College Football: Vanbrugh 4-1 Alcuin

Despite a few scares, Vanbrugh were back on form to overcome an Alcuin side who lacked the cutting edge to match their opponents.

It did not take long for Vanbrugh to take the lead as the impressive right-back Matt Wignall whipped in a sumptuous cross which Adam Lewis powered home with his head. The goal did nothing to spice up the game, though, as both sides struggled with their short passing.

A deflected shot from Will Dodgson gave Alcuin their first meaningful chance, but keeper James Wilson gratefully saw the ball sail straight into his hands. Clear cut chances were rare, and Vanbrugh’s Adam Lewis should have perhaps done better with a lovely ball from left-back Tom Spring.

Alcuin continued to look for the equaliser but Will Taylor’s jinking run brought no such luck, as his cross evaded everyone and was cleared with ease. The first half seemed to be meandering to its close, before Vanbrugh’s Elliott Rous Ross capitalised on a slip by defender Chris Holgate, only to narrowly shoot wide.

Fortunately, the game picked up after the break, with Alcuin fashioning a chance early on, as Alex Brown’s pass was picked up by substitute Jakob Scholz, who fired straight at Wilson. Alcuin’s profligacy was to be punished as Elliott Rous Ross, who looked threatening all game, doubled his team’s lead with a somewhat bizarre goal as his cross sailed over the keeper’s head into the back of the net.

This seemed to wake Alcuin up from their slumber and things were made interesting when Charles Pickering centred the ball, finding Alex Brown who forced home a header. Ross almost negated Alcuin’s goal straightaway, but he curled his shot onto Damien Pickard’s post.

The drama was heightened further when the referee controversially pointed to the spot after seemingly spotting a handball in the Vanbrugh box. The players in red and blue were absolutely livid but the decision stood and it was up to Will Taylor to grab an unlikely equaliser. It was not to be, however, as keeper Wilson pulled off a stunning save to deny his opponent.

After this, Vanbrugh began to take the game by the scruff of its neck as a disheartened Alcuin struggled to contain some fluid football. Rory Sharkey managed to set Ross free once again after some good work down the left, and the striker was desperately unlucky as he saw his side-footed shot bounce off the woodwork for the second time.

But it was not long until Ross was back on the scoresheet. Sharkey was again involved, sending in a dangerous cross after a probing run down the left, which was met by Lewis whose rebounded shot found its way to Ross who made no mistake with the follow up to make it three for Vanbrugh.

This effectively signalled game over, and despite remaining committed, Alcuin never really looked like coming back into the game this time round. It was perhaps unjust on the side in red when Vanbrugh added to their tally with almost the last kick of the game. Substitute Max Poynter-Hall nicked the ball from an Alcuin defender, passing it to Lewis who calmly slotted home to add a bit of gloss to a deserved win.

Vanbrugh captain James Wilson was suitably pleased, stating that his team had been “very ruthless, much better than last week. It was a fantastic effort, a great performance.”

VISION MOTM: Elliott Rous Ross.