A match that wasn't without its controversy was won 3-1 by CSK Wanderers as they proved to tough for the A&E Massive to handle at Waterhall.
Frosty playing conditions did little to help the level of play in the opening stages of the game as the match took some time to heat up. A couple of long range strikes from the A&E almost caught Steve Winter off guard, but the veteran stopper showed his worth with some agile goalkeeping. CSK opened the scoring on 7 minutes, when Aaron Walsh's flick on from Winter's goalkick allowed David Jones to spin off his man and unleash a volatile strike from distance that hit the bottom right corner of the net to make the score 1-0. The equaliser was one of controversy, a clear foul was missed by the referee during the lead up to the goal, and this left CSK light in defence as the two on one situation ultimately resulted in a simple tap in for A&E. Agrieved at the lack of a decision CSK came out fighting and they regained the lead when Aaron Walsh created another scoring opportunity. This time Alex Ternouth's powerful drve beat the motionless keeper as the accuracy of the shot again left the Wanderers faithful in delirium. 2-1 was still not comfortable and Steve Winter made a few more saves including an outstanding point blank reaction save with his left arm before the break to maintain CSK's advantage.
The second half continued to be competitive as some tough tackles and soem tough talking threatened to boil over. The Wanderers were showing the greater attacking threat and extended their lead halfway through the half. Great combination play between Aaron Walsh and David Jones allowed the former to tuck the ball home with confidence as CSK displayed their dominance in the league once more. The game hit a sour note soon after when a melee of A&E players surrounded Aaron Walsh after what seemed like an innocuous coming together between two opposing players. Video replays proved inconclusive as Aaron Walsh protested his innocence despite accusations of a stray elbow. The referee sided with Walsh who will anxiously wait to see if he faces charges from the FA. The event did little to marr the game and CSK ended the match with a comfortable 3-1 victory.
Much of the media spotlight was on Aaron Walsh's elbow after the game, and Steve Winter defended his man when faced with some uncomfortable questions, "Aaron is a great player who was on good form tonight, he is ultra competitive but he told me he was running and then the guy ran into his elbow. Just one of those things, when you run your arms move and it was unlucky for the other guy to get hurt, but the way their team surrounded the referee was disgusting, the FA should probe that rather than Aaron." Lewis Turpin addressed the media to pick up the man of the match champagne on behalf of Aaron Walsh who was advised against the media barrage. Turpin defended his team mate but interestingly questionned the man of the match award "Aaron can be a bit rash, but he says it (the elbow) wasn't deliberate and I've been told by the gaff to defend him, so it wasn't him. It's just a distraction from how well we played tonight, we beat them with some great goals. How Aaron got man of the match is beyond me though, it was Stu's birthday!" Next week CSK will be looking to keep their 100% record when they face Webby's Wonderers.
