The game was in doubt until Friday evening due to drainage work being carried out on the pitches at Launton. Thankfully our friends at Grendon Rangers came to our rescue so a big thank-you to Paul Jackman and Andy Young for letting us use the pitch at Grendon.
We welcomed newly crowned champions Carterton for our last game of what's been a fantastic, thoroughly enjoyable and hugely entertaining season. We saved one of our best performances of the season till last as we made all the early running. We opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Si's great cross found Arron who rose superbly to head home. We continued to press forward and came close to extending our lead on a few occasions. Unfortunately we were made to pay the price in the fourteenth minute when Ryan Lanksford took advantage of some confusion at the back to fire home. The goal knocked us off our stride a bit and the visitors put us under a lot of pressure for the remainder of the half. We managed to hold them until five minutes before the break when Charlie McEnnis put Carterton in front.
Half time couldn't come quick enough for us and gave us the chance to re-group. At the break we spoke about how well we started the game and how we'd stopped doing the things that saw us playing so well. The opening minutes of the second half were fairly even but we gradually began to get on top again. We then saw numerous chances come and go and you began to think it was going to be one of those days. We were given a couple of scares with one chance looking easier to score than miss and another striking the outside of a post. To our boys huge credit we never gave up as we poured forward in search of an equaliser. With time running out Max was unlucky to see a header go just over from a great cross from Arron. We finally got the goal we deserved in the second minute of stoppage time with the same combination this time resulting in Max glancing his header just inside the far post.
A few minutes later the Ref blew for time bringing to an end another top quality game of football and a result that we thoroughly deserved, if anyting we were perhaps a bit dissapointed that we didn't take all three points which really goes to show how far we've come in the last year and a half.
So, for the last time this season, a MASSIVE WELL DONE to George, Jake, captain Dan, Max, Jordan, Miguel, Fin, Ben, Zaz, Si, Arron, Jay and Kai not just for today but for all efforts this season. At the start of the season we would have been delighted to finish fourth in the A League in our first season back, specially when you think the last time we were in the A League we only won one game all season. Also to reach the semi-final of the League cup and the quarter final of the County cup you should all be really proud of yourselves as we all our of you. It's been a real pleasure to be your Manager, lets see if we can do even better next season. Thanks boys.
