A GALVINISING half time team talk by Vanbrugh skipper Joe Lund helped his side come from behind to demolish the Langwith 1sts 5-1.
The fixture was put in doubt when the referee failed to show up, leading to Langwith’s Theo Hannah officiating.
The opening exchanges were lively, with Lund, Harry O’Brien, Joe Watkins and Andriy Tabas all directing efforts wide for Vanbrugh. However, the best chance of the first fifteen minutes came Langwith’s way, with Jack Parsonson, Dyaus Gohil-Patel and Louis Pegg linking up well before the latter curled just wide.
With so many efforts dribbling wide, it needed a moment of raw quality for the first goal to come. It was the brilliant Gohil-Patel who provided it, firing his free kick from 25 yards out into the bottom left-hand corner, leaving Donnel-Ford rooted in his goal.
The goal was a blow to the Vanbrugh solar plexus. With talismanic striker Liam Sides not available, and some wayward finishing from the XI on show, it looked like it was going to be a frustrating day for the Hes West side.
Nothing could be further from the truth. After some stern words of wisdom at half time from Joe Lund, Vanbrugh completely overwhelmed Langwith.
Just minutes after the restart, Vanbrugh were level. After bringing the ball under his spell, O’Brien laid it off for Lund, who spectacularly volleyed high into the left corner with Steve le Cornu rooted.
Moments later, Vanbrugh took the lead when O’Brien threaded the ball through for Matt Polts, whose placed effort was valiantly cleared off the line by Langwith skipper Tom Benney before Lund tapped home. In a matter of moments, all of Langwith’s hard work in the first half had been undone.
With some in a state of shock, and others’ heads dropping, Langwith were lambs to the slaughter. They didn’t help their cause either when Gohil-Patel gave the ball away in his own half, before O’Brien took advantage by drilling a deflected effort past a helpless Le Cornu and into the net.
The game was over, and at this point, I began shaking my head at the disappointment of watching a much-improved Langwith side capitulate so easily. The goals kept on coming too as the Langwith defence lost their shape, allowing Troy Carruthers to play a simple through ball to O’Brien who calmly curled it past Le Cornu.
The game then witnessed an ugly moment when both Brooks and Pegg chopped through Vanbrugh’s Tom Siddle bearing down the left flank. Such a violent challenge summed up the frustration seeping through the Langwith ranks.
The final goal was suitably created by Vanbrugh skipper Joe Lund, who threaded it through to Polts who showed great composure to lift it into the net. The demolition job was complete, and though Vanbrugh had been marvellous to watch, the question remains whether Langwith would have had a chance to snatch the three points if they’d quelled any Vanbrugh onslaught in the opening stages of the second half.
Vanbrugh 1sts (4-5-1): Donnell-Ford; Siddle, Picknel, Dunkley, Tabas; Polts, Carruthers, O’Brien, Watkins, Lund (c); Miller.
Langwith 1sts (4-2-3-1): Le Cornu; Brooks, Henn, Pickersgil, Benney (c); Campbell, Hudson; Pegg, Gohil-Patel, Vidal, Parsonson.