With the score 1-1 with 4 minutes to go, Boots Wednesday looked likely to at least pick up a valuable away point after a solid but unspectacular performance against a stubborn Clifton Dynamo team. Unfortunately 2 scrambled goals in 2 minutes secured maximum points for a relieved Dynamo, and Boots were left to rue what could have been.
The match was extremely tight for the first half, with both midfields competing well as Justin and Simon tried to beat the sprightly Dynamo midfield to the ball and play it out to Ash and Daz on the wings or find the feet of Ian and Patto. Ash and Ian combined and allowed Patto a shot from distance early on, but after that Boots struggled to get shots away, while Griff, Sicky, Brett and Horlicks had to be alert to the long balls and mazy runs that the Dynamo midfield kept initiating. When Boots did get the ball down they looked threatening, and this resulted in the opening goal when Patto dragged a long ball back to Simon, who squared to Ash, and his accurate threaded pass found Chris Hawrylak sprinting into the box; Horlicks looked up and sent a dangerous ball across the mouth of the goal, and Daz was on hand to finish beyond the keeper at the back post for his first ever Boots goal! Dynamo increased the pressure and Phil had to snuffle a few long shots and crosses, before another long ball from Dynamo picked out their winger who ran around the back of the Boots defence, controlling with his shin before racing around Phil and finishing from a tight angle. Boots had further chances in the half but Ian couldn’t make proper contact with Justin’s chipped cross, while Ash teed up Brett for a long range shot that fizzed wide. Dynamo also continued to threaten and Brett made an awesome challenge to deny one goal-scoring opportunity, while Phil also fell at the feet of their strikers to block shots.
The game opened up in the second half, and Boots continued to generate half-chances as Rich came on to make an energetic debut on the left wing, while Ash and Daz shared the right wing as they tried to outpace Clifton’s weakest area. Justin and Simon continued to breakdown the play and offer one-twos with Ian and Patto, but decent chances were restricted by the physical defending, although Ian did work his way to the by-line but couldn’t find Rich at the back post. Griff, Sicky and Brett all took free kicks from dangerous locations while Boots also won several corners, but they struggled to threaten in the air as the deliveries were wayward. As the game looked to be ending in a draw with 4 minutes to go, Clifton’s left winger broke through the defence (on two occasions) and eventually the ball ended up at the feet of their strikers who managed to finish beyond Phil.
The opposition chose Simon as Man of the Match, who put in a solid display, covering a lot of ground and connecting play with some good simple passes, although all of the midfield battled well against a robust opposition, with Daz, Ash and Rich causing them problems all game and Justin winning almost everything he went for.
