Christchurch v Gurnard Warriors

Hampshire Cup 2nd Round

Match Result: 0 - 5

After being informed teams from the Isle of Wight were very strong, we expected a very hard match. As the match kicked off, we looked the dominant team from the off, and after the first few minutes had passed I was sure we’d win this comfortably. Christchurch were working well as a team and our passing was outstanding, especially throughout the midfield. After 20 mins, we gave away a cheap goal, when the defence were caught in possession and Gurnard took the lead. A few minutes before half time, a through ball was played in to their striker, who out-paced our back line to put us 0-2 down at half time.

At this stage we were annoyed to be 2 goals down, as we’d had most of the possession and made it look as if ‘we’ were the only team on the pitch. But we were still confident we could turn this around. The second half saw more of the same, with some fantastic creative play from the midfielders and wingers, with through balls, 1-2 passing and over lapping play, but we found it hard to penetrate Gurnard’s 5 man defence, their Keeper also made some top draw saves. Gurnard scored a further 3 goals, one from a badly defended corner, another breaking through the back line, and a picked pocket as a pass across the back line was lazily not met by the left back.

The match finished 0-5, which was shocking considering we’d had around 75% possession throughout the match. This scoreline flattered Gurnard considerably, but hats off to them, they made our mistakes pay, and they certainly made the most of what little possession they had.

Man of the match: Too hard to choose between the midfielders, they all played stunning football.