GeorgeDykeScoresGoals
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Joined: 15 Nov 2005
Posts: 2033
Location: About 30 yards out, eyeing the top corner
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 Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: Smarden through to Cup Final after demolition job on Yalding |
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Smarden cruised through to the Paul Butcher Challenge Cup Final with a 7-1 victory over Yalding.
The run up to the game was marred by the injury of new signing Michael Hodges and Arch was forced to make changes and showed he wasn’t afraid to mix it up. Breaking up his most selected midfield trio of Newman Batt and Eels, Arch moved Eels out to right wing back and Batt out to left wing back selecting Dyke, Newman and Moon in the center of the park. Dyer, Hollingsbee and Carty made up the back 3 with Stocks and Loppy unlucky to miss out. Up top Arch stuck with the tried and tested Dyke and Law who had misfired in the last two games but deserved another chance and showed the fans why.
Played at the neutral venue in Sutton Valence on a bright day on a lush pitch it was ideal footballing weather. Smarden looked well up for the cup and started the better of the two sides seeing chances go begging through Law and the effervescent Richard Moon who was causing the Yalding defence all kinds of problems, when he wasn’t inexplicably passing them the ball. Stuey Batt, relishing his new wide role, looked dangerous every time the Den managed to give him the ball in acres of space out on the left. It was on one of his trademark mazy runs that the ball bounced up and struck a Yalding defender on the arm which the referee judged to be deliberate infringement and immediately pointed to the spot much to the dismay of the Yalding players who clearly felt it was accidental. Richard Moon stepped up and slotted in the top right corner for 1-0.
Smarden then decided to stop playing the flowing football they had been and a miss placed pass at the back allowed Yalding to carve out a chance and peg the Den back to 1-1.
Dave Law had looked to be having one of those days, wasting a couple of chances but then started to show glimpses of pre-injury Law, and went released down the middle he held off the blatent fouling attempts of the Yalding center back to race through and calmly slot past the approaching keeper. 2-1.
The Yalding keeper seemed to like gallivanting and was caught short racing out his area to clear the ball which fell to Smarden central midfielder Paul Newman who lashed a viscious left foot drive goalwards from just inside the yalding half. The ball dropped just in front of goal and the Yalding defender, under heavy pressure from Moon, bundled the ball into his own net for 3-1 and a comfortable lead at half time.
Arch asked for more of the same at half time and despite a slow start and some questionable play at time, the boys delivered. Law got another after some great interplay with Moon and the tireless Matt Dyke who despite no appearance on the score sheet deserved credit for his work rate and support play.
Yaldings game looked to fall apart when a horror tackle from Lee Hollingsbee on the edge of the smarden error went unpunished by the referee and the resulting protests from Yalding players, who were furious that a penalty wasn’t given, saw a sending off for the Yalding center midfielder.
To make matters worse, before the end of the game, the Yalding keeper received his marching orders for a second booking for descent with 20minutes to play.
Moon got another in open play with a good finish from the edge of the box before Law completed his third hat trick of the season bringing up the 50 goal mark and Lee Hollingsbee completed the rout with a bullet header.
Law man has hit his half century for Smarden in record time having signed at the start of last season and spent a lot of his Smarden career on the sidelines. Hopefully Law will stick around to complete a century and beyond.
The Den face the winners of Blue Eagles vs Shepway which is being played this Saturday at Bull Lane the home of Eccles Fc where Smarden scouts are expected to be seen.
The Final is scheduled for Thursday 12th March 7.30pm kick off and will be played at Chatham Town FC.
With no game this week Smarden face Shepway in the league on the 14th in what many are expecting to be a cup final rehearsal.
Smarden (3-5-2 wingbacks) Kitney, Dyer, Hollingsbee, Carty (Stocker 70), Eels, Dyke (gibbs 60), Newman (Loppy 70), Moon, Dyke Jnr, Law
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