On another warm, autumn morning the Charlton Rovers Blues travelled to Gotherington. With Joe C away and Joe B unavailable due to injury a reshaped Blues team took on a yellow bibbed Cheltenham Saracens team who had beaten them in the previous season.
Henry started in goal and Charlotte and Joe A lined up alongside each other in defence. Dewi and Ollie were assigned striker duties and Will (wearing the captain’s armband) and Tim were given the job of controlling the midfield.
From the kick off Rovers showed their intentions as they forced an early corner. Will swung the corner right footed into the Saracens penalty area where Ollie was alert and on hand to chest the ball over the line following a fumble from the Saracens goalkeeper. It was the perfect start. The Rovers team were ecstatic and mobbed a delighted Ollie in celebration.
From the resultant Saracens kick off, Will pounced on the Saracens striker and stole the ball from him. Taking a couple of strides forward, he unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew over the Saracens’ goalkeeper and into the top of the net. If the Rovers team were overjoyed with the first goal, there was no way they were going to contain their excitement with Will’s thunderbolt as they chased him back to the half way line. Even this early it must be a candidate for goal of the season.
Rovers continued to dominate and the crowd expected more goals.
A corner from Will begged a touch as it fizzled through the Saracens penalty area.
A great move down the left saw Will lay the ball off to Ollie who in turn flicked it to his right to set Tim free in the Saracens penalty area. Unfortunately, Tim’s right footed shot went into the side netting.
(Tim battles to win the ball back.)
Another shot from Will from outside the Saracens’ area saw the Saracens goalkeeper scramble to save the ball with his legs and concede a corner. From the resultant corner Will hit the outside of the post.
The first 10 minutes of the game were all played in the Saracens half of the pitch with Charlotte and Joe A untroubled in defence and Henry wishing he had brought his latest comic to keep himself busy. Things were to change though, and following a long punt up field by the Saracens goalkeeper, Joe A and Charlotte were unable to deal with a high bouncing ball that the big Saracens striker breaking through on goal. The striker calmly curled the ball around the on rushing Henry in the Rovers’ goal and into the corner of the net. The goal came against the run of play but seemed to lift Saracens.
Rovers regrouped and just before the stroke of half time a shot from Will was deflected goal wards by Harry but went just wide.
Half time arrived with Rovers leading 2 – 1.
The second half saw Rovers attacking again but each attack unfortunately broke down in or around the Saracens area. Ben played a ball into the area that Harry nearly got a touch to, Will sent in another long shot that warmed the Saracens’ goalkeeper’s hands and Dewi slid in on the rebound but saw his effort saved.
At the other end, Saracens were starting to look more threatening and their second shot of the game sailed over Henry’s crossbar.
Rovers knew they needed to react, and with combinations of Joe A, Charlotte and Owen controlling the defensive line, they mounted more attacks in search of the goal that would kill off the Saracens resistance.
Dewi broke forward and saw his shot hit the side netting. Will fired in two more long shots, one of which hit the Saracens goalkeeper full in the face – fortunately he made a quick recovery. Ben shot from the right hand edge of the area and saw his shot pass narrowly beyond the left upright.
(Ben closes in on the Cheltenham Saracens goalkeeper.)
A goal was inevitable and it came with 2 minutes left. A long throw in from the left from Will sailed over the Saracens defenders and landed at the feet of Ben on the penalty spot. With no-one near him Ben’s first shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but being alert he followed in and blasted the ball into the top of the net off the underside of the cross bar.
A relieved Rovers side saw out the final minute and earned a well deserved first win of the season.
When informed later that his pocket money should be halved for taking two attempts to finish his one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Ben was quick to add that he should receive a bonus for following in the shot. Negotiations are on-going.
