IT WAS A LOVELY AUTUMN AFTERNOON AS CERNEY TRAVELLED TO THE KINGSHILL COMPLEX TO TAKE ON STRATTON UNITED, LOOKING FOR THEIR FIRST LEAGUE POINTS OF THE SEASON. AS IN PREVIOUS WEEKS, IT WAS THE BARE 11 AGAIN WHO TOOK PART, WITH SEVERAL PLAYERS PLAYING OUT OF POSITION AND A FIRST START FOR LITTLER ON THE WING.
STRATTON DOMINATED THE START OF THE MATCH WITH SOME QUICK PASSING AND GOOD POSSESSION AND WERE AWARDED AN EARLY GOAL WHEN CERNEY FAILED TO CLEAR THEIR LINES AND THE BALL WAS SMASHED INTO THE TOP CORNER FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX. IT LOOKED LIKE IT COULD BE A LONG AFTERNOON AS STRATTON CONTINUED THERE DOMINANCE AND ONLY THE POST AND SOME HEROICS FOM 'THE CAT' IN THE CERNEY GOAL PRESERVED THE ONE GOAL LEAD.
AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY HOWEVER, CERNEY PUT A COUPLE OF PASSES TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE GAME, WITH MAD PETE, LITTLER AND RENNIE EXCHANGING SOME NEAT PASSES AND THE LATTERS THROUGH BALL PUT KEEN ONE ON ONE WITH THE STRATTON KEEPER. KEEN PUT LAST WEEKS SIMILAR MISS OUT OF HIS MIND AND SLID THE BALL THROUGH THE KEEPERS LEGS AND INTO THE BACK OF THE NET TO LEVEL THE SCORE. THE FOLLOWING EXCHANGES WERE PRETTY LEVEL WITH BOTH SIDES HAVING A FEW CHANCES. STRATTON HAD THE CHANCE TO GO BACK INFRONT WHEN THEY WERE AWARDED A PENALTY AFTER A FOUL IN THE BOX BY YOUNG JUGGINS (I THINK). THE CAT HOWEVER DENIED THE STRATTON MIDFIELDER TURNING THE BALL BEHIND THE POST LIKE A YOUNG NEVILLE SOUTHALL. CERNEY WERE THEN AWARDED A PENALTY OF THEIR OWN WHEN LITTLER WAS FOULED AFTER A THROUGH BALL FROM KEEN AND HE SHOWED HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE, SMASHING LOW INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER FOR HIS SECOND OF THE GAME. CERNEY HOWEVER COULDN'T TAKE THE LEAD INTO THE INTERVAL WITH STRATTON GETTING AN EQUALISER AS THE HALF CAME TO A CLOSE.
PERHAPS CERNEY WERE LUCKY TO STILL BE IN THE GAME WITH STRATTON HAVING THE BETTER OF THE FIRST HALF AND SEEMING TO WANT THE GAME MORE. BARELY 2 MINUTES INTO THE 2ND HALF, STRATTON WENT BACK INFRONT WHEN THE SPAWNY YETI ON THE WING VOLLEYED HOME FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX AND STRATTON AGAIN DOMINATED PLAY. ONLY THE CAT DENIED STRATTON FURTHERING THEIR LEAD WITH SOME FINE SAVES IN GOAL AS CERNEY SEEMED TO LACK ANSWERS OF HOW TO GET BACK INTO THE GAME, THEY WERE HOWEVER GIVEN A LIFE LINE WHEN THEY WERE AWARDED A 2ND PENALTY AFTER A DUBIOUS HANDBALL DECISION AND KEEN HAD THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS HAT-RICK. THE SWEAT DRIPPED FROM HIS BROW AS A DIVET ON THE SPOT MADE IT ANYTHING FROM EASY, BUT KEEN WAS HUNGRY (DESPITE HIS PRE MATCH MEGA BREAKFAST) AND HE DRILLED THE BALL HOME FOR HIS 5TH GOAL IN 2 GAMES.
SIMILAR TO LAST WEEK, HAVING MANAGED TO GET BACK INTO THE GAME CERNEY COULDNT SEE IT OUT AND STRATTON ADDED 2 MORE GOALS IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES FOR A DESERVED 5-3 VICTORY. WITH CERNEY CONCEEDING GOALS AT AN ALARMING RATE IT LEAVES MANAGER RENNIE, IN DYER NEED OF ADDING TO HIS SQUAD FOR NEXT WEEKS COUNTY CUP TIE AT HOME TO MINSTERWORTH.
APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF COMEDY VALUE IN THIS REPORT, BUT PERHAPS A VICTORY NEXT WEEK WILL RESTORE MY DEFLATED PERSONALITY!
P.S PLAYER RATINGS PROVIDED BY A NEUTRAL 3RD PARTY
