The ‘A’s
Joe W [GK], Ryan, Rhys, Caldé, Ross, Finn, Sam and Joe G. took to the hallowed turf at Buck Park for their afternoon fixture with near rivals, Southwick Rangers.
As the teams familiarised themselves with each other and the expanse of the ASC pitch, early assaults on goal were at a premium. SR broke the deadlock with the first attack of the game; a close range effort that skirted the outside of the ASC post.
It was Southwick that continued with the pressure, Joe W. executing a fine save in a 1-on-1 attack. His drop kick out to Finn on the right wing saw the young dynamo too much to handle for the SR right back. A short sprint to the by-line and a pinpoint cross to Sam on the far post saw ASC take a lead against the run of play. Great goal. ASC 1 SR 0
With tails up, the pattern of play turned and ASC threw everything at the SR defence. Joe W. remained calm as he took on the role of sweeper on more than one occasion, passing the ball to Sam on the left wing to kick off yet another onslaught. Balls came in from high but the boys always won the ball, heading back toward the SR danger area. Finn and Joe G. linked up with spectacular precision and were unlucky to increase the score-line earlier.
SR still showed promise at this stage with a close range attack stifled in quick succession by Joe W. and Caldé. The resultant break saw great skill by Ross from midfield as he head-juggled the ball and sliced it through the SR defence to Joe G. As we know, he doesn’t normally miss those. ASC 2 SR 0
As the SR keeper kept things respectable, Sam & Joe G. continued in their desire for goals. Another loose ball ended up at the feet of Rhys who slammed a left foot shot through the advancing SR players; the keeper’s fine save saw the ball drop to Caldé who slotted it into the bottom left corner. Poach-tastic. ASC 3 SR 0
Would there be time for another before half-time? You betcha! SR’s confidence was rather low now and mistakes began to creep in; it was Sam who showed them that a soft pass across the front of your own area is not a good idea. Jensen Interceptor. ASC 4 SR 0
Half time: ASC 4 SR 0
Southwick showed their spirit in the early stages of the second half and looked threatening in all areas. Once again, the desire to get a goal left things slightly open at the back and Ryan saw a stinging drive hit the post and zip across the front of the SR goal. It was now real end-to-end fare as SR became strong in the tackle and ASC looked to extend their lead. The SR keeper was having a great game and his bravery was a joy to behold as shot after shot was dealt with.
Sam then stepped things up for ASC; his skill on the ball a great asset, as well as his ability to play to the whistle. After another attack had apparently gone away from us, it was Sam who noticed the ball hadn’t gone out. Players on both sides were ambling back expecting a goal-kick, but Sam saw his opportunity and chipped the SR keeper with aplomb. A wonder-strike and [hopefully] his first hat-trick for his new club. ASC 5 SR 0
SR’s collective heads dropped now and Sam finished off his master-class as he knocked in a parried shot from Ross; the latter letting fly after another power-run through midfield.
ASC 6 SR 0
ASC 6 SR 0
A great result after the frustration of last week with players across the park doing their jobs well; a clean sheet, midfield supremacy and clinical finishing [3 footballing clichés in one sentence there] – what more can you ask?
Final Score: ASC Strikers 6 Southwick Rangers 0
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The ‘B’s
Charlie [GK], Fraser, NLB, Henry, Max, Sharpy [Fonz], Joe W and Sunny found themselves involved in a very cagey affair in the opening stages of their game. I looked through the local news archives and couldn’t find anything about a surge in the birth of twins in the Southwick area around 2001/2. Strangely enough though, the Southwick B team looked remarkably like their A team counterparts. #spookycoincidence? [One for all you tweeters there].
Henry found himself with the first real opportunity for an ASC goal and it took strong defending from SR to stop THE Buck Park hosts taking the lead. Sunny then cut through the SR defence with a death-defying run and had not one, but two shots saved well by the SR keeper – his doppelganger from the A team had better watch his back.
It was Joe, Henry and NLB who posed the next threat for ASC, linking up well with the latter coming very close to opening the scoring. Max then crafted a skilful one-two with NLB and zinged the ball just over. It was starting to look promising.
Against the run of play, SR found themselves with a free-kick at the edge of the ASC box and the resulting power-drive almost took the back of the net out – a great strike. ASC 0 SR 1
ASC responded well with Joe both forcing a corner and finding himself on the receiving end of a somewhat ‘agricultural’ tackle just outside the box; his resulting blaster of a free-kick only just skimmed the bar. So close.
Half time: ASC 0 SR 1
The early skirmishes in the second half saw cool defending by Sharpy [Fonz] and good pressure by Max keep SR away from the ASC goal. Our visitors were applying all the pressure. Sunny and Fonz avoided the temptation to hoof the ball away in panic which is very rewarding to see and helped ASC keep possession; SR were restricted to long range efforts for the bulk of the second period.
Henry was very unlucky in not nabbing an equaliser, as he did well to ward off some strong SR defending and get in a shot that skimmed just wide. Joe also fell foul to a bit o’ ‘SR Body-Checking’ and was able to win a corner. A short ball out to Max, enabled NLB to latch on to a pass but as his momentum carried him forward he found a red-bibbed brick wall in his way. Ooph!
Charlie came out top in a brave 1-on-1 and was quick to react when that save fell to the feet of another SR forward. Unfortunately, a bit of a melee not long afterward left him unsighted as a shot from the edge of the box found the bottom corner of his net. ASC 0 SR 2
As the clock wound down SR found new spirit in their moves; a stunning passage of play through midfield enabled their forward to convert a simple tap-in to make it 0-3.
ASC reacted well, albeit too late as they lay siege on the SR goal. Unfortunately, time waits for no man and the Southwick Rangers A Team pulled off a well-deserved victory.
Final Score: ASC Strikers 0 Southwick Rangers 3
ps – did I just write Southwick Rangers A Team? Sorry, I meant B Team of course . . . silly me.
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