Post by Dave on Feb 17, 2018 11:29:52 GMT
Match Preview
My first Saturday off work this season and I was so looking forward to being able to cover a game today. As soon as it is possible I now know I must make the changes necessary to go back to not working on Saturdays, but that might be a bit harder to do than I would like.
Mind you it would have been hard to find a game on in recent weeks with all the rain we have had and what a welcome change to see the sun out for once. Unable to decide what game to go and watch, I wrote down the games on pieces of paper I hoped would be on and put them in a hat. The first one out was Kingskerswell & Chelston V Buckland Athletic 2nds in the first round of the George Belli Cup.
Not covering games this season has meant I have lost track with local football and which teams were doing well in their respective leagues. I clicked on the South Devon Premier League table expecting to see Buckland topping it along with Dartmouth and was surprised to see that was not the case.
While Buckland 2nds do have games in hand over other teams in the league, they have lost as many games as they have won, Not what you would expect from a Buckland side that has dominated the league for a number of seasons.
On the other hand there does seem to be some improvement this season in the Kingskerswell & Chelston results in the league. They have won three of the ten league games they have played with Buckland only winning two more that Kerswell, having played the same number of games.
Dartmouth 1st are already through to the next round of this cup after beating Loddiswell Athletic 1st at home on the 3rd of February by eight goals to nil when they were only able to beat them at home in the league on the 16th December by one goal to nil.
According to the results table Buckland 2nds last game was played on the 13th January 2018 at home against Dartmouth with Buckland winning the game by two goals to one. Kingskerswell & Chelstons last game appeared to have been played way back on the 16th December 2017 in the league at home against Upton Athletic, a game they lost by six goals to one.
Match Report
Final Score Kingskerswell & Chelston 1 Buckland Athletic 2nds 3
Match referee Daniel Muirden declared the pitch was fit to play on and while that was the case, it was very heavy and soggy in places. This had a great effect on the quality of football that could be played on it, but it did not stop both sets of players doing their very best to make it an entertaining game.
Football is all about putting away those chances when they happen, it was just the case today that Buckland did that just a bit better than Kingskerswell & Chelston were able to. For sheer hard work and completely dominating the second half of the match, Kingskerswell & Chelston will feel they maybe should have won today’s match.
The game got underway to a very slow start with neither team really being able to get on top. The first real chance in the match came when Buckland won a free kick that was fired high into the Kerswell box. Bucks Cole Harford, hardly the tallest player on the pitch, had a free header at goal that he put well over the crossbar.
Kerswell then had their first shot at the Buckland goal when Jordan Edgecombe from the edge of the box hit a good powerful shot that sadly for him and his team mates, flew over the bar.
Buckland took the lead when Cole Harford hit a good shot from just inside the right hand side of the Kerswell box that crashed against the crossbar and dropped kindly for James Moxon to fire home from close range.
It was very soon two nil to the Buckland boys when a clearing header just outside the Kerswell box went the wrong way landing at the feet of James Moxon , he looked up and sent a low shot past the Kerswell keeper Ben Archers into the bottom left hand corner of the goal.
Buckland were on top at this stage of the match, a good passing move played in Matt Beer down the right hand side of the pitch, Matt shot a bit too early and had to stand and watch the ball sail past the right hand post.
Kerswell were still creating the odd chance or two and Aiden Macken hit a good low shot from just inside the box that was saved well down by his right hand post by Neil Montandon in goal for Buckland.
Bucks James Moxon went on a dazzling run and found his team mate Matt Beer with a neat pass, but Matts effort on goal went wide of the target. Buckland ended the first half with one more goal, they won a corner that was fired into the box and only half cleared off the goal line by a Kerswell defender. The ball fell kindly for Mitchell Mccann who turned neatly and fired a low shot just inside the right hand post.
The referee blew up for half time and Kerwell did not really deserve to be three goals behind, but like I said its all about putting away those chances which Buckland did.
Paul Edwards must have given the Kerswell players the halftime talk of the century as they started the second half with a roar. It was clear to see the Kerswell players work rate had gone up a notch and Aiden Macken started to have real impact on the match.
Apart from one five minute spell for Buckland later in this half, it was all Kerswell as they tried hard to get back into the match. But Buckland could have added to their three goal lead just after the second half had started. With the Kerswell defence pushed right up on the halfway line, a through ball put Matt Beer in behind them. He was being closed down by the only player able to catch up with him, but Matt maybe should have taken the ball on a bit further before deciding to shoot. His effort missed the target when he may well have ended up with a one on one with the Kerswell keeper.
One Kerswell shot from the edge of the box forced Neil Montandon into a fine one handed save tipping the ball over his own crossbar. At last Kerswell were rewarded for all their hard work and just how strong on the ball is Aiden Macken? He had his back to goal with three Buckland players around him trying to rob the ball from him. He held them all off and neatly turned and got a shot away that looped over the keeper into the back of the net. To be honest I thought the ball was going to go over the crossbar as did everyone else.
Kerswell had enough good chance to pull another goal back when they won a corner, the ball into the box was a good one, but Sam Heath waiting at the back post, headed it well over the crossbar.
But the best chance fell to that super strong man Aiden Macken, he went on another very strong run and got a shot away that was only half saved by Neil Montandon. The ball came back off him into the path of Aiden Macken who looked certain to score with his second shot, but he sent the ball high over the crossbar.
Buckland then for a shot time were back in the Kerswell half, a good run down the right by Cole Harford ended with him firing a good low shot across the keeper and only just wide of the left hand post.
Kerswells Charlie Joyce found his name going into the referee’s book, not to sure from where I was standing that it should have been a yellow, but the match referee was much closer than I was.
The late Buckland substitute Corey Price nearly made a name for himself with two good shots, one of them hitting the base of the left hand post of the Kerswell goal. The state of the pitch had taken its toll on the legs of both sets of players who much have been relived to hear the final whistle.
Many thanks to match referee Daniel Muirden and both club managers for all your help today, it was so good to be out covering a game again today. Now where is that job paper. lol
One final point, Daniel did a first class job in the middle, they always say the ref has had a good game if you do not notice him.
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