Buckden continued their impressive league form, casting aside the challenge from Wisbech with an all action display. The day started with the manger and 2 key players missing from the travelling party to Wisbech. However, there is real character around the team at present and the team were switched on from the outset and focused on the job at hand. Stand in manager Graham Pearce got the preparations off to a inauspicious start - donning a lycra onesy to 'hold his cock in' which was an immediate fine however after a brief team rendition of Angels by Robbie Williams spirits were sufficiently high to get out and start the warm up. The pitch was dry and bumpy with a strong wind going up and down the pitch.. however the pitch was wide and our pacey wide men were licking their lips at the expanses down the flanks. Pearcy redeemed himself with a cracking warm up and after a clear concise teamtalk, from which Graham Rudling (assistant manager for the day) was unceremoniously locked out of, the lads got out early for some more sprints.
Buckden opted to play into the wind first half and the excellent prep paid dividends immediately, Josh slipping the ball into Bramley who is deadly one on one and it was one nil with barely 5 minutes on the clock. Buckden continued to play, dominating possession and holding firm at the back. The ball broke to Dom on the flank who drilled a shot at the keeper, being powerful and on target however the keeper could only parry and from a wisbech perspective it could not have fallen to a worse person. Bramley dispatched a lovely half volley high into the net from 12 yards through a crowd of players - an excellent finish. 2 nil and the impetus was with the away side - Wisbech shell shocked by the intensity of Buckdens play. Wisbech don't lose many at home and started to go very direct which in the main the defence dealt with, keeping a disciplined line and the home forward getting caught offside time after time. A number of good balls were coming into the Buckden box from corners and free-kicks but a combined team effort with Chris Dennis organising snuffed the danger out.
Half time and 2 nil up the away team and their fans were getting very frustrated by what they were encountering, often overspilling to abuse towards Buckden management. The second half was always going to be about consolidation with the main task of getting in front accomplished. Buckden looked to play their football and see out the game strongly. This went exactly to script with the home side posing very little threat in the final third and indeed Buckden looking more likely to make it 3 or 4 with a resurgent Milton causing all sorts of problems.
2 nil the game finished and Buckden took another step forward.
Every player to a man was superb but crucial interventions and clearances at crucial times by Westbury, CD and Dom towards the end of the game stood out for the writer as being the real underpinning cause of victory and out of that bunch MOM goes to Westbury who was excellent all game, dominating the home teams attackers and anything in the air.
Well done all.
