After the Christmas break, Hornets Reserves were back at Diglis where their last game had been frozen off. This time the game was on, so with stomachs lined with shortbread and alcohol, the Reserves looked to start 2012 the way they meant to go on.
The first half was full of incident for the Hornets, who looked a little slow to start with but soon were comfortably in the game, playing the ball around a rather lazy West Malvern who seemed to just hit the ball forward and hope. Hornets on the other hand carved out some opportunities and would come close on several occasions.
Nick Banks would put the visitors in front with a fine header against the keeper which looped over him and into the back of the net but the goal with disallowed when Banksy was adjudged to be offside, a very controversial decision. The fourth official (or the ref who was over-seeing the new ref in the game) claimed that Banks was offside on the second progression and that’s why the lino flagged. As if he even knew what that meant, he saw his full back beaten then raise his arm so the lino did the same.
It was then the home team who took the lead from a set piece, a corner thrown into the box and won at the back post, headed across the face of goal and in, beating Hornets defence to the ball.
Hornets were able to draw the game level again before half time when Michael Fox scored a “fine strike with his left peg into the roof of the net” (Michael Fox, via Facebook), when some fancy footwork by Danny B took the ball to the goal-line, cutting back inside and crossed to find Banksy flail and Foxy put the ball in. Only again, the linesman flagged for offside. Joke.
The Yellow and Black didn’t give up and Danny B worked tirelessly, weaving about the opponents and working extra hard to win the ball back off the slow opposition and he was rewarded for his efforts just before half time when he was played through by Banksy, the offside flag was kept down (for a change), and Dan was able to dink the ball into the left side netting. HT: 1-1
Gaffer Craig Sadler told the boys to keep working hard and the goals would come. The second half produced four of them. With the first attack of the second half, Hornets took the lead through captain Jake Price. The chance could have fallen to anyone as Glyn, Banksy and Danny all had chances to shoot but instead the ball found its way to the feet of Jake and from a narrow angle he put the Yellow and Black into the lead.
It was Banksy turn to get on the score sheet next with a veracious strike that nearly tore the roof off the net. Foxy laying the ball off to Banksy whose shot hit the top left corner from just outside the left hand side of the box.
But it was Danny B who would finish the game off, scoring twice before the final whistle. His second goal of the game came when Jake played a beauty of a ball over the West Malvern short defender with the outside of his boot. With one touch, Danny B took control of the ball and struck it from the edge of the box into the bottom left hand corner.
To complete the hat-trick, the returning from injury Tim Martin played the chipped through ball (I’m sensing a theme here) to Danny B whose initial volley was saved by the now changed goal-keeper but only parried into the air where Danny leapt to head it into the back of the net and metaphorically, take the match ball.
It was a fine display from the Hornets Reserves who showed little lack of pace or desire despite the long Christmas break. The result means the Reserves haven’t lost in the last four games and their hopes to keep on the right side of results continues.
