16/08/11: Ashbrooke S.C. (10) v (1) New Derby
Scorers: Calvert
Starting Team: Stothard (GK), Robson, Hoey, Bunyan, Taylor (Horn), Gourlay, Binks (c) (Scott), Carty (Young), Dodsworth, Thompson, Calvert
Subs (Unused): Cruddace, Jake McGill, Saddington
Yellows: None
Reds: None
A wretched performance from The New Derby saw them hammered 10-1 by fellow Division Two new boys, Ashbrooke S.C. on a night all connected with the Derby will want to forget quickly.
Following the narrow loss to Kings Arms FC on the opening weekend of the season, Scott Linton, rang the changes. Paul Bunyan found himself as the sole survivor from the back four which started the first game with Ben Horn and Sam Scott both omitted while Jordan Stothard returned to his usual goalkeeping position. David Hoey and Stephen Robson were both drafted in to make their New Derby competitive debuts while Luke Taylor returned from holiday. There was also a first start for Ross Carty as he replaced the unavailable Chris Mather in midfield.
The New Derby began the game awfully and within the first ten minutes they found themselves three goals down. Some extremely poor defending was to blame and Ashbrooke could barely believe their luck. To describe the Derby defence as being at sixes and sevens would have been an understatement as they were more like at nines and tens.
The Derby continued to struggle and the few spectators who turned up midway through the first period were surprised to learn at what they had already missed.
On twenty five minutes, Ashbrooke went four goals clear when the Derby failed to clear their lines properly and the ball dropped to an Ashbrooke player on the edge of the penalty area and he fired a half volleyed effort over Stothard and into the top right hand corner of the net.
The Derby’s first effort on goal finally arrived on the half hour mark but the effort from distance was well wide of the target.
It was around this time that the Derby began to look like rising from their slumber and trying to make a contest of it. Rob Calvert twice came close to getting the away side on the score sheet. First he skewed a shot wide of the post when well placed and then a minute later was unlucky to see an effort clip the top of the cross bar when he beat the onrushing Ashbrooke keeper to a cross.
Just before half time Ashbrooke scored a fifth goal when yet more poor Derby defending allowed an Ashbrooke player to run through and slip a shot past the helpless Stothard.
At the half time break, Scott Linton, struggled to put into words the disgust and disappointment he felt at what he had witnessed in the first half. Captain Ben Horn was brought on in place of Luke Taylor, who was looking a little groggy after a clash of heads a couple of minutes before the interval.
The second half continued in a similar vein to the first for the Derby. More poor defending gifted further goals to Ashbrooke and by the time the hour mark arrived the Derby were 7-0 down. Linton elected to have a go at this point and switched to a three at the back formation and introduced Adam Young in place of Ross Carty.
The move did little to inspire the Derby and if anything it only succeeded in putting the defenders under even more pressure.
An eighth goal arrived with twenty five minutes remaining when a free kick from just outside the left hand corner of the box was swung in and after going through the crowd of bodies in the area went straight in.
With fifteen minutes remaining Ashbrooke scored for a ninth time. A long throw in was launched into the Derby penalty area and found its way all the way to the back post where from virtually on the goal line an Ashbrooke player tapped it home.
The Derby finally got themselves a goal with a little over ten minutes to go. After being awarded a penalty for a supposed handball, Calvert saw his incredibly weak spot kick saved but the ball rebounded straight back to him and he made no mistake from the follow up. That was the first goal of the campaign for the diminutive striker who topped the scoring charts in Division Three last season. The term consolation would be used by a few in these circumstances but let me tell you this goal was of absolutely no consolation at all for anyone connected to the Derby.
In the dying stages Ashbrooke made it 10-1 when they exploited the every increasing holes in the Derby backline to condemn the away side to by far and away the heaviest defeat in their Sunday League history.
Following the game an inquest was held into the frankly embarrassing performance and manner of the defeat. Talk is cheap however, and the Derby need to try put yesterdays horror show behind them and put things right on the pitch. The Derby’s first opportunity to do that comes on Sunday when they play Division Three side, Penshaw C.C.FC in the League Cup. A return to basics in an attempt to kick start their season is what is required and if the Derby players can not get themselves up for that game then they need to have serious look at themselves.
