M2 Stay Top With Southgate Win
By Jamie 'Jet' Taylor
Men’s 2s 4 – 1 Southgate 2s
HT 0-0, FT 4-1.
Goals: Hughson (PC), Linnell, Norris, Evans J.
After last week’s win at Lee Valley against Wapping 3s (N.B. we’re still waiting for Jake Thompson’s match report – as well as to physically see him, since his late-night trip to Portsmouth last weekend), and with Jamma back as coach as well as the return of Buckle from injury, Surbiton faced a strong Southgate side coming off a run of good results.
The lads started well creating many chances through good link up play from Winter and Bean, but Surbiton could not find the net with chances being fired wide of the goal and past the back post. Apart from a green card to Jet and a yellow to Scotty the first half was frustratingly uneventful, and the score was 0-0 at half time.
After an inspirational team talk from Rhys about keeping 11 men on the field to win the game, Jet soon found himself back resting on the bench with a yellow. But fortunately, Mattie Hughson decided to capitalise upon a short corner – with a great drag flick the ball flew into the bottom left corner. Just like his approach to meet times, Mattie’s goal was better late then never.
A couple of minutes later Dan Hunt fed a “Barnes Wallis” into the D and to, everyone’s surprise, found Rhys! Whilst everyone knows that he was aiming bottom left, the fact remains that the ball was fired into the top right corner (with a potential “Goal of the Season”?).
Surbiton then seemed to switch off allowing Southgate to secure some good play and get a goal back on the board. This seemed to have provided Surbiton with a wake-up call. With some individual brilliance, Norris took advantage of a break following a short corner, dribbling the ball into the goal through a crowded D. And then James also wanted his name on the scoresheet and played a nice cover drive past a diving Southgate keeper and into the net.
The game finished 4-1 – overall a good performance with some good goals in the second half, continuing an unbeaten league record and maintaining our position in a tight hunt for promotion.
POM: Rhys
DOD: Jet