The Old Malvernians produced their worst performance of the season to suffer a third league defeat in six Arthurian League Division One games this season. In their first League outing in a month, Malvern travelled to bottom side Radley hoping to secure a morale boosting win ahead of their Dunn second round game against Brentwood. Unfortunately, a sloppy showing meant they slipped to defeat on a cold and boggy early afternoon in Chiswick.
Injuries to key players, Charlie Gifford and Leon Kirchhoff, meant a strong 14 was weakened on the morning of the match, although first team season debutanats, Max Kufner and Ben Rogers were two rare plus points on a disappointing early December lunchtime. Traffic problems that meant that the returning Ayo Afolabi arrived after the game had kicked off, and forced the OMs to reshuffle their line-up, as Kufner started up front and Peter Ford moved back into midfield.
Despite a slow start, the away side appeared in control of proceedings and were unlucky to have a goal ruled out for a dubious offside as the Radleians keeper spilled a Ford shot that Kufner reacted quickest too to smash home from close range. An inconsistent refereeing performance from the interestingly named, Ron Large, was highlighted with the decision to disallow what looked like a perfectly legitimate goal. Five minutes later Malvern and their impressive German forward did have the opening goal, as Ford's free-kick was headed against a defender's shoulder and looped into the far corner of the net.
A further readjustment was needed before half-time however as William Murtagh injured his hamstring taking a goal kick. Perhaps this amateurish moment was a sign of what was to come, as losing your centre midfielder to an injury picked up taking such a trivial set-piece can only be described a comedic at best. Ben Rogers replaced Murtagh and proved he still has what it takes to play at this level, using possession calmly and simply in the middle of the park. Despite the personnel problems Malvern led at half-time thanks to Kufner's opening first-team goal for the club, although this owed more to some outstanding goalkeeping from Daniel Madden than any particularly impressive performances by the outfield players.
Half-time provided a chance for the team to install the importance of competing against a typically physical and competitive Radley outfit, but warnings came and went largely unheeded. The home team equalised early in the second half, as a long ball from the back found its way to their tall centre forward, who somehow managed to outmuscle two defenders and place his shot beyond Madden and into the bottom right hand corner. The goal seemed to finally awake the Old Malvernians from their slumber, and they enjoyed their best spell of the match in the fifteen minutes immediately after conceding. Alex Richardson began to control the battle in the middle of the park, and after he received a pass into feet from Ford he played a wonderful slide-rule pass that split the ORs defence and released Tom James through on goal. James' pace took him clear of the back four but a lack of composure betrayed him at the crucial moment, and his somewhat hurried effort went wide of the right-hand post. By now Afolabi and another replacement, Tom Chappell, had started to have an effect on the game, and Will Gifford was also providing some dangerous moments from wide areas.
However, further chances came and went as first Afolabi headed over a free kick, then Ford's shot was blocked and James failed to find the right cross after another good run down the left. On a pitch that made it very difficult to play their brand of passing football, it was the home side's tactic of getting the ball forward early and bypassing the midfield that was most effective, and the OM's defending all over the pitch left a lot to be desired. As the game drifted towards what looked like an inevitable draw, Malvern's capacity for conceding late goals again returned to haunt them, as another ball over the top released their attacking right back. As he ran through on goal, James Bath's ill judged sliding tackle brought him down, and the only question now was whether the foul had been committed inside the area. After some deliberation the referee awarded the spot-kick, which was duly dispatched beyond Madden, who was given no chance this time.
Late pressure came to nothing despite some more direct tactics, as Kufner returned to the fore in an attempt to provide Afolabi with more direct support. The defeat means the OMs are now firmly back in the chasing pack in Division One, with Shrewsbury winning their seventh game in eight league fixtures to move nine points clear at the top. Other results mean Malvern are still very much in the promotion hunt with ten matches to go, but a vastly improved performance will be needed next week if they are to have any chance of testing a Brentwood side flying high in the Premier League.
