Long Melford U13s Manager: Adam Coleman
BEN COLEMAN
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BEN KEMSLEY
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CHRISTIAN READINGS
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FRED STANLEY
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HAYDN TAYLOR
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JAMES JACKSON
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JOE GIBSON
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JOEL BRINKLEY
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MATTHEW CHIANG
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MATTHEW FLOAT
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PETER MILLAR
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SAMUEL KERRUISH
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SEBASTIAN HAWKINS
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THOMAS MASON
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WILLIAM HELMS
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EVAN GARTLAND
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Clacton United U.12’s Vs. Long Melford Colts U.12’s
Clacton Leisure Centre – 14/3/10
Starting Line Up:
Subs: 7) Gibson, 8) Brinkley, 14) Hawkins, 15) Mason, 17) Gartland
By Gavin Taylor
If this match were made into a movie the title would have to be ‘The Good, The Bad and The Unlucky’. Despite Clacton only having nine players Melford made hard work of the first half yet somehow went in to the break four – one up. The second half, whilst much better in terms of their performance, saw Melford struggling to find the back of the net during a barren twenty-two minute spell. It took Seb Hawkins, scoring his first Melford goal, from the penalty spot to rejuvenate Melford and during the final eight minutes they bagged four goals to finish convincing eight – one winners.
Melford came into this match having not played a league game since late January. They could have been forgiven for being a little rusty but with Clacton only having nine players there really was no excuse not to take the three points. Melford’s only absentee was speedy winger Matt Chiang but he was replaced by the tenacious Jasper Boydell. It was therefore a full squad for Melford and plenty of opportunity for players to get back to their best.
Melford started brightly with Boydell going close after just three minutes. His run down the right took him past the Clacton defence but his shot was blocked by the keeper and forced wide for a corner. From the corner Haydn Taylor played a neat one-two with Boydell to set up a better angle and his cross to the back post fell temptingly close for Will Helms to turn in but he couldn’t quite make contact.
Boydell almost made it one-nil to Melford on ten minutes when he found himself one on one with the keeper after bundling his way through the Clacton defence. Again Melford came so close as Boydell’s shot beat the keeper but also the far post to leave Melford cursing more bad luck.
Although they were creating chances Melford were looking far from comfortable in the middle of the park. Despite the deficit in players Clacton were still pushing Melford back and several times the Melford defence were called upon to make last ditch clearances. It took until midway through the first half for Melford to create the first goal; Boydell forcing his way between two Clacton defenders before Will Helms took over and moving in on goal slotted the ball into the far corner to put Melford one up. A second goal was only a minute away, Boydell and Helms combining again with a quick one-two pass and Boydell this time finishing coolly with a well taken volley. Two – nil to Melford and really Melford should have been wrapping the game up, even at this early stage.
Clacton had other ideas, however, and took advantage of Melford’s lackadaisical defending to pressure Melford’s defence. A rapid counter-attack down the left wing caught Joel Brinkley out of position but Pete Millar was across to clear the ball with a crunching slide tackle. Despite the warnings Melford continued to allow their opponents too much of the ball and on twenty-three minutes the Clacton strikers burst into the Melford box. James Jackson and keeper Ben Coleman did admirably to try and prevent Clacton scoring but unfortunately could not prevent Clacton winning a penalty. Keeper Coleman was left helpless as the ball was smashed into the top left corner of the goal by Bastone to pull the score back to two – one.
It should have been a harsh wake up call for Melford but in truth they continued to struggle through the remaining minutes of the first half. It was only in the final two minutes that Melford really pushed Clacton, scoring two further goals on the cusp of half time. Joel Brinkley’s 29th minute corner shot across the face of goal and looked to be another of those ‘if only’ chances until Joe Gibson snuck in under the Clacton radar to poke in from close range. A minute later Evan Gartland made it four when he stole the ball from the Clacton defence and pushing in on goal smashed the ball past the helpless keeper to the bottom corner.
Half time and Melford could count themselves a little lucky. Certainly the score line flattered them slightly and by no means did Clacton deserve to be three behind. The second half needed a one hundred percent improvement on performance if Melford were to ensure victory against a spirited Clacton side.
Second half and that improvement was there from the word go. Within the first few minutes Melford had had almost as many chances as the entire first half although none were converted. Melford won an early free kick just outside the Clacton area and with regular free kick maestro Pete Millar off the field it was left to Joel Brinkley to step up. Brinkley’s curling effort beat the wall and keeper but struck the inside of the left hand post. The ball bounced across the face of goal begging to be finished but no-one could react quickly enough. Brinkley’s fine effort deserving much more than just a notch in the stats column.
More chances went begging as the half wore on. Matt Float could only hit his volleyed shot over the bar whilst Evan Gartland struck the bar with a pounding drive. Tom Mason’s perfectly weighted ball found the run of Gartland, his shot was saved but fell kindly to Matt Float just a few yards from goal. Somehow Float managed to get under the ball too much and again watched as his volley went over the bar.
No matter what Melford did they could not find the back of the net again despite playing some fantastic football over the half. Surely it was a matter of when, not if, Melford could score that elusive fifth goal but with the run of bad luck Melford’s attackers were having it was beginning to look more and more unlikely.
It took until eight minutes from time that Melford finally found the key to breaking the force field surrounding the Clacton goal. Joe Gibson’s intricate dribbling inside the Clacton box succeeded in winning Melford a penalty and up stepped Seb Hawkins. Hawkins has to have been one of the most unlucky players in the Melford squad having never scored for the Colts. Several times Hawkins had come close only to be denied by an offside, a post or an incredible save. Surely there was no better candidate to break the run of bad luck Melford were enduring than the unluckiest player in the side? Sure enough Hawkins thumped the ball into the back of the net to rapturous cheers from the travelling Melford support. No other player could be more deserving of a goal than Hawkins who has never given less than his all for the team.
Having broken the second half deadlock the floodgates were opened for Melford as they picked up three more goals in the space of just five minuets. Haydn Taylor was the first to add to his impressive tally, his strike from outside the box too strong for the Clacton keepers outstretched hand and flew into the top corner. Evan Gartland picked up his second and Melford’s seventh when he finished a close range volley after Joe Gibson had flicked on Haydn Taylor’s cross. Finally it was left to Taylor again to be the creator as he burst through the Clacton defence and rounded the keeper. Having pushed the ball wide of the goal Taylor chipped the ball back across the goal line for Gartland but he was beaten to it by the Clacton defender who could do nothing but put the ball in his own net. It was an anticlimax finish to the match but three points is three points nonetheless and Melford’s second half performance was a joy to behold. Never had a team played so well without scoring.
So, we’re back in action and we’ve kicked the Easter period off with a convincing win. Credit to Clacton they came out fighting and never gave up but with a two man deficit their task was always going to be near futile. Melford on the other hand showed that they can play football when they really want to. Aside from a couple of small sparks the first half was mostly one to forget. The goals were well taken but in fairness the half time score line did not reflect the performance of both teams. The second half, however, was a vast improvement and Melford’s performance earned their earlier goals along with their late flourish. Had the shooting boots been brought along this week we could well have seen a cricket score but eight will do. More importantly we’ve finally welcomed Seb Hawkins into the scorers club at Melford after a long and frustrating dry spell.
As for the team it wasn’t quite Melford’s Sunday best but everyone showed improvement as the game progressed. Aside from a couple of half chances and the penalty Melford’s defence did well to restrict Clacton’s chances; the midfield took time to find their shape defensively but going forward they always looked threatening and the strikers kept up the pressure on Clacton throughout the game, even if the shooting could use some practice.
Hopefully, weather permitting, there won’t be such a long delay between games anymore and Melford can keep their form to the end of the season. With Great Bradford’s win over Wivenhoe promotion looks increasingly unlikely but if Melford keep up the pressure on the top two it might only take a little bit of luck. Something we’ve earned this week.
Next week sees Melford travel to Frinton and Walton looking to repeat their five-one win over them from earlier this season.
Clacton United 1 Long Melford 8
Bastone (P) 23’ Helms 14’
Boydell 15’
Gibson 29’
Gartland 30’, 55’
Hawkins (P) 52’
Taylor 54’
O.G. 58’
Stats
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1
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Shots on Target
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13
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1
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Shots off Target
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18
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1
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Shots Blocked
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4
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0
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Corners
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3
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0
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Offside
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5
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Melford U.12’s Scorers C & D U.12’s League D
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E. Gartland
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13
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W. Helms
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10
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H. Taylor
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9
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M. Float
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8
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J. Gibson
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4
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F. Standley
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2
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M. Chiang
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2
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B. Kemsley
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2
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P. Millar
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2
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O.G.
|
2
|
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B. Coleman
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1
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C. Readings
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1
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S. Hawkins
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1
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J. Boydell
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1
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|
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P
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W
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D
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L
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F
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A
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GD
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Pts
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2. Wivenhoe Youth
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12
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10
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1
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1
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63
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17
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+46
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31
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3. Long Melford
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14
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9
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2
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3
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58
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18
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+40
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29
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4. Lexden Saints Reds
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15
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7
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5
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3
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54
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44
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+10
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26
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Melford U.12’s Assists
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H. Taylor
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15
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M. Float
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4
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W. Helms
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4
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E. Gartland
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4
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B. Kemsley
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3
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P. Millar
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3
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J. Gibson
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2
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M. Chiang
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2
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T. Mason
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2
|
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J. Boydell
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2
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C. Readings
|
1
|
|
J. Brinkley
|
1
|
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S. Hawkins
|
1
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