The college cup opened beneath grey skies, a somewhat apt setting for two games which failed to sparkle. The JLD Astro Pitch was host to a somewhat nervy start for both Goodricke and Wentworth 1sts as they kicked off their College Cup campaigns with a pair of unconvincing wins over James 3rds and Derwent 2nds respectively.
Goodricke College 1sts 3-0 James College 3rds
Goodricke 1sts and James 3rds opened up the tournament with a rather cagey affair that did neither team much justice. Unsurprisingly Goodricke emerged as the victors though given the supposed gulf in talent between the two sides they have every right to be worried by the manner of their triumph: a 3-0 win rather flattered the men in green as they lacked a clinical edge in front of the goal.
Goodricke’s Eddie Silson opened the scoring on 6 minutes after some well worked passing opened up the James defence and allowed Ben Smith to play a beautifully weighted ball for Silson to smash past ‘keeper Toby Owen. With such a strong finish so early in the game the crowd expected a rout but they were to be disappointed. James resisted the temptation to capitulate and held strong their formation, managing to hold off Goodricke for much of the game.
Goodricke became slightly complacent and both Silson and Ben Smith could be accused of being wasteful in front of the net. Silson, once again, had the pick of the chances when he lost his marker after being played in by a route one long ball though his head was in his hands after he could only hit it straight at the goalkeeper’s chest.
Much of the game was played within the confines of the midfield as both teams failed to penetrate the other’s defence. With the score hanging very much in the balance the first match of the tournament was very nearly the first upset; James managed to attack on the break, playing in Tim Green though he could only lash his shot straight at Goodricke ‘keeper Ed Foster.
Dave Coupland, Goodricke captain, finally put the game to bed with a brace of goals late in the second half. A superb solo effort saw him turn the James defence inside and out before he slotted the ball straight into the back of the net to make it 2-0. He then chipped the ‘keeper to make the final score 3-0 and salvage some pride for his team.
Coupland admitted after the game that given their performance a 3-0 score line was somewhat ‘generous for Goodricke’ adding that ‘we’ve got a lot of work to do but I think we can see the signs of a good team emerging’. James’ 3rds captain Ben Li remained upbeat despite his team’s defeat telling Vision that ‘No-one can doubt our work-rate. We gave it our best shot and we’ve got a lot of confidence for our next game’.
Wentworth 1sts 1-0 Derwent 2nds
The Wentworth 1sts versus the Derwent 2nds was, perhaps, even less eventful than the opening game despite the teams being far more evenly matched. A 1-0 win for Wentworth will be cause for celebration in a college where gaining 3 points is so rare it feels like a lottery win.
A slow opening fifteen minutes were only broken when a Wentworth player handled the ball in the box, though the referee ignored the indignant screams from the sideline and turned down the Derwent player’s much warranted penalty appeals.
Wentworth looked the more threatening of the two, Russ Kitson and Samik Datta linking up dangerously. A well-timed cross by Kitson created a fine attacking movement as the pace of Datta left the Derwent right-back in state of bewilderment.
Wentworth’s goal came after confusion in the box between Datta and Dom Green allowed the Derwent ‘keeper, Roy Moore, to bundle the ball out for a corner. The resulting set play was headed ably home by Seb Schmerold.
The Wentworth 1sts team was by all means worthy victors though with only a single goal margin it was a tentative second half. Derwent pressured Wentworth in the closing moments but were unable to capitalise on their brief dominance. A 1-0 win that Wentworth manager Daniel Horsfall accepted was ‘tougher than it should have been’.
All in all the College Cup may not have opened in the most scintillating of form but it’s in its infancy. It promised goals, passionate performances and big banter: I’m confident it can deliver.
All Photos by Marcus Roby