Derwent Pull Through In Tough Clash With Alcuin

It’s a cruel game. It may sound cliché but for Alcuin 1sts it’s a phrase that seems only too familiar. This was not the first game in this year’s tournament where questionable decisions have turned games against them, but this defeat against a strong Derwent 1sts may hurt even more after they took the lead and were claiming points for the majority of the match.

Derwent started with a blitzing flow of attack, nearly taking the lead in the first minute when Fotheringham’s header smacked against the bar, from such close range it looked easier to score and had he done the story of the match may have been much different. Derwent’s physical presence was clear and in the opening minutes it looked like Alcuin may have been in for a long day, with Josh Bew looking dangerous in link up play. The reds held their ground though and had chances of their own, though they were also unable test the keeper, Hinchcliffe firing a shot well over the bar.

There was a dispute fifteen minutes in when the referee awarded Alcuin a throw in in Derwent’s last quarter, with many players and spectators alike arguing that it came off an Alcuin player last. Alcuin capitalized, the ball fell to Carver in the area who saw his shot hit the bar, as Derwent started to look vulnerable, and failing to clear it, Nazzicore stepped up on the edge of the area to fire it into the net, giving Alcuin a shock but not undeserved lead. The call from Derwent Captain David Belshaw was to keep going and Derwent seemed to wake up, showing signs of great link up play between the attackers with Josh Bew holding the ball up well in the typical centre forward role. After ten minutes of pressure the men in blue were rewarded with a goal back, a strong header from Bew into the top corner drew them level before half time.

A one all draw would have suited Alcuin just fine at full time however, and their eagerness showed as they pressed and harassed Derwent in the opening stages of the second half, not allowing their opponents any time on the ball. This became harder as the game went on though, with Derwent stepping up with chance after chance, D’albertanson missing a sitter after the ball was pulled back to him and Trant heading over from another cross. Trant turned hero soon after however when Joe Easter threaded the ball through Alcuin’s defence and Trant pounced to put the ball past Alcuin keeper Lawrence. Alcuin were livid, claiming that Trant was offside, he did seem to be behind the defence when the pass was put through to him, nevertheless the goal stood and Derwent never looked back. Derwent’s man of the match Bew again showed brilliant skill with an intricate flick on to Trant who raced down the by line and provideded an inch perfect pass across goal which was tapped home by Fotheringham, sealing the points for Derwent. The blues ended the game in style with a great effort from Mirhire Overo-Tarimo who smashed the ball into the left hand corner of the goal from twenty yards out, giving Derwent a 4-1 win which will sound convincing on paper, but the boys were made to work for it, making the points that much more valuable and the loss that much more gutting for Alcuin.

Derwent captain David Belshaw: I was really pleased actually, we went down early, we didn’t panic we just kept playing our football, and got better and better as the game went on with some goals before the end so I was really happy with the way we responded to going a goal down. Man of the match: Josh Bew

Alcuin Captain Greg Fearn: It’s three weeks in a row now (that we’ve had bad decisions) it’s starting to get on my nerves. When you come up against teams like that, you know you haven’t got necessarily the same quality and I literally can’t falut (alcuin players) at all they’ve done everything I asked, went through everything in training, what we would have to do to get a result, and unfortunately after we went 2-1 down we’ve got to try and push for that goal, we knew we needed a point really, we had to try and push to nick that second goal and that’s why it’s ended up 4-1, flattered them really. Man of the Match: Konnis.