(These match reports are biased, one sided and probably inaccurate)
OLD BOYS CLAPHAM 7-1 N.P.L.
Barrett 29,
Dundas 32,
Belk 40, 46, 89
Walsh 59,
Uff 80,
NPL goal 75,
NPL missed pen 49,
Half time 3-0
(Assists: Walsh, Belk2, Breen, Dundas3)
Prince George’s Playing Fields, Ranyes Park
2pm kick off
ref: Vladimir Ninkovic
Line up: Custance, Whelan, Idjiwa, Burke, Henderson, Horner, (Chun 60), Walsh, McGuire (Breen 39), Dundas, Belk, Barrett (Uff 60)
Matt Belk scored a fine hatrick as Old Boys Clapham ran riot at Larkhall Park. Dean Barrett got OBC off and running with a tap in after unselfish work by Ian Walsh. Andy Dundas deservedly doubled the lead minutes later as Belk chased down a lost cause and with the keeper beat the ball was squared for Andy Dundas to drill home his first goal for the club. Cian McGuire suffered a blow above the eye and was replaced by Mike Breen. Breen made an immediate impact by putting in an excellent cross from the left for Belk to control and smash past the keeper from outside the box. Belk continued the scoring from the restart after half time as he beat the offside trap to put OBC four up. NPL were awarded a penalty for Grant Burke’s knock/leaning on the NPL striker. The number 9 stepped up and fired over the bar. Grant Walsh burst through the heart of NPL’s defence and coolly finished for his first goal in the first team and Ed Uff calmly finished to put further distance between us and the League Cup winners. Belk finished the afternoon with a powerful back post header swung in by the excellent Andy Dundas. One NPL player described the performance like playing against the Alamo. Hopefully, our good form will continue next week against Pilgrims Well.
Manager Peter Joicey named an unchanged starting eleven for the first time in 242 games dating back to July 2004 after the beating of former club Norton FC 4-1 the previous week. Matt Custance continued in goal. With the back four unchanged of Alex Whelan, Idjiwa Adjido. The midfield was Charlie Horner, Ian Walsh, Cian McGuire and Andy Dundas. Up front were Matt Belk and Dean Barrett. On the bench today was Mike Breen, Joe Chun and Ed Uff.
OBC kicked off and had NPL on the back foot from the off. Matt Belk raced through one on one with the keeper and with Dean Barrett free in the box, Belk opted to shoot but could only hit the keeper when perhaps Barrett was the better option.
Then Belk turned provider for Barrett but Barrett rattled the post when the goal was at his mercy in the eighth minute. Two minutes later and it was Belk’s turn to hit the post as he rounded the keeper but the angle was very tight and Belk could only hit the post.
Andy Dundas whipped in an excellent corner to the back post for Marc Henderson to power a header goal-ward but the firm header was headed off the line by a NPL defender. Belk and Ian Walsh both had good headers saved by the NPL keeper as OBC started to rack up as many chances as they had in the previous week against Norton.
The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Ian Walsh drove through the centre of the pitch and through the NPL back line. With only the keeper to beat Walsh looked up and saw Barrett busting a gut to support him. Walsh chose to roll the ball to Barrett and with the NPL defence having given up the chase Barrett rolled the ball into an empty net for his 7th goal of the season.
The lead quickly doubled as Matt Belk chased down a lost cause by beating the NPL keeper to the ball only to knock it wide. Like Barrett before him Andy Dundas had bust a gut to support the big striker and was rewarded with another tap in. 2-0 32 minutes gone Dundas’ first goal for the club.
Cian McGuire who had been excellent in the heart of midfield with Ian Walsh received a blow just above the eye and had to come off. On came Mike Breen on 39 minutes. Paul Lewis said “the substitution was just like bringing on Steven Gerard”. Breen got straight into the action whipping a left footed ball from the left wing to Matt Belk in the centre. Twenty five yards out Belk controlled the ball and thumped the ball past the diving keeper to make it 3-0 on 40 minutes. Belk’s 8th goal of the season.
The last chance of the half fell to Ian Walsh as he headed against the post before the half time whistle was blown by the referee.
At half-time Joicey praised all the lads as this was the second week in a row where the opposition had failed to get an effort on target in the first half. Joicey said that the Cian substitution had calmed the opposition down and Belk’s goal was the killer. Joicey said the lads now just had to see the game out but Belk said that this was an opportunity for the players to step it up and try improve our goal difference.
Belk’s wise words weren’t wrong as Belk himself collected a Dundas through ball [?] and calmly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper and rolled the ball into an empty net within thirty seconds of the restart. 4-0 46 minutes Belk’s 9th goal of the season.
Then against the run of play NPL were award a penalty after Grant Burke had been adjudged to have leant on the NPL number 9. The number 9 stepped up and fired over the cross bar, it really was not NPL’s day.
Dean Barrett then had a goal chalked off for offside after good work from Matt Belk as the ball was played across the box. Barrett was adjudged to have been standing in an offside position when the ball was played across.
NPL’s first shot of the game on target came in the 55th minute when some good interplay saw the little midfielder released but he delayed his shot allowing Matt Custance in goal to close him down and smother the effort.
Normal service was resumed in the 59th minute when Ian Walsh burst through the middle of the park in a manner that was similar to the opening goal but this time Walsh took it himself and finished coolly and expertly past the keeper in goal. Walsh’s 3rd goal of the season.
As a result of the goal Joe Chun came on for Charlie Horner on the right and Ed Uff came on for Dean Barrett up front on 60 minutes. Idjiwa and Andy Dundas swapped rolls with Dundas filling in at left back and Idjiwa pushed forward into midfield.
Ed Uff was played through one on one with the keeper but pulled his shot wide of the left hand post.
Then OBC gifted the visitors a goal on the 75th minute when there was a mix up between Grant Burke and possibly Alex Whelan and somehow the ball was bundled in past Matt Custance. There was talk of a Whelan og after the game. 5-1 75 minutes gone.
Ed Uff got himself on the score sheet on 80 minutes when Belk rolled a perfectly weighted pass into the path Uff who made no mistake firing under the keepers body and into the far corner for his first 1XI goal of the season and his 3rd for the club this campaign.
Uff should have doubled his tally when Ian Walsh again burst through the midfield and squared a nice ball for Ed to turn in but Uff put the effort narrowly wide. The big man could have had a hatrick today.
Idjiwa was also guilty of some misses as he had a spectacular overhead kick fall the wrong-sdie of the post and had a thumping drive whistle past the far the post. Idjiwa also failed to take advantage of a loose back pass by the NPL defender and shot tamely into the keeper’s arms. Both Uff and Idjiwa could have had a hatrick on another day but this day belonged to Belk and with the last chance of the game Belk powered in a back post header after another exquisite corner from Andy Dundas in 89th minute. Belk’s second hatrick of the season and his 10th goal of the campaign.
OBC move up to joint 2nd with Pilgrims Well who are our next opponents next week at Duppas Hill, South Croydon. Both teams have equal points, equal goals scored and conceded. A difficult game awaits but on this evidence play like this and the OBC are more than a match for anyone.
Peter Joicey
02.10.2011
07736309442
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