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).