After a trek out to the wonder that is Whitby, The Commercial, sporting a few changes from the previous week, prepared to do battle against an extremely tall Whitby Wanderers.
With Dom Billington and Mike Hyde away, Geoff and Daz on the sidelines, it was a near overhaul on the midfield for this game. James Tadman making his debut, Tim Boorer making his return from injury and Jamie Fowler and Stu Lincoln returning from a week away joined Mike Clark in midfield to an otherwise unchanged team!!
The Commercial started extremely well with the Wanderers keeper making some fine saves from Boorer, Noble, Clark and Fowler with Tadman also going close with a diving header. Good team play and a solid defense made for a great start. The only thing that was lacking was that elusive goal.
Whilst the Whitby men never really looked like scoring, any set piece was to be a danger with the smallest member of the team about 6 foot 2!! Well apart from 'Butch' that is, who provided a mid half concern. As the ball was blasted downfield by the keeper, Boorer got in the way and his header smashed Butch in the face. As he stood motionless for ten seconds, he then stumbled to the ground in a daze, attempt to get back up again and then fall down again....attempt to get back up again and then fall down again!! As he refused treatment he then managed to get to his feet without falling over and then continued as if nothing had happened!! Whitby-ites are a strange bunch!!
As half time approached The Commercial were still unable to break the deadlock despite their great play and work ethic, it just wasn't happening in front of goal.
Half time came and went with the message from the gaffer being from the field of dreams...'Build it and they will come.' In this case goals not ghosts!!!
However, a shock was on the cards when The Commercial were a little sluggish in starting the second half. From an inevitable set piece, a lack of marking ended up in the Whitby player scoring from two yards. Whoops and screams were heard from the wanderers sidelines as they celebrated taking the lead in a game that had not even been in.
The Commercial needed to buck up their ideas. And so they did...........
Boorer picked up the ball on the half way line and attacked. As Noble made the run out wide, taking the defender with him, the gap through the middle opened up. As the goal moved closer, he swung his foot and the ball flew in the top corner........or maybe that happened in his mind and so so wished had happened. As he mishit the shot from 14 yards the ball bounced up at the keeper....who fumbled?!! Boorer had continued his run gambling on this mistake as all good strikers do and then as he chested the ball past the keeper he was, I'm going to be generous, one and a half yards out as he swung his boot. As he mishit the ball it bobbled into the net..........or again this may have happened in his mind, instead connecting brilliantly with the ball and blasting it well over from the closest distance in the world. Shocking, painful and disheartening. But his teammates were not to dwell on Boorer's horrendous miss!!
Less than five minutes later a free kick was awarded midway into to Wanderers half. As Matty Moorhouse stepped up to float the ball in it eluded everyone, well everyone apart from our free scoring and joint top scoring right back Adam Thickett who did what Boorer could not, and that is score from 5 yards. The Commercial were back in the game.
As they continued to press, a move down the right ended with Jamie chesting the ball down and turning. From the angle as position he was in, no-one expected him to shoot but Jamie knows best. He blasted the ball into the far corner giving the keeper no chance. A fantastic goal from the left winger and a deserved lead for The Commercial.
As Commercial continued forward, another blatant miss from a Boorer header from a corner was to prove decisive. Instead of opning up a two goal cushion, they were shortly to be level once again.
A long ball over the top ended in a lack of communication between the Keeper and Centre Back. As Ash took out Olly and unfortunately not the ball also, the striker had an open goal to aim at. Although he tried to miss the open goal and do what was once known as a Torres, but now 'a Boorer' he unfortunately failed and the ball just rolled into to the far corner.
This whole situation seemed to dishearten the team and between then and the end of the game, the only entertainment being the legendary and never seen before 'trips' subs! A triple substitution was made by Geoff but unfortunately had no bearing on the game. A 2-2 draw against an average team, most of the team felt like this was a defeat. Well played all the same.
A man of the match debut for James Tadman as he just edged out Matty Moorhouse and Stu Lincoln.
Pash united on Sunday. Lets beat 'em boys!!!
