Derwent suffered their first defeat of the season against Vanbrugh, thus missing out on the chance to win the title a week before the final round of games.
The wind played a big factor in the ebb and flow of the game, Vanbrugh dominating the first half, Derwent the second, the only difference being that James Wilson’s side took their chance through Elliot Rous-Ross on the 25 minute mark.
In the early stages, neither side had any real clear cut chances. The first real opportunity came as Rous-Ross’s chased down Wilson’s long punt before laying it back to Rory Sharkey who blazed over from the corner of the box.
Derwent looked solid enough at the box yet had no real penetration going forward, strikers David Kirk and Matt O’Conner time and time again being halted in their tracks by the Vanbrugh defence.
Ban Stanier then fired a free kick just wide from the edge of the area for Vanbrugh to offer another warning sign before they finally took the lead on the 25 minute mark. Rous-Ross was played through expertly by Sharkey and the pacey front man made no mistake, slotting home one-on-one past Seb Treasure in the Derwent goal.
Just before the half time whistle, Rous-Ross was played through yet again, this time by Kieran O’Dwyer, yet Tom Brandreth made a terrific last ditch challenge to deny him a second goal, keeping the score at 1-0 to Vanbrugh at half time.
The tide of pressure immediately told after the interval as the reigning champions had the wind, Jacob Tapper shooting narrowly over from the edge of the area after a long throw was not properly cleared.
At the other end, Vanbrugh had a golden chance to increase their lead, only to see Ben Stanier fire horribly over from eight yards out after Sharkey once again threaded the Derwent defence.
He redeemed himself a few minutes later however, when he cleared off the line after a Derwent flick from a long throw. Searching desperately for a goal, they went three at the back, Brandreth pushing up into midfield.
They had yet more chances, Sam Earle shooting over before Xander Brinkworth scuffed his shot again after a long throw had not been cleared by Vanbrugh. Yet the men in blue and red held on for a shock win, making Joe Boughtflower’s team wait until next week to try and win the title, against a resurgent James, who are now only one point behind.
Boughtflower was disappointed afterwards, saying “we didn’t play well first half, we dominated the second but unfortunately could not score. Now we just have to pick ourselves up for next week.” Wilson was delighted with his side’s fighting spirit: “It was a battle, we had three injuries in the game, but I’m very proud of the lads, absolutely delighted with the result.”
MOTM: Rory Sharkey