Division One (East)
Binfield 0 Milton United 3
Monday, 21 April 2003
'Groundhog Day' at Binfield as defensive gifts see 'Moles' slump to second home defeat in three days!
A real sense of 'deja vu' at Stubbs Lane this weekend as both Chalfont and Milton were gifted head starts, then frustrated home efforts to play catch-up! Both games bore a remarkable similarity, as the home team surrendered an early goal, recovered to create numerous chances in the first half, then fall away after the interval and concede a calamitous goal.
A colour clash saw Milton take to the field resplendent in Binfield?s ?unlucky? blue change-shirts ? I think we always knew it was not the ?shirts? fault!yhb
The bone-hard surface remained, but fortunately the wind had disappeared from Saturday as the visitors tore into Binfield from the whistle. Straight from the kick off with 12 seconds on the clock, Milton should have gone ahead. Full back Smith set off on the overlap and headed a long ball across the box. Keough?s attempted header back to keeper, Isaacs, in the home goal, fell short and Irons nipped in, but chipped wide when well placed. The early wake-up call failed to rouse Binfield from their slumbers. Irons pace took him in behind Baker in the second minute. This time his snap shot from the right-hand edge of the box deceived Isaacs and came crashing back off the crossbar. Binfield were stung into action. McCoy played in Flowerday on the left, but the cross was too close to Duke, in the Milton goal. Harris found Withers, who set Kellaway free on the right. His cross-produced a scramble in the Milton box; Havermans got a shot away, deflected for a corner. From the corner the ball was cleared for a home throw and it came into the box, long from Harris. Keough?s flick-on saw a defensive diving header to clear for another corner. Only four minutes on the clock and the game had started at a frenetic pace. The dangerous Irons soon found himself through on Isaacs again. This time it looked as though the striker had pulled Day back. Isaacs was alert to produce a fine blocking save with his legs. In the seventh minute, however, Milton did open their account. There appeared to be an element of ball-watching at the back as the Milton striker went clear unchallenged to slide it past Isaacs from twelve yards. The goal scorer was obscured to your reporter ? it looked like that man Irons again. Milton was now very much in the driving seat. On the quarter-hour mark, a neat 1-2 on the edge of the Binfield box freed Hartley to drive hard and low against Isaacs legs and out for a corner. Hartley was not to be denied, however. From the corner, in swinging from the right, Hartley rose unchallenged at the back of the six-yard box. The header was firm, down and bounced sharply into the roof of the net. Within a minute, a further corner from the left produced another free header, this time landing on the roof of the Binfield net. At last, Binfield began to settle and play some football. On 20 minutes, Baker fed Harris to Kellaway and on to Withers on the right. Harris made good ground to meet the chipped centre, but his header was wide of Duke?s right-hand post. Binfield were enjoying more of the ball, without ever really threatening the Milton goal. Baker went close with a header and Havermans broke clear, but just failed to get a telling cross in. In fact, on 36 minutes, it was Milton who almost extended their lead. A quick counter-attack down the right saw Davis cross for Irons, arriving in the six-yard box. The striker managed to toe-end towards goal, but Isaacs produced a fine save, diving low to his right to push the ball to safety. As half time approached, Binfield still pressed in search of a goal. McCoy flicked-on a long-throw, which Duke safely held on his line. Then McCoy and Kellaway combined well, with the latter?s shot deflected for a corner. Into injury time and a moment of real panic in the Milton box. McCoy again won the flick-on and the same player, with Havermans and Flowerday all battled to get on the end of the loose ball. It was Flowerday who eventually spun and scuffed a left-foot shot goalwards. Agonisingly, the ball came back off the post and was hacked clear for a corner.
Half time: Binfield 0 Milton 2
Binfield came close to reducing the deficit as the second-half got underway. Harris headed forward to McCoy in the clear. Duke saved the shot, but fumbled it slightly and was fortunate to see it come back off his post. Now it was Binfield?s turn to attack on the counter. From a Milton free kick, Kellaway broke clear and released Withers through the centre. Wheeler unceremoniously hauled him back and, perhaps, was a shade fortunate only to be shown a yellow card for his challenge ? he looked to be the last man denying a goal-scoring opportunity to many watching spectators. McCoy hit the free kick fiercely towards the right-hand corner of the goal, but Duke was alert and made a good diving save for a corner. Keough was on the end of the resulting corner, with a side-foot volley goalwards, but a defender cleared close to the goal line. The game was still end-to-end, McCoy again tested Duke low down with a shot. Visiting skipper Culley headed narrowly over from a free kick. McCoy broke clear of Smith on the left wing and delivered a superb cross. The ball missed out Havermans, but Kellaway arrived at the far post to head over when he should have made more of the chance. Milton replaced Culley with Collins on 59. Then, on 65 minutes, Milton sealed the points with a killer third goal and it was another gift. There seemed little danger from a bouncing ball, central and thirty yards from the Binfield goal. Harris elected to head back to Isaacs, but the header lacked power. Still it seemed to favour the young keeper, but with Irons bearing down on him fast, he missed his catch. As the ball ran towards goal, Irons tapped home into an empty net before turning to celebrate, hardly believing his good luck. Irons work done for the day, he gave way to Brown. Binfield?s frustrations with events were growing and Havermans saw yellow for disputing an offside decision with the assistant. Williams joined his strike partner in the book on 70 minutes for over-zealously going through three tackles in five yards. If nothing else it typified his work-rate and commitment to the cause. Godson replaced Keough on 72 and Lee came on for Withers on 79 as Binfield rang the changes, but it was going through the motions for the home side. In amongst the changes, Powell came on for the visitors. Harris, once again, deserves credit for a non-stop hard-working display in the centre of Binfield?s midfield.
To the visitor?s the spoils then and a blank holiday weekend for the ?Moles?. The announcement of the new team manager for next season is all Binfield have to look forward to now from a season that promised so much for so long.
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