By William Cooper
On a balmy Monday afternoon, an assured Wentworth 1sts team overcame a hard-working, yet ultimately unsuccessful Goodricke 2nds as powerful striker Dom Green scored an assured hat trick to ensure the win.
The first half began with Wentworth camped in the Goodricke end, applying strong pressure. A spill from the Goodricke keeper, Tom Neill, allowed Wentworth to get an early shot on goal and another attempt by centre-midfielder Bruce Rawlings did nothing to alleviate any of the early pressure.
It came, then, as no surprise when an in swinging Wentworth corner led to confusion in the box, resulting in a Goodricke player handling the ball, leaving the referee with no choice but to give a penalty. Dom Green kept a level head and powered the penalty past a helpless Neill, creating the breakthrough that the early Wentworth play had threatened.
The goal calmed things down a little, although Goodricke still struggled to get into the game. It was not until, in slightly fortuitous circumstances, skilful midfielder Mizan Ally’s slight hesitation in front of goal led to a chance for teammate Chris Hammer to shudder the bottom of the post with a low shot, that Goodricke began to show some quality. This was a warning sign for Wentworth and Goodricke began belatedly to conjure some meaningful attacks, with an equaliser looking probable.
However, the equaliser was not to be, as Wentworth rattled their opponents with a second against the run of play. A long throw was lobbed into the box, and with marking non-existent, Green guided a placed header into the corner of the net to double his team’s advantage as well as his goal tally. The half-time whistle blew with Wentworth now looking comfortable.
The second half began much like the first, with Wentworth dominating. With the introduction of pacey Samik Datta the men in purple looked even more threatening. Good link up play between him and Ed Silson led to a brace of chances, both of which Datta narrowly squandered. A probing run and shot by Goodricke’s Alex Herd gave them something to cheer about but despite a fair amount of opposition possession, the experienced Wentworth team looked reasonably comfortable. Green had a great chance to wrap up his hat trick as an effervescent Datta crossed, only for the former to be denied by a great point blank Neill save. Goodricke toiled in the afternoon sun, and refused to give in, with an Ally shot whistling past the Wentworth post.
The game seemed to be meandering towards a comfortable Wentworth win, as they stroked the ball between themselves to play out the final few minutes. A final flourish, though, applied the icing on the cake, as a Silson shot was fumbled by an unfortunate Neill, and Green was there to apply the tap in and finally complete his hat trick. This proved to be the last action of the game, adding a bit of gloss to a score line which in truth was perhaps a little harsh on an honest and industrious Goodricke 2nd team. Having said this, Wentworth looked composed and confident throughout the game, and thoroughly deserved their win, with Green playing a pivotal role.