After the disappointment of throwing away the lead twice against Horse and Jockey, Hobnob knew they needed a tighter performance away to Woodley Wanderers. They weren’t helped in that regard with the absence of their two centre halves from that day. Will Rimmer showed a terrible judgement with his priorities, picking his brother’s wedding over the match whilst Warren Cheng was working. With Dave Miles and Dan Robertson both long term injury concerns, Ian Pulfer’s hand was forced a little bit with team selection. Mike Terry and Jim Phillips were the only players who slightly resemble centre halves in the squad and so paired up at the back, opening up a place in midfield for Tom Parkinson to fill, making his first start from the club.
The game got off to a pretty fiery start with a young Woodley Wanderers side taking exception to a couple of fair, but robust challenges in the middle of the park and the referee didn’t help matters with some inconsistent decisions. The most glaring probably being the booking dished out to L’Heureux who will point to the massive bruise on his foot he received from the opposition’s studs. It was Hobnob however who looked to be making the better of things in the opening exchanges and they grabbed the opening goal of the game with their first real attack of purpose. Fitzsimons found Davies on the left who did what he does best, beating his marker for pace and strength before smashing a powerful ball into the six yard box. The delivery caused panic and the Wanderers defender could do nothing but smash the ball into his own goal. In his defence, had he left it, Hare was lurking behind him to stab it in.
Soon after Wanderers had their own reason to grumble at the referee after he disallowed what appeared to be a perfectly good goal. As ever Hobnob looked susceptible from a corner and they looked surprised when the referee blew for a push on, we think, Phillips, before the ball was headed in. Wanderers weren’t complaining for too long though. A slip from Tiltman a minute later and some strong running from their winger resulted in him firing the equaliser from a tight angle. It was a very good finish given how little space he had to work with. And so it stayed until half time. Neither side created anything clear but with Hobnob perhaps a little guilty of not committing numbers forward and leaving Hare a little isolated in attack.
The second half began with much more intent from the away side with L’Heureux and Parkinson really imposing themselves on the midfield. It was from the former’s battling that the ball fell to Luke Walker in the middle of the pitch. What he was doing there is anyone’s guess but he drove forward and tried a speculative shot with his left foot. It may have taken a deflection, some say he may have scuffed it a little but whatever he did, he couldn’t have picked his spot any better and it flew past the goalkeeper. Shortly after Hobnob could have doubled their lead when Hare couldn’t quite throw himself at Fitzsimon’s wonderful cross.
Just as it looked as if the second half was going to settle down, the real controversies hit. Wanderers had their second goal disallowed for offside before tempers began to flare. Hare picked up a booking for an altercation and Fitzsimon’s, by now known to the referee by name rather than number, was treading a thin line as well. There was then a clash of heads between Hare and a Wanderer’s defender. In the melee it wasn’t clear what happened but with blood pouring from his head, it was clear that the Hobnob man had been hurt. After leaving the field he had a few too many words for the referee who showed him a second yellow card. A lengthy conversation then ensued where it was decided that the red card had only been shown after Rob Walker had replaced him from the bench.
With 25 minutes still to play it’s to both side’s credit that the game to spill over still further and aside from a couple of bookings for rash challenges, there was clearly no animosity on the pitch. The play was still going Hobnob’s way and Rob Walker was a whisker away from a third when his piledriver flew past the post and Fitzsimon’s was just as close, stabbing wide after a strong drive into the box. In a five minute period either side of the 80 minute mark though Hobnob made sure of the points and their first competitive win under Ian Pulfer. First it was Fitzsimon who powered in a great goal from range to give Hobnob the cushion before Rob Walker skilfully managed to manufacture a lob over the goalkeeper with the outside of his boot following a great ball from Davies. Wanderer’s pulled one back at the death after the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line, denying Chapman a brilliant string of saves, but the points were safely in the bag.
