Second successive defeat for the Lions, but this one was a tale of wasted chances at the wrong end and goalkeeping heroics at the other.
Line up:
Dorian (GK)
Phil (RB) Matt R (CB) Mark W (CB) Dale (LB)
Gary (CM) JP (CM) Simon (CM)
Lee T (RF) Lee M (CF) Kevin (LF)
We were back in Chilworth, deepest darkest Surrey facing the team that narrowly beat us on the last day of last season. Nearly half our team turned up late to the pitch but Dave saved time in the team talk by telling us the formation then marching off in a strop. Think he'd had enough of telling us to do something and then completely failing to do just that until half an hour into the game.
Having said that, we did start the game a lot better than we have done for a while and the game was pretty even without any real openings for either side. If anything we were probably just edging it, so it was frustrating when we still managed to concede the first goal.
Their forward managed to dance his way into the box past a couple of our guys and his low shot beat Dorian, who to be fair probably didn't see it until late as I was in his way. We so nearly got back on level terms when Lee T was put through one-on-one with the keeper but his low chip rolled agonisingly wide.
Dorian made the a couple of good stops from long range efforts and Gary ran through their defence and though his final shot was on target it was too weak to cause any concern.
On another occasion, some good build up play saw Gary put in a low cross from the byline and Lee M only just missed getting a telling connection on it. We had a few other shots in on goal, but couldn't get on the score sheet before half time.
Dave was talking to us now and greatly encouraged by the effort so we went out unchanged. We had to wait around a bit for the oppo to finish their team talk which maybe included a few burgers as they did it in the little cafe they'd set up.
Anyway, things were pretty even again after the break, but they were getting more chances than us, with our defence presenting them with some golden opportunities.. We were caught out of position from a through ball a couple of times but Dorian - who had a fantastic game - pulled off save after save. The number of times he denied their forwards in one-on-one situations was getting ridiculous and he was rightly getting plaudits from both teams. We didn't exactly make things easy for him either. Matt got caught on the ball after a throw out from Dorian and their nifty little attacker was suddenly through but Dorian turned his near post effort behind for the corner. He made a near point blank save when their cross found a player in front of the goal with no-one near him.
We were finally undone after we failed to clear a corner and the ball was picked up by their midfielder on the edge of the area. He got past a tackle and put the ball high over Dorian, who despite getting a hand to it, couldn't keep it out.
We still had time to turn it around and after the last of the substitutions we pressed up the field more and more. We made more chances, but couldn't make them count, with an awful miss by Lee M with the keeped on the floor and the goal gaping, summing up our day. When we did get it on target, it was invariably straight at the keeper.
Dorian still had to keep us in it with some more outstanding saves but time had pretty much run out when Gary went on one of his trademark runs cutting inside from the left and blasting the shot through the fingers of the keeper into the net. We had one more attack but couldn't get the ball through their defence and time was called on yet another short-lived cup run.
Restored some pride, but it was back to the old story of lots of chances, very little return.
