The brave lads of Deaconsfield found themselves travelling to the wilds of Essex to take on Nazeing in League Division 3 this week. Nazeing held a commanding position at the top of the league table and had beaten Badgers 4-0 the previous week, so Deacs knew they were in for a hard match.
Once again we were undermanned and kicked off with just 10 men, Trussler foraging for scraps up on his own, with Ric filling in on the right of midfield while the injured Wicks went to pick up Vinny to make up the eleven. The game was generally pretty even while Deacs had ten, with Nazeing not really playing any football of note but relying instead on long-ball tactics, which Deacs defence coped extremely well with, Waterhouse especially winning nearly everything in the air.
With nearly 25 minutes played Vinny eventually turned up and that was the catalyst for the game to really kick-off. Within minutes Vin had got properly stuck in and gave away a free-kick with a horrendous challenge on the right-hand side in the Deacs defensive third. The ball was swung in to the far post and needed a suprb save from Halliwell, stretching his little body as far as it would go, to stop it heading into the top corner.
The first half played itself out with no real action, just a few bookings for dissent for a couple of Nazeing players and one of the Nazeing defenders squaring up to his own 'keeper. At half-time, while Deacs were chatting and generally enjoying themselves, Nazeing were getting a dressing-down from their manager and arguing amongst themselves.
The second half was again a pretty even affair, with both teams attacking and defending well. Eventually, the Nazeing number 7 (who'd been a dirty little git all game) got fed up with Teoli (R) taking people on and took him out about 30 yards from goal. Maynard took charge of the ensuing free-kick and spanked it into the top corner past the hapless goalkeeper to give Deacs a 1-0 lead.
What happened next was a) amazing and b) hilarious. Nazeing imploded. Not your normal, heads down, can't do anything right version, but a full-scale proper implosion like the type used in Fat Man (the bomb dropped on Nagasaki).
Nazeing kicked off, gave the ball away and Deacs surged upfield, winning a corner (poorly conceded by the Nazeing centre-half). Maynard swung the ball over and Suggitt was unmarked at the far post to make it 2-0.
Nazeing kicked off again, attacked briefly but gave away a free-kick for a lunge on Ravenscroft. The ball fell to Teoli (M), who looked up and fed the ball through to Trussler to slide it past his best mate in the Nazeing goal. 3-0.
Once again, Nazeing restarted and almost instantly played the ball to Vinny on the right. Vin took his man on down the line, and then beat another before his cross found Trussler on the edge of the 6-yard box, his back to goal. Dean flicked the ball up and over the advancing keeper to the back post where Suggit raced in to grab his second of the match and cap a fine win for the Mighty Deacs.
4-0 it finished and all was right with the world, especially as the Gooners beat Spurs!
