BBOB started the new season on the wrong end of a tightly fought game, which could have gone either way! Manager Steve Maskell had very few player options for this fixture, with only ten regular players available to him, with himself making up the eleven. The manager went in goal and the remaining team almost picked itself.
There was a debut for Scott Kemsley who slotted in at the holding midfield role and there was also a welcome return to former BBOB top scorer Lee Madigan (Chief). The back four consisted of the usual suspects of full backs Paul Barton and Ryan Satterly, with centre backs Dan Edwards & Adam Leaver. Dan Buchanan played on the left of midfield with Howard Lloyd on the right and Michael McMahon (Titch) in the centre. Jamie Eade partnered Chief up front.
It took a while for BBOB to find any rhythm in the game and they found themselves behind after ten minutes when they were caught at the back, a low cross from the Rottingdean right found an unmarked forward who could not miss from six yards. BBOB increased the pressure after this and began to take the game to Rottingdean. Their persistence paid off in the 21 minute after a good move found Ryan Satterly, his delivery first found the head of Howard Lloyd and was finished off by the head of Titch, who appeared to injure his hamstring in the process!!
BBOB looked most likely to take the lead following their equaliser but squandered chances, most notably a superb run by Jamie Eade down the BBOB right found him on goal with only the keeper to beat but he unfortunately blasted his left foot shot straight at the keeper!
In the 44th minute BBOB had a free kick awarded to them on the edge of area, after much contemplation and discussion with others, Howard's tame effort hit the wall and the ball was blindly cleared up the field by the Rottingdean defence! The clearance somehow found its way past the BBOB defence and into the path of a Rottingdean forward, and despite being under pressure from Adam Leaver, he was able to lob the BBOB goalkeeper!
Half time 1-2.
After surviving some early pressure from Rottingdean, BBOB were able to equalise from a neat move down the right, the ball found Chief in the six yard box and his shot ricocheted off a defender into the Rottingdean net. Another chance was squandered shortly after this by Jamie Eade, again after a good run down the right, this time he fired his shot across the keeper and just past the post!
The defining moment came in the 75th minute when a good run and pass by a Rottingdean midfielder found a Rottingdean forward in space, after some confusion between the BBOB keeper and a centre back the ball ran loose for the forward to slot the ball into an empty net.
BBOB seemed to have no real response to this, players were tiring, there were no substitutes, Titch had been playing for over an hour with an injured hamstring! The odds were against BBOB from making any come back and this proved the case once Rottingdean scored their fourth! As BBOB tried to force the equaliser a quick break found the BBOB defence outnumbered and the Rottingdean forwards appeared to score with ease!
Not the best of starts and perhaps not completely surprising after a quiet pre-season and having only ten regular players available on the day! There were positives though as plenty of chances were created, BBOB continued their usual passing game and did pass the ball whenever they could. Plenty of players need to work on that first touch though!!!
Paul (Ten more games!!) Barton
