Jubilee FC arrived in Goffs Oak to play their final game of the 2011/12 pre-season against Cuffley 2nd XI. Manager Elton Marks had a large squad of 17 players from which to experiment with and gel together. Elton started with the trusted 4-4-2 formation, with Philip “backpass” Tester in goal. Max Charalambos and Jack Tickner at left and right full back with Dean Powell partnering Sam Brown at centre back. Josh and Saul “set-piece” Charalambos took up positions on the left and right of midfield with Ashley “playmaker” Glen working with Turkish international Deniz Boyeaz in the centre. Target man Marc Farrell and Michael Richardson were Jubilees attacking threat.
Cuffley won the toss and kicked off the first half. The opening 10 minutes were a scrappy affair with very little of the ball being seen by either teams. It was difficult to get the ball out wide as the pitch was extremely short and narrow. An unusually long goal kick from Philip “backpass” Tester was misjudged by the opposition defence which allowed the tenacious Michael Richardson the opportunity to steal the ball and place it into an empty net. 1-0 to Jubilee FC and Michael Richardson’s first goal in the 2011/12 campaign. Cuffley kicked off and were immediately put under pressure by the Jubilee midfield. The pressure paid off and Jubilee were rewarded with a corner. Ashley “playmaker” Glen whipped in a corner from the left which was headed goal wards by Jack Tickner but poached off the line by Michael Richardson. A real goal hanger’s goal. 2-0 to Jubilee and Michael Richardson had a brace with only 21 minutes on the clock.
With a 2-0 cushion Jubilee took their foot off the gas and allowed Cuffley to up the pressure. Cuffleys previous knowledge of the pitch gave them an invaluable advantage of how best to get results. They started playing looping balls down the middle of the defence, which to their credit, were being dealt with well by Dean Powell and Sam Brown. Unfortunately one got through and headed over Philip “backpass” Tester, destined for the net. However, the cat like reflexes of Max Charalambos allowed him to slid in and put the ball out for a corner before the ball crossed the line. The resultant corner was drilled in hard and low and connected with a Cuffley foot in the 6 yard box to convert their first goal of the game, 2-1. Elton Marks looked to freshen things up by introducing Nigel Agyekumhene and Jon Cerveno to the fold. Jon Cerveno had an immediate impact with a lovely half volley being pushed wide by the goalkeeper. Cuffley increased the pressure and forced an unwanted back-pass from Sam Brown to Philip “back-pass” Tester. Philip Tester miss controlled the ball, not wanting to handle the ball, allowing the opposition attacker the opportunity to nick the ball off him and roll it into the back of the net, 2-2.
Half-time couldn’t come quickly enough to the Jubilee players who were struggling to regain the form of the first 20 minutes. Elton Marks had a few words to say about player movement and tried a few tactical changes with Dean Freedman making his debut in midfield.
The team was roused and determined to get back in front but it was Cuffley who came out the blocks first. A ball down the right (which had rolled out of play was not given) allowing the midfielder to pass the ball to the striker, take a touch and fire into the top right corner. Philip Tester along with all the great goalkeepers of this age would probably have struggled to keep that shot out the back of the net, 3-2 Cuffley. Jubilee struggled to cope with Cuffley after that goal as they were allowed no time on the ball to pass it around. Jubilee unable to play their passing game were struggling to come to terms with the dogged Cuffley side and Elton Marks decided to experiment with various different tactics. Sam Brown was pushed into the midfield and three defenders at the back. However, it was only excellent defending from Dean Powell and some good shot stopping from Philip “backpass” Tester which prevented Cuffley scoring again. However, the defence was regrettably breached again as Cuffley scored two more goals in quick succession, 5-2. Johnny “leftpeg” Heather came off the bench to play on the right of midfield but despite linking up well with the ever reliant Jack Tickner they were unable to carve up any chances for the team. Deniz Bozkort, fresh from his two goals in the previous week was unable to even have half a chance at goal. Jon Cerveno came close before a late off-side flag preventing him from scoring. The best effort in the second half came from Marc Farrell with a well drilled free-kick from just outside the box. Marc obviously fancies himself for the free-kicks come the beginning of the season.
An unfortunate way to end pre-season football but it was encouraging to see the squad together and with the incoming returns of Mathew brown and James Cristion there is a positive vibe for the beginning of the season. Some impressive displays from Dean Powell earned him the man of the match award from manager Elton Marks holding off competition from Jon Cerveno. Dean Freedman had a solid debut for the team. Jubilee kick off their season this weekend against newly promoted side New Riverside at St Mary’s School in Cheshunt, where they hope to record their first win of the season.
