All round great guy, likeable chap, mature beyond his years and a great footballer.
Many of the adjectives you wouldn't normally associated with Paul Haskins.
Another thing not usually associated with Haskins is outstanding strikes and goals.
Unlike Lee Davis, who as well as being an all round great guy, a likeable chap who is mature beyond his years and a great footballer, has now become synonymous with outstanding goals (without a deflection in sight!)
Milton Midgets were the better team in the first half, with GWP struggling to get out of first gear. Milton took the lead when a strike from the edge of the box was well saved by Craig Greenbrook, unfortunately the ball fell at the feet of the Milton striker who scored a simple tap in.
It was quickly 2-0 to Milton when something happened and the ball went in the goal.
Paul Haskins came on to replace Dean Pavely who was struggling with an ankle injury.
Lee Davis reduced the deficit with a goal that happened in circumstances that I can't really remember.
GWP were back on level terms when the Milton defence cleared a GWP corner, which rolled out to the 30 yard mark where Paul Haskins was lurking. After checking his run, stopping, thinking about it, starting and then stopping, before deciding to unleash a speculative drive towards the corner flag. The ball took a HUGE deflection which wrong footed the Milton keeper, who seemed to think, like everyone else, that the ball would nestle safely in the bushes. The subsequent fumble and juggle saw the ball trickle over the line and in.
Straight from kick off Milton launched a high through ball towards the jubilant Paul Haskins who, with his head in the clouds, missed his intercepting header, this coupled with Craig Greenbrook being hesitant coming off his line, saw the Milton striker neatly loft the ball into the roof of the net.
GWP were looking to get a foothold in the game and were beginning to have a lion's share of the possession, but it was Milton who extended their lead with some sort of goal that went in the net.
Half time saw Derek Davies come on to replace E-Lie Pavely and Deano Pavely replaced Craig Greenbrook in the GWP goal, to cut out the Milton through balls that were proving to be so troublesome for the GWP defence.
GWP were by far the better of the two sides for much of the second half, with Lee Jones and Gareth Johnson dominating in the centre of the park. The threat of the Milton through ball had been nulified and they were largely redundant in possession.
Selfie Sam Davis and his better looking all round affable sibling Lee had swapped wings (this probably happened much earlier but I didn't notice) and it was the better of the two Davis' who was providing the most threat. With Reese Waite providing an outlet from the goalkeeper the link up play between the two was outstanding and they were running riot down the right wing.
Lee Davis threatened to throw all of his toys from his pram, which in turn threatened to bump Sam up to the favourite of the Davis', but he banished any such thoughts when he picked up the ball on the wing, bamboozled the right back with a show of skill, not seen since E-Lie was in his pomp, then showing a clean set of heels and scorching pace, not seen since E-Lie was in his pomp, before cutting inside and launching a blistering strike into the bottom corner, not seen since... well... ever, really!
Despite the hard work and efforts of GWP, along with the re-introduction of E-Lie, a debut for Cameron and a string of threatening corners, accompanied by Sam Davis shanking corners out of play in a show of ball striking not seen since Paul Haskins shanked one towards the corner flag earlier in the game (sadly for Sam there was no defender to deflect the ball back into the danger zone) GWP just couldn't force the ball into the net.
All in all a good performance and a lot of positives... and Paul Haskins deflected goal.
