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Photos: TK Rohit
In a key game in the battle for plate qualification in Group 4, an impressive Derwent 3rds side ran out 2-0 winners over a below-par Alcuin 2nds team.
An extraordinary curling effort from Joe “The Worm” Eyles gave Derwent an early lead before substitute Will Arkle’s deflected strike late on sealed the win.
However, Alcuin may well feel aggrieved not to come away with a point as they appeared to draw level midway through the second half, only for the referee to rule that the ball had not crossed the line.
In a first half dominated by misplaced passes and long balls, a moment of magic from Derwent’s man of the tournament thus far gave the men in blue and black an early lead against the run of play.
Eyles was released down the left wing after a neat one-two with Louis Glassar before cutting on to his favoured right foot and bending a shot past Bujega in the Alcuin net.
The goal was exactly what the game needed and seemed to spark some life into the scrappy affair.
Almost immediately afterwards Derwent should have doubled their lead when Glassar pulled wide from just inside the edge of the box after the ball had fallen kindly for him.
Alcuin then had a few opportunities of their own, but Scholz’s handful of efforts all failed to test Colclough in the Derwent goal.
At the break, Derwent narrowly deserved their lead after a first half of few chances.
The second half began as the first had ended – with little incident. That was until Alcuin’s best chance of the game fell to Scholz. The striker, little more than ten yards out, managed to fire a bouncing ball over the Derwent goal when it appeared easier to score.
Shortly after, controversy struck. Alcuin, a real threat from corners all afternoon, appeared to bundle one over the line before Derwent captain and defender Ali Carroll was able to claw it away with his hands. Inexplicably, the referee, perhaps unsighted, waved play on, much to the fury of the Alcuin players.
Feeling hard done by, the 2s side piled more pressure on Derwent who had Colclough to thank when he palmed a back-post header over from close range, shortly after gathering a loose ball following a goalmouth scramble.
With Alcuin continuing to push for an equaliser, Derwent sealed the win on the break in the dying minutes as Will Arkle’s shot was deflected past the helpless Bujega, following good work from Alex Nock and Louis Glassar.
Reflecting on the match and hoping to bounce back in their next game, the Alcuin skipper said: “We were disappointed with the way we played, but felt we deserved a point.”
In contrast, Captain Carroll was “thrilled with another good performance” from his team and he hoped “they could now secure a place in the plate.”
Derwent: Sam Colcough, Nick Burke, Alistair Carroll, Sean Metcalfe, Elliot Rippon, Jacabo Bordignon (Nana), Christie Welch, Jack Fisher, Alex Nock, Joe Eyles (Will Arkle), Louis Glassar
Alcuin: Ben Bujega, Ben Rigby, Harry Billimore, Chris Boyd, Oliver Degerstedt, Greg Fearn, Ben Carver, Chris Houlgate, Luca Nazzicone, Jakob Scholz, Tom Hargreaves
Vision MOTM: Ali Carroll