Despite the deceptively hefty scoreline, Boots were unfortunate not to get something out of their County Cup First Round Match against the ‘characters’ of ABP FC. Wednesday started as the better team and generated almost of all the openings in the first 20 minutes; Matt came closest to opening the scoring when he controlled a poor clearance from the ABP keeper and attempted a 30 yard lob which rattled off the crossbar to safety, while Deano, Patto and Bally all had chances but couldn’t find the final ball or beat the keeper. Justin saw a lot of possession with Ash, Matt and Simon in support, while the Boots defence coped well with any counter-attacks that ABP could muster. Unfortunately Boots couldn’t maintain their dominance and ABP got back into the game when a route one long ball, followed by a series of lucky deflections, allowed their striker to get the wrong side of Sicky (pushing him from behind), before rolling the ball under Frumpy for the opener. Horlicks replaced Brett who hobbled off due to a knee injury, and under the pressure of an increasingly confident opposition Boots began to panic on the ball and suddenly struggled to clear their lines, with ABP granted the time to put away a second into the bottom right corner after a break in the box.
After an interesting team-talk and formation reshuffle from Allaway that resulted in precisely zero tactical or personnel changes (my fault), Boots began the second half with a lot more aggression and composure, and put a lot of pressure on the ABP goal thanks to accurate free kicks from Ash and Matt’s long throws. Unfortunately ABP were granted a huge slice of luck when a routine 60 yard clearance from their right back bounced awkwardly in front of Frumpy before sailing inches under his bar, making it 3-0. Despite this setback Boots reacted well and good combination play between Bally and Ash ended with Justin breaking into the right hand side of the box, and his strong run through two defenders and the flapping keeper ended with a chipped by-line cross that Patto nodded into the roof of the net. Boots continued to have the lion’s share of possession, but couldn’t mount a comeback as ABP were awarded a dubious penalty when Simon was adjudged to have fouled their striker in the box, before they tapped home a fifth after good passing in the area. Despite these goals Sicky, Horlicks and Griffin marshalled the defence well and the only other moment of panic in the half was when Ash had to clear a shot off the line. Daz replaced Simon and moved to the right wing, and Boots continued to push for further goals but were denied by wayward shots or physical defending. Adding to the frustration in the final 15 minutes, a number of ABP players lost control (and perspective), souring the match further and resulting in 3 yellow cards (including one for Ian who got frustrated with the constant threats from Sideshow Bob). Nevertheless, the promised ‘leg breaking’ and ‘slaps’ never materialised in the changing rooms, which was a shame for all.
Pete split the Man of the Match Award between Horlicks and Ash, who both defended strongly and never gave up throughout a tough game, while Ash provided support to the wings with a series of runs and good crosses.
