CFY stumble past Stubb

Chandlers Ford Youth 4-2 Stubbington

Mid Solent B League – 17th February 2008

With several key figures from the side missing, including Michael Sawbridge (who scored five times in the same fixture earlier in the season in the 8-2 win), and goalkeeper Lee Robertson who is ruled out for the near future with a broken wrist, Chandlers Ford took on Stubbington.

This meant Liam Godfrey and Michael Wall shared the role of goalkeeper between them with Liam taking the gloves for the first half before coming on a striker in the second half. Wall started the game in the holding role just in front of the defence, where he won the man of the match award last week, and then found himself between the sticks for the whole of the second half.

Looking to end their run of league defeats, Richard’s team could not have had a better opportunity coming up against one of only two sides that they have managed to win against this season.

Ford started the game brightly creating several chances and attacking at every opportunity to keep themselves on the front foot.

Alex Evens broke the deadlock with a fine finish lofting over the head of the goalkeeper having out-sprinted the last defender, this following a great assist from Michael Wall’s inch perfect through ball.

It didn’t take too long for the hosts to double their advantage when Jozef Montigue ran through latching onto another great pass from Wall, to steer perfectly past the keeper with a cool lob to find the roof of the net.

2-0 up inside the opening ten minutes it was beginning to look like there was only going to be one outcome with the real possibility of Ford racing ahead and putting the game out of sight for Stubbington, who struggled to threaten.

The visitors fell further behind when Michael Wall’s corner from the right into a packed penalty area led to an own goal.

The score at half time remained 3-0 at the break, but it may well have been so much more for all the chances and possession. Montigue was unlucky with a couple of attempts that he rifled over the bar. Josh Harrigan was exceptional in defence leading the way with a captain’s performance. Not only this but the centre half also went on some breathtaking runs forward down the right.

HALF TIME: CFY 3-0 Stubbington

The cliché ‘it’s a game of two halves’ just about sums up the way CFY’s recent performances have gone. Whether it has been playing exceptionally well in the first half and losing the game in the second, or the opposite – performing dismally to begin with, and despite big improvements in the half that followed, left it too late to get the right result.

Today’s game was the first of those two scenarios, but thankfully they turned the tables by managing to hold on, something they have not managed for the majority of this season.

Stubbington came out in the second half with an excellent attitude, perhaps feeling they had nothing to lose and that maybe if they got one back anything could be possible.

A long ball forward caught an unusually static CFY defence off guard and the Stubbington number 9 made them pay for the mistake with a crisp finish across goal into the bottom left hand corner past Michael Wall.

With around fifteen minutes to play, the same goalscorer found the back of the net once more with an equally impressive finish from the edge of the penalty area with a powerfully struck lob.

This set up an interesting close to the match, one that was especially nervy for Ford until that is, they could breath a sigh of relief thanks to a fourth goal that put the result beyond doubt.

Daryl Winter had a particularly superb second half performance with positive running down the left, excellent in possession of the ball to add to his solid defending. It was Winter who grabbed what proved to be the deciding goal, which was no more than he deserved.

Godfrey took on the Stubbington left back and managed to get in behind where he utilised the space by sending a great delivery into the area. Winter attacked it well to fire home CFY’s fourth.

FULL TIME: CFY 4-2 Stubbington