Welton entertained top of the table Golden Eagle this morning in what was being described as a make or break encounter as far as any title aspirations were concerned. The clash pitted the classy passing style of Welton against the raw steel of Eagle with the end result nothing short of spectacular. As if the ingredients were not tasty enough Mother Nature also threw her hat into the ring with events unfolding in conditions so icy that Eagle’s substitute Szendry had already fallen ‘arse-over-tit’ before leaving the changing rooms.
Although he had an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, Big Al choose to make minor alterations to his starting eleven from previous weeks with the usual back four lining up behind a midfield of Bowey, Stocks, Coupland Gordon and L. Clifford. Ward and R. Drabble were the preferred front pairing with places on the bench for J. Drabble, Dhindsa and the ever-green Daley.
Despite all the pre-match hype early exchanges were cagey with very little separating the teams and no real action of note. The first genuine moment of interest came courtesy of Welton’s always comical linesman John Stanham who called the referee over to point out that a certain ‘gentleman’ was threatening him. Mid-way into the half the tie came to life when a fine spell of football started by Mayhem and carved out by some tricky Tom Bowey footwork led to Sam Gordon hitting the bar from around 25 yards out.
With chances at a premium Ross Taylor almost opened the scoring by putting through his own net with a miss-cue in front of the Welton goal but his blushes were spared by the agility of Mayhem who got down well to save at his near post. At the other end Eagle were not so lucky when their centre back inadvertently diverted a TOM BOWEY shot past the helpless keeper to make it one-nothing to the hosts. The trainee accountant showed great close control to make his marker look foolish before cutting inside cleverly and unleashing with his unfavoured left.
With Welton on the up and creating a host of half chances an Eagle equaliser looked less and less likely but it was the Lincoln side who scored the next goal of the game to draw level at 1-1. A corner clipped in from the right found the head of the visiting right back who did well to direct the ball across the goal and through a host of bodies to find the back of the net. However, the joy was short lived for Eagle as BOWEY capitalised on some lacklustre defensive play to pounce with a rare header, putting Welton into the lead for a second time and beginning talk on the touch line of the impressive winger completing a ‘perfect hat-trick’ before the day’s end.
HALF TIME (2-1)
With the words of their manager clearly ringing in their ears the league leaders came out for the second half showing a little more of the desire that had earned them their lofty position and the result once again hung in the balance. Shortly after the break a series of ricochets around the Welton area left the ball at the feet of an attacking player who converted nicely to level the scores at two all. The equaliser was shrouded in an air of controversy as the home side felt that they could perhaps have been awarded a free-kick during the build up to the goal after Scott Coupland had gone over under a strong challenge on the halfway line. Disappointment turned to despair moments later when a similar passage of pin-ball in the defensive third gave Eagle the opportunity to take the lead for the first time in the game and the newly arrived left winger made no mistake with a quality finish into the top corner.
With the scoring following an identical pattern to the heart-breaking first meeting between the two sides in September Welton could have been forgiven for letting their heads drop but as the rest of the match proved, neither side were finished just yet. Sam Gordon again came close to opening his account for the day when he hit the bar from a similar distance to that of his first half effort although this time the chance arose from a free kick.
As the game became more and more stretched both goals were under siege and there was the genuine feel of a cup tie in the frosty country air. Mayhem pulled off a string of remarkable saves showing a maturity far beyond his short experience in the number one jersey and on the one occasion he was beaten the ‘fruity’ left sided centre back S. Clifford was on hand to clear the ball off the line.
After some great play by Coupland in the centre of the park Welton were eventually able to pull level through RONNIE DRABBLE. The front man showed a determination that is sometimes lacking from his game to battle well with several Eagle defenders and slot home with aplomb. Almost immediately the defending champions hit back from close range with a hammer blow to the hearts of the Welton-faithful as the game looked to be slipping away with time running out and the score now at 4-3.
To their credit Welton displayed a belief and never-say-die attitude that many critics have suggested has been missing from their performances in ‘crunch matches’ during recent seasons. This endeavour was rewarded ten minutes from time when COUPLAND was brought down inside the area after reacting quickly to a loose ball. Amid scenes of intense pressure which included a booking for the opposition ‘keeper the one-time Cherry Willingham School pupil dusted himself off to convert from twelve yards and set up a tense last few minutes that will live long in the memory of many Social Park regulars.
As the old adage goes ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ and luckily for Welton just minutes before the final whistle JOE DRABBLE really did cometh. With what must have been one of his first touches after replacing Simon Ward on 73 minutes the middle son of Claire and Richard sent the crowd into raptures as he stayed calm under pressure to side foot neatly into the score-sack through a plethora of bodies. The thirty man pile on that ensued showed just how much this meant to the Welton players and fans alike; even Gordon Clifford could afford to raise a rye smile as team idiot Ronnie ran to the sideline, removed the granddad’s woolly hat from his head and revealed the milky white flesh below. A touching moment also saw the young goal scorer running to the sideline and embarking on a jubilant embrace with local hero Clive Wilkinson which must have left the financial advisor’s NHS replacement joint straining at the hinges.
And so it finished, Welton 5-4 Golden Eagle, the contrasting jubilation and agony for the two sides plain for all to see. The hordes of fans who witnessed today’s events will go home happy after witnessing a real Christmas cracker of a game. The heat has really been turned up on Golden Eagle who must work hard to prove that their goose has not yet been cooked and with Santa still two days away it was the turn of another jolly little fat man to rejoice this evening as the presents came early for Big Al’s men.
Match Ratings
M. Wilkinson (7)8 – Maturing into a fine all round number one
W. Carter (7)7 – Never spectacular, always reliable.
R. Taylor (7)7 – Solid and commanding, dealt well with aerial bombardment
S. Clifford (8)8.5 – Outstanding again, commitment personified
T. Bowey (9)7 – Brilliant first half, unplayable. Tailed off slightly
N. Stocks 7(7) – Exactly what it says on the tin, protected defence well
S. Gordon (6)7 – Flashes of pure class, drifted in and out of game though
S. Coupland (7)7.5 – More influential in second half, brilliant work rate
L. Clifford (7)7 – A genuine threat, bullish wing play
S. Ward (6)6 – Quiet by his standards, good movement without a killer edge
R. Drabble (6)7 – Suffered due to midfield’s excellence, took goal well.
Subs
J. Drabble (S. Ward ’73) 7.5 – Ole Gunnar Drabble; right man, right time
Not Used: Dhindsa, Daley.
Attendance: 85 – 15 visitors.