By Alex Finnis
A ten goal thriller, including seven in the first-half and a hat-trick from Dan Atherton saw Derwent hand Vanbrugh an emphatic 7-3 defeat in a frantic, action-packed game on 22 acres.
The tone of the match was set from the very beginning, Derwent scoring early as Atherton headed in a whipped Matt Hallam free-kick. They didn’t lead for long however, with a frenzied goalmouth scramble representative of the game itself resulting in a controversial goal for Vanbrugh’s Heath. The Derwent defence failed to clear and the ball fell to the Vanbrugh defender, who poked it through the crowd of bodies- his shot judged to have just crossed the line before goalkeeper Seb Treasure managed to desperately hook it back into play.
Once again there was not long to wait for the game’s next goal. A through-ball from Dom Henney put Atherton in on goal for his well-placed second, and his impressive first-half hat-trick was completed when he once again combined with Hallam, meeting his corner with a header put far out of the reach of a sprawling Paul Taylor.
Derwent continued to attack with style. This time it was Henney who claimed the honours after a well worked move down the right. Matt Hallam played a beautifully weighted ball to Xander Brinkworth, who in turn whipped his cross into the box; a cross met by striker Dom Henney, who, after his initial shot was saved, slammed in the rebound to make it 4-1.
Derwent’s Jake Farrell hit the post moments later, but it was Vanbrugh who were to score next. Jamie Clarke broke free from his markers and got in behind the Derwent back four, his shot squeezed under the body of Treasure but did not have the legs to make it over the line until Clarke himself followed it up and slotted into and empty net.
A Delap-style long throw brought Derwent their fifth before the half-time whistle had even sounded, as Boughtflower slung a ball towards the near post which was met by a cheeky backwards flick off the head of Steve Walwyn to take his side into the break with an astounding 5-2 lead.
The second-half was quieter by the game’s hectic first half standards, but similarly to the opening period, Derwent again struck fairly early on. Brinkworth’s ball from the right cleared the crowd waiting in the area, but fell to Jake Farrell, who lashed a well-struck half-volley high into the net to extend his side’s lead.
Vanbrugh pressed to get back into the game; substitute Lewis hit the post after finding some space to shoot in the area and a Phil Taylor effort looked destined for the bottom corner until Seb Treasure pulled off a fantastic save low to his right.
Despite Vanbrugh’s efforts though, it was once again Derwent who were to score next. A cross from Brinkworth looked to be heading in, forcing the goalkeeper to parry the ball away, but it only went as far as Derwent substitute Matt Jenkins, who finished calmly to round off his college’s scoring at a heavenly seven.
Vanbrugh’s third and final goal was again sloppy from a Derwent perspective, as they once more failed to clear their lines, allowing Phil Taylor to latch onto a loose ball and slam it home to give Vanbrugh some sort of consolation.
Despite several more chances falling to players at both ends, this was where the scoring did finally end, leaving Derwent, a team who captain Matt Hallam claims “normally prefer to keep it tight”, to run out 7-3 victors in an uncharacteristic yet exhilarating display.
It’s only a matter of time before Jenkins overtakes me as Derwent’s number one right back. His consistency is formidable.