Vanbrugh Seconds 1 Vanbrugh Thirds 1
A last-minute equaliser broke the hearts of Vanbrugh Thirds in the first of the three Friday College Cup matches.
In a fiercely fought game of few chances, Vanbrugh Thirds gave a performance that suggested they may be one of the Thirds teams most likely to make a strong impression in the tournament.
They started strongly, with Max Walter’s direct running down the wing causing problems for Vanbrugh Seconds’ defenders, who were given a scare five minutes in when Walter escaped their attentions to lash a dipping half-volley just over the bar.
Despite this openings were few and far between, with both teams lacking the quality necessary in the final third to open up either’s defences.
Ten minutes from half-time Vanbrugh Seconds thought they’d scored when the ball was bundled home after the Thirds’ goalkeeper James Wilson seemed to have mishandled it following a corner, but referee Mark Lund disallowed it after ruling that Wilson had been pushed.
The Seconds then had a golden opportunity to go into the half-time break a goal up after a sublime flicked through ball brought their striker one-on-one with Wilson, only for him to somehow skew his shot wide.
The second half continued in much the same fashion until Vanbrugh Thirds won a penalty after a needless sliding tackle, disallowed on the astroturf, brought an immediate penalty. Defender Tom Spring stepped up and duly thumped home, wheeling away in celebration.
With ten minutes left Vanbrugh Thirds dug their heels in, bringing more men back and booting the ball away from their goal at every opportunity. The Seconds were putting more and more pressure on their opponents though, and with just a minute to go Max Poynter Hall connected with an in swinging corner to crash an unstoppable header into the roof of the net, leaving the Thirds despondent at the final whistle but with good cause for optimism in the next few weeks.
Goodricke Seconds 6 Derwent Thirds 0
Goodricke Seconds gave a commanding performance in Friday’s second game, thrashing a weak Derwent Thirds 6-0.
A glut of goals from Goodricke Seconds in the second half brought added gloss to the final score line, but in truth the final result flattered Derwent more than it did Goodricke.
Goodricke opened the scoring early on, after Nick Dheir latched on to a rebound to slot the ball into an open goal.
Goodricke’s central defensive partnership of Sam Astbury and Andy Case were rarely troubled, as despite strong battling from the likes of Jim Norton in central midfield Derwent failed to create any goal scoring opportunities.
With Derwent defiant but short on quality, the main surprise was that Goodricke didn’t extend their lead until the second half.
Soon after the start of the second half Goodricke got their second goal though, with Sam Lewis finishing well after good work from Michael Brooke on the wing.
It wasn’t long before the third came, with Christian Hammer’s shot ricocheting off the Derwent goalkeeper and his leg to make it 3-0.
The fourth goal had an element of the absurd about it, with Nick Dheir cleverly manoeuvring himself into space before hitting a long-range shot that looked to be going well off target before hitting a Derwent defender and bouncing in off the post, beating the slow reactions of the scrambling Derwent goalkeeper.
Michael Brookes was rewarded for his strong performance with the fifth goal of the match when he chipped over the increasingly hapless Derwent goalkeeper to score, and then five minutes before the end Christian Hammer scored his second and Goodricke’s sixth to well and truly finish Derwent.
James Firsts 3 Halifax Seconds 0
As the opening College Cup week drew to a close, James Firsts went joint top of Group D, cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Halifax Seconds. An in-form Mark Johnson, who scored a brace, and key striker James Offord with a goal, proved the major difference between the sides on the day.
Determined in ensuring there wouldn’t be any slip-up, James set about their play in controlling fashion, and rarely found themselves under threat throughout the match. Despite this Halifax appeared, just about, to have shut out their opponents at the interval. That was, until a piece of individual brilliance from Offord, whom, with minutes before the interval, went on a great solo effort which saw him evade the Halifax defence and place the ball away from Dean Hansen’s reach.
It wasn’t quite the morale boost Halifax were hoping for going into the second half. It certainly was however for James’ man of the match, Mark Johnson, who managed to put a seal on the points with two fine individual efforts. First, he cut in from the wing, turned the ball onto his left, then drilled low from the acutest of angles. The third goal, just like the first, arrived late, however this time, showcased his long-range striking ability, and Johnson was given time to control and dispatch into the net.
With both Derwent and Halifax beaten without too much trouble, it’s now a question of how the sides can move from here. Fortunately, they’ll only have to rest on their defeats for three more days, as both sides attempt to get their College Cup aspirations back on track on Monday.
Photos by Daniel Gilks