Hobnob had the luxury of having 15 players to pick from for the home encounter with Holybrook. Dan Hare was still available as he awaits news of his red card from last week and Will Rimmer took a break from weddings and stag dos. The big man had to settle for a place on the bench though as Warren Cheng and Mike Terry were the preferred pairing at the back with Jim Phillips missing on international duty in Detroit.
The first half was an odd one with not much to really report on. Holybrook probably edged it in terms of possession but were only really able to create one chance in open play. A loose ball was picked up in midfield and the Holybrook forward was able to breakthrough only to be denied by a great save from Chapman. Honbnob were plugging away with Davies looking the most likely to create something but they were struggling to find a meaningful ball into the box. The closest they managed was a half chance for Walker who couldn’t make a decent connection. At the other end Holybrook came the closest to breaking the deadlock, once again it was a corner that Hobnob didn’t defend properly. The home side had Cross to thank for heading the ball off the line to send the teams in goalless at half time.
The second half began badly and within 10 minutes the game was over. It was a freak goal that started things off. A completely innocuous cross from the Holybrook right wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular but a mix-up between Cheng and Chapman led to the former bundling the ball into the back of his own net. I’m not sure what happened but in the blink of an eye Holybrook had make it 3-0 with two identical goals. The defence were lacking cover and twice the ball was played across to a totally unmarked left winger who accepted the gift both times. Game over.
Beyond that there’s really nothing to report. Although there was that moment right at the end when hell froze over and pigs sprouted wings and took to the sky. It was almost 4 years ago to the day that James Tiltman smashed home Hobnob’s first goal in a 5-1 rout of New England and in the time since the left back has been virtually ever present. In those 4 years the sight of him charging up the left flank, cutting into the box and then losing the ball before he can shoot, has become a familiar sight to all followers of Hobnob FC. Today the impossible happened. Pushed up into a role on the left wing Tiltman did what nobody else had done all game and charged into the box with the ball. He cut inside and shaped to shoot with his right foot. So far nothing unusual but instead of missing the ball/scuffing his shot/dummying and running all the way across the box he curled it perfectly around the keeper for a consolation goal. Perhaps it’s just as well it was in the dying moments and only made it 3-1 because he looked ready to take his shirt off and start swinging it round his head!
