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Photos: Jack Western
Two defensive lapses and one impressive finish secured a 3-0 victory for Wentworth over Alcuin on 22 acres this afternoon.
In truth, the game was closer than the final score would suggest, but the postgrads had the necessary composure when it mattered, and made more of their opportunities.
Alcuin will reflect on a number of missed chances, particularly in the first half, which could have terminally altered the shape of the game.
Wentworth opened the scoring in the 38th minute. Dai Taira was played through before coolly slotting the ball past stand-in goalkeeper Chris Boyd.
They doubled their lead in the 70th minute courtesy of a defensive mix up which gave Dom Green an open goal in which to score, and the third came courtesy of an own-goal by defender Sam Bentham.
The early play was scrappy, though Alcuin’s striker Danny Matthews had the best two chances, both coming around the five minute mark. On neither occasion could he make good contact with the shot, however, and both times the ball ran wide of the posts.
Wentworth grew into the game, with an impressive piece of skill from Tim Martin as he flicked the ball past centre-back Harry Billimore, only to lift his shot well over the crossbar.
At the other end, Graham Kimber twice let fly from outside the box, the first forcing a good save from John Cook between the sticks. Jacob Scholz also went close with a powerful shot which went over the bar.
The game was fairly even, but as the half drew to a close it was Wentworth who had the best chances. A low cross by Greg Harrison just evaded the slide from Green in the 37th minute, but one minute later they had the lead thanks to Taira’s impressive finish.
They could have doubled their lead before half-time, as another inviting cross by Harrison deflected off right-back Chris Houlgate only to just miss the far post. That would have been cruel on Alcuin who had matched Wentworth for much of the game.
The second half started out much like the first, with clear-cut chances few and far between and neither team dominating possession.
Both sides coped fairly well with the difficult conditions on 22 acres. The rain on the day was only light, but the pitches were already in a boggy state which was not amenable to slick play.
But in the 70th minute came the clincher, as a defensive mix-up allowed Wentworth to double their lead.
The ball was played in between back-line and goalkeeper and neither managed to take decisive action. Neither Boyd nor Billimore, the two closest Alcuin players, managed to deal with the danger. Boyd slid out to collect the ball, but never had it firmly in his grasp. Next thing, the ball ran loose to the waiting Green, and he made no mistake from the narrow angle.
Though Boyd may have been at fault for the goal, he also made a number of fine saves which kept his team in the game, and belied his makeshift goalkeeping status. The best came at 1-0, when Green met Taira’s cross from the left only to see a diving Boyd push the ball round the post. Shortly after the second goal he made two more stops, one from Green and the other from Mutlu Cukorova.
Alcuin’s shots were restricted to outside the box, with attempts by Billimore and Kimber failing to truly test Cook. Any balls played into the box were cleared by the Wentworth back-line, and any mazy runs quickly curtailed.
It was Wentworth who rounded off the scoring for the day by adding another, though this time it came courtesy of an Alcuin boot. A cross from the right came to substitute Bentham at the back post, and under pressure from the onrushing attacker he was only able to side-foot the ball past Boyd and into the bottom corner.
3-0 flattered Wentworth. Neither team dominated the match, nor had a monopoly of chances. Both sides wasted opportunities, which is why the top class finish from Taira towards the end of the first half proved so decisive.
The defensive slip-ups, coming later in the game, took away any lingering hopes Alcuin had of getting back into the game.
Wentworth’s Daniel Howden told Vision “I thought it was a really good performance, Alcuin were better than last term when we beat them 4-1, it was an all-round team performance. We look really good this year, and with good strength-in-depth.”
A disappointed Alcuin captain Boyd said “We actually played well, though it was a scrappy game. Wentworth always set up well, but we went out with the mentality that we were going to break them down, and we did a few times. 3-0 was harsh on us; we made two mistakes at the end and conceded two goals. Maybe if it stays 1-0 we might nick a goal, and 1-1 would have been a fair result.”
Wentworth: Cook; Sellers, Cantrell, Warner, Keane; Clinton, Parker; Harrison, Martin, Taira; Green. Subs: Cukorova, Kosunalp.
Alcuin: Boyd; Houlgate, Billimore, Burge, Nazzicone; Armstrong, Kimber, Fearn; Scholz, Matthews, Allen. Subs: Bentham, Hargate.