North Greenford Utd

Allied Counties League Premier Division Wednesday 3rd October 2007

North Greenford Utd (2)3
Oxford City (4)5 (Forbes 1, 30, Reeves 9, Bell 33, 90)

It was proved once again on Wednesday why betting on football is so difficult; surely nobody would have predicted that City’s Under 18s would win 5-3 away from home for the second week in a row?

This result looked particularly unlikely when City sped into a two-goal lead. Corey Forbes opened the scoring in the first minute, forcing home a Mark Bell cross from 8 yards after an excellent Laurence El-Kassir through ball had split the defence. Eight minutes later Simon Reeves got the final touch on an Andrew Smith cross which had beaten the keeper, and only a magnificent reaction save prevented a third goal after Bell danced past four defenders in the 12th minute.

Both sides were playing incisive, attacking football on the ground in an excellent first half and City, fielding yet another new central defensive partnership, failed to clear the ball and conceded a goal from a well-struck 18 yard shot in the 20th minute.

Some great skill by Tom Holmes created an opening for Forbes to curl the ball superbly into the top corner on the half hour, then Bell went round the keeper and slotted home from a seemingly impossible angle to make it 4-1.

Greenford pulled another goal back in the 41st minute when City failed to clear a free-kick and the ball was rifled home from the edge of the area to complete a pulsating first half which seemed to fly by, such was the level of excitement offered.

The second half was a scrappier affair. City, having already had to replace Smith through illness in the first half, now lost Forbes to injury, which left them short of recognized front players. A stunning Bell ‘goal’ which might have killed the game off was chalked off for a mysterious offside missed by the assistant referee, and several Bell crosses beat the defenders but found no takers in the middle. Greenford, determined to retrieve the situation, made it 4-3 with just over 20 minutes to go when one of their centre-backs, left unmarked at a corner, headed home.

Greenford, buoyed by this goal, took the game to a tiring City, but City, with Bell outstanding again, looked more likely to score on the break; it was Bell who concluded the scoring when outrageous close control saw him beat three defenders and the keeper before smashing home from another tight angle.

This was another excellent game between two sides whose attacking prowess was not matched by their defending. Apart from Bell, Forbes, El-Kassir and Joe Bull impressed, while it was good to hear Alex Williams organising and commanding his inexperienced defence.

Team: Alex Williams (capt) – Padraic Folan, Simon Reeves, Kallum Conlon (sub Zac Lafford 78), Joe Bull – Mark Bell, Laurence El-Kassir, Tom Holmes, Andrew Smith (sub Richard Norris 34) – Jon Gotch, Corey Forbes (sub Rhys Denton 58).

Fleet Town

FA Youth Cup 1st Qualifying Round Wednesday 26 September 2007
FLEET TOWN YOUTH (2) 3
OXFORD CITY YOUTH (2) 5 (Gotch 16, Forbes 27, Bell 49, pen 54, Norris 72)

Games between Fleet and Oxford City seem guaranteed to produce goals at the moment – 12 in the extraordinary Youth Cup game a year ago, 6 in the errea Cup contest the night before this match, and another 8 here.

Perhaps this was not as good a game as last year’s astonishing 6-6 draw which City won on penalties – there was little in the way of fluent football and the play was scrappy. However, it was a nail-biting contest where the result was always in doubt, and Fleet showed great determination and skill in what must have been a very difficult game for them after the recent tragic death of youth team player Dan Ayre, in memory of whom there was a minute’s applause before the match.

Cup nerves seemed to dominate the opening exchanges and there was little pattern to the play until Fleet took the lead in the 13th minute with a well-taken shot after the City defence had given the ball away. City were back on level terms within 3 minutes when Jon Gotch fired home from 10 yards after being set up by Mark Bell.

Fleet tried to take the initiative but were too often caught offside, and City increased their lead in the 27th minute. Corey Forbes, 25 yards out, volleyed an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Fleet made it 2-2 in the 35th minute with a close-range shot following a corner.

City brought on Ashley Jones at half-time and their midfield started to look more cohesive. Bell, showing no ill-effects from playing three-quarters of the first team fixture the previous night, started to have more influence on the game, and put City in front with a rasping shot after he had beaten his marker.

Five minutes later Bell added a well-struck penalty after he had been pulled back when about to shoot. This meant that he had scored a total of seven goals (four on his 18th birthday last Saturday) in five days for three teams (Nomads, first team and Youth). City should now have been in the driving seat, but Fleet were determined to retrieve the game and their marvellously combative number 4 reduced the deficit with a storming run from halfway and a rocket shot from well outside the area.

City were under pressure and there were some fierce tackles, but some sensible refereeing kept the game flowing. City restored their two-goal cushion when Richard Norris reacted first to drive home the rebound when the Fleet keeper could only parry a fierce Forbes shot.

Even then the result remained in doubt, as Fleet threw everything at City and several last-ditch clearances were necessary to ensure the win.

Perhaps not a game for the purist – sometimes teamwork went out of the window – but it was classic cup-tie football in an absorbing, unpredictable contest. In the end it was Bell’s experience and class that decided the game, but every player on the pitch deserves praise. However, it is City who go through to face Buckingham Town away in the next round.

Team: Alex Williams, Padraic Folan, Simon Reeves (sub Rhys Denton 78 min), Zac Lafford, Lewis Colwell – Dominic Bruno (sub Ashley Jones ht), Mark Bell (sub Richard Higgs 84), Lawrence El - Kassir, Jon Gotch – Richard Norris, Corey Forbes.

Unused subs: Tom Holmes, Kallum Conlon.