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Ryman League Division One South
EPSOM & EWELL (1) 2 (No idea but the second goal was class)
WORTHING (1) 2 (Freeman, Dicker)
Attendance 86 (According to Helen who counted them during the second half)
“So to Epsom we go on Tuesday where anything other than three points will be seen as a massive disappointment” – My Croydon Athletic match report last week.
Prepare to be disappointed then as a decimated Rebels side, lined up against mega-bottom Epsom & Ewell, whose well-organised side belied their lowly league status. No excuses, the side we put out should have beaten Epsom comfortably and we didn’t. Two factors influenced the result – complacency and our old friend in the middle, Mr Andy Legg. This is not going to be a Lewes-esque rant against the official but merely a listing of the facts. Nko Ekoku was hauled down four yards inside the area; Legg blew and gave a free kick. His unnecessarily fussy approach ruined the game and caused tempers to flare. Andy Ducille was booked for being struck in the face and then in the second half, Legg surpassed himself by booking Pulling for “persistent infringement”, then Shaun Grice “for laughing at him” followed by Pullers again (and therefore a red one) for saying “You’re having a terrible game referee” immediately after he had booked the laughing assassin Grice. Unbelievable and all this in a crazy 60 second spell early in the second half, confirming the fact that he had totally lost the plot.
So, to the game. I have to be honest, I missed the first ten minutes having spent 1 hour and 20 minutes inside a broken down train at Reedham. However, I paid my £5.50 and wandered in just in time to see Epsom’s inswinging corner glanced in at the near post to open the scoring. Freeman was being an absolute pain in the rear all game and picked up his customary booking - the only surprise being that it was for deliberate handball. However, Darren was to have the last laugh as he equalised with a diving header after Nko Ekoku’s shot had been parried. Half time came and went and it took only 50 seconds for Epsom to gain supremacy with quite simply, the best goal I have seen all season – the tragedy being that there was hardly anyone there to see it and the fact that I don’t even know who scored it, as there were no announcements. Whoever you are though, I salute you for your forty yard dipping, swerving volley that gave Will Packham no chance. The Rebels were rattled and following Legg’s crazy 60 seconds, a man down and seemingly out of this.
Gavin Jones was brought on for Nko Ekoku in a substitution that smelt more of desperation than divine inspiration. However, his direct style and work ethic lifted the Rebels and the equaliser was inevitable, albeit from a surprising source. Chris Dicker was having one of THOSE days – everything had gone wrong and his head had visibly dropped but, latching on to a poor clearance, he took a swing (slipping over in the process) and the ball looped over the ‘keeper and into the net. Freeman was particularly pleased about this as only moments before, the Epsom ‘keeper was guilty of some obscene showboating that Darren responded to in his own unique way with his rapier-like wit. It takes a brave man to wind up Freeman, and a braver one still to do it with a name like Albert.
The Rebels pressed forward in search of the winner and came close to it on a number of occasions with Clay Lamont, Gavin Jones and Will Packham (!) all coming very close but it was not to be. With two points dropped again to the league’s worst side and lengthy reports to write on the performance of Mr Legg (who may well be in some serious bother if certain allegations about his conduct tonight are proved true) it was an entirely unsatisfactory evening out.
Despite this the facts remain we picked up a point away from home, we had 10 influential players out injured or unavailable, we didn’t lose, we had the erratic Mr Legg to contend with and Manchester Utd went out of the European Cup. With two more signings imminent it seems Alan Pook isn’t prepared to put up with this sort of performance and that some of tonight’s squad may well be moved on to accommodate them.
So that’s a broken down bus for me on Saturday and
a broken down train for me tonight. I take it there are no volunteers
to fly with me to the next game?
TEAM – John Keeley, Sean Edwards, James Virgo,
Glen Davies, Ross Johnson, Owen Hill, Ben Carrington, Paul Rogers, Sam
Francis, Mark Knee, Wesley Lopez
Oh sorry, the one that we put out – not the team of injured, suspended or unavailable players? OK then
TEAM – Will Packham 7, Andrew Beech 6, Chris Dicker 5, Andy Lutwyche 5, Clay Lamont 6, Nko Ekoku 6 (sub Gavin Jones 7), Shaun Grice 5, Andy Ducille 5, Darren Freeman 6 (sub Damian Dobbyn 5), Gavin Geddes 6, Mark Pulling 6 SUBS NOT USED Daryl Plummer, Roy Pook, Ross Johnson
MY MAN OF THE MATCH – Andy Mansbridge, outstanding abuse of Andy Legg throughout the game. Never stopped the abuse when others let their heads drop.
(Thanks to Ian for this report)
7th Feb 2004