F.C. Lions of Wycombe stopped short of placing this game of football under Hithercroft's Christmas tree, but certainly had the game wrapped up, with their name tag written out after just 35 minutes of action.
The Lions made 3 changes in the 14 man squad from the previous victory against Ickford, with David Grabe, Scott West and Luke Bond being replaced by Ben Phippen, Romario Farquharson, and Jona McNigh. - McNight being deemed fit enough for a place on the bench after nearly 4 months out with an ankle injury.
With them changes, Romario went straight into the starting line-up on the right wing after impressing during the last few training sessions. and Ben Phippen showed his versatility to start on the left wing, with Alan Davies and Royan Collins dropping to the bench. Collins having struggled to be fit for this one, with a knee injury.
The game kicked off, with the Lions obviously heeding the pre-match team talk, as they battled for every ball, and quickly settled into a pass-and-move game. This earned several early corners which caused Hithercroft all kinds of problems. With about 5 minutes on the clock, Phippen skipped past several challenges before dragging his shot centimetres past the far post with the Hitercroft 'keeper Huw Morgans, well beaten.
The partnership down the left hand side of Casey and Phippen was looking dangerous every time it was allowed to manifest and from another link up the Lions won a corner on 15 minutes. Scott Sharples went across to take it, and swung a ball in towards the area, but the ball was well defended and headed out of play by Hithercroft defender James Marsh. From the resulting throw in, Casey found Carter who had pulled off wide, and from Carter's return pass, Casey fed Sharples who beat his man with some deft footbwork and swung a ball deep towards the far post where Eddy Fletcher arrived like a steam train to thump a header past Morgans and into the top corner, subsequently marking his full debut with only the Lions second headed goal of the season. 1-0 Lions
Buoyed by this promising start, the boys in blue were encouraged to hit the home side at every opportunity, and further chances were spurned, including a Romario effort that was diverted past the post, after the young midfielder had hit a loose ball inside the area towards goal. On 21 minutes, a Scott Sharples effort from distance was parried over the bar and the resulting corner lead to another quick Lions goal. Sharples delivering a superb ball into the box for Will Carter to bring down first time on the edge of the 6-yard box, Carter then swivelled past the attention of his marker and struck a right foot effort at goal, the shot in fairness looked to be heading narrowly off target but that was until Fletcher again arrived un-noticed at the far post to slide his second goal high into the roof of the net to send the Lions into rapture and well and truly establish himself in the team. 2-0 Lions
It was one way traffic now, and Hithercroft looked shell shocked. The team in red and black had only lost twice all season until this point and perhaps didn't anticipate the type of football that the Lions had brought to the quite frankly, horrible, muddy, boggy surface. The Lions looked solid however and the sheer desire to win every ball and every battle was paving the way for more success. Keegan Casey however was adjudged to have crossed the line shortly after the second goal and was booked for his tackle. How Ben Phippen escaped a yellow for an earlier, but certainly worse on the eye tackle, only god will know.
Back to the football and the Lions weren't about to let up any time soon, and following a clever ball over the top of the Hithercroft defence by Casey, striker John Tilbury, controlled and then turned his marker before firing left footed into the bottom left hand corner to notch his 7th league goal of the season, and his third in his last 3 games. On his day Tilbury is unplayable, and perhaps doesn't get the recognition he sometimes deserves. His Fabrizio Ravenelli goal celebration, perhaps needs a little work though, and certainly doesn't hit the flamboyant, gymnastic heights of Fletcher, earlier in the game.
3-0 now, with not even half hour on the clock. The last time the Lions had hit three so early in the game - they ended up sticking AFC Terriers Reserves for 10 and the way the game was going, you could see the Lions beating that record, here. Even more so, when captain Scott Sharples won the ball in central midfield and carried the ball forward several yards before unleashing a powerful swerving effort from all of 35 yards which caught Morgans out and somehow went through the keeper and into the back of the net. It was a spectacular strike, but the Hithercroft keeper will wonder how and why he didn't do better with it. 4-0
Moments after this goal, Sharples had stone wall claims for a penalty, when he was chopped down on the 18 yard line by a despairing, last ditch challenge as he struck an effort on goal. The referee didn't want to know however and waved away the protests, much to Sharples anger and disgust, and he had to be restrained by several team-mates and ordered to think of his responsibilities and calm himself down.
The Lions up until this point had looked simply unplayable, and had bossed every area of the pitch. The defence of Stacey, Fletcher, Thomas and Casey had countered any proposed goal threat offered up by Hithercroft, and the front 3 of Rob Smith, Daniel Jeffries and Alex Murray who had a combined total of 25 league goals between them never looked liked scoring. In the middle of the park Sam Jordan looked as impressive as ever, winning everything in the air aswell as on the floor, and this allowed Sharples, Phippen and Romario the freedom to play around and play off of the front two of Carter and Tilbury.
The last 5 minutes of the half were a disappointment though and the Lions seemed to drop the pace of their game as the half time break loomed. Keeper Tom Stevens pulled off an excellent save low to his left to keep Hithercroft at bay with seconds left before referee Withams blew his whistle to signal the end of the first 45. This was by far the best Lions display of any opening 45 minutes of the season, despite going in 5 up against Terriers.
The message at half time was clear and 4 minutes of Carter's 5 minute team talk was about not getting complacent in the second half and undoing all the team's good work.
It was "as you were" at the start of the second period, although there was one tactical change with Phippen being released more centrally alongside Carter and Tilbury filling in on the left flank.
Hithercroft came out with a point to prove and Stevens had to be fully alert in the Lions goal, pulling off a fine left handed save to parry the ball around the post after Smith wriggled past Dan Stacey and fired at goal. This was the first of a handful of Hithercroft chances as the Lions failed to get out of neutral for the first 15 minutes of the half. Ed Fletcher and Simon Thomas generally kept everything at bay but it was only for so long as eventually Smith found his way through, rounding Tom Stevens and slotting into the back of the net.
4-1
Shortly after this the Lions almost replied with a goal of their own when Carter and Casey linked up well on the edge of the box, only for the latter to fire wide. Ben Phippen then fired over after he worked a good opportunity for himself on the edge of the box. On 65 minutes Will Carter rung the first of the Lions 3 changes, replacing himself in a like-for-like swap with forward Alan Davies. Carter had battled well and stretched the Hithercroft defence at times, although he will be disappointed to have not added to his goals tally for the season.
No sooner had Carter exited the field of play, he was wincing on the sidelines, when another Casey challenged was pulled up by the referee and at first glance he looked as though he was about to reach for his pocket, but in the end a final warning was given, and the young midfielder stayed on the pitch. On 72 minutes Carter then replaced 18 year old Romario Farquharson in a like for like swap with Jona McNight and Royan Collins entered the game at John Tilbury's expense. It was pleasing to see McNight re-assume his Lions career after such a problematic and unfortunate start.
McNight almost notched immediately as he just failed to connect with a low ball across the box before Alan Davies came agonisingly close with a first of two quick fire chances in as many minutes.
The Lions had re-steadied themselves by the 80th minute and the last 10 minutes was all about attacking the Hithercroft backline with the keeper parrying away from Scott Sharples and then watching a Phippen effort fizz over the top of his goal, but with the last move and kick of the game, the Lions passed and moved their way around the Hithercroft box, with Royan Collins, Keegan Casey, Scott Sharples and Alan Davies all involved before Sharples incisive through ball left Phippen with the goal at his mercy and he finally got his name on the score sheet.
