22/01/12: New Derby FC (4) v (0) The Victory Club
Scorers: Waites, Binks, Gourlay (pen), Thompson
Starting Team: Udale (GK), Josh McGill (Wright), Horn (c), Bunyan, Waites, Hutchinson (Smiles), Binks, Gourlay, Robson, Thompson, Calvert (Boiston)
Subs (Unused): Ashman, Fisher, Jake McGill, Taylor, Young
Yellows: None
Reds: None
The New Derby carried their excellent form into the new year as they recorded a sixth straight league win, comfortably sweeping aside Division Two basement boys, The Victory Club, thanks to four second half goals without reply.
Derby manager, Scott Linton, no doubt mindful of the fact that the Victory normally play just the one striker, elected to change his side’s formation, ditching the usual 4-4-2 and preferring a 3-5-2 set up. In the absence of the suspended Sam Scott, Josh McGill was handed a recall – his first start since recovering from an ankle problem – and he lined up as one of the three centre halves alongside captain, Ben Horn and Paul Bunyan. James Waites and Stephen Robson were employed as the two wing backs with Martin Hutchinson, Dave Gourlay and former Victory manager, Graham Binks, playing in midfield. Usual striking duo Martin Thompson and Rob Calvert started up front.
The opening exchanges were scrappy with neither team finding it particularly easy to settle in the windy conditions.
Tough tackling seemed to be the order of the day for the Victory with Robert Timm and Anth Collins both putting in crunching challenges on New Derby players.
As the first half reached its midway point, Victory player, Peter Harding was booked for tripping an opponent and the Derby almost made him pay dearly from the resulting free kick. The ball into the area caused panic in the Victory defence but the Derby were unable to force the ball home, it somehow ended up in a grateful Lewis Swan’s arms.
The Derby forced Swan into another excellent save shortly afterwards when he parried away a shot from just inside the penalty area.
Alex Rodgers, was the next into referee Derek Callaghan’s notebook as he picked up a caution for cynically pulling back Martin Thompson as he attempted to engineer a New Derby counter attack.
Tackles were continuing to fly in thick and fast and Derek Callaghan was seemingly starting to lose a grip on the game allowing a series of ugly looking tackles to go unpunished. Tempers were also beginning to rise and Graham Binks took exception to a foul challenge on him by Collins, and had to be dragged away before he had the chance to think about retaliating.
With ten minutes of the first half remaining came another flash point. After Rob Calvert was crudely stopped in his tracks by Jonny Lewis, he lay on the floor holding his head (eye witnesses confirm he was overheard saying to the ref “ouch ref my head hurts”). Lewis thought Calvert was play-acting in an attempt to get him booked and tried to haul the New Derby man back to his feet. Calvert, who was in a bit of pain, didn’t like this one bit and aimed what, was described as a girly punch into Lewis’ chest. Other referees may have taken a harsher view on Calvert’s actions but Mr Callaghan elected just to warn him about his conduct.
Calvert quickly regained his bearings and almost made the Victory pay by putting the Derby ahead but after he did well to beat two defenders he fired his right foot shot high, wide and not very handsome.
The last moment of action in the first half saw Ben Horn and Anth Collins go head to head in a bone crunching 50-50 tackle which the New Derby man won superbly. Collins sustained a knock as a result of this and was forced to limp through the remaining couple of minutes of the half.
At the half time break, a couple of New Derby supporters (Linton’s dad and a friend) were heard chanting ‘Linton Out!’ after what was an ultimately frustrating half for the home side. The Derby manager was not unduly concerned and urged his team to be patient and that the goals would come.
Linton’s words proved to be spot on as with just over ten minutes of the second half gone his side took the lead. After the Victory Club surrendered possession, Martin Thompson delivered an excellent cross from the left wing which was knocked in from around six yards out by James Waites. That goal took the proverbial wind out of the Victory Club sails who now knew they faced an uphill task.
Having taken the lead the shackles seemed to have been freed from the Derby somewhat and they started to play the passing football which has seen them climb the table.
Just after the hour mark and the Derby doubled their advantage when Graham Binks scored his first goal of the season. Robson played a ball through to Calvert who then hit a cross-shot towards the back post towards Hutchinson. He somehow managed to miss from virtually on the goal line but the ball ricocheted to Binks who was left with the simple task of nodding the ball home from a couple of yards. That goal meant a lot to Binks, undeniably the best manager in the Victory Club’s history, and he celebrated by performing a knee slide in front of the jubilant Derby following.
Shortly after the goal, Linton replaced Hutchinson and Josh McGill with James Smiles and Mark Wright. Smiles was greeted onto the pitch by the usual chorus of boos from the Victory touchline whenever one of their former players entered the playing field. Stephen Robson acknowledged the boos as he went over to take a throw-in by applauding the Victory supporters.
With a little under twenty minutes remaining, the Derby went three goals clear. Calvert picked the ball up and drove into the Victory penalty area where he was then knocked to the floor by a clumsy tackle from Simon Mountford. The referee had no option than to point to the spot. Dave Gourlay stepped forward and made no mistake sending the keeper the wrong way.
Alex Rodgers, the stand-in Victory left back, was then lucky to stay on the pitch when, already on a yellow card, he deliberately handled an attempted through ball to stop a Derby attacker from running clean through on goal. Other referees would have had no hesitation in reaching for a second yellow which would have meant a red.
Rob Calvert was replaced for the final ten minutes or so by Dec Boiston.
Scott Hunter almost pulled a goal back for the Victory but his looping shot from distance was turned onto the bar by a furiously back-pedalling Steve Udale.
With seven minutes left, the Derby added a fourth goal. Supposed Gareth Bale look-alike Stephen Robson produced a fine run down the left before delivering a left footed cross the man himself would have been proud of and Martin Thomspon was on hand to turn the ball home from close range – the shot squirming through Lewis Swan’s grasp who will probably have felt he should have saved it.
At the final whistle the Derby were left to reflect on another good win which now sees them move up to third in the table. A much tougher challenge is anticipated in their next game against the resurgent, Washington River Bar, who sit one place below them in the table. The venue for that one is St. Robert’s of Newminster School with kick off set for 10am to allow for the game to be finished in plenty of time for Sunderland’s FA Cup tie against the Smoggies.
