18-02-2007 Open Cup Cadbury Athletic 2 Phoenix Rangers 2 - AET
Phoenix won 3 – 1 on penalties |
Today’s game brings together two of the premierships leading teams for the quarter final of the open cup so both sides knew they were in for a tough game.
The match started with both sides working hard trying to gain the upper hand and it was Phoenix who made the breakthrough in the 8 th minute when Adam went up to take a high ball and was barged off the ball by the Phoenix forward when he headed the ball in to the net, Surprisingly the Referee let the goal stand and Cadburys found themselves a goal behind. This turned in to a two-goal deficit in the 14 th minute when a misunderstanding in the defence allowed the Phoenix striker to nip in to score a simple goal.
Cadburys did not respond until the 24 th minute when they pulled a goal back through another strange decision by the referee, although they had put the ball in to the net the ref awarded a penalty on the basis he had already seen a hand ball prior to the ball being put in the net, (no advantage being allowed) Fortunately Andy was able to step up and convert the penalty. Cadburys finished the first half with a couple of good corners the first being headed just over the bar by Josh S and the second corner saw a terrific header by Chris hit the goalkeeper and get scrambled away to leave the half time score Cadburys 1 Phoenix 2.
Cadburys came out for the second half with renewed enthusiasm and they levelled the score in the first minute with a terrific goal by Nick when he picked up the ball, went past two defenders and fired in a low shot across the keeper in to the far corner of the goal. Two minutes later Matt B and Nick combined well to set up Nick for another shot that was deflected by a defender so the goalkeeper had to react quickly to tip the ball over the bar, The keeper was called in to action again a minute later when he pushed a shot by Matt B around the post. The following minute a through ball by Freddie picked out James in space but unfortunately he put his shot wide of the goal. Cadburys really had Phoenix on the back foot during this period but they just could not get the ball past the huge Phoenix Goalkeeper who was having an inspired game.
Cadburys were denied again on 50 minutes when another great run by Nick ended with his shot being pushed around the post. Cadburys continued to keep Phoenix under pressure and had good opportunity that was headed over by Mo and a free kick in the last minute was scrambled away by Phoenix so the game went in to extra time.
The extra time followed the same pattern of the second half with Cadburys pressing forward and Phoenix trying to catch Cadburys on the break, and the few chances Cadburys did manage to create were again denied by the Phoenix goalkeeper, so the game went in to the dreaded penalty shootout which was won 3 –1 by Phoenix which was no real surprise given the form of their goalkeeper throughout the match.
Good luck to Phoenix for the rest of the competition, and credit should go to both teams for providing a thoroughly entertaining game.
As for Cadburys they should not be to be too disappointed, They have learned a valuable lesson today in that you do not always get what you deserve in football and although they are now out of the Open cup they still have to continue the battle to retain the Premiership title and can look forward to meeting Olton Ravens in the League cup final at the end of April. So there is still plenty to play for!!. |
25-02-07 League Coleshill Town 0 – Cadbury Athletic 6
|
Cadburys returned to league action today, paying a visit to Coleshill town with a chance to put last week’s cup disappointment behind them.
There was a change in personnel this week with Nick and James leading the line and Brogan playing wide left, Nick soon adapted to his role up front when he chased down a through ball and slotted the ball home to put Cadburys one up in the forth minute, And as if to prove it was not a one off he repeated the move 5 minutes later when Chris played a through ball to him and this time he applied a composed finish to increase the score to 2 – 0. A minute later Nick supplied a cross to the back post to Matt S who shot just wide of the post. Cadburys had a good shout for a penalty in the 14 th minute when James was brought down from behind in the area but the Ref only gave a corner. Nick made up for that two minutes later when he received the ball with his back to the goal and he turned and hit the ball in one movement and the ball flew in to the top corner to give Nick a hat trick in 16 minutes.
Cadburys continued to pressurise the home team creating several half chances and had another penalty claim denied on 35 minutes when a defender handled the ball in the area but again the ref gave nothing so the half time score remained Coleshill 0 – Cadburys 3.
Cadburys started the second half the same way they started the first when Nick ran on to another through ball and applied a super finish to virtually make the game safe.
Things went a bit scrappy for a while and this allowed Coleshill in to the game and they were unlucky when they hit the bar in the 45 th minute, This was a wake up call for Cadburys and they got back on track in the 50 th minute when Craig received the ball from a throw-in and played the ball in to James who drove the ball home to increase the score to 0 – 5. Cadburys completed the scoring in the 65 th minute when Mo got on to the end of a great cross to head the ball past the Coleshill keeper.
Coleshill had a good call for a penalty in the 66 th minute when Adam clashed with their striker but the ref was consistent with his decisions, when once again nothing was given. |
4th February 2007 League Cup Semi Final Bell Youth 1 Cadbury Athletic 3
|
Today’s semi final brings together two of the Premier league’s top three sides so everyone knew that a tough match was in store for both sides.
Games between these two sides tend to get off to an explosive start and this game was to be no exception, as Bell Youth got in behind the Cadbury defence in the first minute only to see their shot hit the post and get scrambled away. Cadburys responded through Nick and Matt B combining together down the left hand side with Nick sending in a cross, which was met by Matt S who sent the ball back in for James to put Cadburys one up after just three minutes, just the start Cadburys were looking for. The game settled in to a pattern of attack and counter attack with both teams producing some quality football, which was a joy to watch. Cadburys went close on 9 minutes when a free kick by Freddie was passed out to Craig on the left hand side and his cross was met with a good header by Matt B which was well saved by the keeper, a minute later a Bell Youth free kick was sent in to the far post and a good header was well saved by Adam. A corner by Matt S was headed just over by Chris on 15 minutes and a well worked move by Bell Youth saw their striker breakthrough the Cadbury defence and take the ball around Adam but could only manage to get his shot into the side netting. Cadburys took advantage of this let off when they increased their lead on the half hour when a another free kick by Freddie went out Nick on the left hand side and he drove the ball across the goal for Josh S to apply the finish to give Cadburys a two goal lead which they held until half time.
Cadburys made a great start to the second half when Nick worked his way through the Bell Youth defence but unfortunately his shot was wide of the goal, a couple of minutes later Freddie set up Matt B for a shot that went just over the bar. Cadburys kept the pressure on when Nick broke through again in the 46 th minute narrowly missing the target with his shot. Despite creating several chances Cadburys were unable to increase their lead until the 58 th minute when Mo burst through the middle drawing the keeper towards him and he worked the ball out to Josh L who was able to guide the ball in to the net when the goalkeeper was stranded, This goal virtually killed the game off as a contest but still left enough time for a defensive lapse to allow Bell youth to play a long through ball for their striker to pull a goal back to bring the final score to Bell youth 1 Cadbury Athletic 3. |
28th Januray 2007 Cadbury Athletic 5 Leafield Athletic 0 |
Cadburys finally returned to league action today after a prolonged winter break, with the visit of Leafield Athletic.
The long lay off was evident in the early stage of the game as Cadburys usual passing game was not on display, the ball was either passed to hard or not hard enough thus giving the ball away to cheaply, however Cadburys did take the lead after 13 minutes with a bizarre goal when a Leafield goal kick went straight on to James’s head who was just outside the penalty area and he managed to guide the ball back in to the unguarded goal to put Cadburys one up. This seemed to settle the lads down as they now started to pass the ball about in their usual manner and started to create a few chances.
A nice move on 18 minutes resulted in a good shot by James being well saved by the Leafield keeper but he could do nothing to stop Cadburys increasing the lead 3 minutes later when Matt B won the ball just outside the Leafield area, then he flicked the ball up and unleashed a superb volley that flew in to the goal giving the keeper no chance so Cadburys went in to the break leading two nil. Five minutes in to the second half Cadbury increased their lead even further when James worked extremely hard to win the ball and passed out to Josh L he then crossed the ball in to Matt B who fired the ball home to put Cadburys three up. Three then became four when Andy picked up the ball outside the area and fired in a left foot shot that the keeper could only parry in to the path of Matt S who tapped the ball in to put Cadburys four up.
Cadburys continued to create chances, the best of which saw a shot by Matt B on 52 minutes tipped over by the keeper, and great move on 55 minutes saw James put the ball wide when he had the goal at his mercy. Cadburys completed the scoring on the hour when Sean and Matt B worked the ball through the middle of the park with Sean applying the finishing touch to make the final score 5 – 0. |
17th December 2006 Cadbury Athletic 3 Bromsgrove Town 1 |
Today’s visit of Bromsgrove Town was sure to provide another stern test when they arrive as the only team to remain unbeaten (prior to today’s game) in the premier league. The game did not start well for Cadburys, after just a few minutes Christian went into a challenge for the ball and fell awkwardly, unfortunately it turned out that he has broken his collar bone, we all wish him well for a speedy recovery. The first half of the match followed the pattern of some of the recent games with two evenly matched teams canceling each other out through hard working midfielders and defenders giving the opposition limited goal scoring opportunities
Cadburys best chances came on 6 minutes when a long throw by Chris was laid back to Sean by James but his shot went over the bar then on 19 minutes James shot into the side netting and a good corner by Andy on 29 minutes was headed over by Josh S. After such a poor start to the first half the second half could not have started any better as Cadburys took the lead inside the first minute when Nick knocked the ball into Matt B who hit a shot first time which was blocked by a defender but Matt was quickly on to the rebound and his next shot from well outside the penalty area found its way into the net when it sneaked in at the near post. Cadburys kept the pressure on Bromsgrove and a minute later James got on the end of a long throw by Chris only to see his shot cleared off the line, and then on 41 minutes Cadburys increased the lead when Craig played a good ball through for Matt B to chase but the keeper came out to clear the ball and hit it against Matt and a defender but Matt was first to the loose ball and he calmly chipped the ball into the net over the other defenders that were on the line.
Cadburys extended the lead on 50 minutes when Matt B received the ball from a throw in well outside the box and he sent in a speculative shot that bounced just in front of the keeper, which took the ball away from him and into the net. Bromsgrove pulled a goal back on 55 minutes, when they sent in a good corner that was not dealt with by the Cadbury defence and they got to the loose ball first to turn it into the net. Nick and Matt B worked a good opening on 59 minutes but Matt’s shot went over the bar. Bromsgrove went close from a free kick on the hour, which was tipped over the bar by Adam.
The remainder of the game saw Cadburys protecting their lead to gain another important victory over tough opposition. |
3rd December 2006 Cadbury Athletic 3 Arden Forest 1
|
Arden Forest return to Cadburys for this week’s league match looking to make amends for last weeks reversal in the epic league cup quarter final. Cadburys were back to full strength this week and nearly made a dream start when James guided a header in to the path of Matt B who drove the ball in to the back of the net after just 3 minutes only to see the goal ruled offside. The next 20 minutes saw both teams pushing forward when they could and defending when they had to with neither team creating any clear openings.Cadburys went close with a free kick taken by Craig on 24 minutes when his shot was cleared off the line. Arden responded with a shot just over the bar on 35 minutes and then they took the lead right on half time with good header from a well-taken corner Cadburys made a great start to the second half when they leveled the score in the 39 th minute when James pounced on to loose clearance and placed a super shot wide of the keeper They went close again after 42 minutes when a corner taken by Craig was headed just over by Josh S. Arden responded with a free kick that went just over the bar. The next fifteen minutes was back to both sides canceling each other out before Cadburys made the breakthrough on the hour when Craig whipped in a superb corner that the deflected off an Arden defender and went just over the line before being cleared, fortunately the goal was given by both the linesman and the referee.Arden pressed forward in numbers trying to force the equalizer and went close in the 67 th minute when a free kick was headed just wide.
Cadburys put the result beyond doubt a minute later after Andy & James combined well to work the ball to Matt B who drove the ball home to make the final score 3-1.Once again congratulations should go to both sets of players for providing a thoroughly entertaining game. |
26th November 2006 Cadbury Athletic 1 Arden Forest 0
|
| Today’s league cup match sees a repeat of last seasons final, which was won by Arden in close fought game at Chemsley town FC, and as Arden also won the Open cup as well last season Cadburys knew that they were in for a tough game against the double cup holders. The first half was a tough encounter between two evenly matched teams trying to impose themselves on the game but any scoring opportunities were limited by two hard working midfields and two equally hard working defences Cadburys first half opportunities were limited to a couple of set pieces from two corners that flashed across the front of the goal and a shot across the goal by Nick. Arden Forest went close with a shot just over the bar and a looping header that hit the post The second half started better for Cadburys as they created a good chance after 39 minutes when Matt B passed the ball to Nick who fired in a good shot but it went just over the bar and landed on the roof of the net After such a tight first half with nothing between the teams it looked like the only way they were going to be separated would come from either a moment of brilliance or a mistake and that moment arrived 3 minutes later when Craig picked up the ball in midfield and passed it out to Nick who ran at the Arden defence with the ball and as he closed in on the goal he played the ball out to Matt B who shaped up as if to take a shot but he laid the ball back to Nick to fire the ball home. Arden responded with a couple of free kicks that went just over and a shot from open play that was well saved by Adam Cadburys had a good chance to increase the lead on the hour when Alor laid the ball to Matt B but his shot went across the goal Arden had a good chance when their striker got in behind the defence but he was denied by a last ditch tackle by Andy this was followed by a corner in last minute when the ball was headed wide by the Arden goalkeeper. Although there was only the one goal in the game there was plenty of entertainment provided by both sides in a competitive game played in a good spirit by two evenly matched teams. |
19th November Cadbury Athletic 7 Lakeside Colts 0 |
Lakeside Colts were today’s visitors to Cadburys in the 3 rd round of the open cup
Today’s game took place at Kings Norton School and Cadburys began the game kicking down the slope. The early stage of the game saw Lakeside trying to impose themselves on Cadburys but they could not make any impression on the resolute Cadbury defence. Cadburys took the lead from a set piece on 9 minutes when Freddie scored from a free kick from well outside the box. This seemed to settle Cadburys as they took control of the game and kept Lakeside under pressure and came close to adding to the score when Josh S shot just over on 11 minutes and a neatly worked short corner on 15 minutes saw Matt S lay the ball back to Andy who sent in a good cross that was headed just over by Chris.
Cadburys did add to the lead on 22 minutes when Craig took a free kick on the right hand side and curled a lovely shot in-to the top corner of the net, Then 3 minutes later he was given yet another opportunity with another free kick from virtually the same place, this time the goalkeeper managed to get a hand to Craig’s shot but he was unable to stop the ball going in to the net. Cadburys finished the half with a couple of half chances by Mo that just missed the target so the score remained Cadburys 3 Lakeside 0 at half time.
The second half started well for Cadburys when Sean put a nice ball through to Josh L who took the ball on and fired in a shot that was parried by the goalkeeper in to the path of Mo who slotted the ball home to give Cadburys a 4-0 lead. Cadburys continued to control the match and they increased the lead on 46 minutes when Nick gained possession on the halfway line and carried the ball in to the penalty area and passed the ball to Craig who drove the ball home to complete his Hat trick. Cadburys made the score 6-0 on the hour after James and Matt B linked together well and Matt B drove the ball across the goal for Josh L to score his first league goal for Cadburys.
Cadburys completed the scoring on 65 minutes after James laid the ball in to Matt B who slotted the ball home at the back post to bring the final score to Cadburys 7 -Lakeside 0. |
12th November 2006 Cadbury Athlectic 5 - Bell Youth 3 |
Back to league action this week and today’s visitors are Bell Youth who are the form team in the division at the moment, so the lads knew they were in for a tough game. The pre match instruction of “let’s keep it tight for the first ten minutes” lasted for 3 minutes as hesitation in the Cadbury defence allowed a Bell Youth striker the opportunity to put his side one up, not the start the lad’s were looking for, and things went from bad to worse when less than a minute later Bell Youth scored again with a superb shot from outside the box which Adam had no chance of saving.
If going one goal down was a surprise, going two goals down in less than 4 minutes was a real shock, this was now going to be a test of the lad’s character to see if they could pull back a two-goal deficit, but at least there was still plenty of time left to turn things around. Cadburys got the lift they needed on 10 minutes when they won a corner on the left side this was somehow cleared off the line for a corner on the other side, from this corner Cadburys pulled a goal back when James scored with a glancing header on the front post. 2 minutes later Josh S put the ball through to Josh L and he tried to chip the ball over the keeper but the ball went just over the bar.
On 14 minutes Chris sent a long throw in to the box, which resulted in a goalmouth scramble and Matt B eventually turned the ball in to the net to level the score. Just as Cadburys thought they were back in the game Bell Youth broke through the Cadbury defence and their forward was brought down in the box to win a hotly disputed penalty (it was by Freddie anyway) Fortunately for Cadburys they were unable to take advantage of the penalty so the scores remained level.
Cadburys began to create more chances as they pressed forward and the Bell Youth keeper made a great save from Matt B after 25 minutes. Chris took a long throw-in on 28 minutes which was knocked back to Andy who hit a good shot from outside the area but this was also well saved by the Bell Youth Keeper
Cadburys took the lead on 33 minutes when a great corner from Andy was met perfectly by Josh S who thumped a header firmly into the Bell Youth net. This was followed by probably the best move of the half when Nick received the ball on the halfway line and as he ran at the defence Matt B moved out to the left taking the central defender with him which allowed Nick to run through the gap and fire in a shot that the keeper could only parry into the path of James who had followed the shot in which gave him the opportunity to tap the ball into the unguarded net to give Cadburys a 4 – 2 lead.
This brought to a close one of the most exciting first half’s of football seen at Cadburys in a while. After the thrills and spills of the first half the second half turned out to show the other side of the game, where both teams displayed their battling qualities as chances were limited by hard working midfielders, some tough tackling defenders and backed up by some good saves by both goalkeepers. It was like watching two heavyweight boxers slugging it out in a title fight.
The deadlock of the second half was finally broken in the 67 th minute when the ball broke to Craig who took the ball on and curled a shot in from outside the box to take the score to 5 – 2. This really was the game of two half’s with the excitement and goals of the first half and the tough tackling and hard work of the second half culminating in one of the most entertaining games seen at Cadburys for quite some time, Congratulations to both sets of players for putting on such a great game.
|
5th November 2006 Cadbury Athletic 3 - Oakland Colts 1 |
Oaklands Colts were today’s visitors to Cadburys in the second round of the League Cup
The start of the game saw both teams battling to gain the upper hand with Oaklands applying early pressure down Cadburys right hand side and the Cadbury defence putting in some strong challenges to win the ball, although Oaklands were the team pressing forward for the first ten minutes they never actually forced Adam in to making a save.
After this period Cadburys started to get a grip on the game with Matt B having a shot saved by the keeper on 10 minutes and Nick shooting across the goal after a corner a minute later. Cadburys took the lead on 15 minutes when Josh won a header in midfield knocking the ball in to the path of James who took the ball on and scored with a lovely shot across the keeper, three minutes later Matt S put the ball through to Matt B and he kept his composure to beat the keeper with from outside the box to put Cadburys two up.
From this point on Cadburys had won the initial battle and earned the right to play their football creating several chances, on 20 minutes Matt B chipped wide of the goal, on 25 minutes a free kick by Freddie found Craig in space and he set up Nick who shot wide, on 30 minutes Josh S worked the ball to Nick but he shot in to the side netting, Oakland won a free kick on 33 minutes but the shot went just over the bar, the final effort of the first half came from Nick when his shot was saved by the keeper.
The second half started as the first half finished with the lads winning the ball in defence and then playing some nice football moving the ball quickly to the front players. Cadburys increased their lead on 41 minutes when a throw in was knocked back to Craig who curled a great shot in to the net from outside the box. The ball was in the net again 7 minutes later but the goal was disallowed for offside. Andy, Craig and Nick combined well on 50 minutes with Nick’s shot being well saved by the keeper. Oaklands main treat came from set pieces and they came close to scoring on 52 minutes when the ball was curled in from a short corner but it was cleared off the line by Josh L.
Cadburys had a few more half chances but the final score remained Cadburys 3 Oaklands 0.
|
29th September 2006 Cadbury Athletic 4 - Coleshill Town Colts 1 |
Cadburys take on Coleshill Town today in the first meeting between the sides since their promotion to the premiership this season.. The game started brightly with both sides pushing forward when they could, but both teams defences dealt with everything quite comfortably, until the 12 th minute when James Nick & Matt B combined well and James beat the keeper at the near post with great finish.
Unfortunately the lead only lasted for five minutes as Coleshill equalized with a great goal of their own when they worked the ball down the left hand side and sent in a perfect cross just over our defenders head for their forward to meet with a good header back across the goal giving Adam no chance
From this point on in the first half Cadburys had the majority of the play with Coleshill creating the odd half chance on the break. Cadburys had several chances during this period, the best of which were on 19 minutes Matt S laid the ball back to Andy who sent in a great cross to Matt B who shot just wide of the goal, on 28 minutes Freddie’s free kick found Nick who crossed the ball in to Matt S whose shot was well saved by the keeper, and on the half hour Matt B almost created something out of nothing by quickly closing down the goalkeeper and gain possession of the ball but he was not able to make it count so the score remained level at half time.
The second half started well for Cadburys when they created 3 good chances in the first five minutes of the kick off, The first was a shot by Freddie that was wide of the post but Nick slid in and nearly managed to turn the ball in to the net, the second was a cross from Josh L that found Matt B who shot wide and the third was a break by Freddie but he shot tamely at the keeper.
The game then followed the same pattern of the first half with the defences cutting out any chances created by either side until Matt B set up Nick in the 56 th minute but his shot was well saved by the keeper, Cadburys did get the ball in the net a few minutes later when Chris headed in a free kick by Josh L but the goal was disallowed because the ref had not blown the whistle so the free kick had to be retaken.
Cadburys did take the lead on the hour when Nick crossed the ball in for Mo to score with a header underneath the bar,
this seemed to deflate the opposition as five minutes later Nick made the score 3 – 1 when he slid in on a cross by Josh S, then a minute later Matt B added another goal when he pounced on a hesitation in Coleshill defence and squeezed the ball in to the goal from a tight angle. |
24th Septermber 2006 Open Cup Cadbury Athletic 2 - Leafield Athletic 1 |
The game got off to a bad start for Cadburys when Josh L injured his ankle after 5 minutes and had to go off, but despite this set back the lads took control of the game and kept Leafield under constant pressure with some nice passing and moving but not really creating any clear cut chances. As often happens when you have good possession without scoring you get punished by the opposition which is what happened on 25 minutes, when a breakaway by Leafield saw a hopeful ball across the area not dealt with by the defence and the ball ran to a Leafield striker who gratefully accepted the chance to put his side in to the lead.
Cadburys continued to dominate proceedings for the rest of the first half but they could not breech the stubborn Leafield defence. The second half followed the same pattern of the first half with Cadburys pressing forward and Leafield content to sit back and defend their lead. Throughout the second half Cadburys had a succession of half chances which saw Chris head just wide from a corner then a corner from Andy was headed against the bar by Mo, and other chances were either saved or put wide of the target.
The longer the game went on the more frustrated the lads got as it seemed they were never going to score, Then Nick was switched to a strikers role and on the hour he took possession of the ball and barged his way through the Leafield defence to score a deserved equalizing goal. The final minutes of the game saw a chance at both ends when a Leafield free kick hit the crossbar, then at the other end a fierce shot by Andy was saved at point blank range by the keeper, which kept the score at 1-1 and send the game in to extra time.
Cadburys were still controlling the game during the extra time period and they took the lead on 80 minutes when Nick pounced on a rare defensive mistake to put Cadburys in to the lead. The remainder of the game saw shots by Nick and Matt B go just wide, then a comical free kick saw Leafield pushing forward but the kick had been awarded the other way so Cadburys quickly worked the free kick to Nick but he shot wide which turned out to be the last real chance of the match.
|
17th September 2006 Ulverly Hawks 0 - Cadbury Athletic 3 |
After the disappointment of the last two weeks Cadburys travel to Ulverly Hawks trying to get their league challenge underway.
The Boys started the game well kicking up the slope, and after a couple of even exchanges Sean won the ball in midfield and passed it out to Matt S on the right and he played the ball through for James to run on to and beat the keeper with a neat finish to give Cadburys an early lead. Ulverly put Cadburys under pressure for the next 10 minutes but were unable to create any clear chances as the Cadbury defence stood firm. On 16 minutes Matt S & Andy worked a quick short corner but the keeper saved Andy’s shot
Cadburys increased their lead on 19 minutes from another corner by Matt S when the ball fell to Matt B in the box and he turned the ball in to the net. Cadburys continued to take the game to Ulverly creating a couple of half chances from Josh S & Matt S witch were well saved by the Ulverly Keeper. On 25 minutes Sean won the ball in midfield and played the ball through to Matt B who kept his composure to calmly slot the ball past the keeper. The first half finished with a couple of chances for Ulverly when they had a free kick go just wide and a shot over the bar in last minute.
The second half saw both sides largely cancel each other out with only a few chances created by either side the best of which saw a free kick by Freddie saved by the keeper and a couple of shots from Josh L, one which was saved and the other going just wide. Cadburys should have increased the lead on 65 minutes when Nick broke free down the left side but he was denied by a point blank save by the keeper. The last chance for Cadburys fell to Brogan when he was put through by Nick but once again the keeper made a good save.
Overall the game was won in the first half with Cadburys protecting their lead in the second half. |
10th September 2006 - Shenley Radford 3 - Cadbury Athletic 2
Cadburys travel to Shenley Radford today to find that there is no referee allocated for the match so the game is to be refereed by none other than the Shenley assistant manager, who was surely putting himself in an impossible position to remain impartial when it really mattered? The ref started well when he spotted that Shenley had sent out twelve players to start the match and quickly had a player removed so both teams started with eleven a side.
Cadburys made a good start to the game enjoying the majority of possession and creating a few half chances but failing to hit the target with the final shot. The breakthrough came after 10 minutes when a great corner by Matt S was curled in to the goal with the keeper scrambling in vain trying to keep the ball out of the net.
Cadburys continued to press forward and should have added to their lead on 15 minutes when neat passing between Andy, Josh and Matt S, ended with Josh shooting over the bar.
Mid way through the first half Shenley gained a corner which was only half cleared and was pounced on by a Shenley player who hit a great shot from outside the box to level the score, this obviously gave Shenley a lift, so the game became more open with chances at both ends being created and on 25 minutes a scramble in the Cadbury goalmouth resulted in a penalty being awarded to Shenley when their player went down when a challenge took the player along with the ball, They scored from the resultant penalty to take a 2 – 1 lead.
The last meaningful action of the first half came on 30 minutes when Matt B took the ball round two players in the box but shot wide.
The second half got off to a lively start when Nick burst in to the box only to be brought down before he could get his shot in, but to everyone’s surprise no penalty kick was awarded.
This distracted the lads for a while and during this period they were more interested in arguing rather than playing football which allowed Shenley to increase the lead when their forward latched on to a through ball to score with a great strike from outside the penalty area.
At this point Cadburys rallied with a succession of chances, which saw shots by Matt B and Sean saved by the keeper and they managed to pull a goal back on 55 minutes when Matt B drove the ball across the goal for Mo to scramble it in at the back post.
Cadburys continued to push forward but they were nearly caught out on the hour when some poor defending let Shenley breakthrough but their striker was denied with a great save from Adam.
A few minutes later Matt B ran in to the penalty area with ball and he to was brought down before he could shoot and once again everyone was amazed when no penalty was given.
Cadburys dominated the final phase of the game, starting with a run down the right by Andy, he drove the ball across the goal but nobody could supply the final touch, then a great strike by Matt B hit the post. This was followed by a good run down the left by Nick
|
3rd September 2006 - Phoenix Rangers 3 Cadbury Athletic 3
Cadburys start the defense of their league title with a trip to newly promoted Phoenix Rangers .
The game got off to a lively start with Phoenix being first to the ball in the early stages but not creating any clear-cut chances. As the game progressed Cadburys began to impose themselves on the opposition creating a few half chances, which saw a good shot by Nick saved by the keeper and a corner by Matt B, which only needed the slightest of touches to send it over the line.
On 16 minutes Cadburys suffered a set back when they failed to clear a speculative long ball and the Phoenix forward took advantage to put them one up slightly against the run of play. Things nearly got worse on 18 minutes when the defence got caught in possession allowing the Phoenix striker a clear run at goal, only to be denied with a great save by Adam.
Cadburys continued to push forward creating good chances, which saw James & Josh shoot wide when they were in good positions. The equalizer finally came on 31 minutes when a long throw by Andy found Matt B in space who turned and shot to level the score with a great finish. This was the last meaningful action of the first half so the teams went off level at half time.
Cadburys stepped up the pressure at the start of the second half; having wasting a few half chances they took the lead when a long throw in to the box caused a goalmouth scramble, which was finally headed in to the net by James. A few minutes later the ball was in the net again! after a great strike by Matt B from outside the box in a central position -only for the goal to be ruled offside - as a player on the byline was apparently interfering with play!!
A terrific run by Nick in the 50 th minute saw him brought down in the area for a clear-cut penalty, which was calmly converted by Andy to put Cadburys 3-1 up. The game should have been over at this point but some poor defending allowed Phoenix to pull a goal back on 55 minutes when a long throw in to the box was not cleared allowing their forward to score at the far post. This gave the opposition the lift they needed and they pressed forward with fresh enthusiasm. Four minutes later the score was level when a throw-in from exactly the same spot- found the back of the net.
The game finished with Cadburys pressing forward creating a couple of half chances but not able to score the decisive goal.
|
|
