After another long break in what has been a rather disjointed season, Greshams gathered in the salubrious surroundings of Dumbarton Road Rec for their penultimate fixture of the season. This might be the last of Greshams' fixtures against Selkirk Reserves, who will have a new identity from next season. This is unfortunate because this is a fixture in which Greshams have traditionally held the upper hand. Sunday's game however was more important than most previous games between the teams - a decent win, and Greshams would have one hand on the prestigious RM2B (Spring) trophy.
Manager Cashen was banished to the stands for this fixture following his harsh dismissal for handball against Eagles. However, he was smuggled in to the changing rooms in the kit bag to pass on his tactical acumen and name the team for this crucial fixture which was Rob in goals; a back four of Froudy, Greg, Hamblin and Harry; in midfield Emy, Sam, Rob and Matt; and up front the reunited duo of the Hunn and a very bleary eyed looking Steve Norfolk,risking a Club fine for pre match revelry. The returning Meng was on the bench.
The mathematical geniuses in the Greshams ranks took one look at the opposition, consulted their abacuses, and worked out that Selkirk were fielding only 9 players in a loose 3-3-2 formation. The question was whether Greshams could keep focus and treat the game seriously enough to get a big win.
As was to be expected, the game started with Greshams having a lot of the ball. They were given a warning against complacency however when they nearly fell behind. Greshams seemed to have numbers behind the ball, but they were failing to clear their lines as a couple of shots came in. A bit of pinball in the box culminated in a low shot heading for the bottom corner and Rob had to pull off a very sharp stop with his feet to prevent a goal.
Greshams then began to knock the ball about better and find a bit of rhythm. With Selkirk working hard however, and their keeper making a couple of decent stops, 15 minutes had elapsed and the score was still nil nil. Greshams efforts were going wide, over the bar, anywhere but in the net. Just as a little frustration was setting in however, the deadlock was broken, and it was that man Norfolk who was once again in the right place at the right time. Some good play from Greshams saw the ball worked across the width of the pitch to Richard Hunn who whipped in a great cross. Norfolk didn't make the best contact but all the same the ball shot into the top corner to send Greshams one up.
With Selkirk's resistance broken and Greshams more relaxed after the goal, the lead was stretched by a quick fire hat trick from the Hunn. First he was set up by Rob Minns to drill in, surprisingly, right footed across the keeper. The provider for the second was Emy, who was starting to cause all sorts of problems with his pace down the right. Hunn neatly controlled the ball and finished more conventionally with his left foot. To complete the hat trick, Hunn was a rather fortunate benficiary of a ricochet following Rob Minns' shot which left him with a comfortable finish.
Urged forward by Manager Cashen barking encouragement from the stands, Greshams still weren't finished. Emy once again beat his man down the right and whipped in a cross which Matt, coming in from the left wing, met in the six yard box and crashed in to the roof of the net. Finally just before the half time whistle, came perhaps the pick of Greshams' goals as the Hunn on the edge of the book laid the ball off to Froudy who side footed a perfect strike in to the top corner.
Half Time: Selkirk 0 Greshams 6
The talk at half time was all of keeping on doing the right things and taking the game seriously enough to ensure an emphatic result. The second half was delayed by Greshams needing to make running repairs to the net, which was sagging miserably away from the crossbar. This is a reminder of the decent facilities Greshams are lucky enough to enjoy at the Tuddenham Road Ground. Once the half got under way, Greshams and the Hunn in particular, nearly resumed just where they left off. A bit of a goalmouth scramble ended with the Hunn sticking the ball in the onion bag from close range, only for the referee to disallow the goal for reasons literally known only to himself, as the flag was down and nobody on the Selkirk side had appealed for any infringement.
After 15 minutes of the half the Hunn was brought off in order to avoid injury prior to his trip to the Phillipines. Meng was his replacement and was soon involved in the play. The ball was worked down the right and Meng pulled it back for Matt, in all sorts of space, to tuck neatly under the keeper from close range. Next, Meng himself was on the scoresheet, sent through by Rob Minns' great through ball to finish with some confidence. This made it a hat trick of assists for Rob, who capped the performance with the final goal of the game, the assist provided by Emy who therefore also completed a hat trick of assists.
The game ended at 9-0, an emphatic scoreline which might have been even more so had Greshams been a little profligate in front of goal in the second half. Rob Minns was the main culprit - having done all the hard work by waltzing through the Selkirk defence, he found himself on two occasions with only the keeper to beat - only to put the ball narrowly wide both times.
However this should not take the gloss of a 9-0 win. Greshams were able to keep focussed despite the opposition being two men short. For the most part they played well, passing the ball confidently around the pitch and stretching the game. According to the calculations of the master tactician Cashen, Greshams can afford to lose their last game by up to three goals and still win the league on goal difference. However of course Greshams will be looking to go out on a high with a victory over Holbrook to make the goal difference irrelevant.
Man of the Match.
It is hard to evaluate performances against a 9 man opposition. After the first ten minutes Rob was a spectator and might as well have joined manager Cashen on the sidelines, his only involvement being to deal with one or two back passes. The back four also had an exceptionally comfortable morning in a defensive sense, although the full backs, and even Greg on occasion, were getting forward. The front six all contributed significantly to the win but I am going to give the bubbly to Richard Hunn. Greshams were getting a little frustrated but the Hunns quick fire Hat Trick settled them and laid the platform for them to go on and win comfortably. Well played mate.
