Cold, Frosty, Hostile. That was the reception Ecky received when he explained to the team that we had no recognisable strikers for this match. Super-chef Hickman had declared forfeit after picking up an ankle injury tripping over a “Vol-au-Vent” at work. There were some Northern mumblings about a nasty tackle from a St Faiths player but the few who were listening couldn’t really understand what he was saying. Shane was too busy proof-reading the Web-site making sure his stats were up to date, and Fairman has sadly become less reliable then Balotelli. However a Ware- Limon partnership up front was looking good on paper.
The dressing room had a strong whiff of CNSOBU circa 1990’s, a reasonable, slightly pungent vintage which didn’t age particularly well. Great to see a still youthful looking Pondy back in action and greatly relieved that the officials didn’t look old enough to recognise him.
The jubilant phrase “They’ve only got 10 Men!” in football is akin to a Darts player rejoicing because Phil Taylor’s turned up wearing an eye-patch, it’s asking for trouble. It’s difficult however not to have a sense that things are going to be a little easier, the players suddenly seemed to relax a little and there was an audible sigh of relief from Bartlett. Things weren’t a little easier.
The opening exchanges were promising. Horsford couldn’t get out of there half and Ecky had an early chance after a one-two with Ware which just cleared the crossbar. The first goal eventually came after an effort from Huw Payne hit the post and somehow ended up at Scott’s feet. He defiantly prodded home. The next goal was to completely change the tone of the game. The big Scotsman, under little pressure in his own box, was either far too casual, jealous of Anderson’s goal-keeping prowess, or weighed down by too much festive deep-fried confectionary, as he played the ball straight to a Horsford player who finished cleanly under Richie’s body. 1 – 1 and a silly goal to concede. This goal gave the opposition renewed confidence and something to fight for. It made the game twice as hard as it should’ve been and meant that Cringleford began to rush their play and lose their composure, taking wild shots from too far out. The Ware-Limon partnership still looking good on paper. 1-1 at half-time and something needed to change.
A summit meeting took place at half-time and credit has to go to Westy who suggested a change to a 3-5-2 formation, a chance to flood the midfield and hopefully get more players forward.
Cringleford once again had all the early play but were struggling to create clear chances. Ware came back on after a short rest to link up with Izzard up front and relieve the increasingly clumsy, wasteful Frenchman…(sniff). Things did seem to click soon after this change as a more patient short passing approach, with Ware showing some classy, tidy footwork soon brought dividends. A great move gave the prolific Izzard an easy tap in at the far post. 2-1.
The next goal was clearly going to be the crucial one. Horsford continued to test the resilience of our back three. But with Mark Dennis in fine form, Ben Potter as usual Heroic and Jim Dale giving a performance worthy of some of his early “Carry On” work (before the rather disappointing and critically slammed “Carry on again Doctor”).
The all important next goal came once again from the talismanic Karl Izzard, a great combination with Matt Ware saw him strike powerfully past the Keeper. Suggestions of an own goal are probably in hindsight a bit unfair. 2 more goals then for Izzard and you can almost here Shane counting on his fingers as he reads this at home. Hickman also getting a bit twitchy on the sidelines. Matt Ware got his well deserved goal and the Home side’s fourth after probably the best move of the match, a classy, cool finish. 4-1. Cringleford were now on the rampage, pouring forward in numbers. Danny pond showed that the term “Midfield Terrier” was in fact written for him with a dogged display, breaking up any attempts from Horsford to keep possession. Richie in goal showed that he was a match for anything thrown at him and what a bonus it is for Cringleford to have found such a reliable, resilient keeper. Having to put up with the banter is a small price to pay.
Limon felt safe at 4-1 up to make a late return without influencing the outcome too adversely and was fortunate to witness a glorious marauding run from the game-changing Mr Jennings down the left side, and just as you thought he was going to square the ball for a tap-in and hat-trick for Karl, he cheekily stroked it past the keeper at his near post. It was the icing on the cake (which coincidentally is Jenno’s favourite)
A heavy weathered victory maybe but a comfortable one in the end saw the increasingly formidable Cringleford shoot to the top of the table. Who knows how long for… but it’s nice to be up there.
Carry on Cringleford.
