Third Division
Mells & Vobster United Reserves 3 Westfield Reserves 2
Saturday, 28 January 2006
Westfield visited Mells and lost their 13 match league unbeaten run in controversial circumstances but must take heart from the fact that they played a very good promotion chasing side in Mells and pushed them all the way despite having 6 regular players missing.
The match began late with the original referee not being able to make it but Mells found a replacement at the last minute .Westfield began well despite playing against the wind they looked the livelier of the 2 sides with Avis , Lines and Lake all winning a lot of possession in midfield and they were making the ever youthful Julian Seviour work hard at the back for Mells keeping Westfield out.
The match was 10 mins old when Westfield forced a corner which was curled in at the near post by Avis and it was Brooks who suprisingly reacted the quickest heading home well at near post to give Westfield a deserved lead.
Mells reacted well to this goal and started playing some decent football but Westfield new look back 4 of Lorimer, Rawlings, Latchem and Sketch all looked fairly comfortable giving Guy plenty of cover in the Westfield goal and Mells were reduced to long range shots.
With the match going from end to end it was a bout 25 mins old when Josham playing upfront for Westfield turned from about 30 yds and hit a screamer of a shot into the Mells net for Westfield to go into a 2-0 lead playing against the wind.
The rest of the half continued in the same fashion with Mells looking to get back into the game and with Westfield looking dangerous on the break but no further goals followed and Westfield went in halftime looking good value for their 2-0 lead.
The 2nd half began and straight from the start Mells nearly pulled a goal back which was a warning to Westfield of what was about to follow with Westfield not really playing their usual standard of football with passes going astray and tackles being missed.
On the hour mark Brooks was forced to retire with a groin strain and was replaced by Ross for his 1st reserve start of the season and he was quickly straight into the action linking up well on occasions with Avis and Josham.
Mells were forcing Westfield back though looking for a lifeline back into the game and they got one after 65 mins when a mix up in the Westfield defence allowed their forward to fire home.
This goal really lifted Mells and they began pouring forward but Westfield were seemingly defending their now slender lead comfortably until in the 70th minute the referee awarded Mells a very harsh penalty for handball against Lorimer which was made even more frustrating for Westfield given that the Mells players never even appealed for it and certainly wasn?t deliberate but the referee deemed it otherwise and awarded it and Tigger stepped up and fired it home making the score 2-2.
The match went from end to end again with both sides going for the winner but in the 88th minute Mells were awarded another controversial free kick from which a goalmouth scramble ensued and it was a Mells forward who headed home at the far post with Westfield still appealing for a free-kick after Rawlings was blatantly pushed.
Westfield had one last attack in which to salvage something from a match that they could consider themselves unlucky to be losing and a great cross in from Avis found Ross who with the goal at the mercy somehow headed over and it was obvious then that it just wasn?t to be Westfields day and so victory went to Mells in a hard fought entertaining match and now opened up the division into a 3 horse race with Mells now coming right into the equation.
MOM:James Lorimer
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