Last game of the season for Nailsea and a point was needed to secure the league title. Mondays pitch at Clifton College is the best grass surface around and deserved the football to be kept on the ground. Both sides played neat passing football but it was Mondays who struck first, taking advantage of a Nailsea error on the left allowing a low cross into the box to be met with an unstoppable diving header. Within a couple of minutes Nelly equalised for Nailsea with a superb strike from 25 yards out into the top right hand corner. On the stroke of half time Jerry met a through ball on the edge of the area and delicately chipped Mondays advancing keeper to make it 1-2 Nailsea.

Mondays packed their midfield in the second half and for 20 minutes dominated but Nailsea defended resolutely. Nailsea switched to 5 across the middle to stem Mondays flow and rely on a break away with one up top. The plan worked and on 70 minutes Darren Pool squared to Dave Luckhurst who’d ran the length of the pitch to arrive in the 6 yard box to tap home for 1-3. Shortly after another spell of Mondays pressure Darren Pool received the ball just into Mondays half. With no options Darren saw the Mondays keeper off his line and lobbed the ball into the net from 35 yards out. Dave L notched another with 10 minutes remaining to make it a resounding 5-1 victory. In fairness, the score flattered us slightly. Mondays are the best team we’ve played this season and if they’d taken some early chances it would have been a closer contest. Nevertheless I’m proud of our team for a great performance today and  throughout the season to take the title.

Best grass pitch we’ve played on in quite a while so it deserved to have top-quality football played on it. That came in patches in a well-fought game between two reasonably even teams although Easton’s quality on the ball and accurate long-range passing gave them the edge.

Easton started the brighter and it was 15 minutes before Nailsea began to find some rhythm and share some controlled periods of play. Easton calved out a few chances, but Nailsea took the lead after half an hour. Lee Cogan picked up the ball on the left-hand edge of the penalty area and fired a shot low into the left side of the goal. Easton responded by pressing high up the pitch and made their dominant possession pay off with 2 goals in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

Both teams squandered chances in the second half and the score remained unchanged. Lee McGreevy kept Nailsea in the game with a great save as Easton were through 1 on 1 and in the last seconds Nailsea had a great chance to level but fired over from close range.

Nailsea felt they did enough for a point but Easton probably felt they deserved the win on the balance of play and the number of chances that went begging.

Played in an excellent spirit with no incidents to report which is also a testament to a very good referee who was keen to play the advantage whenever he could and bring a level of good humour to the proceedings.

THE ‘MONDAY POST’ MATCH REPORT

For the second game in a row Monday were able to field another strong squad as the teams arrived at the pristine grass pitch on a cold but crisp Sunday morning. However, the 95ers started poorly, unable to keep hold of the ball allowing Nailsea to put them under pressure from the off and finding a lot of space. Monday then began to pass the ball around nicely without really bothering the Nailsea keeper.

A couple of wayward passes from Bri, and then Terry gave Nailsea an opportunity that they finished very nicely into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 to the visitors. As Bri observed… “This served as the kick up the backside the Monday needed, this and the introduction of Dr Rob to the wing saw chances starting to be made.”

Monday rotated the team and started the second half on the front foot. Sheri made a welcome return from injury and was quickly put clean through with only the keeper to beat, the crowd held its breath, but the Nailsea keeper saved his shot. The Blues needed the 3rd goal to settle the nerves and the game. This period saw numerous Monday chances to kill the game but contrived to fail to provide finishing to match their good build up play.

It was definitely not one-way traffic though. Nailsea have decent footballers throughout the team and caused problems with Monday keeper Sir Lee coming to the rescue a few times with some quality keeping, twice tipping the ball over the bar.

With 10 minutes to go Colonel came on for Sheri and had a golden chance to seal it with his first touch after a defensive slip saw him clean through with just the keeper to beat, as he explained to the press conference after the match… “I took a touch to set up the shot, which I mentally lined up for the top left corner only to see the Nailsea keeper pull off another fine save.” This observation of events was somewhat contradicted by Stu Charlton who told reporters… “Colonel just passed it back to the keeper!”…something Stu knows all about.

The game was becoming stretched as Nailsea piled players forward for the equaliser and missed an open goal from a break.

The 95ers did likewise when Duds put Morgs clean through, with only the keeper to beat his shot flew over the bar landing in Row Z when he had loads of time, space and Rob and Colonel screaming for him to square the ball.

Monday dropped deeper and deeper allowing Nailsea to pile on the pressure resulting in a couple of nervy free kicks and half chances. But the 95ers hung on for a big 3 points.

Sheri summed up the game at his press conference… “We weren’t at our best but a win is a win and 3 points. Overall, a proper competitive and enjoyable 50’s game played in the right spirit.”

The sentiment was echoed by Alex telling reporters… “Overall, a decent opposition that gave us a fair, Corinthian game. Could’ve been an horrendously arduous game if it wasn’t for the great pitch and referee.”

MOM: Yinka for overall display with Dr Rob not far behind and Morgs 3rd for his two well taken goals.

THE ‘MONDAY POST’ MATCH REPORT

A wet week led to the game being moved from the Wembley-like grass to the dodgy carpet-like 3G but on a more positive note the 95ers were able to field a remarkable squad of 15!

As the Monday multi-purpose Mexican Alex Orozco commented in his post match press conference… “With a full 15-man squad every player wanted to show that this early-potential-title-decider was going to be a proper game. And that is exactly what we did.”

Pre-match talk was of raising their game and avenging the close (4-3) cup final defeat and as Terry commented… “Their 9 and 11 caused us lots of problems in the final so they were the ones to watch out for.”

The 95ers started well, but it was not one way traffic, the Blues looked good at times but so did Re-Union. Monday took the lead when great work from twinkle toes Charlton who picked up the ball from just outside the box down the left flank, turned his man and made a run for the touchline, getting his cut back perfect and placed perfectly into the path of Morgs who neatly put the ball away with gusto. 1-nil.

Reunion regrouped and got back on level terms when one of their skilful midfielders ambled through a few half-hearted challenges and fired in a decent shot.

Rick started blowing out his arse and was given a rest that would later prove to be beneficial and was replaced by Dr Rob at full back as Rick commented… “After a shaky start at right back, mainly due to lack of fitness, I was replaced by Dr Rob to inject a bit more pace on the right flank. The boss said I was blowing a bit, and he was spot on.”

Morgs then took matters into his own hands for goal number 2, running onto his own flick to finish past the keeper.

Jones came on for Drane on the left and following an uncleared corner Dr Rob flighted in a delightful cross (though the bench though it was more of a miss-kick/scoop) dropping nicely for Jim to nod past the keeper from 0.25 yards out.

Half time 3-1. Charlton was rested and Drane bought back on to inject a bit of pace up front.

Re Union started the half well and the Blues had to dig in. A great defensive shift saw to it that Lee wasn’t required to pull off any of his customary worldies as they soaked up pressure.

It was the 95ers turn to hit on the break and Jones went close with a spectacular effort following one of his Hawaiin-influenced-hip-swerving-mazy-runs and shot from the edge of the box hitting the bar. Not long after, the 95ers attacking prowess saw Morgs grab his 3rd (or maybe it was an own goal,) again from another well worked cross.

The 4th seemed to deflate Re Union. Chairman Colonel bought himself on and Yarrow swapped with Charlton and Mondays went up a gear and starting scoring at will in the last 20 mins.

Then came goal of the game and an early contender for goal of the season as scorer Rick told the post-match press conference… “Eager to get back on and hungry for some more action, I was reintroduced into the game with about 30 minutes of the game remaining. Now playing at left back, I gathered the ball out wide, around the half way line, and decided it was time to put my mark on the game. Leaving the Re Union boys flat footed, I cut in once, twice, three times, and now had their hefty Portuguese defender to beat. Bringing back my silky skills of years gone by, I cruised past their last man and by this point was over the other side of the pitch, just outside their 18 yard box. I knew Morgs was an option as he was menacingly awaiting a square ball, but, for once, I decided that the tight angled shot was on. After my mesmerising run, I still had the strength in my legs to hit a clean shot right into the far corner. The Reunion keeper attempted a far stretched dive but he could not stop the shot. After such a long goal drought, I had even forgotten how to celebrate. I tried a Tardelli type celebration but no one noticed so that obviously didn’t work! Overall, hitting the back of the net at long last felt truly amazing. Stu likened the goal to John Barnes’s world cup goal against Brazil in Rio, in 1984. That summed it up nicely for me and is how I will always remember it. It really was like an out-of-body experience.”

Another fine goal followed, front to back move with Colonel laying on an overlapping Dr Rob down the right flank drilling in a cross that Draner met on the volley, the ball nestling in the corner once more. An OG from yet another Dr Rob cross also added to the tally.

Both managers agreed that it was tight for an hour and that the Monday bench and energy made the difference in the last third of the pitch and the game which was played in an exemplary Corinthian spirit.

MOM: Split between Morg and Rick for that goal.

EM95 Match report to follow

That rarest of Vets league results, the scoreless draw, made an appearance as the two unbeaten sides in div 1 met at Frys. A hard fought game, not easy on the eye, but full blooded throughout. Monday shaded it on chances, a superb header in the second half came back off the bar, but really clear cut opportunities were few and far between. The young ref handled what was a proper game very well, everyone was certainly feeling the result of their exertions in the bar after!

EM95 report to follow.