So said manager Mike Terry after an excellent performance that firmly put to rest last week’s capitulation.
There were two enforced changes to the side that had lost the week before with the newly registered Warren Cheng back in to replace the missing Dean Walker in the centre of defence and Adam Turner taking Dan Hare’s slot on the right wing. Chris Chapman had DJ duties pre-match and mixed it up nicely with some Lonely Island, Eminem and, of course, a-ha. Hobnob’s record against Reeves Rangers has been good and on a lovely sunny morning, conditions couldn’t have been more different from the previous week.
Linesman Dan Robertson had barely managed to put his belly away before they took an early lead from a Davies corner. It was whipped into the middle of the area but Reeves were unable to scramble it away. It fell to Bolton 12 yards out who showed good composure to control the ball and then lay it off to Cheng, his neat touch found Pulfer who calmly side footed in. Hobnob couldn’t have wished for a better start and it could have got even better. Plant’s free kick was whipped into the box and Cheng met it powerfully with his head. For all the world the ball looked destined for the back of the net but the Reeves goalkeeper somehow managed to produce a wonderful reaction save to push it around the post. Pulfer could have then completed a hatrick as he firstly saw his shot from Turner’s cross well saved and then hit the bar after reacting quickest to a scuffed goal kick. At the other end Reeves were struggling to create but did manage a few chances. Chapman making a brave save at the striker’s feet and then again on the line. Reeves were claiming the ball had crossed over the line but the officials were unmoved. It was to prove a massive call as Paine nearly doubled the lead as he saw his lob fall agonizingly over the bar. Hobnob didn’t have to wait long for their second and third though. Bolton won the ball well in midfield and found Tiltman bombing forward on the overlap. His cross couldn’t have been better placed as Pulfer swept in his and Hobnob’s second. The third came moments later. The impressive Turner won the ball in a 50/50 and somehow looped the ball forward to Pulfer whos shot was perfectly placed over the goalkeeper to complete his hatrick. There was still time for drama before half time as Reeves had a goal ruled out for offside after Chapman was taken out in the air but it had been mostly one way traffic for 45 minutes.
After the excellence of the first half it was perhaps inevitable that Reeves would react in the second and that was to prove to be the case. Hobnob’s high line of the first half began to get deeper and deeper as they tried to protect the clean sheet and as the gap between defence and midfield got bigger it became harder and harder to retain possession. Gone were the intricate triangles that had caused so much trouble before and gone was the wide expansive play that had seen Turner and Davies cause havoc on the wings. That said Hobnob never really looked liked conceding due to the excellence of the defence. Cheng and Terry were winning absolutely everything in the air and with Tiltman and Cross playing narrower, Reeves struggled to find a way through. Not that there weren’t scares. On the hour Reeves thought they’d found their way back into the game after a free kick was knocked in on the rebound only to see it ruled out for offside. With 10 minutes to go they had their third goal ruled out, this time because the ball had been punched in from a corner. The whistle had gone but it wasn’t for the handball, instead the referee had finally spotted Terry’s defensive technique of wrestling his attacker. With the penalty given there was a real sense of disappointment that Hobnob had missed out on a rare clean sheet. However someone had clearly not told Chris Chapman. The penalty was struck good and true but Chapman guessed the right way and got a strong hand on it, palming the ball over the bar. It was a fantastic save and a wonderful moment for the goalkeeper who had had such a tough time against FC Whitley last week. From then on Reeves lost their fight and it was clear what the outcome was going to be. Dan Robertson was unlucky late on to see his shot well saved but the result was never seriously in doubt.
After last week’s performance ‘positivity’ was the byword all week and that’s exactly what we got. The first half was superb with lots of communicating and everyone supporting one another and it resulted in some wonderful football. If the first half belonged to the attacking ball players then the second was for the defence. There were a couple of black marks, namely the fact that the passing football of the first half couldn’t be maintained for 90 minutes and also two silly bookings for Plant and Pulfer. In fact it was that booking that probably cost the hatrick hero the man of the match award as it instead went to the superb Chris Chapman by a whisker. Two games into the season and the strengths and weaknesses of the side are clear and we now have all year to iron out little problems. More of the same Hobnob and we’ll be winning a lot more matches and clean sheets will become less of rarity.
