Fresh off the back of a solid 3-0 win against Buttercross FC, Cavalier were looking to assert their position at the top of the Division 3 table with a victory over league newcomers FC Lacock, who themselves had just thrashed London Road FC 21-0 the week before.
Unfortunately for Cavalier, several key players were missing for this crucial game, in what may be seen as 3 important points lost come next April.
With number 1 goalkeeper Marcus Rossi unavailable, manager Roger Wiltshire put himself between the sticks, hoping to continue Cavalier’s good defensive record and gain back to back clean sheets for the first time in the club’s history. Other players unavailable were Dec McEniry, John Stockman - who was struggling with an injury, Chris Underwood, Antony Butler, and Andy Stickley, who isn’t contactable.
The bad news got worse before kick-off, when the most unreliable player in Sunday League history, Delvin Keane, failed to turn up again. This latest setback is now surely the final nail in the coffin for Keane’s future at the club.
Wiltshire had a backup plan, as he knew the chances of Delvin turning up was as likely as shitting in the Queen’s handbag, and drafted Ashley Day into the match day squad for his competitive debut.
The match started out tough for the away team, as Lacock soon got a grip on the possession stats, with both wingers using skill and pace to get to the by-line, but for 40 minutes their hard work was left without reward.
Dave Young was rewarded for his efforts in the 3-0 win over Buttercross FC with a start upfront, but was finding it hard to get into the game, as both Young and Jez Wiltshire upfront wanted to play the same role as the deep lying striker. Despite this, Dave still managed to score a well taken goal, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
10 minutes into the match, Dan Rance was feeling the effects of a dodgy Chinese the night before (or just lovesick with the female fan watching him), and had to be replaced by Ashley Day.
Cavalier battled on bravely for the remainder of the half, and just as it looked like it was going to stay 0-0 at the break, Lacock scored a sucker punch, beating Roger Wiltshire at the near post with a well taken solo goal.
HALF TIME: 1-0.
James Butler came on as some fresh legs at half time, making his debut for the club partnering Roger Wiltshire upfront, who had swapped positions with Jez Wiltshire hoping to bring some pace to the frontline.
The 2nd half saw a marked improvement in Cavalier’s performance, with Wiltshire and Butler hassling and pressuring the inexperienced Lacock defence.
It was Wiltshire that had the best chance of the game to equalise for Cavalier, after being put through one-on-one by Michael Stone, but his right footed shot was saved down low by the big Lacock ‘keeper.
More constant pressure from Cavalier ensued, with chances falling to Mike Booth, Rob Randall and James Butler, but none of these chances were converted, much to the frustration of the travelling fans (Dave Young’s mum).
With Cavalier pressing for that all important equaliser, the chance of a Lacock counter attack was always on the cards. After a great save by Jez Wiltshire from a Lacock set piece, the stand-in ‘keeper was finally beaten, ironically by one of his own players, Leigh Blanchard, poking the ball agonisingly in off the base of the post in the 82nd minute.
FULL TIME: 2-0.
A frustrating result, but ultimately with the players missing on the day, it was probably a fair result, and one that Cavalier can go into the return fixture with confidence of getting a result.
