Starting XI: 1 Glen Morrison 2) Ben Lampon 3) Miguel Nydam 4) Dean West 5) Tim Dennis 6) Luke Payne 7) Mike Schofield 8) Liam Dadds 9) Luke Goldie-McSorley 10) Antony Wright 11) Joe Heron. Substitutes: 12) Serge Strickland 14) Josh Grimes 15) Ben Fowler 16) Jake Hearn 17) Reece Keating.
Stansted: It was only a friendly, I didn’t ask.
This was yet another very entertaining game at the Maple Tree Cars Stadium, which brought the curtain down on the series of five pre-season home matches played at Broad Lane this year.
It was interesting to come up against Essex Senior League opposition to get an idea of how they compare to the standard of the Eastern Counties Premier League; both leagues being at Step 9 of the pyramid. On this showing The Eastern Counties League is best, but it was just one game, and a friendly at that, so I wouldn’t go too overboard about it.
The Dragons took-off, sorry, kicked-off towards the club house end of the ground and enjoyed good spells of possession and pressure early on. They were passing the ball well and to a man looked keen and alert. It was no surprise therefore when after just eight minutes Wivenhoe went ahead. Ben Lampon lobbed a ball over the top, Luke Goldie-McSorley ran on to it, checked to avoid a back- tracking defender and shot towards the far corner. Luke mishit his shot however, and it was going wide of the far post until Stansted’s number four slid in in an attempt to clear the ball and merely succeeded in diverting it into the net. A bit unlucky for number four, but accidents happen when your defence gets shredded, as we all know.
The Wiv’ enjoyed a lot of success down the wings and a minute later a fine low cross from Liam Dadds just evaded Antony Wright (Troopz) and was snatched from him by the Stansted ‘keeper. Wivenhoe won their first corner on 11 minutes; the ‘keeper flapped at the kick, which Liam Dadds then crossed back in and Dean West headed it goal wards from 10, yards but only to the grateful ‘keeper. A second corner was quickly won as number six cut out a Luke Payne cross; Joe Heron hit a shot from the edge of the box as the ball was knocked out and another corner was given.
Stansted’s first real foray up field saw their fourteen go on a good run into the box which was halted by a firm Liam Dadds tackle. But Wivenhoe were soon attacking again and Luke Goldie-McSorley won another corner, which then led to yet another Dragon’s corner as Joe Heron’s shot was deflected wide. After the manic opening quarter hour in which Wivenhoe were in the ascendency, things settled down a bit and Stansted had a little spell of possession themselves, earning a corner on 27 minutes and hitting as bit of a rhythm with their passing.
Stansted’s recovery stalled on 35 minutes however as another ball over the top found Troopz; he ran on towards goal, checked to one side to make some space as a defender closed in and then instantly hit a scorching left foot shot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal, past a bewildered and deeply upset Stansted goal keeper who set about berating his defence with some colourful prose. It was another superb goal to add to the Dragon’s pre-season collection. As half time arrived Wivenhoe were cruising at 2-0 whilst Stansted were still on the ground.
The Dragons were quickly back on the offence as the second half started, winning a corner inside five minutes , although Stansted then won a free-kick on 55 minutes on the edge of the box, but the ball was hit past the near post. A minute later Troopz received ball about 40 yards out on the left; he ran inside and then hooked a dipping, speculative shot towards the far post. The ball dropped in an arc to the goalkeeper, but he either misjudged its flight or just came over all clumsy for a moment and he allowed the ball to squirm out of his gloves and over the goal line. Whoops. 3-0 and it looked ‘terminal’ for Stansted – thanks to Alistair for that pun.
Wivenhoe remained dominant and troops should have claimed a hat-trick a minute later as he met a low Joe Heron cross five yards out, but smacked his shot so high over the stand that air traffic control began to take an interest. Five minutes later Liam Dadds was sent flying by a boisteruous tackle to the right of the penalty area. Joe Heron’s kick was headed away for a corner which was almost turned in at the near post with a cheeky back heel from Troopz. The ball was cleared to Mike Schofield but his low cross avoided everyone.
It was shortly after this that Stansted scored a consolation goal as number 2 went on a mazy run inside the penalty area before planting a shot in the net from about 8 yards out. Ben Fowler, Serge Strickland and Josh Grimes replaced Mike Schofield, Troopz and Ben Lampon. Josh was soon in action as he sent a good shot in from 18 yards, which the Stansted keeper held admirably. Josh was again on target 4 minutes later but from 30 yards and it was an easier claim for Stansted’s number one. Serge Strickland was seeing a decent amount of the ball on the right and when he was fouled the resultant free-kick was flicked out for yet another corner. Serge than ran onto a misdirected back header from a Stansted defender, but his shot was deflected over the bar for yet another corner, which this time was narrowly headed over and onto the roof of the net by Tim Dennis.
There remained time for Glen Morrison to deliver a beautifully waited long pass to the feet of Josh Grimes, who then played in Luke Goldie-McSorley, but he was adjudged to be offside. Josh also earned the final corner of the game in the final minute and that was that. The referee, who did not resemble any international footballers, past or present, but was a dead-ringer for our Under 18s manager then blew for time.
These friendly matches are going so well I can’t wait for the real ones to start.