 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Saturday 28th April 2007Spartan South Midlands League - Division 1CRANFIELD UNITED 0 COCKFOSTERS 3 RENT-A-GOB DELIVERS THE GOODS....  During
the close season of last summer our then new manager addressed the
committee and players of Cockfosters F.C. and stated that with the
right desire the climb into the Premiership league could be achieved
in his first season. Knowing the pattern of years past our mid table
placings have been seen as the clubs norm and the Premiership dreams
were I am certain viewed as being one of David Craig's personal pipe
dreams and no one else's. Well the goods have been delivered and
next season the lads in the Cockfosters red will be parading their
skills on Premiership turf. There were times when we thought that it
was not going to happen especially following the two home defeats
against Ampthill and Stony. Those two defeats were followed by a
spate of annoying first choice absentees and our reserve strength
had to be tested out to see us through. Even the loyal Hutch took
his warrior legs out of semi retirement to rally to the cause. It
all paid off and no matter what mix n match combinations David came
up with the team produced with a never say die end of season run in
of six straight wins and a draw. On this front we must not forget
Neil Ewing's role because unlike previous years their has been a
more fruitful liason between first and reserve teams with the
milking of the reserve team being readily encouraged by Neil in the
first teams cause. Despite these milkings Neil has also come up with
the goods with his squad. As for the final game of the season it
could not have been a more nail biting finish with three teams all
vying for the scraps left over from Brimsdown Rovers brilliant
season and we at Cockfosters have to congratulate them on their
decisive title win. Having said that they were arsehole lucky to
leave Chalk Lane with a point over Christmas. It was certainly a new
Cranfield we played and it soon became evident their players were
not the same whipping boys that had performed for them throughout
most of the season. They were lively with a well drilled defence
geared to snuffing us out with offside tactics. Penfold and Haycock
came close for us in the nervy early stages of a game which we knew
victory alone might not be enough and a good winning goal margin may
prove to be very important. On twenty minutes our attacking
dominance was rewarded when the linesman at last kept his flag down
to a perfectly timed Jon Moniatis run that took him into the inside
right channel. The execution of the goal which followed was nothing
short of sheer class. A defender took Jon close to the six yard box
byline and although the strike on goal was still on our hit man
decided to create a more positive opening. In a flash the defender
was turned and Jon found a better angle of attack which led to a
shot being planted across the keeper and into the far corner of the
net. A quality strikers goal made to look so easy because of the
skills used in its make up. Our only other real threat on goal in
the first half came from a glancing Ben Andreas header that narrowly
skimmed over the bar. That we went into the break 1- 0. up was due
mainly to two out of this world saves from Chay Morris. The first a
close range save made in a cloud of goalmouth dust would have done
justice to any Barclays premiership keeper. The second a long range
missile that needed extraordinary athleticism to steer the ball
round the post. With news that Rovers were doing their bit for us at
Ampthill the need for more goals to stave off the Stony challenge
became paramount and it was a goal resulting from a Gavin Conway
free kick that settled us down five mins into the restart. Sub Dave
Pigden made a harassing drifting run across the path of the keeper
allowing Gavin's teasing free kick to find its way into the far
corner of the net via the slightest of touches from Dave(pictured).
To settle any arguments about the goal claim it can best be said
that the goal would never have materialised but for the menace of
the free kick into the box and neither would it have came about but
for Dave's
perfectly timed run. Dave's honesty however cannot be questioned and
if he got a touch then it has to be a Pigden goal. News was now
coming in that Stony were 3. 1. up and a third for goal would
certainly seal things up for us. That goal soon came and it came
about through the dogged play of sub Michael Casey who made a steam
engine run down the right byline to deliver a ball that Jon Moniatis
hooked over his head into the net. Jon was in no way in a
threatening position on goal and yet he used yet another of his
skills to manufacture a goal from nothing. There were many chances
to increase our lead and the best came to Samson Okeke who could
have claimed his first goal of the season had he not tried to whack
the ball into the next county. Jamie Brandon had one of his quieter
games and found coming forward difficult from his role as wing back
but it must be remembered that it was his wonder strike against
Harpenden that set the big finale up. We have been fortunate to have
had an inspirational captain in Steve Weldon to steer us through to
this great campaign whilst Rent a Gob has been like having a twelth
man on the pitch. Let us not forget the quiet man Stan whose
coaching prowess has also helped to deliver the goods and last but
no means least Charly Farley our physio who has done a fine job
although some of the players reckon that someone in a skirt could do
a better job especially on groin strains. A big well done to you all
from the club committee we are proud of you. DOUG WENT P.O. AND
CHEIF BALL BOY. M.O.M. MORRIS 6 MONIATIS 3 HUTCHINGS 2 OKEKE 1
Tuesday 24th April 2007Potters Bar Charity Cup COCKFOSTERS 0 POTTERS BAR TOWN 3POTTERS BAR DO IT HOWARD'S WAY....Cockfosters fell at the semi-final stage of the Pootters Bar Charity Cup to neighbouring Potters Bar Town. Richie Howard set the tone for the evening as he put Town two goals up in the first fifteen minutes. The first after seven minutes flew high past Chay Morris's right hand into the top corner and when Morris came to collect a freekick from the left, Howard got there first to head into the vacant net. Cockfosters through Gavin Conway and Jon Moniatis went close but in truth were never able to get a foothold into the game. There was a chance to find a way back but Moniatis was off target with his spot kick. Late on, Howard put the game beyond reach to claim his hat-trick and give Town the local bragging rights.... for now. M.O.M. Hutchings 4, Conway 2, Weldon 2, Haycock 2, Penfold 2Tuesday 17th April 2007Spartan South Midlands League - Division 1COCKFOSTERS 1 HARPENDEN TOWN 0 BRANDON KEEPS THE DREAM ALIVE....
Saturday 14th April 2007Spartan South Midlands League - Division 1ARLESEY ATHLETIC 0 COCKFOSTERS 4 ARLESEY NOT VERY ATHLETIC.... Once again it was a case of fresh faces appearing
on the team sheet as David had to deal with the on going absentee problem. It
does however give him the opportunity to eye up our reserve strength and his
latest recruit Ben Andreos did not let him down with a good solid showing on his
first team debut. Third place in the league looks to be the best we can hope for
this campaign but that has to be seen as a vast improvement in recent years and
our players and team management can take a bow on a good job well done. Word in
the camp is that David Craig is giving his lungs a rest at the end of the season
due mainly to the heavy demands involved in managing a footie team. Whatever the
outcome we at Tuesday 10th April 2007South Midlands Floodlight Cup - Third RoundHERTFORD TOWN 4 COCKFOSTERS 2 HUTCH BUT NO STARSKY.... Once again enforced team changes saw us put out a patched up side for this game. For a cup tie it did not have much in the way of thrills simply because Hertford were mainly in control despite us taking the lead on 25 mins. The home defence made the mistake of allowing Jon Moniatis to drift across the box with the ball and let fly at goal, the ball was blocked and broke to Dave Pigden ferreting around the edge of the six yard box. Dave in those situations is red hot and the ball was lashed into the net. We were however never comfortable at the back and Chay in particular seemed to have butter on his gloves. Hertford soon hit back and within 10 mins of our opener we trailed 2. 1. Dave Pigden was again our main threat when he was very unlucky with a long range effort that smashed against the upright. Going 3. 1. down within 3 mins of the restart did not help matters for us but to be honest our hosts were showing their quality in all departments. When they made it 4. 1. it seemed dead and buried as a game but to our credit we hung on to fight back to show some of our best bits of the game in the last 20 mins. Getting the ball to sub Jamie Brandon proved difficult but he did manage to round off a super Moniatis power run to the by line that ended with the perfect pull back into Jamie's path. Their were chances to make it 4-3. but superman Samson Okeke who worked his socks off did not get the rub of the green near goal. Danny Hutchings made a return to first team duty after a long absence and certainly did not look rusty round the joints. He put in some quality through balls and one fizzing drive from 30 yards only just missed the target. No complaints in the end with Hertford coming out worthy winners. M.O.M. HERTFORD. HUTCHINGS 6 OKEKE 4 PENFOLD 2.Saturday 7th April 2007Spartan South Midlands League - Division 1STONY STRATFORD TOWN 1 COCKFOSTERS 2 KESSACK TO THE RESCUE....
|
|
This was argueably our best league performance of the season to
date considering our visitors were no pushover. The Amersham of
old are no more and they came to Chalk Lane displaying some
quality football that had us on the back foot early in the game.
With Jon Moniatis sidelined through injury Dave Pigden took on
the central strike role for us and his terrier like play was
always going to unsettle the Amersham defence. Rob Laney soon
came into the game and should have done better when clean
through on goal just prior to the Maggies taking the lead. It
looked ominous if only because of the way they easily carved us
open at the back. Fortunately straight from the kick off a
corner kick led to us drawing level when Rob Laney thumped home
a cracking header. From hereon we began to control more of the
game and skipper Steve Weldon got things sorted out at the back.
Just when it seemed level pegging was going to the case at half
time an Amersham defender laid one on the plate for Dave Pigden
to score. The second half saw us picking up another gear and in
particular Rob Laney was on fire popping up on both right and
left lanes giving Amersham's defence all sorts of headaches. It
was fitting that our third goal came from our wing wizard. A Dan
O'Connor corner was driven in low to the near post where Rob met
the ball on the half volley and in a split second Sam Beasant
saw the net bulging behind him. Whether it had been father Dave
or son Sam no keeper was going to stop that one. It was a move
perfected by Sheringham and he would have liked to have had that
goal to call his own.
MoM Points Rob Laney 8, Steve Weldon 2, Gary Haycock 2 ( See 'Players' for MoM table ) |
Our second trip to McMullen Park in the space of three weeks proved to be just as frustrating as the league encounter. We certainly did most of the pushing forward as stats of 17 corners to 4 tend to prove but alas the vital stats of goals for and against were not in our favour. It did not help matters that our hosts played a very physical game with a free kicks score of 18 to 7 and to put it midly we got a bit of a roughing up on the pitch. As with the league game the B.and V. attack had a predominately left sided flow to its game and once again the lively Jason Layne gave us problems in defence. It was his cross that set up Robert Taylor for a goal against the run of play on 30 mins. We had our chances as usual and as usual we did not take them. One cast iron case of hand ball in the box sadly did not go our way and robbed us of a level half time score. We were certainly missing the Ben Penfold engine room as indeed Gary Haycock,s aerial work was being missed especially with 17 corner kicks to feed off. Mid way through the second half B. and V. were made to pay for their rough play and lost a player to a red card following a reckless tackle on Kevin Hunt. The opportunity to exploit the hosts weakness was not fully taken up by us and instead the final nail in the coffin came on 75 mins when our pushing forward led to Colin Reid finding himself in oceans of space to net for a 2 0 advantage. That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of us and although we battled on to score an added time goal through Rob Laney the end result was a frustrating exit from the F.A. Vase. Steve Weldon was his usual collossus in defence whilst Brian Pouncett helped our skipper out with a solid supporting role. We deserved something out of this game but sadly luck was not on our side and if netball rules had not been applied a fair result would have been a replay at Chalk Lane. M.O.M. awards to follow.
Having
won at Arlesey, the target for the remaining two games was very straightforward
- six points was the minimum requirement. Standing in our way tonight was
Harpenden Town, not in the best of form currently, but nonetheless certain to be
dogged opponents on a night where we needed positive minds and actions. The
merry-go-round of availability or the lack of it brought the inevitable changes.
Chay Morris, recovered from a infected arm, returned to replace Marcin Cichowlas
who competently covered for Chay at Arlesey. Danny Hurrell was missing while
Danny Hutchings was given his second First team start. Ben Andreos
continued after a fine performance at the weekend while Gary Haycock and Jon
Moniatis, recovered from previous knocks, were on the bench. In a game that
demanded a high tempo, the first half was just about the complete opposite.
True, Cockfosters had the lion's share of the play but the reality was that
precious few chances were created. Harpenden were defending well and Dave Pigden
and Jamie Brandon made precious little headway in a half that will not live long
in the memory. There was no need to worry about Chay's arm as I cannot recall a
shot on target by either side in the opening forty-five. The half-time chatter
in the clubhouse centered around "We'll settle for a 1-0" as nerves began to
show on the Chalk Lane faithful. David Craig should take the credit for ringing
the changes at half-time. Jon Moniatis came on for Dave Pigden and Ben Penfold
reverted to his strikers role after an outstanding wing-back performance at
Arlesey and the first half of tonight's game. Harpenden must have thought they
were facing different opposition as Cockfosters laid siege to the visitors half.
Driven on by Michael Casey, Danny Hutchings, Ben Andreos and Gavin Conway the
pressure on Matt Lord in the Harpenden goal was mounting. A succession of
corners failed to provide the breakthrough and the closest we came to breaking
the deadlock was Ben Penfold who was twice foiled by good goalkeeping by Lord.
With eyes flicking between stopwatch and pitch and the clock rapidly ticking
away the urgency was building as were the anxiety levels, primarily the
spectators. Then it happened. on 64 minutes, Jamie Brandon celebrated his 18th
birthday with a sensational goal. Following a short corner, the ball found its
way to Jamie wide on the right and outside the box. With a thumping drive that
flew past Lord and into the top far corner, the roar of delight and relief was
music to the ears and could probly be heard in Ampthill and Stony Stratford..
Shortly after, Michael Casey was brought down by Lord but Referee Henderson
waved away the penalty appeals, which goalkeeper Lord admitted to those within
earshot was valid. Although Harpenden never really threatened, a one goal lead
was never going to guarantee the win, so for added insurance Gavin Conway made
way for Gary Haycock to shore up the back line. The final whistle was most
welcome although in the end there was only one team that was going to win; but
I'm not sure I would have said that after 63 minutes. Well done to all concerned
- a day off on Saturday - then press on to Cranfield next week. M.O.M Brandon 6,
Hutchings 2, Penfold 2, Andreos 2
Cockfosters greatly appreciate what David and Stan have done for
the club since they arrived at Chalk Lane. The turn around for the better in
our game did not come about by accident that's for sure. Our hosts Arlesey, have
a claim to 
fame in as much that they are the only team as yet to turn over the
express train that has been Brimsdown Rovers this season. Taking this fact into
consideration we can feel pretty good about how we cantered through a game which
could so easily have turned it into a double figure thrashing if chances missed
were taken. As early as the first minute we should have taken the lead when a
Gary Haycock attempt on goal was blocked by a piece of reverse defending from
Dave Pigden. With ten on the clock cometh the free kick, cometh the man Gavin
Conway with a beauty that hit the back of the net before the keeper even thought
about diving(pictured). That was the fifth free kick conversion by Gavin this season and
that is a good return by anybody's standards. Those free kicks are never about
power blasting but more about skill and deceptive flight that screw keepers up
making them look silly. Ben Penfold was given the task of impersonating Lee
Barker bombing down the right and what a good act he put on. Ben was more than
up for it and all our first half pressure seemed to have his label on it. Goal
number two came on 30 mins and this time Conway fired in a free kick that
invited a good head to attack it. That good head belonged to Jamie Brandon who
planted the ball into the net with the sweetest of quality headers. Our every
attack had a mesmerised host defence in all sorts of trouble but it was not
until the last kick of the first half that we made another chance count. A Steve
Weldon header was skilfully looped over the Arlesey defence in order for Dave
Pigden to time a perfect run to put him in on goal and as cool as a cucumber our
ferret poacher tucked the ball away into the net. We took our foot off the gas
in the second half but still managed to give the Arlesey back line plenty of
headaches. One headache that they could not cope with however was a bustling
Dave Pigden run which took him to the by line whereupon he put in a devastating
cross that Jamie Brandon said thank you very much to. We could and should have
had a lot more goals but the nearest we came to another was a spanking header
from sub Steve Scripps that rapped the crossbar. Despite our dominance the
second half did have its Arlesey moments but Marcin Cichowlas showed us just how
lucky we are to have such a good keeper to slip into Chay's boots. Talking of
Chay we of course all wish him well following a small bout of hospitalisation
bought about by an arm injury that become infected following the Hertford match.
Rumours say that third in the league could still give us promotion and if so it
is deserving on a terrific young set of lads. M.O.M. ARLESEY. PENFOLD 5 PIGDEN 2 CICHOWLAS 2 BRANDON 1 CONWAY 1
HAYCOCK 1
Our third encounter with the ,Blues,
saw us reap just revenge with a win in their tough and
uncompromising own backyard. Ostlers Field is a formidable fortress
and for us to take the home side to penalties in a cup tie and then
nick 3 home points from them in the space of two weeks is a feather
in our cap. Promotion now all hinges on Ampthill slipping up twice
whereas we have to not slip up at all and with our run in that is
not too hard a task. Brimsdown of course can do us a massive favour
and Ampthill will be more than aware of how important that encounter
is to them. We took the game to Stony with some lively inter active
play which frequently got us behind enemy lines but our hosts back
line dug in with some do or die defending just as we were about to
pull the trigger. They were fortunate when Jon Moniatis just failed
to get enough on an header from an up and under and although the
keeper was beaten the ball went narrowly wide of an empty net. That
was soon followed by our first goal from the in form Dan O'Connor
who latched on to a loose ball from a poor defensive clearance and
in a flash the space was made for him to smash home an unstoppable
shot past a very static keeper. Ben Penfold in particular was giving
the Stony brick wall a torrid time and was unlucky not to add to our
lead when Kevin Reade made a good opening for him. Defensively we
were looking sound across the back and if things did get a bit dodgy
the safe hands of Chay Morris tidied things up for us. Chay is
without question in a very rich vein of form and just cannot put a
glove wrong. Our first half lead was more than justified and rather
than make the nonsensical long hike back to the changing room the
team decided to rough it on the side of the pitch. Within minutes of
the restart Jon Moniatis laid one on the plate for Michael Casey who
duly obliged by tucking the ball away into the net but somehow the
referee deemed Jon to have mysteriously fouled an opponent. We went
off the boil from hereon with Stony getting more into the game and
when they levelled from a brilliant defence splitting long ball it
looked as though they would go into cruise control and take the
game. With twenty to go however a speculatve break by Steve Kessack
down the left led to our winning goal. Whether it was meant to be a
cross or a shot only Steve really knows but the balls path was inch
perfect as it swept past the keeper and into the far corner of the
net. Stony plugged away but we were now back on song and held on for
the 3 points. It was good to see Kevin Reade put in a good solid
display galloping down the right. Kevin is a fine club man and it is
to his like the manager has to turn to when he has to juggle the
team sheet around. We can still pull off the promotion thing but
whatever happens it has been a wonderful effort from the lads who
wear the red shirt of Cockfosters. M.O.M. HODDESDON. MORRIS 5
WELDON 2 PENFOLD 2 OKEKE 2 O,CONNOR 1 STONY STRATFORD MORRIS
4 WELDON 3 OKEKE 2 PENFOLD 1 O,CONNOR 1 KESSACK 1
ell
to Dan O'Connor who fired home from just inside the box. What
followed next was our customary letting off the hook style of play
with far too many chances being thrown away. Good fisherman always
land their catch but we however like to let too many escape from
entering the net.
Brandon
was in the thick of it all when we attacked and he popped up all
over the place frightening the shits out of any B. and V. player who
tried to take him on. One little party trick saw him slip the ball
between two static defenders, it was in effect a pass to himself and
in a flash he was delivering a killer cross that O'Connor just
failed to convert with a kneeling header. Dan was letting another
fish escape the net only seconds later when he blazed wide following
a brilliantly worked set up by Moniatis. Samson Okeke in the
meantime was on another planet with some lung bursting runs from
deep that created havoc whenever he ventured forward. One of those
runs on 40 mins set up Jon Moniatis for a sniff at goal and our 21
goal man made no mistake in putting the tally up to 22. Despite our
dominating play Chay Morris twice came to our rescue the first
occasion being when we fell asleep from a throw in and a one on one
had to be dealt with. The second half saw us losing our way as time
after time promising moves broke down through sloppy final balls. A
penalty miss by Jon Moniatis on 65 mins added to our woes and the
game from thereon got even more messy. Sub Dave Pigden was denied
two certain goals when good intelligent poaching runs into the box
were ignored first by Penfold and then by Moniatis. The crunch
factor to all this is we should have taken more goals out of this
game and eaten away at rival Ampthill Town's goal difference which
in reality is an extra point in the bag for them. We narrowed it
by just one to six but it should have been a lot more. Chay Morris
had one of those games when he did not put a foot wrong and although
he never had too much menacing stuff to deal with his overall
display was top drawer. M.O.M. VOTES MORRIS 5 OKEKE 3 WELDON 3
BARKER 1 
It
may have all ended in tears, but take a bow Jamie Brandon. At first this
tie did not go too well for us with Stony looking as mean at the back as they
did at Chalk Lane only three days previously. Trying to get the width back
buzzing in our game was not proving easy and that has always been a strong
feature of our game when we are up for it. We did take a surprise lead on 20
mins when Dave Pigden chased a back pass towards keeper Egerton. It proved to be
a Paul Robinson type nightmare for the hapless keeper as his wild swing at the
ball smashed into thin air and a seemingly innocent back pass rolled into the
net. Stony are good down the flanks and it was a cross from the left that saw
them draw level 10 mins later . We were at our charitable worse allowing their
striker time to read War and Peace before slotting home the ball. The same thing
occurred close to half time and our hosts once again accepted the offer of a
goal for the taking. Our best efforts on goal came from a Nicky Page special
which the keeper only just read right and a Tony Burke drive that gave Egerton
the opportunity to atone for his earlier gaff. The second half saw Page and
Steward make way for Brandon and Hurrel . Almost immediately it was clear Jamie
Brandon was going to upset the normally unruffled Stony defence with his tricky
skills and pace. Whenever he was fed with the ball he produced and to be honest
he is nigh impossible to defend against when in full flow. From a supporters
point of view the young lad sends tingles down the spine once he has the ball at
his feet. Despite our new found zest for the game we went two goals down on 65
mins when Marcin Cicholwas was beaten all ends up by a 30 yard free kick. That
goal however only succeeded in pumping up Jamie for his party spoiling piece.
Within 5 mins he crashed home the ball following a brilliantly parried shot from
keeper Egerton. By now we were really at Stony's throats and it was the old
Cockfosters at their rampant best. A deserved leveller came with 5 to go when
the ball bobbled around in the box and eventually found a path into the Stony
net. Extra time soon went pear shaped for us when Lee Barker was alleged to have
handled in the box and the referee saw it as deliberate. Lee Barker's sending
off was the cue for Marcin to pull of a Dudek style penalty save to keep
us in the game. At the turn around we were still very much the dominant force as
Brandon continued to tease and harass Stony's Wickes type stone wall defence. A
long Laney throw in was headed backwards by Haycock and as the ball fell to
Jamie he killed it like a bag of cement and followed it with cool overhead flick
that gave him the opportunity to fire home at the near post. Magic stuff. In the
final seconds Rob Laney and Samson Okeke advanced on the Stony goal unchallenged
but contrived to miss the chance for a 5-3 win. From the resultant goal-kick,
Stony made one last charge and sadly the gallant 10 could not hold out and
Stony made it 4.- 4. close to time. The penalty shoot out did not go our way but
that cannot detract from the fact that our players one and all gave it their
best shot and we as a club can feel justly proud of them. M.O.M. votes to follow
but I am sure Samson's super human showing will not go unrewarded whereas Jamie
Brandon's performance was something so very special and yes indeed a star is
born. 
We
needed 3 points from this game if we were going to have any chance of the title
outright. Stony got the 3 points so barring miracles its good night nurse as
far as the title is concerned. In all honesty we looked a jaded outfit due
mainly to a few players going off song and others clearly not fully match fit.
Stony caught us stone cold within 4 mins when Marc Redsull siezed on a defensive
mix up to put the visitors one up. It was a sign of things to come because we
did not look our old selves at the back. On 21 mins however the trusty head of
Gary Haycock put us back in the game. A corner kick was sent out back wide from
the Stony defence only for Tony Burke to clip over the perfect cross for Gary to
smash into the net. Within 5 mins of the second half we were a goal down again
this time a somewhat flukey effort from Dave Holloway which took a wicked
deflection to deceive Chay. Our wide play just was not working for us and to
their credit our visitors knew how to shut it down to be totally ineffective.
The 3 sub injection of Casey, Brandon and Page spiced things up towards the end
but that leveller could not be found and Stony were in truth well worth their 3
points. Only Chay's brilliance, with some fine first-half saves, kept the
scoreline respectable for us. Jamie Brandon, who came on late on, looked lively
down the left and was unlucky with one sharp chance that came his way. Our best
chance of nicking a point fell to Dan O'Connor when clean through on goal he
managed to let the Stony keeper rob him of the ball. No excuses we were a bit
flat and not up for it on the day. M.O.M. HAYCOCK 6 MORRIS 4 CLARK 2.
BALLBOY 10
This
much look forward to game was played out at our hosts first class stadium a far
cry from Oakhill Park's mudbath which some of our players were playing on only
the weekend previous. Right from the off it was clear Chay would be asked to
play a bigger than usual role in the match as Bromley went straight into a
routine of slick passing on the deck style footie. To our credit in the opening
45 we contained a first choice Bromley side which are as near as damn it are at
Conference level. Our defending was top drawer as we had to keep out wave after
wave of attacking play and with a bit of luck we could have unlocked our hosts
defence with some cheeky breakaways. As it turned out our only real effort that
worked their keeper came late in the half when O'Connor broke down the left to
have a crack at goal. We did have other near misses especially when Penfold made
his teasing runs down the right channel but the final killer ball could never be
found. Chay in the meantime was being worked out hard and he eventually
succumbed on 30 mins to a fierce header by Barry Moore that rapped the bar
before dropping down over the line. In the second half it was vitally important
that a second goal for Bromley had to be stalled off for as long as possible in
order for us to have a speak of a chance of getting something out of the game.
It did not happen that way and when Adam Greenway hit the first of his four
second half goals the Fat Lady was tuning up for her song. We battled and
battled holding our heads high without never being overrun. The lads in red did
the club proud. Our best sniff at a consolation goal came when Penfold got
through into the box only to be outdone by a brilliant defensive tackle from the
classy Sam Wood. M.O.M. MORRIS 4 BURKE 3 OKEKE 2 CLARK 2 PENFOLD 1
One
thing you can guarantee about Brache Sparta is that you know by the
end of ninety minutes that you have been in a game. So it was as
these teams met for the fourth time this season , on this occasion
battling for the right to take on Stony Stratford Town in the
semi-final of the Division One Cup. Cockfosters earned the right for
'home' advantage after sliping and sliding through ninety minutes
before the referee abandoned the game at Brache's Foxdell home a
fortnight ago. David Craig was forced to readjust his thinking on
team selection right up to the last minute possible as Michael
Casey, groin strain and Samson Okeke, mental abhorition were late
withdrawals. On the plus side there was a recall for Steve Weldon,
after a comeback in the Reserves at the weekend and it was good to
see long term inury, Gary Haycock back involved. From the first
moments Cockfosters penned back Brache and it only took seven
minutes to make the breakthrough. Lee Barker made a customary surge
up the right and was rewarded for his efforts driving the ball
low past Diego Vazquez in the Brache goal. At this stage it looked
as if Cockfosters would be having an easy passage as Brache were
unable to stem the flow from the wide areas and the clever
prompting of Tony Burke. Ten minutes after establishing the lead,
Cockfosters shredded the visitors back line once more. This time
Steve Kessack stormed up the left before cutting the ball back from
the goal-line to Ben Penfold. Ben's sidefoot effort had 'goal'
written all over it as Vazquez was beaten only to be rescued by a
goal-line
clearance by James Dickson. This signalled a change in the tide and
Cockfoster's threats on the Brache goal abated and it was the turn
of the Reds to defend. Brache were becoming very competitive in
midfield and although territorially they gained an advantage they
had precious little joy as Steve Weldon & Co held firm. The second
half began with the Reds once more in the driving seat. Danny
Hurrell in a central midfield and role won most that came his
way and Tony Burke's prompting caused the visitors problems. On 67
minutes Cockfosters doubled the advantage. Lee Barker won a race and
a challenge from Dickson to send in a cross from the right. The
delivery seemed to be a touch too firm but Jon Moniatis fed the the
ball back into the path of Dave Pigden who drilled the ball past
Vazquez to seemingly settle the tie. But credit Brache they battled
back and once again Cockfosters, if not hanging on, were beginning
to glance at the clock. That nervousness heightened when, after much
deliberation with his Assitant, the referee awarded a dubious
penalty for Lee Barker handling. Ashley Shanahan stepped up to thump
the ball high into the net to set up a tight finish. With the game
already two minutes into added time, Brache should have forced the
extra thirty minutes but thankfully for Cockfosters and their
faithful, Prospere managed to head over when it seemed easier to
score. An entertaining game from too battling sides.
MOM ---Danny Hurrell 4, Lee Barker 3, Steve Weldon 3, Tony Burke 2
With
the Swans experiencing an indifferent season not knowing what sort
of form they are likely to show on the pitch, this game looked good
for 3 away points. In its early stages that seemed to be the case as
we soon began to set about testing the host keeper. Dan O'Connor was
driving forward showing his usual gutsy spirit and with only 2 mins
on the clock he should have done better with a clear opening on
goal. It was 'gung ho' stuff from us and every raid looked like
opening up Athletics defence. Nicky Page set up the galloping Steve
Kessack for a run in on goal but Steve snatched at the opportunity
and a grateful keeper was glad to see the ball sail over the bar.
Michael Casey then had what looked like an absolute stonking sitter
just 2 feet from goal but somehow he could not dig the ball out from
his own 2 feet and he stabbed it wide. At times our playing
formation looked like nothing known to coaching manuals, so geared
up to driving forward were we. As a result we paid for it with a
sucker punch that led to the Swans having the audacity to take the
lead. Chay unfortunately had about as much protection as a leaky
condom when on 20 mins Andy Bennett found himself in oceans of space
to score a simple goal. Right from the restart O'Connor fed Kessack
with a dream ball that should have ended up in the net but Steve's
shot went agonisingly wide. Our leveller however did eventually come
on 30 mins when Jon Moniatis had his heels clipped as he was about
to make one of his trademark drifting runs across the box. Needless
to say Jon dispatched the spot kick in his usual emphatic style.
Just before the interval the Swans let us off the hook when Chay
once again found the protection thing in front of him somewhat
leaky. Fortunately for us our scare ended up with a miss of the
season on our goal. At half time Ian Clark was replaced by new
signing Dan Gruar a prolific net finder for local team Hadley.
Buckingham seemed more up for it in the second half whereas our game
went down the pan with some of our crappiest play of the season
being served up. We were very lucky not to go down again within
seconds of the start. Our raids up front were not carrying the same
threat although Gruar did manage three solid efforts on goal with
the best being matched by a piece of brilliant goal keeping. Conway
came on for O'Connor in order to try and infuse some steady flow to
our game that would settle us down but it was the last throw of the
dice that produced the magic turnaround. A third striker Dave Pigden
was thrown into the fray with 10 mins to play. Just when it seemed
we were going to be denied our 3 point target Jon Moniatis slipped
Dave Pigden in for a sniff at goal. The chance was expertly snapped
up with a piece of cool finishing fit enough to grace any
premiership arena. It is worth noting that if man hours on the pitch
are taken into consideration Dave has an excellent strike rate
probably better than any other in the squad. We did manage to pick
up a dug out red card when David Craig went over the top with some
poetic verbal but that did not stop us from bagging the 3 points we
went for. Kevin Hunt had a good solid game as did Samson Okeke and
Steve Kessack. Overall however this was a poor show and the win was
only salvaged by a bit of Pigden class being shown at the right
time. M.O.M. HUNT 6 KESSACK 4 MONIATIS 1 OKEKE 1.
All games are important nowadays for
the Reds but it has to be said this one was to be the crunch game if
that title should come to roost at Chalk Lane. After the way we
battled to beat Ampthill on their own patch earlier this season
there was for certain going to be plenty of fierce rivalry in the
game. Right from the start we went straight into attack mode and one
by line cross from Jon Moniatis had our hosts defence in all sorts
of a mess and they were grateful to see the ball shave the upright.
From thereon however we were soon to realise that our own backline
looked vulnerable whenever Ampthill counter attacked with plenty of
threatening pace. They looked good and up for it whereas we went on
to become a disjointed outfit finding it difficult to string passes
together. After one early scare on Chay's goal Ampthill made the
next one count when Tony Hill swept into our box to fire home. It
looked all too easy and it knocked us even more out of our stride.
In particular it looked as though the Ampthill management had done
their homework on our characteristic lively wing play. Laney and
Barker were smothered every time they got sight of the ball. Our
best chance of levelling before half time fell to Laney but with the
keeper asking to be lobbed Rob blazed wildly over the bar. It could
so easily have been us going two down just before the break but
thankfully Chay pulled off a great save to deny an ever threatening
Ampthill attack. Gavin Conway was replaced by Tony Burke for the
second half and although we huffed and puffed trying to be creative
nothing seemed to gel together for us. Too many players were having
an off day with Micheal Casey, Chay Morris and Samson Okeke the
exceptions. The killer second goal against us came with 15 mins to
go and it came via a Stuart Reynolds penalty following a lunging
Samson Okeke challenge which to be honest looked to be outside the
box. Our bench was then thrown on to the pitch with Nicky Page
looking good from the very moment he touched the ball. It was
fitting that he snatched our consolation goal close to time with a
brilliant individual effort that even had the Ampthill keeper
applauding. Earlier Tony Burke had provoked keeper Andy Gibb into
making a fine save to keep his goal intact.It was in fact the only
time throughout the game he was forced into making a save which
summed up our performance. Towards the end we gave it everything but
some good defending and the unlucky run of the ball denied us an
equaliser. At the end of it all no complaints we never performed to
our recent high standards and well played Ampthill. M.O.M. CASEY 8
OKEKE 2 MORRIS 1. Note 1 vote missing due to one judge abstaining.
For the first quarter of this game
we as a team were clearly finding a feel for the pitch. There was no
confident flow to our game and as can be expected all our opposition
nowadays see us as a target to make a name for themselves. Make no
mistake about it the name COCKFOSTERS means something in the league
and we really are truly playing like SPARTANS. Slowly but surely we
began to put things together and Sun Postal's early resistance
gradually began to show signs of being stretched at the back with
every attack we created. Those sweeping moves with passes being
sprayed across the park to our wings has been a wonderful feature of
our game this season and we must be thankful that we have the class
players to knit it all together. Once Sun Postal felt the
pressure our chances soon came along with our superb midfield
engineering wave after wave of raids on keeper Andy Felton's goal.
Frustratingly we let Sun off the hook by snatching at too many of
the goal scoring opportunities that came our way including some
absolute sitters amongst them. There was one scorching drive from
Ben Penfold that burst the back of our hosts net but cruelly the
complexed off side rules of today denied us of the breakthrough we
deserved. Level at half time was not what we wanted and we
desperately needed a goal to settle us down so that we could go for
the jugular of a Sun team who had little to offer in
attack. Thankfully that elusive goal soon came along early into the
second half. Ben Penfold's driving run down the right side of the
box took him to within the whites of the keepers eyes before
slipping the ball cleverly home passing fashion into the net. It
was a typical piece of Penfold class which prompted the
annoyed guardian of the net to utter, F*** it,! Our second goal was
almost a carbon copy of the first except this time it was Lee Barker
in the driving seat. The same right channel was exploited following
a dream move between Penfold, Burke and our galloping wing back Lee
who delivered the lethal ,coupe de gras,. Tony Burke back with us
after his wanderings slipped into the game from the bench ten
minutes into the second half and it was he more than any who helped
turn the game for us. A delightful flicked pass from Tony sent Jon
Moniatis through right down the throat of Sun's by now demoralised
defence but somewhat amazingly the piece of butchery that followed
was deemed to be a fair tackle by the referee. Shortly afterwards
Jon slipped a tight marker in the box and this time the attempt to
stop him en route for goal was seen as unfair. Needless to say
Moniatis penalty takes end up in only one place and that is in the
back of the net. Jon now clearly had a sniff for goal and it was not
long before he was bursting through the mddle channel once again.
There was a time when it looked as though Jon had got it all wrong
but although his rounding of the keeper took him to a tight angle on
goal he finished in clinical style. Jon's hat trick goal was one to
really savour and striking at its very best. The ability to create
openings in order to get feet in strike mode on ball has to be part
of a good strikers armoury. Jon showed these qualities when he left
a close marker for dead in the box and in a split second it was case
of pick that one out of the net sunshine. Our back line looks better
with every game no matter what changes Craigie has to juggle around
with and 17 for with 1 against over the past four games proves it.
Kevin Hunt, Ian Clark, Samson Okeke and Chay Morris were so sound
and solid in their roles that they made Sun's front line look poor
when in reality it is they that are so good at their game of
shutting up shop. Our midfield is one of the best engine rooms in
the league and it is their craft that contributes so much to the
intense pressure we put our opposition under. Gavin Conway, Dan
O'Connor, and Michael Casey all had brilliant games whilst our
terrible twins Lee and Rob provide the quality width that gives our
present game so much magical flair. Most of the results went our
way over the weekend thus leaving us with a more secure foothold at
the top of the league. Again it was nice to see our injured team
captain Steve Weldon turn up at an away game to support his fellow
teamates. Things like this do not go unnoticed by the club and
neither does the great effort being made by the team this year. We
are proud of you one and all. M.O.M. MONIATIS 3 CONWAY 2 OKEKE 2
BURKE 2 CLARK 1 HUNT 1 CASEY 1
to their credit Winslow done a good job defending even though at
times lady luck came to their aid. Ben Penfold set up Dave Pigden
for a sitter but his shot cannoned off the keepers body and at the
second bite of the cherry Dave found the crossbar. Lee Barker then
set up Penfold for another golden opportunity but Ben's first touch
was not good enough to take the chance. Barker was again provider
when Nicky Page should have buried a simple far post strike. Craigie
must have put a rocket up the teams backside at half time because
those chances soon began to turn into goals in the second half. The
Barker and Page combination in particular was working well down the
right wing. Lee slipped in a ball for Nicky to hit the byline with
and his cross found the inrushing Danny Hurrell who made no mistake
in bagging his first goal for the Reds. This goal triggered off a
mini goal glut with Dave Pigden
adding a second 5 mins later. Once
again it was the Barker, Page duo who created the chance for Dave to
slip a low drive beneath the keepers body. Page was again doing the
providing shortly afterwards when a sweet through ball found Lee
Barker galloping down the middle to net number three. It was yet
again the terrible tormenters combining to lay a goal on the plate
for a grateful Dave Pigden who tapped in from the goal line. For the
second game running Jon Moniatis came off the subs bench to net the
goal of the game. Driving forward Jon was pushed wide of goal and
from a seemingly impossible angle he shot home from a position just
inches away from the byline. We were not at our best in this game
and yet we chalked up our biggest win margin of the season. The
league is a bit chaotic at the moment with some teams having as many
as 6 games in hand over us but we can do no more than keep on
winning and that is why we sit proudly on top of the league. M.O.M.
CASEY 4 OKEKE 2 CLARK 2 BARKER 2 CONWAY 1 HURRELL 1
For the second
game running the lads in red were asked to ply their skills as
footballers on a waterlogged pitch. In comparison the K.T.F.C. game was
played out on a field of dreams whereas Holloway Park could be better
described as a field of screams so appalling were the conditions.
Somehow the referee gave a nod to the game starting and in driving rain
we set about coping with the conditions as best we could. Short passes
of just a few yards required maximum wellie, and for a start no side had
any answers to how moves could be conjured up. In the first half we
were fortunate to have both our attacking flanks in reasonable condition
and it was these areas that we exploited with Laney and Barker as our
main thrust. Penfold as always drifted intelligently into channels
either side of the box and was unlucky early on with an angled shot that
keeper Beasant did well to smother. On his very next raid down the same
left channel Ben found some support in Dave Pigden and his byline cut
back had just enough legs on it to enable Dave to drill home from six
yards. We were now getting the measure of the conditions with some of
our familiar driving forward game keeping the Magpies back for prolonged
spells. A Dan O'Connor free kick into the box was met sweetly by Laney's
right peg but the ball just skimmed the upright. Amersham were showing
practically no threat up front and it came as no surprise when our
powerhouse play reaped more dividends. Michael Casey produced a piece of
individual magic when from fully forty yards he drove the ball over a
too advanced Beasant into an 
empty
net. Things got worse for our hosts when ten mins from the break they
lost a man to a double yellow card. With the rain letting up for the
second half we seemed to take our foot off the gas and allowed ten men
Amersham a few pots at goal. It was left to the battling Dave Pigden to
settle us down with his second goal of the game and his fourth against
Amwersham this season. A Gavin Conway through ball slowed down by the
wet surface enabled Dave to nip and round the luckless Beasant for a
walk into the net goal. Nicky Page and Jon Moniatis entered the fray
late in the game and both found time to get on the scoresheet. Nicky
made it 4 nil with a coolly taken dipper that once again saw Beasant
beaten by a shot over his head. A penalty for the Magpies added a bit of
respectability to the scoreline but their was still time for one last
treat in the form a Jon Moniatis special. A break down the left saw Jon
take the ball down to the byline whereupon he then drifted menacingly
across the box Perez fashion before smacking the ball home. That was
vintage Monnie at his very best. A mean tackle on Page led to a further
Amersham dismissal, this time a straight red. Jamie Brandon was given a
run out for the last ten mins and was unlucky with two fine goal
attempts. Forgive the pun but this winger is some fine jewel to have
waiting in the wings. Yet another super show from those wearing the red
shirt, you did us proud yet again and all for a few sandwiches at the
end of the game, a million miles away from the prima donnas of the
Barclays premier league. It was a nice touch to see our injured team
captain Steve Weldon travelling to the game to support his team mates. M.O.M. CASEY 4 PIGDEN 3 PENFOLD 2 CONWAY 1 BARKER 1 OKEKE 
Conditions for this game were
atrocious for the players both on and off the pitch. The wild
wet weather had the last say on how the pitch would play and
that after all was in God's hands. Off the pitch however there
can be little excuse for not providing the basic requirement of
hot water for the players to have a shower. After seeing how
magnificently our players performed on the pitch it was a sad
sight to watch them struggle home back to Chalk Lane for a
decent shower still cold and wet from the field of play. To cap
it all three of those players O'Connor, Casey and Kessack had
valuable belongings stolen from out of the dressing room. One
can always argue that the valuables box should have been used
but it still does not take away the fact some scum saw fit to
rob three of our players who had just burst their lungs out for
the Cockfosters cause. As for the game itself it could be said
that not many officials would have given it the
green light to
start but it did and both sides had to accept it. Right from the
start it was plain that fancy moves were going to need Lady Luck
involved in them somewhere if they were going to create
openings. Passes were nigh impossible to thread through at the
right pace and players spent more time on their arses than their
feet. Kentish Town looked lively up front and it was clear Chay
would see a lot of the game and that he did with some highly
competent keeping which to be honest kept us in the game for the
first 45 mins. We were not lacking in our ability to get in
behind our hosts back line and the early signs were that
Moniatis and Penfold would capitalise with their dangerous
penetrating runs at some stage. Our best first half chances came
from a set piece header from Weldon that just scraped the
upright and a Laney far post effort following a powerful driving
run from Barker. Mystery surrounded a refereeing decision that
led to the senior official overulling his assistant who had
flagged for a penalty when Penfold was mauled in the box. Their
followed bizarre scenes where the Town players were seen to be
argueing frantically with the referee for a decision he had
given their way. It was pantomime stuff and really not fit to be
seen on the serious field of play at a football match. Despite
that it is fair to say Kentish Town edged a first half where the
mad following wind did no favours for our defenders. In the
second half wind advantage saw us making better use of the
conditions than our hosts did and frequently we made runs right
through the throat of their defence. The beauty of our game is
that these runs can come from so many different sources so rich
are we in players with footballing brains capable of seeing when
a break is on. Five mins after the interval Moniatis let Barker
in for one of his surging driving runs down the right. Lee
powered on brushing away all tackles and as he closed in on
goal he let blast with a drive that the keeper had no chance of
controlling. The ball spun out to the edge of the six yard box
where Penfold sent it back into the net where it belonged. From
hereon we began to take the game by the scruff of the neck with
Town's defence having no answer to holding their back line
together other than to constantly appeal for the linesman to
help them out with his flag. Fifteen mins into the half the
right decision was made to take the players off the pitch as the
driving rain and hailstones made Town's defending impossible.
Fortunately things improved enough for the game to restart after
just five mins and we carried on where we left off with us
constantly getting in on the Towns goal with embarrasing ease.
Penfold and Moniatis in particular were up for it in these type
of conditions whilst in midfield Casey, O'Connor and Conway were
absolutely brilliant throughout. The former surely has no equal
in the league at playing out the destroying role with such
machine like effectiveness. Our wide berth areas are patrolled by
two quality players in Barker and Laney both of whom have passed
their exams in defending and attacking. It was left to the
energetic Penfold to sew the game up for us on 70 mins. Ben's run
into the box ended up with him coolly rounding keeper Noonan
and sliding the ball into an empty net. Shortly afterwards
Captain Noonan had to leave the field of play with a bad rib
injury. Penfold got a bit of a roughing up in this game and it
is to his credit that he does not react to some of the treatment
dished out to him. Their were times when it looked as though
their were attempts too bury him alive in the Claremont Rd mud.
So for us its back on top of the league where we rightly belong
and although not wishing to sound boring let us not forget
Motormouth's role in it all. Although we are only allowed 11
players on the pitch Craigie is like having a twelth man
actually on the field of play. Once again no apologies are made
for thanking the team for a truly gutsy performance played out
with a sheer passion for the game which we at Cockfosters so
greatly appreciate. M.O.M. CASEY 4 CONWAY 3 MORRIS 3 PENFOLD 2
If
ever a game lived up to its expectations this one did.It passed as
excellent entertainment with flying colours and all those that took
part in it are to be congratulated for the way they played out the
beautiful game. Right from the start we clicked into top gear
showing no respect for Rovers miserly defensive record of only 7
goals conceded coupled with a massive 35 plus goal difference. Our
old familiar driving forward game was clearly in powerhouse mode
giving our visitors the opportunity to put in plenty of overtime at
the back. Jon Moniatis should have given us an early lead but
somehow the ball got stuck under his feet and the chance was lost.
From our midfield came a constant supply of ammunition with lively
raids coming up all over the park. The lads were on fire and Rovers
knew they were going to have to scrap it out if that total of 7
goals conceded was going to be kept intact. Dan O'Connor and Ben
Penfold should have made that tally 8 but both snatched at clear
chances on goal. Brimsdown although finding it hard going at the
back were showing signs that on the rare opportunities they pushed
forward they had the nippy front men to open us up on the break.
Motormouth was in his glory welcoming the chance to drive his
players relentlessly on and it is no exaggeration to say that he was
part of a three man move that eventually saw us take a deserved
lead. Rob Laney broke down the left and screaming from the touchline
Craigie urged Rob to take his marker on. That marker was probably
one of the best full backs in the league and Laney left him for dead
with a brilliant piece of trickery inside the six yard box. The
final lay off saw Jon Moniatis in exactly the same position
as his earlier miss but this time Jon smashed the ball into the roof
of the net. We had the better of a pulsating first half and should
have been rewarded with a bigger lead if only because of the way we
took the game to Rovers. The second half continued in the same vein
for us with our visitors being hunted down whenever they had the
cheek to get hold of the ball. To see Michael Casey acting out his
midfield destroying role is a sight for sore eyes. It is all done
clean fair but hard with no compromise or respect shown to any
opponent who gets in his way. We had opportunities to add to our
lead the best of them falling to Ben Penfold and Lee Barker who both
blazed hopelessly wide when a lay off was screaming out as a better
option. Ben was unlucky
with another angled cross shot that led to a fine save from Keeper
Alan Buck. The time for change came ten mins from time with Jon
making way for Dave Pigden up front. Sadly Dave's early contribution
was to lose out in midfield and within seconds the ball was being
picked out of the net by Chay following some hesitant play at the
back. At the end of the game it was nice to hear the fair minded
Rovers committee all to a man admitting Cockfosters were the better
side on the day. Speaking from a personal view which I am sure will
be endorsed by the rest of the Cockfosters committee I would like to
convey thanks to all those players who have given us such great
entertainment so far this season. It should more than anything be
recognised that these players who don the red shirt do so for the
sheer love of the game without a penny in payment. We as a committee
are fully aware of this and thank you for doing your part in keeping
the Cockfosters proud cockerel crowing and long may it continue to
crow. To one and all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
M.O.M. CASEY 6 WELDON 4 PENFOLD 1 OKEKE 1 
This
match was to be the first of a tough pre Christmas schedule and
Brache Sparta's notorious ,Field of Dreams, produced all the
necessary gremlins needed to knock us out of our stride. The
very sight of Foxdells ploughed field is enough to frighten off
any visiting team accustomed to playing a passing game. A
football is round but it can so easily take on the antics of a
rugby ball when asked to roll over such a nightmare surface. No
excuses however and the truth is we never adapted to take on the
challenge of mastering the pitch. When a football takes on the
antics of a rugby ball the passing game has to go out of the
window. The first half saw us going
close on several occasions and to be honest we should have had
an half time lead. Rob Laney had a good penalty claim backfire
on him with a yellow card for diving. Dan O'Connor had a a
goalbound shot deflected for a corner and from it Steve Weldon
was unlucky to see his snap shot go straight into the keepers
arms. Although we shaded the first half the signs were there
that the Foxes knew all about playing the cunning game and some
of their on the break football looked scary. Chay Morris had to
be on top of his game when those quick breaks managed to
penetrate our normally solid back line. We had our chances in
the second half with Michael Casey, Rob Laney and Dave Pigden
all just missing out but that sucker punch from the Foxes always
looked to be on the cards as we tried to push forward. We got a
bit ragged at times mainly due to the frustration of being
denied playing our passing game and that frustration grew when
Brache punished us with a 85 min strike. Our pushing forward was
all too easy for the Brache on the break play and we went 2-0.
down well into added time. Without wishing to be too biased it
is fair to say we deserved something from the game and that
maybe the 120 min Romford epic took its toll on our players as
we tried to take on Brache Spartas frightening ,Field of
Dreams,. Super performances came from Michael Casey, Chay Morris
and Samson Okeke who worked like a trojan keeping one of the
best strikers in the league quiet throughout the entire game.
M.O.M. VOTES OKEKE 6 MORRIS 3 CASEY 2 CONWAY 1
Things
are beginning to get serious at Chalk Lane nowadays and our top of
the table roost looks to be more than justified. Our powerhouse
style of play is capable of unsettling any team the league can throw
at us. Their is now a kind of machine like efficiency within the
squad and all departments look to be firing on all cylinders. In
particular the midfield is purring away nicely with supporting
attack play that opposing defences find so very difficult to
contain. Sun Postal had hardly got the smell of the changing room
out of their system when the Red Machine hit them with a classic 60
second opener. Brilliant passing movements on the left touchline
between Hurrell and Laney resulted in the latter streaking down the
byline to deliver a killer ball into the six yard box. No one got
any sort of connection on the ball and as it bobbled around Rob
himself ventured into the fray to smack the ball home. An odd goal
in as much that creator eventually finished up as finisher of his
own work. The goal triggered of a non stop barrage of attacking play
that our visitors had no answer to, especially the penetrating runs
of Dan O'Connor who was on high octane stuff covering every blade of
grass on the pitch. On 25 mins after a prolonged spell of pressure
Sun Postal surrendered to a lethal strike carved out by Jon Moniatis
and finished by the in form Ben Penfold. O'Connor in the meantime
was still creating havoc wherever his legs would carry him and he
deseverdly got in on the scoring act after 35 mins. Dan latched on
to a peach of a through ball from Conway and made no mistake with a
shot that blasted into the roof of the net. Prior to that Dan had a
goal disallowed which led to spectators scratching their heads
wondering just where the infringement took place,. a video clip
proving conclusively that the goal should have stood. The second
half should have seen the scoreline doubled but we were in a
charitable mood and even allowed Sun the luxury of a penalty which
went sadly wide. Rob Laney, Kevin Reade, Ian Clark and Ben Penfold
all put in five star performances whereas O,Connor was on something
else and had the game of his life. Dave Pigden scored what looked to
be another perfectly good goal with his first touch as sub but it
was scratching heads time again and where these decisions come from
his hard to believe sometimes. M.O.M. VOTES O'CONNOR 8 LANEY
3 WELDON 1
Prior
to this game the general opinion was that it would be a true
test of our current winning ways. It has to be said we passed
the test with flying colours and our visitors came off Dacre
Field knowing they had been beaten by a better team. This win
chalked up our seventh straight league win on home soil and but
for 3 points thrown away at Bedford U.V. we could now be sitting
on top of the league. Things are on the change and Cockfosters
are looking good, very good. Most importantly the camerardian
spirit running rampant within the squad is sky high and
motormouth David Craig the man responsible for injecting that
spirit is to be congratulated. More than anything he has
installed confidence in his players, some of them playing even
better than they thought they could. The game started off with
both sides eyeing each other up but it soon became obvious that
we were putting Kentish Town on the back foot with regular
ease. We are now more capable of putting constant pressure on
opposing defences and although that pressure usually contains a
catologue of missed chances the law of averages will always bear
fruit at some stage. Amongst the chances that went begging was a
Ben Penfold strike that should have found the net and not the
upright as it did. An even easier opportunity fell to Gavin
Conway from the resulting rebound but his shot went narrowly
wide. Shortly afterwards Gary Haycock missed a simple chance
with an header(pictured) that he knows should have been a bread
and butter take for him. With first half added time being played
out the eventual breakthrough came for us. A Gavin Conway free
kick taken wide and deep on the left had only one target as an
objectiive and that was the head of ,Superbonce,. With target
found sited wide on the right of the box Haycock sent over a
header that had the Kentish defence in all sorts of a mess. From
the resulting mayhem the ball fell to Captain Marvel Steve
Weldon and he made no mistake with a shot that looped over the
keepers head and into the net. A 1-0. half time lead was more
than justified although it came to us thanks mainly because of a
Rob Laney goal line clearance and a wonder save from Chay Morris
that led to spontaneous applause from both sets of fans. The
second half saw us continueing to keep Kentish pushed back. We
were able to do that because Steve Weldon and his back line crew
were doing a great job in containing the visitors attack. Gavin
Conway was unlucky with a free kick that found its equal with a
brilliant piece of keeping whilst Jon Moniatis had a quickfire
double strike on goal which also found its match with some,
never say die, defending. In the end we were well worth the 3
points that add on to a maximum of 21 picked up at home this
season. Luke Smith has proved to be a good find for us in
midfield and because everyone on the pitch gave it their all the
M.O.M. voting was not easy to adjudicate, however our headmaster
seemed to fair better than others. HAYCOCK 6 PENFOLD 3 WELDON 1
SMITH 1 MORRIS 1
If
our previous cup game against Amersham was fantastic then this one
has to be labelled super fantastic. The reds or yellows as was the
strip were absolutely brilliant in all departments and our
Premiership opponents were at times completely overan and the one
goal deficit really flattered them. They are known as ,The Hares,
but compared to us they were tortoises. Things did not look too rosy
at the start for within 5 mins United took the lead through a tricky
piece of wing play. As the game progressed it became apparent that
getting in behind our hosts defence was proving not too difficult.
Jon Moniatis and Ben Penfold in particular were up for it and
looking razor sharp. The latters very strong hold up play is a fine
feature of his game and what can be produced from it gives us so
much more in the way of attacking options. During our spell of
strong pressure we squandered three good chances, one to Jon
Moniatis and a brace to Michael Casey the first of which was an
absolute sitter that even my Granny could have buried. When our
deserved leveller did come on 20 mins it came via the gifted left
peg of Gavin Conway. Whether it was meant to be a deliberate attempt
at goal is not certain but what is certain is that Gavin's cross
from the right hand touchline had defenders nightmare written all
over it and it was deserving that it entered the net direct. United
were by now fully realising that they were in a typical cup tie
scrap with their defence being carved open at will by an on song
Cockfosters. Our long ball passing was inch perfect and Jon was
revelling in latching on to some super balls. Taking the lead now
looked a formality and it was Penfold's neat flick inside the box
that set up Moniatis for a strike that left the keeper helpless. Ten
mins later Penfold was busying away down the left and screwed up his
marker enough to put in a cross that Moniatis neatly tucked home
inside the near post. We were buzzing and the Hares were being
chased and harried all over the park. Their was an obvious attempt
of a United fight back in the second half but the score should have
been 4. 1. when a Jon Moniatis run in on goal led to him blazing
wildly over the bar. We then got a bit of a wobble set in and
Harefield pulled one back mid way through the half. Just when they
thought the tide was turning for them Moniatis delivered the strike
that eventually won the tie for us. Receiving the ball wide on the
left he muscled his way to the edge of the box before slipping the
ball past the advancing keeper for a brilliant hat trick. There was
a hiccup close on time when it got to 4. 3. but we held on. All the
lads were brilliant especially M.O.M. Michael Casey who played out
the destroyers role in midfield like a Sherman tank. m.o.m.votes
CASEY 5 MONIATIS 3 WELDON 2 PENFOLD 1 CONWAY 1
The best
thing about this game was the 3 points which stretched our league
home record to18 points from 6 straight wins. As a game it was an
ugly scrappy affair with very little in the way of on the deck
football. Instead their was plenty of the big boot stuff which must
have given the impression to outsiders that Dacre Field had a
balloon race going on. Buckingham were up for it in defence and
breaking them down proved difficult. Our first clear chance on
goal fell to Samson Okeke but his rasping shot on goal was tipped
over by the keeper. On the half hour a free kick from just outside
the box led to us deservedly taking the lead. Such set pieces are
tailor made for the likes of Gavin Conway. Gavin made the most of
the opportunity and our bend it like Beckham man,s swerving
corkscrew smacked the crossbar before dropping down across the
line.Gary Haycock, Kevin Reade and Jon Moniatis came close to
adding to our lead but keeper Colin Johnson was having a good day
for the Swans. The second half dished up more of the same with
plenty of big wellie going on all over the park and the less said
about it the better. The most encouraging thing about the season to
date is the fact we have ground out results using a
varied assortment of team sheets. It is clearly a mark of good
management when enforced squad rotation still keeps producing the
results. M.O.M. VOTES AMERSHAM CUP TIE KEVIN HUNT 7 STEVE WELDON 2
GARY HAYCOCK 2 CHAY MORRIS 1 BUCKINGHAM. STEVE WELDON 5 DANNY
HURRELL 4 IAN CLARK 2 SAMSON OKEKE 1
This
game was a cup tie classic in every sense of the phrase, it had
everything and served up a wealth of entertainment for those looking on.
The game had hardly breathed life when Gavin Conway slipped through a
stone cold Amersham back line to give us a twenty second lead. Our hosts
had yet to touch the ball and they were clearly stunned especially when
four mins later we hit them with a second. A Gavin Conway free kick just
outside the box was spilled by Sam Beasant and like all good predatory
strikers sniffing around for scraps Dave Pigden reacted quickest to
smash the ball home. Despite the fantastic start our lads were soon put
on the back foot by an Amersham side which has improved beyond all
recognition. They have adopted a free flowing style of play that is both
pleasing to the eye and effective with attacking breaks played out at
lightning speed. One spell of pressure on the half hour produced the
goal that was threatening to put the Magpies back in the match. From a
corner kick our lines were breached when Leigh Cogdell found the space
needed to fire home in a frantic goalmouth scramble. Although we went in
at the break with our lead still intact it was obvious that the second
half would require a lot of resolve from our players. It helped matters
when once again we caught Amersham cold with a goal five mins into the
half. Direct from a corner Gary Haycock produced one of his special
haymakers. When Gary's head meets the delivery spot on its a case of
,pick that one out of the net, for the keeper. Amersham
however continued to play some classy football continually threatening
our back line where Chay Morris stood out by pulling off some great
saves. We were soaking up a lot of pressure so much so that it told on
70 mins when Leigh Cogdell again found our net this time with a fierce
drive that squirmed under Chay's body. Their were a few more scary
moments but we hung on in there for a truly marvellous victory over
worthy opponents who in all honesty must have considered themselves
unlucky not to get something out of the game. Manager David Craig must
be singled out for the way he drives his side on from the dugout.
Although he is not on the field of play he is as good as an extra player
with his relentless barrage of encouragement spurring and motivating to
the final whistle. Singling out those who shone in this game is not easy
simply because they were gladiators one and all but maybe Kevin Hunt and
Chay Morris dished out more than their share of fighting spirit. M.O.M.
VOTES TO FOLLOW.
undoubtedly
stemmed from the fact that their was a mini exodus of EBOGS players
changing colours from blue to red during the close season. The first
half saw our visitors displaying football which was more than a match
for anything we could throw at them but the plus for us had to be Rob
Laney showing signs that his recent buzzing form had not deserted
him. Rob was popping up here there and everywhere causing a lot of
problems to his old friends in blue. It was not until the second half
however that his clever play bore fruit when almost immediately from the
start he tore through the throat of the EBOGS defence only to be chopped
down in the box. Victim became penalty taker and Rob made no mistake.
Ten minutes later and yes it was Laney again bursting through the left
side in order to set up a simple chance for Dave Pigden to convert.
Within 10 mins EBOGS were back in the game with a neatly headed goal
from Jimmy Nuckey. This time their was not to be the repeat of last
years tie when we folded and instead we were soon back in control.When
it comes to set pieces their is no finer player to have patrolling in
the box for you than Gary Haycock. One of Gary's stonking headers was
set to burst the net when a defender decided to take on the keepers role
and steered the ball over the bar with his hands. Once again Laney
dispatched the spot kick with ease. Down to ten men our visitors now had
their backs to the wall and Gary Haycock made the most of it with
another screaming header that flew into the net. Ten men soon become 9
and the rout was completed with a Michael Casey special. Good to see
Michael back on the pitch for us, he is a dour battler who never gives
up. M.O.M. Votes to follow.