A third home game in a row for third placed Hobnob in a top of the table clash as they took on second place FC Woodley. Both sides came into the game off the back of draws knowing that 3 points would go a long way in their promotion charge. Mike Terry was forced into one change to the side that had battled to a point last week as Jim Phillips was still suffering the after effects of a combined attack of dead leg and man flu (doctors say that he will pull through) so Matt Bolton came back into a starting XI who were looking particularly fetching in their yellow change strip.
A few players were showing the after effects of Dan Hare’s engagement party from the night before and so the high intensity start the game that was so pleasing against King’s United was sadly absent. Almost from the first whistle Woodley were seemingly winning every header and every tackle with Hobnob struggling to get any kind of hold on the game. That said the game remained pretty scrappy with neither side really able to do much with the ball and so chances weren’t exactly free flowing. Woodley were looking at their most dangerous from corners and twice Chapman had to be alert to stop their big centre half from opening the scoring but just before the half hour they did make the breakthrough. Again attackers weren’t picked up properly and despite Chapman getting a hand to an effort at the far post the ball crept in. The goal should have acted as a wake up call for the home side but the best they could muster was a slightly dozed grunt. Pulfer guiding Paine’s shot wide was about as close as they managed in a half always completely devoid of chances. Not that they weren’t beginning to get the ball in right areas but not for the first time the cross wasn’t quite right or the pass too heavy.
The second half certainly started with more effort from Hobnob and they got their reward barely five minutes into the half, and it couldn’t have come from a more unlikely source. Bolton’s long throw was cleared down the pitch as far as Cheng who showed good composure to control and hit a long pass down the left flank to Bolton. With a little bit of space the midfielder cut inside and hit an in swinging cross to the middle of the area which Pulfer nodded into the back of the net for his 40th Hobnob goal. The shock was there for all to see. Ian Pulfer had scored a header. We might have to get t-shirts printed. Maybe the shock was a little to real because it didn’t take long for Woodley to regain the lead. Terry gave away a soft free kick and as was becoming the custom the Woodley attackers were given free rein to not only win the initial header but then nod it in on the line. Really sloppy marking. Again. After that the game should have been put out of sight several times and it was only thanks to some wayward finishing from Woodley and Paine’s goaline clearance that Hobnob managed stay within one goal. There did seem to be a more concerted effort towards the end of the game to grab an unlikely equaliser but frustrations began to surface in the form of backchat and weak penalty appeals.
In hindsight Woodley were good value for their win but Hobnob will feel that a better performance on their part would have seen them taking something out of the game. With the top of the table so tight and only a few games left of the season there can be no more slip ups. The goal of promotion is still a real one for the Nobbers but as is our way, we’ve gone and made it a whole lot harder for ourselves.
