So remarkably after 4 ½ years Hobnob are into treble figures. Never thought it would happen and yet here we are. Bracknell Celtic had the honour of being the opposition for this game in this Berks and Bucks second round cup tie. Last week’s disappointing defeat led to a few changes for the home side. Dan Hare’s misdemeanours meant Luke Walker kept his place with Clifford Davies returning and at the back Hobnob where glad to see the return of Warren Cheng.
Bracknell Celtic are quite a young team in their first season of men’s football and so there was the assortment of family members on the sidelines. Hobnob were able to hold their own on the front though with a bumper turn out on their part as well. The decision was also made that in accordance with cup rules rolling subs would be in force for the game. It wasn’t a decision that was particularly well received by the home side but certainly have Mike Terry a bit more to think about with how to use his extra players.
Being a young side Celtic looked to play the ball on the ground a lot and use their extra pace and certainly early on this was their main route of attack. Cross and Robertson were kept busy with the direct running of their left winger but the dominant figure of Cheng was keeping them pretty quiet. Plant and Bolton began to find their feet as the game progressed and Davies was looking increasingly dangerous but was being very well shackled by the right back. Hobnob were looking at their most threatening playing through the middle but they were struggling to find the pass in the final third to create the chances they needed. In the end they did get their goal but it came from the most unlikely of sources. Davies’ inswinging corner wasn’t dealt with at all and it dropped at the feet of Tom Robertson. His right foot swing looked like a shanked effort but it was in fact a brilliantly disguised trick to bounce it off the defender to set it up on his left and he swept it in at the second attempt. It was a first goal for the defender since February 2011 and slightly less impressive! Celtic continued to press and didn’t change their approach and eventually got their rewards. This time it was a ball in behind the defence that was the undoing. It still took a great volley to get passed Chapman though and neither team could have been too unhappy with the score all square at the break.
The second half continued where the first left off with it being pretty evenly contested but it was Celtic that got the telling breakthrough. Writing this a week on I’d be lying if I said I could remember the goal but Hobnob really went for it afterwards. They used the rolling subs well to make sure all the forwards were on and God alone knows how the ball didn’t go in for the equalizer. Several players all went close and even Chapman was up for a few corners and throw ins but it wasn’t to be. It’s a shame that such a landmark game ended in defeat but it was an entertaining one played in the right spirit by two good teams. Here’s hoping that there’ll be 100 more.
