YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that’s out of my system….
It was a big day in the Chelmsford Churches and District football world. Supporters came out in their droves to witness CBC take on bitter rivals Baddow with the promises of cup glory was at stake. After a thrill-a-minute 3-3 draw last weekend, the 2 sides met in the shadow of Chelmsford City stadium on a beautiful day. Having battled hard to make it to this point, which side would progress to the final?
The game kicked off with the atmosphere tense. Central were again missing top scorer Neil Parrish but the atmosphere remained buoyed by a last minute comeback against the Baddow men just 7 days ago. This confidence continued into the first half of this game, as David Rowlands in goal remained untested for much of the opening 45 minutes. Baddow are a familiar foe, but Phil Twite and Josh Glennie did extremely well on both flanks to temper the constant wide threat of a Baddow team who barely set foot inside the centre circle all first half. Backed up by form players Luke Baker and goal machine Ed Montgomery, Baddow were stifled while Central grew into the game. The new-look strike team up showed several signs of life and grew into the game, eventually linking to spring an exuberant Josh Hills to calmly slot in the first goal of the game. The mums and WAGs went wild, the birds sang, the flowers all simultaneously burst into bloom, and everything was right with the world as Central eased into half-time ahead with only the inevitable Luke Baker injury to dampen the spirits.
HT: CBC 1 -0 Baddow
Baddow are renowned for coming out of the half time break strong, and this was no different. A few switches and tinkers left the central partnership of Chris Nash and Andrew Rowlands with different propositions to handle in the second half, as Baddow poured forward to try and level up the game. However, good strong work from Phil Twite and Tom Spurgeon solidified the centre of the pitch, while Jamie Parrish continued to feed through Tim Acton and Josh Hills upfront whenever the opportunity arose. Baddow struck back regardless, their captain scoring a lovely strike from the edge of the box to send David Rowlands scrambling. With the game poised at 1-1 with everything to play for, this would be the true test of Central Baptist’s attitude and strength of character. Sure enough, minutes later, a sly quick free-kick by Chris Nash landed at Tom Spurgeon’s feet, who fed Jamie Parrish to score a simple slotted finish. 2-1 to the Baptist Boys!
As the game progressed, tempers flared over and the Baddow players started to lose their heads. The referee (who was actually pretty good) did well to calm the game down by dishing yellow cards to a Baddow centreback and CBC’s Chris Nash, although the latter was an absolutely abhorrent decision and the ref should be banned for life for such gamesmanship ;). Similar to last week, the Baddow players started to tire towards the end and became complacent, allowing Tim Acton to win and (ultimately) score a decisive penalty in the final 5 minutes to put the result beyond doubt. The game was won! Central were through!
Congratulations to everyone involved, but the work is not done yet. Next week see’s CBC take on cupfinal opponents Billericay in a league fixture, and a win in that game would no doubt cement Central’s place as favourites in the final come May 17th. A run of tough games follows this victory, let’s see if minds stick to the job in hand instead of dreaming of a first CBC medal in its 3 years of existence!
