It was another break from league duties for Hobnob as they went into their League Cup tie with Division 2 (West) side AFC Burghfield Reserves. Ian Pulfer shuffled the pack a little after last week’s slightly disappointing draw with Imaan, Tom Robertson and Mike Terry came into the full back positions for Daniel Cross and James Tiltman while Dave Miles, Dan Robertson and Rob Walker replaced Tom Parkinson, Dan Hare and the manager himself. The formation switched back to a more usual 4-4-2 as the team looked to try and get some kind of cup run together.
The first half was on an odd affair as it was almost completely dominated by Hobnob. When they had the ball they threatened with almost every single attack as they mixed it up with crosses from the flanks and balls into the feet of the forwards. Burghfield on the other hand were limited to long balls and yet somehow they got the better of it on the scoreboard. Hobnob’s opening flurries came mostly through Luke Walker driving down the right hand side with both Dan Robertson and Rob Walker going close. Robertson also forced a good save from the keeper after cutting in from the wing and firing hard with his left foot. Rob Walker also got incredibly close with two booming shots from distance that had the keeper totally beaten both times but couldn’t quite find the net. It was Burghfield who opened the scoring though and it was from Hobnob’s old friend the long ball, albeit with an element of bad luck. As the ball came over Cheng did well to get between the ball at the attacker but his clearance took a very unlucky deflection which left it perfectly positioned for Burghfield to rifle in for 1-0. Hobnob hit back almost instantly and for all their fancy football, it was an old fashioned hoof up field that set it up. Chapman launched the ball into the area where the defender was only able to get a weak header straight to Dan Robertson. The forward took a touch before calming smashing home the equaliser. Hobnob’s luck really wasn’t in though and Burghfield regained their lead when a tame free kick took a wicked deflection, first off a player and then off the pitch to leave Chapman red faced. Just before the break it was 3-1 after Rimmer misjudged the ball and Burghfield were able to race through.
Tempers flared at half time and a lot of that aggression was evident as Hobnob went into the second half. The composure on the ball that had created so much in the first half was gone but there was a new intensity to winning the ball back. They were able to keep Burghfield totally pinned back into their half of the pitch and as the game progressed they dominated more and more. Dan Robertson again went close, first with a near post header and then from close range. The goal finally came though from some scrappy play in the box. Robertson drove into the area and as the defenders converged the ball ran to Rob Walker. He rolled the ball back to an unmarked Phillips who nearly took the net off with his finish. After that it was a deluge on the Burghfield goal but too often Hobnob were resorting to pot shots from range. Phillips, Walker, L’Heureux and Miles were all guilty of wayward long shots while substitutes Davies and Pulfer both had chances narrowly miss. Hobnob were then denied a penalty right at the death as Dan Robertson was clattered but it wasn’t their day. Again. And Hobnob not only have the league to concentrate on.
It was a frustrating day for Hobnob. I’ve no doubt that had they forced the equaliser they’d have gone on to win comfortably in extra time but too often the shot was rushed and the goalkeeper didn’t have as much work to do as all those shots would suggest. The biggest frustration though is that after doing some really good work on the ball in the first half, that disappeared in the main in the second. The reverse was true of the off the ball work with a marked improvement in the intensity and structure of how players pressed the opposition in the second half. The parts are all there but with a third of the season now gone, Hobnob need to start getting the results
