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Match Details
Report

Thursday 16 January 2003 at 7:00 PM

Division One

AC Guildford	7	V	3	APC Rangers
Russell Heaps (3) Trevor Bowers John Evans (3)

Played

Squads

Shaun Cotes 9
Andy James Man of the match

Russell Heaps 9
Trevor Bowers 9
John Evans 9
Paul Towner 9

Match Reports

Cornhill went into this game having seen their squad reduced from 8 to 6 in the course of the day. And things looked like they were going from bad to worse, when Paul limped off the field of play after only 5 minutes having fallen awkwardly after making a goal line clearance. We know it was going to be a long hard game - and with it being the first game many of us had played since before Xmas didn-t make it any easier. But as so often happens, losing a man makes the others that bit more determined to put in that extra effort. So the plan was to defend and try and hit NTL on the break. And some how this worked with John scoring a break-away goal after being pinned down in our own half for a sustained period. And to add to this good fortune Paul heroically declared that he was going to try and carry on playing despite the obvious fact that he was in some bother. It meant buildng the team around Paul, something i think that has never been said before (and in all likelyhood will never be said again), but it certainly added to the genuine team effort that ended up winning us the game. We then continued scoring thanks to some great finishing by Russell Heaps and John Evans, both bagging a hat-trick each. But their scoring ability was definitely aided by some good passing and resolute defending by Trevor, Andy and Paul. This was evident in the goal that completed John-s hat-trick with the move starting from Shaun-s short throw out and every player getting a touch and laying the ball off, before Andy squared the ball for John to simply side foot into the net. NTL for their part must been wondering what had happened at the end of the game. In the period that saw Cornhill reduced to 5 they could, and perhaps should, have been 2 or 3 goals up had it been for more accurate finishing following some good passing to open up our depleted defence. That and some of Shaun?s trademark saves that we have relied on in seasons past (and that bit of luck that saw Terry?s shot pushed onto the inside of the post and then go off for a corner).
As time went on we began to tire as was always going to happen playing with just the six players, one of whom was hobbling, and our concentration slipped as we let in 3 goals in the last 10 minutes of play which proved that NTL never gave up. So all credit to NTL but they found themselves playing a Cornhill team finding the kind of form that saw them win the first division title last season. A good performance from every player in a Cornhill shirt, we?ve just got to carry this attitude into the remaining games and hope that high flying Lionhead drop a few points. But irrelevant of league positions I think that was one of the best team performances by Cornhill that I?ve been part of, to the misfortune of NTL.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Sopheon 4 v 2 Hampton Lions

Rogues 2 v 1 ATI Allstars

Fidessa 5 v SSTL Athletic

Fidessa 2 v 5 Sopheon

ATI Allstars 4 v 0 SSTL Athletic
DIVISION ONE

Sparta Farnham 5 v Barnstoneworth

APC Rangers 2 v 4 Boca Seniors

Lionhead 5 v 3 LK Dons

Sparta Farnham 0 v 8 APC Rangers

Lionhead 7 v Boca Seniors
DIVISION TWO

WWF-UK 4 v Dynamo SSTL