Chew win on penalties

Firstly thanks to Mark Forbes for stepping in to ref at the last minute as the official referee had to pull out due to a positive Covid test this morning.

It was good to be playing familiar faces at Chew again in this cup quarter final. Our games back in the 45’s were always competitive and closely fought and this was no exception.

Nailsea were very slow to start and Chew had most of the possession in the first 20 minutes. Despite this they didn’t threaten the Nailsea goal too much until a wayward pass at the back gifted Chew the opener as they slotted into an empty net to go 1-0 up.

Nailsea started to get into their stride and levelled on half an hour as Matt fell onto a rebound from a shot from Mark Wright but 10 minutes later Chew took the lead again as the ball fell to an unmarked player 6 yards out after an aerial challenge. 2-1 at half time.

Nailsea were livelier in the second half and managed to peg Chew back in their own half for long periods and thought they’d levelled after 65 minutes but the linesman flagged for a tight offside call. Eventually the scores were level when Lee C converted a penalty awarded for handball against a Chew defender. Within a minute Chew took the lead again to make it 2-3 as Nailsea were caught flat footed at the back.

As time was ticking towards the 90 minutes it looked as though it was going to be a Chew victory until with seconds remaining Nelly collected the ball about 25 yards out in the centre of the pitch and scored the goal of the game as he fired a sweet dipping shot over the Chew keeper, rippling the net just under the cross bar. It was certainly a deserved equalizer on the balance of play and took the game to penalties.

Despite a valiant comeback Nailsea couldn’t match Chews excellent spot kicks (4-2 on pens) so we wish them well as they advance to the semis.

Nailsea’s report sums up the match very well. Thanks to them and Mark for stepping in and doing a great job of refereeing the game. Chew started well knocking the ball around well, and then after the first twenty minutes the game ebbed to and fro as both teams had spells on top. John Palmer netted a brace for Chew in the first half and the Richie Smith looked like he had nabbed the winner with a composed finish before the dramatic equaliser in the late minute. But Chew remained composed and two great saves from Baz and then 4 well taken penalties from Ian, Bert, Andy and Mark S saw us over the line. Always great to play Nailsea, close games and they a a good bunch of guys.

Decliners reign as over 50’s cup holders came to an end in a hard fought battle at BAWA, despite controlling the game for decent spells and creating a number of presentable chances, the ball refused to go into the net. In the end it took a penalty to separate the two sides. Good luck to Monday in the semi finals.

EASTON MONDAY MATCH REPORT
The crowd of one turned up in anticipation of a thrilling Over 50s Cup quarter final. He informed the bench that he had bought a flask with two cups of tea (one for each half) to enjoy along with the spectacle of graceful free-flowing football…he was to be disappointed on that front, however the game did turn out to be a tense affair. The pre-match banter included the decision to start by kicking up the slope if we won the toss in order to make the most of down the slope second half. Captain (for the day) Sheridan lost the toss and knew the game would be an uphill battle. The sticky bobbly pitch meant that both teams struggled to play the football they would have liked but Monday eventually got the chance to break the deadlock when they were awarded a penalty after Sheri got wiped out in the box as he was about to shoot. Yarrow stepped up to take the pen which he managed to scuff and hang his head in shame as the ball dribbled past the post. This seemed to inspire the Decliners as they surged forward and it needed a ‘worldy’ from Monday giant, Sir Lee in goal to keep the score to 0-0. Monday used the slope to force a number of corners. The left footed Newbs meant that the corners were swinging out. Jonesey shouted out that someone else should take them. He was ignored and the next ‘outswinger’ was flicked on and Sheri side footed home. 1-0. Half time. There was concern form the bench that one goal might not be enough to win the tie and that second half would be a struggle playing up the slope. To their surprise Monday actually played better kicking uphill but without creating any clear cut goal scoring chances with Decliners ‘sweeper-keeper’ snuffing out any advances on goal. However, as the half wore on the pitch began to take its toll on the Monday OAPs. Jonesy’s hamstring went and Rob’s old injury forced him to limp off. This bought Mr Rance on (despite saying before kick off that his injury would rule out of action) to help shore up the defence with his voice and some mighty left-footed hoofs upfield. Decliners began to make the most of the slope, they were creating chances and it took another great save with Sir Lee to prevent the equaliser. With time running out Newby broke clear and was one on one with the keeper, surely he would make the game safe…but no, this was Newby and in customary style his feeble shot deflected off the keeper for a corner. Two minutes to go, all Monday had to do was run the clock down from the short corner but instead they lost possession, Decliners forged down the pitch and earned themselves a corner with seconds to go. Last kick of the game, the ball came in, a shot was deflected wide, the whistle blew. Much to the relief of the Mondays. This had been a hard fought victory played in the Corinthian spirit we have become accustomed to against our opponents. Decliners had most of the ball but Monday were lucky enough to get it in the net. Semi-Finals here we come.

Reclinosaurs cup dreams came crashing to earth in a scrappy game at BAWA. Following a first ever win last weekend and the abandonment of the controversial ‘Christmas Pudding’ formation, confidence pre-match was high. However the squad was paper thin with numerous walking wounded and when Phil’s achillies gave way 20 minutes in, the uphill struggle began in earnest. RedStar pressed with good energy throughout and whilst the Saurs had the occasional moment of quality, there were a lot of mistakes in between. In a first half of few chances, Redstar took the lead when #Talisman looped a header over JT in goal for an OG following a corner. A soft penalty was dispatched into the corner and RedStar were well in command. The Saurs improved a bit in the second half, huffed and puffed but created few decent chances. A third RedStar goal was disallowed for a foul on the keeper. In the final minute Russ scored a fine consolation for the Saurs, following a great move down the right, but too little too late. Game played in good spirit, good luck to RedStar in the semi finals.

Red Star’s cup dreams have only just taken flight, expectations were low and the fixture secretary was notably reluctant to embrace future glory. The welcome signing mid week of a decent goalie and some extra quality in midfield saw the 50s put in their most accomplished performance so far. Reclinosaurs were neat and tidy, but Red Star’s backline was solid and dealt well with any threat. Nudging into the lead from a corner saw the Reds 1 up at half time and a penalty box sandwich resulted in a spot kick that doubled the lead earlyy in the second half.. Ever eager to entertain the crowd, Red Star contrived a calamity to let the home team back in at the death, but regained composure to see the game out. Good game in a good spirit. This bus is rolling…