Hersham Elm Grove 1-2 Old Boys Clapham (CUP) October 2010

MAX POWER!!!

Max Pumphrey fired in from twenty five yards to book the OBC into the next round of the Surrey FA County Cup. Pumphrey collected the ball in midfield and weaved his way to the edge of the box before rifling the ball into the far corner. Earlier Marc Henderson headed an equaliser after flicking on a Matt Belk throw in. Hersham sit currently top of their Surrey Intermediate Reserve League so would have been surprised at the challenge laid down before them. Another great result for the OBC.

Hersham Elm Grove sat top of the Surrey Elite Intermediate Reserve league and had won their last seven games in a row. Facing them Old Boys Clapham who fired eight past local rivals Park Boys the week before and are charging up Division Two of the Surrey South & Eastern League. Matt Custance continued in goal. Alex McGreevy returned in place of Simon Burbage and was carrying an ankle injury. Charlie Horner, Andy Cochrane and Marc Henderson continued in defence. Mahf Chowdhury kept his place after his double against Park Boys. Cian McGuire was joined in central midfield by the returning Steve Allison as Jelle van der Zwet was resting a bruised knee. Joe Kubik was placed wide left in place of Leroy Donald who has been given a second thirty five day ban by the FA because he played under suspension without anyone having the courteously to tell us, thanks Norton, nice one. Donald is banned until 4^th December 2010. Away from this, Matt Belk returned to partner Dean Barrett up front. On the bench Max Pumphrey, Johan Bakker, Markus Bristow, Emmett Shingler and Paul Lewis.

The game kicked off and Old Boys Clapham should have been one nil up within a minute. Dean Barrett made an excellent run into the left hand area of the penalty box. Barrett’s low cross was parried out by the agile keeper but no one was on hand to turn in the loose ball. Hersham eventually collected the ball and were able to breakaway themselves but for an excellent interception by Andy Cochrane.

Cochrane played the ball to Charlie Horner whose perfectly weighted pass found Matt Belk bearing down the keeper one on one but Belk fired into the grateful arms of the Hersham keeper.

Mahf Chowdhury had the chance to open the scoring in the fifth minute as he latched onto a Belk flick on. Chowdhury who has been in tremendous form recently tried to square the ball to Dean Barrett rather than shoot or round the keeper. The keeper managed to get his legs in the way to block the pass and the danger was cleared.

At the other end Hersham demonstrated some controlled football and would knock the ball around nicely. A good move in the sixth minute saw the ball crossed low across the box from the left but the striker sliced his shot over the bar with skipper Alex McGreevy struggling to provide cover at left back.

McGreevy was forced off early on the fifteenth minute as he could not run comfortably on the injured ankle. Max Pumphrey made an early introduction to the game. Max was asked to play left wing, with Joe Kubik going centre midfield and Steve Allison filled in as a makeshift left back. Marc Henderson took the captain’s armband.

Mahf Chowdhury had a glorious chance to break the deadlock when put though on goal but rather than round the keeper as he did against Park Boys, Chowdhury tried to squeeze the ball through the keeper’s legs.

Dean Barrett appeared to break through the Hersham defence but failed to lay the ball off to either Joe Kubik or Matt Belk and possession was given back to our opponents. Hersham retained possession well and made maybe ten short passes before working the ball into the OBC penalty area where the striker was given too much time to pick his spot as he fired high past the diving Custance into the top left hand corner of the net, perhaps against the run of play. 1-0 Hersham Elm Grove, seventeen minutes gone.

The goal seemed to relax the OBC and OBC started to retain the ball better. The ball was moved out to the left wing where Max Pumphrey glided inside and unleashed a firm shot from the edge of the area which the keeper managed to save comfortably at his near post.

Cian McGuire appeared to weight a perfect ball to Mahf Chowdhury who this time rounded the keeper and as he was about to slot the ball into the empty net the opposition linesman flagged to the frustration of the OBC bench.

McGuire was starting to grow in stature in midfield and began to dominate in the middle of the park. A good run and shot was blocked and forced out for OBC’s first corner of the game on thirty-five minutes. Dean Barrett took an excellent corner that was met by Matt Belk at the back post but the firm header was blocked on the line and out for another corner. Again Barrett swung in the ball which was bundled out only as far as Belk who with his back to goal turned and shot and again his effort was blocked on the line. Good defending from the home side.

Dean Barrett was close to equalising in the thirty seventh minute when Mahf Chowdhury was scythed down on the right hand side of the area. Joe Kubik swung in a slow freekick that was flicked towards by Barrett but he did not get enough on the ball to take it past the keeper.

As the first half drew to a close Belk put in a fantastic ball to the back post but Max Pumphrey was stretching and could only head the ball narrowly over the crossbar.

It was Cian McGuire who had the last chance of the half as Charlie Horner played him in with another inch perfect through ball. The big Irishman turned and swivelled and got his shot off but it was not strong enough to really test the keeper.

The halftime whistle went but despite being a goal down OBC looked as if they would eventually score. Despite having a greater number of clear cut chances, the home side took their only real chance of the first half. At half time Joicey said that the side was doing well but that we needed to get firmer shots away as we were getting into great positions but too often the end product was too tame. Marc Henderson said that the whole team needed to play with more urgency.

The second half kicked off with Max Pumphrey doing brilliantly on the left wing as he controlled a difficult ball and did enough to whip the ball across the box but the cross was cleared as Matt Belk looked to get there.

Belk was denied when Charlie Horner swung in an excellent freekick from deep. Belk’s header dropped just wide of the right hand post with the keeper beaten.

Dean Barrett was guilty of wasting the clearest chance of the game when he was again put through one on one by Cian McGuire. Barrett steadied himself but fluffed his shot as he fired firmly straight at the keeper.

With Mahf Chowdhury appearing to tire, Joicey brought Johan Bakker on front, moved Dean Barrett to the left wing and brought Max Pumphrey to the right wing on fifty-four minutes.

Dean Barrett was again put through one on one but this time could not get the ball out of his feet and the covering defender got back to slide the ball out for a OBC corner as the pressure continued to grow.

Hersham had the chance to double their lead in the sixty first minute when the home side played good football to put their striker clear of the defence but thankfully as he pulled the trigger he sliced his shot and the effort looked more like hitting the flag than troubling Matt Custance in goal.

Johan Bakker was played in on the right hand side of the area but the centre back and left back doubled up on him and Johan had to settle for a throw in right next to the corner flag. Matt Belk launched a trademark throw in and Marc Henderson was on hand to glance the header into the far corner of the net for a deserved equaliser. 1-1 on sixty-three minutes, Marc Henderson’s second goal of the season.

Despite getting the goal moments later the Hersham striker managed to get to the ball before Andy Cochrane but thankfully the striker shot straight down Matt Custance’s throat.

The game became stretched Charlie Horner played the ball into Max Pumphrey close to the centre circle. Max drove towards the Hersham box jinking to the left and then to the right. The Hersham stood off him too much and for too long and invited the nifty winger to have a shot and boy did he have a shot. The effort flew low into the bottom left hand of the goal giving the keeper no chance. What a strike from Pumphrey in the sixty seventh minute. Max Pumphrey’s 4^th goal of the season.

OBC continued to look for a third. Cian McGuire was fouled twenty five yards from goal. Up stepped Belk to rocket a trailblazer towards goal but a defender managed to get in the way and the big striker was denied. From the corner Dean Barrett whipped the ball in where Joe Kubik rose to plant a firm header but it was blocked on the goal line by the full back. The ball scrambled across the Hersham box but no one could turn the ball in and the ball was knocked out for another OBC corner.

On the seventy-third minute OBC had to thank Matt Custance for preserving the lead with a point blank reaction save low to his right to palm the ball as Hersham broke through the man mountains that were Henderson and Cochrane but they could not find there way past the agile Custance. Matt was surprisingly having a relatively quiet afternoon but when the big moment came Custance was equal to it.

OBC continued to create chances Johan Bakker got to the edge of the area and tried to find Matt Belk but the lobbed pass was intercepted only fractionally by the Hersham centre back to deny Belk a certain goal scoring opportunity.

As the clock ran down, Hersham tried to launch more attacks into the OBC box but the back four held firm. Emmett Shingler came on for Dean Barrett who had ran himself into the ground. Shingler found Cian McGuire and with McGuire one on one with only the keeper to beat and with Bakker lurking for a square ball, McGuire chose to finish the game off but his shot went narrowly past the right hand post. From the goal kick the referee blew his whistle for full time and OBC had their first victory in the Surrey FA County Cup. A great result. Three super performances in a row. Next week it is the League Cup and we’ve been drawn against Old Town of Division Four. They used to play at Wandsworth Common but now play at Prince George’s at Raynes Park, where OBC play their summer friendlies.

Peter Joicey
30.10.2010