A fine winter's day on Regent's Park saw Clapham Alexandra facing Livingstone Academicals for the second time this season, returning to a fixture that provided some home truths 2 games into the 2009/10 calendar during the home engagement in September.
Last time out, the Alex put on a shoddy display early doors and found themselves 4-1 at half-time, victims of their own complacency and lack of preseason activity. On that occasion the Alex produced a startling, and spirited, comeback to level matters at 4-4, which no doubt gave them the belief that they could rattle some goals in this time around.
The Regent's Park game started brightly, with Clapham enjoying the luxury of the well-kept pitches and able to bring the ball down and knock it around with an impressive degree of swiftness. Crouch and Wardle, deployed on the left and right flanks of midfield respectively both started brightly, and from the off, the Clapham defence looked solid and composed, the team were tenacious in midfield, and the movement and work rate of Miller and Mantell 'up top' was positive.
As the initial exchanges settled, the Alex came into the game much more and started to take a stranglehold on proceedings; some good work in midfield from Black and Renouf producing half chances for Miller and Mantell up front.
Indeed the pressure paid off in the twelfth minute when Miller forced a corner on the left flank. Wardle, whose usually dangerous set piece play has somewhat let him down this season, stepped up to take the inswinging corner, and after some dispute with the referee about the positioning of the ball on the corner arc, whipped in a devilish cross which curled deliciously into the far corner of the net direct from his centre. A delightful goal.
1-0 up and asserting their dominance Clapham began to play some delightful free flowing football, with Black and Renouf often combining well on the ball, and applying a fearlessness in the tackle to dictate the tempo of the game. Simon Crouch was looking ever more enterprising as the game progressed and caused further panic in the Livingstone ranks when he curled a delightful free kick in deep to the six yard line from the right flank. Clapham were well and truly on top and Livingstone looked shaky.
Clapham furthered their lead when Miller, slotted in by the ever effective Black, was mercilessly hauled back on the edge of the box by one of the Livingstone centre halves. How a red card wasn't shown for the misdemeanour is anyone's guess, but justice was served from the resulting free kick.
Some clever set-piece work by Crouch, Wardle and Black, saw Wardle line up the ball from 20 yards out. Making to shoot, Wardle deceived the Livingstone defence to lay off the ball to Black, Lurking on the edge of the D, who struck the ball low and hard into the Livingstone net, beating the keeper all ends up. Cracking strike.
The Alex were fully in control now and but for some minor scares, such as a well hit free kick which keeper Matthew 'dinner plates/ogrizovic' Woodsman managed to tip over, ended the half very much the dominant side, 2-0 up and cruising.
Clapham's second half assignment was to preseve their well-deserved lead and they did this consummately, providing the spectators with a determind, gritty, and ultimately effective example of how to close out a game. Passing was tight, effort levels seldom dipped, and chances came and went, Mantell heading over from another tasty Wardle corner, and Black going close with a low drive.
Not to be outdone Livingstone spirited themselves and at times appeared to be coming back into the game, but such was the work-ethic and commitment of the Alex's defence, that they couldn't and wouldn't achieve any kind of foothold.
Clapham's third came when some neat interplay down the right saw the ball come to Wardle, who spotted the run of Mantell, but somewhat miscued his angled 35 yard pass. However, the Livingstone keeper who had come to collect mishandled the ball, spilling it to the onrushing Mantell who turned it into the empty net. Shoddy workmanship from the Livingstone keeper, but good work by Clapham's talismanic forward.
Miller and Hallé, both full of running all game, were replaced by Nick Wright and on-loan midfielder Dominic Murray. Both went on to make good contributions to Clapham's continued dominance, Murray using his pace effectively to torment the Livingstone right-back and Wright holding up the ball well using his strength to support the attack.
Try as they might Livingstone just couldn't get into the game and Clapham poured forward smelling blood. The Academical's defence was in tatters, and Clapham realistically should have stuck away more than their eventual tally of four.
The win was rounded off in some style in the 70th minute when another savage Clapham attack streamed down the left flank, causing chaos in the box. First Mantell, then Murray, then Wright had bites at the cherry, with the Livingstone defence in disarray. That scramble saw the ball run loose to Wardle who faced with two oncoming defenders, noticed the keeper off his line and delivered a delicate chip of sublime quality between the two defenders and looping over the despairing keeper into the goal. 4-0, game over, and what a goal.
More chances came, a penalty area scramble seeing the ball come off the top of the Livingstone post, but Clapham couldn't add to their already impressive haul. The referee, whose performance was comedic at times ended the game in farce after Simon Crouch cheekily handballed coming across a Livingstone forward. He was the last man, and should have been red-carded, the swine, but it was the 93rd minute and Fatty McFatfat the referee only awarded a booking.
The result was confirmed after the subsequent freekick proved harmless and the ref put the whistle to his fatboy lips, blowing to bring the curtain down on an excellent Clapham performance.
