Vanbrugh 3rds caused a surprise in the semi-final of the plate competition, defeating a Wentworth 1sts team who were seemingly coming into form, by a single goal courtesy of Max Poynter Hall.
Vanbrugh’s form in the competition has been impressive throughout, and despite being the underdogs in this clash, they showed great resilience and fight, as they sealed their place in the final, against either Wentworth 2nds or Langwith 1sts next week.
Vanbrugh started sprightly, and a pacy burst down the left flank by Adam Lewis, drew the first save from Wentworth ‘keeper Colin Hill. However it was Wentworth though who nearly took the lead in the early stages. Selahattin Kosunalp strongly won the ball deep inside his own half, before launching a counter attack. This eventually resulted in Kallum Taylor being drawn out of his goal, leaving it gaping for Wayne Paes to open the scoring. However the Wentworth skipper’s effort was brilliantly cleared off the line by George Barnard, before the rebound deflected away off the post.
Apart from that though there were few clear chances, however it was still an exciting and tense game, as both sides tried to play positive football. Taylor tipped one freekick over the bar, and at the other end the powerful Callum Priest had two shots from close range well blocked.
Approaching the break however, Vanbrugh took the lead. The ball broke to Poynter Hall twenty yards out, and he volleyed goalwards. His effort took a deflection of a Wentworth head, and cannoned into the back of the net, to secure his side the crucial opening goal.
Wentworth tried to instantly reply, and Tom Redhead whipped in a delightful freekick, but centre half Duncan Burns was unable to direct it goalbound. At half time, Vanbrugh held a slender 1-0 lead.
The second half continued in similar fashion to what had preceded it. Clear chances were few and far between, but the game still made enthralling watching. Priest drilled one effort narrowly over for Vanbrugh, whilst Paes had a shot deflected behind for a corner.
As the half progressed, Wentworth gradually began to dominate possession more and more, as Vanbrugh grew edgy. Jonathan Hiley had a shot off target, and Taylor had to react quickly to pounce on a through ball aimed for the rapid Lachlan Murray.
In fact Taylor was commading his area brilliantly, and was greatly aided by a superb defence who dealt admirably with the Wentworth threat. Alex Habeck and Charlie Frobisher were particularly impressing, dominating the aerial battle, as for all their possession Wentworth struggled to really work Taylor.
At the other end Vanbrugh nearly sealed their victory, as firstly Chris Mason rifled a shot wide, before Priest was played through on goal, only to be denied by Hill. Time was running out for Wentworth, so much so that ‘keeper Hill ventured forward himself in the closing minutes. He spent the majority of the last few minutes, along with the ball, camped in or just outside the Vanbrugh penalty area, but Vanbrugh were not to be denied a memorable victory.
Taylor was called into action to make one final sprawling save, and Wentworth eventually had to resign to defeat, despite their best efforts. Vanbrugh manager Mike Sutcliffe commented: “It was an amazing performance, everyone played brilliantly. We held out at the end, and I’m delighted we’ve made the final, when before the tournament nobody gave us a chance.”
Wentworth captain Wayne Paes was disappointed with the result, but pleased with the overall performance and effort of his side. He said: “We were unlucky today. Credit to Vanbrugh who defended really well, it’s a shame not to make it to the final but it was a good effort today.”