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Photos: Tom Wooldridge
An early strike from Joe Eyles was just enough to secure a victory for Derwent in what was a hotly contested affair.
Derwent capitalised from the kick off, with Eyles seizing the initiative after some sloppy defending allowed him through on goal within the first minute of the game. He finished calmly, with what proved to be the decisive goal of the match. Wentworth ‘keeper and captain Jon Cook may have felt at fault for the goal, spilling a fairly easy save into Eyles’ path for the Derwent man to capitalise.
The early goal allowed Derwent to ease into the game, and two well-engineered moves would have put the game out of Wentworth’s reach.
A powerful shot by Alex Nock whistled over the bar, and a delightful touch from Josh Park saw Wentworth’s Jon Cook atone spectacularly from his earlier error, saving a point blank shot with remarkable intuition.
The remainder of the first half was a scrappy affair in the middle of the pitch, with neither side able to create any clear cut chances. It ended on a rather grim note however, as a collision of heads saw Nick Burke substituted off with a gash to the forehead. The first half ended without any more incidents.
Derwent kicked off for the second half and continued to be an imposing threat. Eyles again was the momentum for going forward. His superb footwork found him bearing down on goal, and his curving shot came tantalisingly close, hitting the outside of the post with Cook well and truly beaten.
With 15 minutes of the game to go, Wentworth began to surge forward, applying pressure and asking questions of the Derwent defence. Wentworth defender Dan Horsfall was given permission to attack the Derwent box, and proved to be a nuisance within the opposition’s half.
A stroke of good fortune almost gifted Wentworth an equaliser, as Dan Hofmann’s cross-come-shot was carried onto the bar by an upsurge of wind. Clearly it was not to be Wentworth’s day.
Derwent saw the game out and earned a well-deserved 3 points, while Wentworth left the pitch feeling forlorn at a game that could have been so easily salvaged.
Vision MOTM: Joe Eyles.
Joe, fantastic article, reminds me of myself back in the day. I now write for the BBC, but it was from similar humble beginnings that I made my journalistic mark. I am confident that your ability to report in such a mature manner will hold you in good stead for the future. Sincerely, Phil ‘the power’ mcnulty.