College Cup: Alcuin 2nds 0-0 Langwith 1sts

The afternoon on the JLD astroturf was drab and dreary, and the football was no different. The game lived up to statistical likelihood; Alcuin 2nds and Langwith 1sts have now only scored one goal between them in the first three rounds of games.

A goal-less draw was a likely result from the outset, and only became more likely as the game progressed. Langwith’s highlight of the opening ten minutes was a Luke Gardener long-ball that slipped away from the feet of dynamic striker Bruce Starkey. For Alcuin, David Ambrozejcyk cut inside from the left flank and fired on target, but lacked sufficient power and placement to seriously trouble Langwith goalkeeper Tom Lambert from range.

With neither side taking much satisfaction from play, tempers were bound to spill over; Tom Hargreaves was bundled over by Matt Wilcox, who was explicit in telling referee Joe Boughtflower exactly what he thought of the free-kick decision. His dissent went unpunished. Hargreaves, who picked up a shoulder injury in the collision, was substituted for Reda Bouchaib.

Bouchaib’s introduction failed to spark Alcuin into life, and the next quasi-remarkable moment in the game was a long-range shot blazed over by Langwith’s Gardener. Tempers reached fever pitch again when Alcuin’s Will Dodgson went down holding his face after receiving a knock while making a headed clearance. The Alcuin players called ‘elbow’, but the referee saw an honest mistake.

The weather worsened in the second-half, and the game came no closer to ignition. A header from Langwith’s Liam Condron flew over the bar without concerning the goalkeeper too much, and Starkey couldn’t help but vocalise his frustration after his mazy run culminated in a goal-kick instead of a corner.

Neither team seriously threatened; both sides restricted to hit-and-hope balls from set-pieces. Laurence Chetwynd headed over for Langwith, and Alcuin’s Ambrozejczyk hit another shot from range that ricocheted off the JLD enclosure. The game came to a welcome  finish with the score deadlocked at 0-0.

Vision’s Man of the Match: Luke Gardener