Division One (East)
Finchampstead 4 Quarry Nomads 2
Saturday, 05 April 2003
The glorious weather brought a big crowd to Finchampstead Park for the top of the table Hellenic Football League Division One (East) meeting between the current champions and league leaders Finchampstead and second placed Quarry Nomads. Appropriately the match was sponsored by electrical company Ben Wilcox, for it was a highly charged affair from the very first whistle, with Finchampstead winning the action packed thriller 4-2 to go four points clear of their Oxfordshire rivals, who have games in hand.
After a somewhat timid start by both sides, Finch took the lead in the 8th minute. Danny McCarthy collected a clearance from Lee Goddard on the halfway line and raced down the right flank before delivering the ball into Bruce Rolls, who in turn climbed above two challenging defenders to neatly head it sideways across the penalty box for Alan Hawkins to race onto and slot home between Quarry?s keeper Kevin McMahan and defender James Ford. An early injury to Darren Kettle forced him to leave the field and this clearly unsettled the Finch midfield, allowing Quarry to gain the upper hand and draw level in the 17th minute. Nigel Swafford was brought down on the edge of the penalty area in a strong run through the middle of the park and picked him self up to thump the resulting free-kick in off the crossbar to level. Quarry had Finch under the cosh for much of the next fifteen minutes as they continued to dominate the play, with the ball rarely moving far out of the Finch half. Quarry skipper Liam O?Callaghan showed great skill and composure on the ball as he set up wave upon wave of attacking moves that had the Finch defence stretched and at times pinned deep in their penalty area. In the 25th, in another good run, Anaclet Odihambo moved forward with purpose and determination to get past two chasing defenders before forcing Stuart Harris to produce a brilliant one-handed save to keep the score level. Having weathered the storm and won a succession of corners at the other end, Finch looked to be getting back into the game, but a weak challenge by Matt Corder for a ball played across to him on the edge of the Quarry penalty area saw him easily robbed, with play swiftly moving to the other end as Andrew Mazey tore down the right wing to send in a superb cross to the unmarked Anaclet Odihambo, who looped a header over Stuart Harris to put his side 2-1 in front in the33rd minute. The remainder of the half saw Quarry continue to enjoy the lion?s share of play and the Finch players were lucky to go into the break just a goal behind.
Half Time: 1-2
Clearly words of wisdom in the dressing room from Steve McClurg had the desired effect, as Finch looked far hungrier and positive in the second half and within seven minutes of the restart they were 3-2 ahead. Bruce Rolls gave Quarry an early warning of his intentions in the opening minute when he shook off the challenge of a defender before turning and volleying a tremendous shot goal bound that Kevin McMahon did well to parry and juggle. But he was not to be denied for long. In the 51st minute he met a low cross from the right from Danny Humphreys, turned his two shadows inside out with a breathtaking display of close ball control and blasted the ball past the Quarry keeper to make it 2-2. With Quarry still shell shocked, Finch won the ball on the half-way line straight from the restart and played it quickly forward to Aaron Gilbert on the left wing, who in turn fed it in field to Bruce Rolls, who gave Kevin McMahon no chance as he raced in on goal and hammered home to regain the lead for Finch. As Finch pushed forward in numbers in a relentless display of attacking football, Bruce Rolls saw a great effort rebound off the legs of Kevin McMahon after 54 minutes, with Danny Humphreys following in to pounce, but strike the ball straight at the grateful keeper. Unlike the first half, the ball remained for much of the time in the Quarry half, with the sliding Danny Humphreys just failing to toe-poke the ball past their out-rushing keeper in the 61st minute, and then blasting over the bar from the edge of the penalty area in the 70th minute at the end of good build-up play by Jeremy Lynch and Aaron Gilbert. Finch?s tremendous pressure was eventually rewarded with a comforting fourth goal in the 75th minute, Bruce Rolls completing a brilliant hat-trick as he chested down a fine cross from Matt Corder before unleashing an unstoppable shot from the edge of the six yard box to make it 4-2. Despite their two goal cushion, Finch still went looking for further goals, with the ball pinging around the Quarry penalty area in the 80th minute before being scrambled away for a corner, and Kevin McMahon making a brilliant save to deny Danny Humphreys a minute later as he pushed a blistering shot around his upright. Quarry went desperately close to pulling a goal back twice in the closing five minutes. The first chance, in the 87th minute, saw a long-range effort from Liam O?Callaghan force the promenading Stuart Harris to scramble backwards and collect the dipping ball on his goal-line, and the second came from a Nigel Swafford header from a sweetly driven corner in the closing minute, that the now alert Finch keeper did well to finger-tip over his crossbar.
Finch richly deserved their victory and if they maintain their current rich vein of form in their remaining four matches, they will make it a torrid time for the chasing pack that are still hoping to prise the championship trophy away from the holders.
On Saturday, Finchampstead entertain Holyport in a Hellenic Football League Division One (East) fixture at Finchampstead Park with a 3.00pm kick off.
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