Derwent continued their run of form into 2015, with a classy performance against a Langwith side who hope to build upon glimpses of revival shown last term.
In what would prove to be a busy first half, Derwent opened the scoring after fifteen minutes. Josh Bew, with some deft footwork, managed to create enough space to easily beat the ‘keeper, opening the scoring for the current Revolution Premier League Champions.
The combination of some succinct attacking play and occasional lapses in the Langwith defence led to Derwent threatening to extend their lead, with Gwinnett, Weighall and Naylor all going close. Eventually, the pressure would prove too much. After Ryan Gwinnett was chopped down on the edge of the area, his low free kick was well placed to evade everyone and double Derwent’s lead.
Described by our very own Daniel Golton in a past issue as, “a diminutive, left-footed Jesus”, the onlooking Langwith ensemble had been whispering about a second coming of Christ. These whispers only grew as Dyaus Gohil-Patel beat the last man with a neat flick, leading to a composed finish to pull Langwith back within touching distance.
Langwith built on this and started to remind everyone that there were two teams on the pitch. Felix Aylett was crowded out as he tried to come and claim a well-taken corner that fell to a Langwith player lingering on the edge of the box. The resulting shot was woefully mis-kicked, but luck was on Langwith’s side as the shot fell to Ben Grindell who brought the score level.
The score would not be tied for long though, with Ryan Gwinnett’s crucial role of holding the ball still in windy conditions for a free-kick paying dividends, as Joe Easter hit a right-footed pearler into the left hand side of the goal.
In the second half, it took a while for Langwith to find the urgency needed to claw back a game that wasn’t out of their grasp just yet. Their counterattacking play was all that seemed to be working for them, so they began to break hard and fast through the otherwise isolated Gohil-Patel. They came close to levelling the score once more when the windy conditions made it tricky for Felix Aylett in the Derwent goal to deal with a high ball, leading to a goalmouth scramble that was somehow cleared off the line. Langwith protests that the ball had crossed the line were waved away.
As the game progressed, Derwent showed the class and resilience to weather a rejuvenated Langwith. Michael Whittall was obviously still in character from last night’s Super D event as he leapt into the air to direct a corner into the top corner to put the game beyond Langwith, but was denied by a fingertip save. The resulting corner was cleared off the line and as Derwent started to ask more questions than the Langwith defence could answer, Sam Weighall surged into the box and put the game to bed with a low drive that went underneath the ‘keeper.
An impressive performance all round for Derwent, their man of the match award being given to Luca Castiglione who was one of three freshers playing at the back for Derwent in a display that bodes well for seasons to come. Despite showing glimpses of a side that could trouble some of the bigger teams this term, Langwith at times lack the quality to convert their effort into wins.
Langwith captain Tom Benney: “A good performance and comeback to bring the game back to 2-2. We showed a lot of character and I can’t fault the effort. Their quality showed in the end.”
Derwent Captain Ryan Gwinnett: “We were guilty of not taking our chances and we switched off for ten minutes when they scored their two goals. I always felt like we were in control and we could raise it a gear if necessary.”
Girlfriend of Henry Ferrao, Izzi Nikolic: [In response to whether she enjoyed a match marred by inclement weather and will watch another game sometime]: “Literally never again.”
Derwent: F. Aylett (GK), A. Ingham, M. Whittall, L. Castaglione, M. Askham, J. Easter, A. Naylor, R. Gwinnett (C), S. Weighall, H. Ferrao, J. Bew. Subs: J. Whittaker
Langwith: S. le Cornu (GK), A. Abubaker, T. Pickersgil, O. Henn, T. Benney (C), B. Hudson, M. Vidal, M. Campbell, D. Gohil-Patel, B. Grindall, M. Morton. Subs L. Pegg, A. Chaimo, O. Okusanye