Victory Club 1 - 6 Halfway House
Even a new maanger couldn't turn around the fortunes of the struggling Victory Club, well at least not straight away!
Steve Jackson will be looking to bring in some new recruits after another defeat which made it nine straight in the league.
Despite having only 12 players to select he made a bold decision bringing in Jonny Lewis for his first game since September, dropping Simon Mountford to the bench and switching the formation to 4-4-2, placing Ben Stores and Rob Timm in the coverted strike roles.
The game started poorly from both sides which was to be expected as neither side were in any kind of form.
The Victory had the opening chance of the game as Peter Harding broke down the right swung in a cross only for Scott Hunter to blaze the chance over from seven yards. The Halfway House then stepped up and their first effort was saved comfortably by Rodgers in the Victory goal (who was continuing for the absent Swan).
The breakthrough came just before the twenty minute mark, an outswinging corner which was poorly dealt with by the Victory defence who allowed the free header towards goal, it looked as if Rodgers would deal with it comfortably but as this nightmare season continues he made an horendous mistake allowing a tame header to go through his body and trickle over the line!
Halfway House started to apply some pressure but the Victory stood firm in defence and it was from one of their attacks that the second goal came with the Victory passing the ball in the House's final third only for them to intercept and one straight pass to beat a decidedly square looking back four with the attacker bearing down one on one he cooly rounded the keeper to put the ball in the net for two nil. Just before the break Anthony Collins was again in the referee's notebook for a bad tackle on a Halfway House player, although referee Thompson had just let as bad challenges go throughout the half.
Half Time
Victory Boss Jackson gave half time praise but asked for the errors to be cut out and to pass the ball quicker and his players responded with first of all Harding and then Lewis going close to reducing the deficit.
The best chance of the Victory Season fell to Ben Stores on the 55 minute mark. A set play was whipped in by Mark Dryden, Greg Davison rose at the back post and put the ball back accross the Goalkeeper and Six Yard box only for Stores to somehow put the ball over from two yards with the goal at his mercy.
Jackson then made a change replacing Collins who was struggling with a groin strain with Simon Mountfrod who slotted in at right back in the re-shuffle.
The Victory got a goal back but it was from a direct free kick. Mark Dryden stepped up from around 22 yards and expertly put the ball into the top right hand corner of the net to give the Victory hope of a comeback.
That comeback was almost on as Hunter had a effort closed down and Dryden had a header hacked off the line. The Victory were then awarded an indirect free kick for a Halfway House player shouting "LEAVE IT", from the kick Dryden again had his shot hacked off the line. But in football if you keep missing chances you usually get punished and the Victory were hit with a sucker punch when Mountford failed to stop the cross and some loose marking allowed the Halfway House forward to score an abosolute screaming volley putting right in the stantion out of the reach of the goalkeeper.
The Victory were clearly dejected at this point and just moments later another mistake cost them dear as Greg Davison tackeld the forward the ball fell to Nathan Hudson and he tried to pass the ball accross the box to Mountford the Halfway House player intercepted the pass and slammed the ball high past Rodgers into the back of the net from about the penalty spot.
The Halfway House smelling blood against the bottom club went in search of more goals and found the net again seven minutes from time as a ball through cut the back four up and as Rodgers went to smuther the ball he was challenged two footed in his face and arms, as the ball fell loose it trickled towards the goaline and Greg Davison in his attempts to clear it, lost his bearings and only ended up clipping the ball into the corner of his own net. The protests that followed for a foul on the goalkeeper were hushed by referee Thompson.
The Halfway House hadn't finished there and in the final minute they added sixth. A shot from the edge of the area was well saved by the keeper who tipped the ball over the bar but from the resulting corner the the ball was bunddled over the line from four yards after the Victory failed to clear again.
At the full time whistle the Victory players had played okay and didn't derserve to lose by 6 goals to 1, but time after time mistakes by individuals are proving costly. With the club now marooned at the foot of the table Jackson will be hoping he can get some reinforcements to help his struggling players and halt the decline of the club to the third division.
Results Second Division New Derby 3 1 Kings Arms FC Ray Dobson The Guide Post 0 1 Chaplins FC David Fairley Washington River Bar FC 2 3 Chesters X1 FC Ian Quinn
