Having consumed gallons of cider until the wee hours following their first Tour Friendly, Boots Wednesday somehow produced another excellent team display a mere 10 hours later to convincingly defeat Jersey Rangers Reserves in the blazing sun. Despite playing uphill for the first half, Boots were the dominant team for the whole game, snapping into tackles and passing well on the grass pitch, with Frumpy a spectator in goal for the first 45 minutes. Patto and Rich Allen both saw long range shots palmed over by the theatrical keeper, while SuBo and Spence glanced headers towards goal but saw them cleared away. With Simon Hirst leaving to get a train after 30 minutes, Crozier ably deputised in the centre and continued winning everything next to Sicky.
With the downhill advantage and the opposition beginning to tire, a surprisingly sprightly Boots created chance after chance in the second half. Captain Griffin moved into the centre of midfield with SuBo, and they were granted a lot of time to release Rich, Frumpy or Crozier on the wings, brushing off challenges and dominating in the air. The breakthrough finally came when Crozier chipped a fantastic pass over the top of the defence from the left, and Bally ran on to sweep the ball under the advancing keeper. Patto should’ve doubled the lead minutes later when Bally put him through down the centre, but the stabbed finish was correctly judged by the diving keeper. Patto soon made amends, however, when a throw from the right wing ended up at Griffin’s feet, and he knocked it into the path of Patto who brushed off a defender and finished past the keeper from 5 yards. Boots continued to press for further goals and both Bally and Patto should’ve extended the lead but were denied by saves, the bar or misplaced shots, while Frumpy, Sicky and Rich continued peppering the area with crosses. At the other end Phil had little to do for most of the half as Horlicks, Spence, Toobs and Crozier defended with strength and composure, but he did have to make one fantastic one-on-one save when their striker finally found himself through on goal. Inevitably Jersey did score one goal, with the last kick of the game no less, when Crozier’s right footed clearance soared across the edge of the area to their unmarked midfielder on the left wing and he confidently lobbed the stranded Phil.
SuBo once again picked up Man of the Match for winning every header in midfield (despite his hangover!), but it was another encouraging team display with eye-catching performances from Rich on the wing, Griffin in the centre of midfield, and the entire defence who coped easily with any threat (until the last kick!) As with the first friendly, the scoreline was perhaps a little misleading as this time the winning margin could (and should) have been much greater (Bally and Patto both promise to work on their finishing!)
