Victory Club 0-6 Silksworth Fleece
Another game, another defeat for the Victory Club (wrongly named this season!). This game won't live long in the memory played at walking pace on a terrible pitch at the Vicotry's replacement home at Downhill.
Due to a lack of players because of injury Steve Jackson was forced to play himself in a five man midfield.
The Victory fell behind in the 15th minute through some a combination of sloppy defending and poor goalkeeping. The usually reliable Swan pushed the ball into the air but not away and the follow up header was stuck in with the Victory defenders standing static.
The second goal followed shortly after a long ball caught Ian Reay out and the ball was swept home in confident fashion. A third goal follwed before the 25 minute mark despite dealing with the first corner the Victory failed to react and a long range shot beat the unsighted Swan from 22 yards low into the net. Steve Jackson realising it was going wrong replaced himself with Andrew Hodgson.
It failed to stimulate anything as the Victory conceded a fourth from a excellent direct free kick which was whipped over the wall and beyond Swan into the top corner of the net.
Half Time
With the game clearly gone the Victory only had pride to play for in the second half and their cause was not helped by Ian Reay having to leave the field after only 5 minutes with a recurrence of a knee problem this left the Victory for the final forty with only 10 men.
The Victory battled hard to keep the score down and Swan made two decent saves to keep it at four.
Anth Collins had been enjoying his usual tussles in Midfield but on this moment of note had been fouled when the Fleece player took exception and stamped on his back, the ref though seemed more interested in Skipper Greg Davison's rant rather than the Fleece player - not even a Yellow!
The Victory then had their first shot of the game through Scott Hunter the Victory played some neat football out of the back, spread it wide to Rob Timm who nutmegged the right back and laid it into Ben Stores who smartly teed it up for Hunter who hit his attempt terribly over the bar. The Vics sensing they could be in for a consolation again attacked Hunter got down the right crossed the ball in but this time it was Timm who miscued his shot, putting it over the bar.
Skipper Greg Davison then came closest as he struck the bar through a bullet header, at this point it seemed the Victory were laying better with 10 but that also may have been down to the Fleece taking their foot off the gas.
The Fleece added to more goals before the end the first through a sub who despite been kicked by three Victory players kept his balance to score and he ran away celebrating wildly like he had scored a great goal not one against a side who had only 10 men at the bottom of the league. The second to add further salt to pretty big wounds was from a free kick whipped in and was headered home from a Fleece player standing 2 yards out with nobody around him he was quite clearly offside but yet again the Ref seemed to have his eyes elsewhere, obviously it would have made no difference to the scoreline but you would expect him to get that right.
Full Time
At full time the Victory had played slightly better in the second half but they were again out of the game by half time meaning that there was no chance of picking up a result on this occasion. A quicker start will be needed if they are to get anything against Halfway House next weekend.
