ALRESFORD TOWN V CHRISTCHURCH

SYDENHAMS WESSEX PREMIER LEAGUE

MATCH RESULT: 2 - 1

Goal Scorer: Tom Price

1. Stewart Kearn
2.Adam Costello
3. David Legg
4. Dan Crutchley
5. Ben Lucas
6. Martin Harris
7. Mark Smith
8. Marc Fairbrother
9. Ben Osborne
10. Tom Price
11. Paul Rideout

Subs used:

Martin Lawrence
Ben Hatch
Paul Manning

The writer probably along with all the spectators present had to look in the Sunday papers to believe this score line as a game which the visitors dominated from start to finish resulted in a defeat by a home side who mustered only a handful of attacks during the entire 90 minutes.

For the first 20 minutes Christchurch played some of their best football for many a year with movement, crisp passing and forcing a number of corners. However the most important factor was missing GOALS !! . It would have been fair to say that after this 20 minutes Church should have been at least 4 goals to the good but it was not to be.

Tom Price, who was extremely lively throughout and caused Alresford problems with his pace started the ball rolling in the very 1st minute with a shot that was tipped over the bar and from the resulting corner which was not cleared Ben Osborne looking offside missed from 8 yards. In the 4th minute from another corner there was an almighty goalmouth scramble and 2 minutes later Price hit the post with a header. On 15 and 16 minutes firstly Osborne shot just wide and Costello from another corner and with a free header headed wide. For the remainder of the half Kearn in the visitors goal was virtually a spectator as Christchurch pressed for that elusive first goal but continued to be denied but the most blatant miss was on the stroke of half time when the impressive Ben Lucas somehow contrived to put a header wide from virtually on the goal line.

The talk at the interval was it would be one of those days and we would end up losing 1-0 which was not far wrong. With their first attack of the second half and their first real attack of the game the home side took the lead when Kearn saved well but the ball fell kindly for another forward who was left with an open goal. Both players involved looked offside but it was one of those days. Christchurch continued to attack and on 62 minutes they were awarded a penalty when Price was brought down in full flight but leading scorer Ben Osborne shot tamely wide. Then as so often happens with Church sending men forward a quick break resulted in a second goal for Alresford with keeper Kearn lucky to still be on the field. In time added on for injury lo and behold a Christchurch goal by Price but too little too late.

Well done to the home side who could not quite believe the result themselves and it was a real case of déjà vu as this was the third game in a row they had beaten Christchurch and in all of these games they were second best in all aspects apart from scoring goals . With regards to Church on a similar day they will score 8 as looking on the bright side at least they were creating many a chance.

Donners