CCK earned three hard fought points against rivals Ampito. The 2-1 victory was a reverse of the fixture earlier in the season.
A poor pitch once more threatened to spoil what has always been a great fixture down the years. The two sides have locked horns in several divisions and competitions in recent history and this game fortunately proved to be a good one. It took time to settle with the ball being played long by Ampito and the conditions less than perfect for CCK's passing football. The Badgers did manage to combine neatly in the midfield on occasions before they were hit on the break. A swift counter attack led to a rather lame header trickling over the line to open the scoring. The setback seemed to galvanise the CCK players who picked up their game slightly. The equaliser came on twenty two minutes. Josh Rumble played a delightful diagonal ball over the top which the defender could only help on its way. Dave Jones was in the right place at the right time to tuck the ball home from eight yards. The game turned and CCK dominated from then on. Matt Vitty went close and Mike Morrison had a shot narrowly miss the target as pressure mounted. Defensively Mike Spence in particular was dealing brilliantly with the aerial assault Ampito sieged. Kit Perkins vocal support and confident decision making helped the defence make sure they weren't hit on the break again. Josh Rumble had an audacious attempt with a cracking half volley stinging the hands of the keeper. The half time whistle blew with the CCK fans pleased with the response of the team having restored parity with their opponents.
The second half was all CCK. It took just minutes for Mike Morrison to give the Badgers the lead. A long throw by Doug Reid was flicked on by Morrison, who then made himself available and after a great lay off by Matt Vitty the midfielder smashed the ball past the keeper almost breaking the net in the process. CCK continued to press forward in search of another goal. Dave Jones saw an overhead kick go wide, Mike Morrison had an effort well saved and Matt Vitty was also thwarted by the keeper. At the other end Kit Perkins showed his pedigree with some decent saves. Ben Tucker was replaced by Jonny Cassell early in the half in a straight swap as CCK looked to retain their lead. The defence continued to show solidity with Tim Rose, Mike Spence, Jacob Fortescue, and Doug Reid dealing brilliantly with the occasional long ball as Ampito looked to get out of their half. The midfield of Ben Tucker, then Jonny Cassell, Dave Sewell, Mike Morrison, and Josh Rumble protected the back four well and frustrated thier opponents with some neat spells of possession. Dave Jones and Matt Vitty continued to combine well going forward causing Ampito much concern. Mike Morrison possibly provided the moment of the match midway through the half with a Maradona-esq run disecting the Ampito midfield and defence before his fine solo run was haltred by a decent save by the keeper. Chris Yeo entered the fray to a standing ovation as his 'club legend' status was enhanced with a fleeting visit. The impressive Josh Rumble made way for the striker as Dave Jones moved out wide. Yeo could have scored as he was set through on goal only to stumble like an over excited puppy chasing a stick. The game continued to be bright until the final whistle and the 2-1 result was just reward for CCK's efforts.
The media were keen to speak with CCK top scorer of all time after the match and Chris Yeo was more than keen to talk about CCK's quality, "It was great to return to action in the CCK colours. We got a nice win under our belts and we deserved it. There are loads of quality players at this club and it was amazing to play with them again." Tim Rose was also keen to praise his side when he spoke with the media, "We were great today, we had to deal with a lot of long balls and when we went a goal down I feared the worse. But we kept plugging away and deserved the win. The boys have got that never say die attitude that really makes me and the fans proud, all credit to them." Man of the match Mike Spence was keeping his feet on the ground when he spoke about CCK's title chances, "It's not in our hands really. It will take a rather complicated sequence of results for us to finish top but until it's mathematically impossible we'll keep going. All the pressure is on the teams above us and we like it that way, we'll go about our business a game at a time and see what happens."
