To use a common cliché football is a game of two halves and never has that been truer than in Welton’s encounter with the Plough today. With familiar faces such as Joe Drabble, Scott Coupland and Will Johnson all missing Big Al might have been fooled into thinking his team selection issues could be forgotten this week but as it turned out he was faced with selecting from an unprecedented 22 man squad, all keen to impress in the last pre-season fixture. While the 9-3 victory would suggest all had gone to plan, the score line does not tell the full story of this most intriguing match.
As they had done last week ‘the social’ lined up in the notorious 3-5-2 formation with the only change being Tom Bowey filling the central midfield void left by the absent Coupland. While the early exchanges were cagey it always looked as if Welton were in control of the game and their first breakthrough came from a predictable source. The move began with Bowey floating a measured pass into the chest of James Drabble who controlled with relative ease before moving the ball on to his strike partner Simon Ward. Although Ward succeeded in getting a snap shot away it was easily blocked on the edge of the area by the Plough defence who were unlucky to see the ball drop tamely into the path of Drabble allowing the estate agent to side-foot home from 18 yards.
Welton’s advantage was soon doubled after a delightful passage of football resulted in Ward being set free down the right flank and again the front men combined well with his deep cross finding Drabble at the far post where ‘Ronnie’ finished nicely with a well executed volley from close range. Shortly afterwards a promising Plough move broke down and the ball found its way to Bowey who shifted it on quickly into the run of Sam Gordon. The wing-back carried on where he had left of in last week’s impressive performance by slipping the ball down the right channel for a rapidly advancing Tom Wilkinson to convert coolly and make it three for the home side.
Even referee Clive Wilkinson got in on the act by registering his own shot on target mid-way through the first half. From a drop ball Wilkinson ushered both teams away before setting himself nicely and taking aim at the Plough goal. Unfortunately the ‘keeper was equal to Clive’s effort and the score remained at three nil. At the other end Calamitous Jones reared his ugly head for the first time this season as the frustrated playmaker found himself in possession close to his own line. Having initially dealt with the danger well he decided to take on a rapidly approaching striker who made a good block tackle and was unlucky to see the ball bounce harmlessly wide for a goal kick.
Instead WS&SC were able to increase their lead with a fourth goal that was very reminiscent of the third. This time the midfield pairing linked up with Wilkinson turning provider for Bowey to finish with a low, drilled effort into the far post. Ward then got his first of the game after another brilliantly worked team goal that started with clever distribution from goalkeeper Jones. On this occasion Gordon popped up down the left where he received Jones’ throw and played inside to Wilkinson who was making another purposeful venture forward. The one time Grays Athletic dynamo played into James Drabble in an advanced position and his ball across the box found Ward who finished with ease.
Despite their flashes of excellence ‘the social’ still looked vulnerable at the back and this point was emphasised when Jones was beaten by a shot which rebounded back off the bar and away to relative safety. This was a warning sign to some of the Welton defenders still struggling to come to terms with the unfamiliar three-at-the back system which is clearly something that needs work before the visit of Greenback next week. However the near-miss seemed to serve as a necessary wake up call to the rest of the side who quickly converted twice more to take their lead to seven before the half time interval. The first of these goals was what can only be described as straight from the realms of Pro Evo as Bowey set off on a mazy run which took him all the way to the bi-line. The ball was pulled back and Ward supplied the finish which took his personal tally to two. The seventh was the result of yet another powerful Wilkinson break from midfield as the part-time match analyst made his way to the left hand corner of the Plough penalty area before slipping Drabble in to complete his hat-trick against a defence who looked more than ready to throw in the towel.
With the first 45 minutes up the entire starting line-up were given a chance to reflect on their performance from the side line as Big Al opted to make wholesale changes and bring on his second eleven. With seven defenders named amongst the substitutes many of those entering the field were asked to play in unfamiliar positions due to the fact there were just three spots available in the back line. With the sides surely more evenly matched this was possibly the opportunity the Plough had been looking for and offered them a way back towards a respectable result.
Having said this Welton came out of the blocks surprisingly well and were able to extend their lead soon after the restart when the only established first-teamer on the field Mark Curtis went on a trademark driving run in opposition territory. His cross found one of the recently returned ‘Loan Rangers’ Mark Brewer and he applied a typical poacher’s finish to bring the WS&SC total to eight. Despite going a goal to the good the new look Welton never seemed comfortable and it was not long before the Plough were able to make some of their pressure count. A cross swung in from the right hand side left the back-line at sixes and sevens giving an unmarked attacker the simple task of finishing with what can only be described as a bullet of a header. Moments later there was almost a carbon copy as Kip Lawrence once again struggled to track back but on this occasion the ball finished just the wrong side of the post from the visitors’ point of view.
With their grip on the match gradually slipping signs of desperation began to creep into the Welton game. Brewer made an outrageous hand ball appeal, Mark Daly was himself guilty of handling cynically in the centre circle and an increasingly frustrated Lawrence began shouting obscenities as his play became more and more lacklustre. All of this contributed to a further two goals for the Plough, one as a result of a darting run and finish that gave ‘Mayhem’ little chance while the other came from ‘the social’ again pressing the self-destruct button in defence to allow a very tame tap in.
In the dying stages Sam Gordon once again entered the field replacing the forlorn looking Lawrence and his impact was immediate. A neat exchange with the continental import Rachid gave Gordon the opportunity to underline his quality and the product of the Gerald Watson youth academy finished majestically to round up the scoring and end the game 9-3.
While the gaffer must have been pleased with the result he was unavailable for comment afterwards and will perhaps be left to reflect on some of the defensive frailties that were exposed even when his first choice side were on the field. It is still anybody’s guess as to what formation Big Al will decide upon for next week’s league opener and with the return of several of today’s absentees as well as last season’s left-back revelation Ryan Otterwell the personnel to fill those positions is also equally clouded in mystery.
Team Sheet:
Jones (M. Wilkinson 45)
Carter (Perry 45)
Taylor (Dhindsa 45)
S. Clifford (J. Gordon 45)
S. Gordon (Lawrence 45)
Stocks (Mulhall 45)
T. Wilkinson (M. Gordon 45)
Bowey (Daly 45)
L. Clifford (Curtis 45)
Ward (Rachid 45)
J.T. Drabble (Brewer 45)
Summary:
Jones 6 – More to do than previous weeks, looked shaky at times
Carter 6 – Ok defensively, still adjusting to new roll
Taylor 6 – Needs to draw on experience
S. Clifford 7 – Not his best game, still vocal/well organised
Gordon 7 – Always capable of unlocking defence
Stocks 6 – Did his job but very quiet
T. Wilkinson 7 – Tireless, doubtless class/commitment
Bowey 7 – Often elusive, could increase work rate
L. Clifford 6 – Reasonable contribution, possibly carrying knock
Ward 7 – Always in the goals, can’t fault finishing
J.T. Drabble 7 – Difficult. He’s a big lad (Plough Captain ’07)
M. Wilkinson 6 – Questionable on crosses, not helped by defence
Perry 6 – Showed glimmers of promise, still inexperienced
Dhindsa 6 – Reads the game well, sometimes uncertain positionally
J. Gordon 6 – First game back, coped reasonably well
Lawrence 5 – Lacking fitness, nowhere near his best
Mulhall 6 – Anchored midfield competently, got forward on occasion
M. Gordon 6 – Solid enough, needs more matches
Daly 7 – Indisputable ability, sometimes off the pace
Curtis 7 – Threatening in possession but not involved enough
Rachid 6 – Worked hard, lacked a killer edge
Brewer 6 – Got a goal, tried to link with the midfield
ATTENDANCE: 32 and 4 Dogs (Golden Retriever, Mongrel, Flat Coated Retriever, West Highland Terrier)