[visiongallery set=72157626811089849]
Photos: Ruth Gibson
Vanbrugh 2nds looked half asleep from the kick off under grey skies, as Matt Sutherland put the men from Heslington East 1-0 up inside the first five minutes of the match. The ball was not cleared effectively, falling to the feet of the Goodricke number 11 who fired high into the top right hand corner from just inside the box past a helpless Kallum Taylor.
A performance lacking fluidity needed a piece of individual brilliance to shine through, and after Max Poynter-Hall tried an acrobatic bicycle kick over the bar, 1sts crossover Jon Gill scored one of the goals of the tournament. Tom Neill in the Goodricke goal kicked poorly straight into the feet of Gill on the half way line who, after taking a touch, lobbed it back over Neill’s head into the net.
Goodricke’s defenders were alert after the equaliser as Vanbrugh had a period of real pressure, set pieces proving the most likely option as Arne Bartlesman had two headers cleared off the line from consecutive Paul O’Beirne corners. Gill tried a repeat of his spectacular earlier strike, trying a volley from about 45 yards out which this time went out for a throw in. The Goodricke goal line was living a charmed life, as a ricochet off Ben Kirkby was again cleared by a combination of keeper and defender after Rory Sharkey had missed the initial chance from O’Beirne’s cross.
Goodricke soaked up the pressure before going down the other end and re-establishing the lead. The pros say you should always head the ball downwards, and that is exactly what Sutherland did from a corner, albeit totally unmarked, the ball bouncing down and over the defenders and Taylor in the Vanbrugh goal to make it 2-1. This time, Goodricke had a spell of dominance straight after scoring, having 2 shots wide in quick succession just before the half time whistle blew, but the score stayed the same at the break.
Vanbrugh played the second half exactly like they had the first, struggling to find any fluency, preferring to keep the ball aerial whilst Goodricke’s neat interplay on the whole fell down in the final third. In truth, it was a half lacking real excitement, bar a goal mouth scramble in the Vanbrugh penalty box which Goodricke failed to convert, a disallowed goal for Goodricke after a clear offside and a Sam Taylor volley for Vanbrugh that was easily caught by Neill.
That was until the last couple of minutes of the game. Sliding on Astroturf is not allowed in the rules of the game, so referee David Ambrozejczyk had no hesitation in pointing to the spot after Matt Thomas slid in on Adam Lewis. The normally supremely confident Gill stepped up to make amends but contrived to hit the right hand post, the ball bouncing away from goal only into the path of O’Beirne who fired a low 25 yard shot back into the melee. Neill got down to save it but he could only parry it into the path of Gill, who could not believe his luck as he fired into the net from 3 or 4 yards out. However, Ambrozejczyk had other ideas, disallowing the goal for offside, when there were clearly men on the post for Goodricke, a point made so vociferously by the Vanbrugh players and watching spectators that he went back on his word and gave the goal, despite Goodricke protestations. It proved to be the final kick of the game, a nail biting climax to an otherwise dull game, Vanbrugh in truth very fortunate to salvage the draw from normal time.
That took the game straight to a penalty shootout. Matt Sutherland missed Goodricke’s first penalty, hitting the post before Henry Cust gave Vanbrugh the lead, confidently placing it into the bottom left hand corner. Sam Astbury and Sam Taylor both scored for their respective colleges, but Adam Botterill then missed for Goodricke, Kallum Taylor smartly saving with his legs before O’Beirne scored his, making the score 3-1 to the men in blue and red after 3 penalties apiece. Nick Dheir scored his spot kick to make it 3-2, giving Gill, who missed in normal time, the chance to win the game. Incredibly, he missed again, hitting the same post, letting keeper Tom Neill smash a penalty down the middle past Taylor to keep Goodricke’s plate hopes just about alive. Isaac Parkinson then had Vanbrugh’s second chance to win the match, his penalty scuffed but irrelevant as it nestled in the back of the net, cue wild celebrations from Vanbrugh’s supporters.
Ambrozejczyk admitted afterwards it was hard to call the right result for the last gasp penalty with so many things happening in the box at such lightning quick speed. He said, “At the point of Gill striking the ball into the net, there was a Goodricke man on each post with the Vanbrugh player in front of them, so it was a legitimate goal. That’s the way it goes.”
Vision MOTM: Matt Sutherland for his two well taken goals. Jon Gill deserves credit for his first half wonder strike.