Dirty Guru couldn't see past Russellers
New Russellers 3 (Brittle, Brown, Ozdemir)
Guru Hargobind Sahib 1
Spirits high after a convincing win at Senior Division Punjab United, the Christmas break did not affect the win streak to record the first victory of 2015.
For the first time in a long while, Russellers had a bench full of players, a squad of 15 turning up on the day as well as support from injured Ben Lovell. A big turn out from friends and family as well boosting the importance of the game.
First Half:
Russellers started the game strongly, creating most of the opening chances, with Guru playing a hit and hope style of football early on to clear their lines. But tempers flared early on in the game, as a gamble from the Guru striker let to extremely high studs on Grant Tugwell, who winced in agony as Nathan Cross came over to diffuse the situation with a crunching tackle. A heated exchange ensued between Grant and the number 7, with threats flying in. Justice was done however and the striker was booked for a dangerous challenge, with Tugwell receiving a warning to the dismay of the away side.
After a short burst of Guru attacks, New Russellers were gifted an opportunity, as a ball entered the box, and with Oliver Brown's key word being 'GAMBLE', he raced into the box ahead of the defender, firing a tame shot which the keeper fumbled, only for Matthew Brittle to be placed perfectly to smash the ball home in confident style to give New Russellers the lead they deserved.
Other than that, the first half was a dry affair with a few chances from the forwards and a cheeky bit of skill from Oliver Brown, spinning through the defender, who then ruined it with a shot that put the keeper to sleep with how easy it was to deal with.
Strong challenges from Nathan Cross and Callum Stapley went noticed by the away side who showed their disgust towards the referee despite being the main culprits of bad tackles.
Second Half:
Russellers picked up where they left off in the first half, being the more dominant side. Unfortunately the skipper Tom Stapley was caught late by a challenge, leading to him rolling his ankle. This spelled the end of the game for our captain, who was replaced by Reece Churcher who sat next to Nathan Cross in the back 4. Luckily there was no serious damage and he should be fit for next Sunday's game.
A goal kick was poorly struck by the Guru goalkeeper, who admittedly had not been kicking well all day, and Oliver Brown seized on the opportunity, getting ahead of the defender but taking a heavy touch. Luckily he got ahead of the second defender, who would have been in trouble should Brown have gone down. But he stayed on his feet to slide the ball past the approaching goalkeeper to double the lead. This was the home side in control.
Guru realised their mistakes and put their centre back on goal kick duty, and now Guru had more depth in their attack. A corner was awarded after the defence dealt with a great opportunity. The winds had picked up at this point and the corner was going with the gust, forcing Grant to try his utmost to palm the ball away, only to see it hit the back of the net. Were Guru back in this?
After a few short scares from the away side again, the fresh legs of Josh Halles, Sam Risby, and Tom Kerby added some much needed energy to a side looking to kill the game off. A ball met Serkan Ozdemir who tactically kept the ball on the byline, then turning and unleashing a cross-shot hybrid over the desparing keeper. With Ben Dos Santos at the back post it was destined for goal, but luckily the Guru defender panicked, kicking at it ferociously, only to miss and put it in the back of his own net. Awarded to Serkan Ozdemir as it looked to be going in anyways, but the main point is that Russellers retained the two goal lead.
A loose ball ended up bouncing about, and all of a sudden a pile of bodies were on the floor, only for Oliver Brown to be at the bottom, aided by screams of pain. Physio for the day Duff's dad came rushing onwards performing all sorts of actions, but his healing powers were not to work. A quick replacement as Matthew Brittle came back on, accompanied by what would have been a fantastic goal after a driven Serkan Ozdemir cross was met by a bicycle kick which looped over.
Play resumed, and a solid defensive performance in the final few meant Russellers were through! Awaiting the fixture but this could spell a great cup run for New Russellers. Onto the next cup game against Manorwood in the Kent Sunday Junior Trophy last 16!
