game, including the massive improvement from the 6-1 defeat in the very first match of this season, all them month's ago.

Liam and Joe won men of the match for their hard work and 110% effort.

Next up is a home match to East Lodge this Thursday, followed by a trip to Stubbington next Saturday - possibly a chance to get back to winning ways?

FULL TIME – CFY 1-3 Portchester B

Match pictures by Neil Sawbridge

(Click images for larger size)

College - 100% Record Continues

COLLEGE YOUTH B 5-1 CHANDLERS FORD
31.03.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

League leaders, by a long way – College Youth B, maintained their impressive 100% record as Chandlers Ford’s fine form of their own came to an end with defeat.

The last time these two sides met, back in September at the beginning of the season – one particular incident will be remembered, where a red card was shown to Liam Godfrey. The result that day was a comfortable 5-0 victory to College, so to come away from home to such a strong side and to improve on what they did last time around was great.

On the back of a good string of results, CFY had nothing to fear, although with just a bare 12 players available and the likes of Josh Harragan and Karthik Basker unavailable, the Blues did remarkably well to hold out during the opening stages of the game.

Indeed, it could have gone either way with Chandlers Ford’s strong defending frustrating College and also enjoying good spells on the attack. For fifteen minutes the underdogs were more than a match but once the deadlock was broken and College had taken the lead, it was almost a different story entirely.

Two more sloppy goals were conceded when probably the ball could have been cleared earlier, cost Chandlers Ford dear and the heads went down.

HALF TIME – College Youth B 3-0 CFY

Starting the second half fairly brightly, Chandlers Ford improved a great deal and yet again proved they can mix it with the big boys for a good ten minutes.

The pace in attack from College proved to be the only difference with Thorsten Tramischus having no chance with the only two goals that went past him in the second half.

Ford had the last say with a wonder goal from the in-form David Harris, who now has nine for the season and eight in his last eight games. Picking the ball up on the right hand side of midfield, with nothing much on, ‘Harry’ went on a great run nipping in between defenders before turning in style and belting a low drive into the bottom corner.

This was CFY’s only real shot of the game, but it went in and Richards’ side came away with a consolation goal against a very good team, to celebrate an improved performance against them with a couple of key players missing.

All in all, the attitude was good on the whole with man of the match Thorsten shining between the sticks. Everyone had a decent game though in particular Michael Sawbridge at the heart of the defence, Daniel Whitlocke who never stopped running, Joe who tried to make things happen, the goalscorer David and a special mention to Miles Hodge who played the whole of the second half and did himself proud with some nice touches.

Back to winning ways next week, against equally tough opponents, Portchester B!

FULL TIME – College Youth B 5-1 CFY

Match pictures by Neil Sawbridge
(Click images for larger size)

Five Goal Ford

LEE RANGERS 1-5 CHANDLERS FORD
24.03.07 – MID SOLENT 'B' LEAGUE

Chandlers Ford completed the double over Lee Rangers this morning to follow up their 4-1 home win early last month. It was a good performance all round and although the score was comfortable for CFY, they could have won by a few more perhaps.

Daniel Whitlocke, starting his first game for Ford, scored the opening goal with just over five minutes played. The ball came in from the right where Dan was on hand to calmly slot past the keeper.

Having gone a goal down, the Rangers got a lucky break to level the scores, coming up to midway through the half.

As the corner came in from the left, with good in-swing and pace, it struck Liam Godfrey in the head, who did his best to keep the ball out. It rebounded against the post though and stand in keeper Thorsten Tramischus - filling in for Karthik (out with tendonitis) between the sticks, could do nothing but watch as it crept over the line.

This seemed to spur the blues on even more and once again their dominance and pressure began to show.

Michael Sawbridge hit the post with Montigue and Harris also coming close on several occasions, the trio up front working the line superbly between them.

The lead was restored when Michael Wall hit a right foot volley that took a slight touch before finding the roof of the net. Josh Harragan's trademark long throw led to the goal, with Liam Godfrey touching the ball on, but Michael will take all the credit for picking his spot and bagging CFY's second goal.

Wall continued to play a key role in the game adding a third just minutes later with an absolute belter from 25 yards. Again Harragan was involved, who had been a part of every thing good about the visitors' play. Josh teed the ball up for Michael who fired a perfect curling effort into the top corner, leaving the keeper standing - another candidate for goal of the season!

As the half came to a close, Ford were now in complete control and perhaps unfortunate not to have had a few more goals to their name.

HALF TIME – Lee Rangers 1-3 CFY

It came as no surprise that Chandlers Ford continued to be much the better side with Rangers struggling to get out of their own half for long periods of time.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ford went all out attack camping in their opponents area with longs throws from Harragan and dangerous corners from Sawbridge coming thick and fast keeping the home side under the kosh.

David Harris got a deserved goal from a corner on the left hand side that flew past everyone and bounced over the line despite claims it had not crossed. There may have been a slight element of luck about the goal but in terms of the result it was important to extend the lead once more.

Apart from a few Rangers breakaways, CFY held the upper hand and soon went 5-1 up, through Harris once more. A long free kick up the park saw a whole host of red shirts cue up, staying on side with Montigue flicking it on nicely for David who did all the rest with a simple finish past the helpless keeper.

With the win now secure, Lee Rangers had nothing to lose and with better finishing could well have grabbed a consolation. One chance in particular saw the Rangers number ten take the ball past Thorsten but fire wide of an open goal.

More chances came for the Blues with Tom Pope coming close with a good half volley from a corner ball. Then lovely football saw Montigue win the ball tracking back before playing it to Harris down the right. The cross found Ryan Chinn unmarked at the back post who was unable to guide his effort into the net.

Seeing the game out fairly comfortably though, Ford picked up all three points with a near faultless performance.

Men of the match Josh Harragan and Michael Wall, just two of those doing themselves and the team proud with many others following closely behind with equally good performances.

FULL TIME –Lee Rangers 1-5 CFY

Match pictures by Neil Sawbridge

(Click images for larger size)