The weather was a lot kinder to both teams than it had been in previous weeks, with a bit of rain pre-kickoff softening the ground for this first round Kent cup tie.
Dynamo Convictus were intent on gaining a first victory and immediately put Highfield Rovers on the back foot.
Pressure from the HR kick off led to a throw-in on the right side of the 18yrd box. Dan Manzi threw into Beddow who provided a neat first time pass into Steve Gallagher which drew a hefty challenge from the marker, sending him tumbling in the box. The referee had no choice but to finger the spot, giving DC the chance to get off to a flying start (BPC!!).
Ashley Ellen stepped up for the kick only to see his weak penalty parried by the keeper into an onrushing Nick Letham who blasted against the cross bar inadvertently providing another opportunity, which Lewis Pullan blasted high and wide.
Despite this, DC flourished and applied incredible pressure with all the football played in the opposition’s final third. After only a few minutes form the penalty miss, this pressure paid off. A neat exchange in the midfield freed Daniel Manzi down he right wing. His pinpoint cross into the penalty area found Ashley Ellen in a surprising amount of space. With the keeper in no man’s land, Ashley climbed up the ladder of redemption and steered the ball into the empty net. 1-0 DC.
The shots came then flying in, with an energetic Lewis Pullan getting seeing his rasping drive smash onto the crossbar. Steve Gallagher’s fine strike also forced a good tip over the bar, which had looked like it was going to nestle in the net.
It was only a matter of time before DC doubled their lead. 15 minutes in, more good work in the midfield and a clever exchange between Lewis and Beddow sent the former darting down the left wing. A well-timed ball across the box set up Gallagher for his first of the season. However, celebrations were short lived as the linesman had incorrectly flagged for offside in the first phase, a phase that had taken place in front of the HR defence.
The second did eventually come. Dan V sent through a tidy through ball for the striker to pounce on. He dribbled into the box and in typical Beddow fashion, ignored the screams for a pass from Gallagher and Pullan, rounded the keeper with a drop of the shoulder and fired the ball into the onion bag. 2-0 Dynamo.
More heavy pressure from the striker up top created a good chance for Nick Letham. The supporting striker dribbled around one defender but got crowed out in the box with a last ditch clearance from the centre half.
Eventually HR broke into the final third. A lofted ball sent their winger through and drew a fine save from Sean between the sticks. This was repeated a few minutes later but this time coming down the right. The striker thought he had scored only to see his effort tipped round the post by another top-class Sean Beddow save.
DC go into the break at 2-0.
DC started the 2nd half where they left off. More chances created for Lewis and a tireless Gallagher couldn’t further increase the DC lead. After 10 minutes, Daniel Vincent almost graced the score sheet. A delightful ball from Letham was controlled by Mike Beddow with a back heel into the path of the midfielder only to see his left footed effort collected by the keeper. The third goal was imminent.
Dan Butler collected the ball in the final third, overlapped the midfield and broke into the HR box. A nice turn invited a clumsy challenge and he was sent flying. The ref showed his finger again. El Capitan stepped up and masterfully showed Ashley how to do it, converting coolly from the spot. 3-0 Dynamo.
Steve Gallaher engaged in a one on one sprint just outside the centre circle with the right back, only to see the right back nip ahead of him to clear his lines on the 18 yrd box. A few feel that the self-styled Energiser Bunny may have lost a yard in pace over recent games.
A quickly taken throw to Beddow allowed him to ute a floated cross-field ball, which found Steve Gallagher’s left foot only to see his first touch place the ball directly at the keeper. This was to be last contribution to the game from the striker who, after an effective game, was replaced by Nick Thompson.
The winger finally found the net in cool fashion after a Dan Butler deflected cross come shot found it way into his path at the back post. Steve slotted home. 4-0 DC and game over.
I moment of complacency saw HR break through the DC backline and drag it back to 4-1, Sean furious with his defence for losing concentration.
Dynamo then completed their substitutions and looked less bright for the final 15 minutes, obviously thinking the game was won. In the last minutes of the game, the referee awarded his third penalty of the day, this time to HR. The ball bounced up in the DC area and was armed clear by an erratic Lewis Pullan. The HR forward stepped up and blasted the ball high and wide.
The game ended HR 1 – 4 DC.
Overall an assured performance from DC in a game that they won comfortably. Against better opposition, they may have stepped into a higher gear and bagged a few more goals, but 4-1 was a fine first victory for The Convicts.
Standout performances from Nick Walls on his debut, Gallagher and Pullan on the wings, and an ever-ready Michael Beddow, with Dan Butler earning yet another man-of-the-match award.
Onto the next game, cup game at home v. Crofton Albion in the Ron Pope Cup.
