20/03/11: Washington F Pit (0) v (4) The Victory Club
Scorers: Smiles 2, Lamb 2
Team: Swan (GK), Hudson, Bunyan, Davison (c), M. Dryden, Mountford (Hunter), Collins, Lamb (Jackson), Robson, Harding (Stores), Smiles
Unused Subs: None
Yellows: None
Reds: None
A four goal first half blitz helped the Victory Club to a much needed 4-0 away win over Division Two basement boys, Washington F Pit. The result demonstrated the teams’ bouncebackability following last week’s disappointment and in the process pushed them further away from the relegation zone.
The Victory had been due to play TEF Workingmen’s Club this weekend but were informed on Friday evening that they had withdrawn from the league and so the match was altered and the Victory found themselves forced to undertake one of their longest away trips in the league this season through to Washington to face the F Pit.
With Sunderland playing at home in a 1:30pm kick off against Liverpool, the match was brought forward with kick off scheduled for 10am. However, when 10am arrived the Victory were still driving aimlessly around the streets of Washington unable to find the venue. When the Victory did finally get lucky and found the pitch it was 10:10 but thankfully referee, Fatai Balogun, obviously had similar problems and turned up shortly afterwards. So in the end the match didn’t get underway until around 10:20.
Lee Hermiston made a single change recalling Mark Dryden at left back in place of the unavailable Jonathan Lewis. Alex Rodgers was away in Carlisle whilst Chris Fisher, who had been set to start on the bench, got lost while driving through Washington and decided to turn round and head home.
Despite their late arrival the Victory started brightly and showed some good early touches whilst knocking the ball around well. F Pit on the other hand could barely get a touch of the ball and when they did they promptly presented it straight back to their opponents.
The Victory’s positive beginning was rewarded when after eight minutes they took the lead. Washington F Pit were the architects of their own downfall however. The F Pit keeper passed the ball out short to his right back who then dwelt on the ball and was caught in possession by James Smiles. Smiles advanced into the box with the ball and beat the keeper at his near post with a firmly struck shot.
Things got even better for the Victory less than five minutes later as they doubled their advantage. A cross field ball found Simon Mountford on the right wing just inside the F Pit penalty area. He brought the ball down and squared it to Lamb, who had made a good run from deep, and the Victory vice-captain side footed it home from close range.
It was looking like being a long morning for the F Pit and it took until the twentieth minute for them to have their first meaningful effort on goal. A shot from inside the box was fumbled by Swan but Bunyan, doing his best John Terry impression, dived full length to head the loose ball away from danger – getting a kick in the side of the head for his troubles.
Despite that chance, the Victory continued to dominate though and Mountford was guilty of missing a golden opportunity to open his account for the season. A cross in from the left found the Victory right winger unmarked at the back post but Mountford’s volleyed effort resembled more of a defensive clearance than a shot at goal.
As the game reached the half hour point, the Victory almost went three goals clear when, following a miss kick from Harding, the ball fell kindly to Smiles but his thunderous right foot effort cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
The reprieve for the F Pit was to be short lived as a couple of minutes later the Victory did make it 3-0. Lamb won a tackle in the middle of the park and dribbled forward until he was just outside the F Pit box. He then hit the ball goal wards and it looped over the keeper and into the back of the net. Was it a shot or was it a cross only he truly knows the answer. One thing that was for sure – Lamb had now scored five of his seven goals so far this season against this opposition.
With just over five minutes remaining in the first half the Victory went four goals ahead as Smiles grabbed his second of the game and tenth of the season. An excellent through ball between the two centre backs by Harding put Smiles through and the Victory forward made no mistake lashing a half volley past the hopelessly exposed keeper.
At half time, Hermiston was delighted with his side’s effort and some of the football they had played. The Victory gaffer elected to make all three subs during the interval brining on Steve Jackson, Scott Hunter and Ben Stores in place of Graham Lamb, Simon Mountford and Peter Harding.
The second half began with very little happening although two of the three subs, Stores and Hunter, both seemed keen to impress and make an impact on the game. Stores showed some nice touches when the ball was played forward to him while Hunter made a few positive runs attacking the woeful F Pit left back.
In fact, it was Hunter who had the first Victory effort of the second half although the less said about it the better. When the ball was played to him he fired a shot miles over the bar. In an attempt to hide his embarrassment at missing by so much he appealed for a corner despite the fact there were no defenders even close to him. The referee was wise to his actions though, laughed and correctly awarded the goal kick.
Fellow substitute, Steve Jackson also went close as the game reached the hour point but his effort from twenty five yards also cleared the F Pit cross bar.
F Pit were enjoying more possession in the attacking third but were being restricted by the Victory backline to shots from distance which were comfortably dealt with by Swan. On the one occasion they did make it into the Victory box they almost scored. A header from a corner was cleared off the line by the perfectly placed Stephen Robson.
In the final twenty minutes the game became a bit fiery and no surprises that Anth Collins was at the heart of things. F Pit took exception to what looked like a firm but fair Collins tackle just outside the box and the player fouled got up and tried to square up to the Victory midfielder. However, Collins was swiftly backed up by a number of team-mates which then lead to the F Pit player offering to fight the majority of the Victory team. From the resulting free kick the ball was curled over the wall but caught by Swan.
Smiles was proving to be a real handful for the opposition and he almost grabbed the hat-trick his efforts deserved but after he was played through his touch was a little heavy and this allowed the F Pit keeper to come out and smother the ball at his feet.
It wasn’t just Smiles who F Pit were struggling to deal with. The Victory’s answer to Gareth Bale, Stephen Robson, was enjoying the space he was being afforded on the left wing going on numerous mazy forwards runs. The F Pit right back was having a torrid time and decided that enough was enough when he unceremoniously ended one jinking run by chopping down the Victory wing wizard. He was rightly booked for his discretion.
As the game entered the final ten minutes, Hunter went close again but his curling effort with his left foot went wide of the target.
In the final five minutes, F Pit almost ruined the men in red’s clean sheet but the substitute forward flashed his shot across goal but thankfully from the Victory’s point of view the shot went wide of the left hand upright.
So, when the referee blew his final whistle the Victory could reflect on a job well done. A fantastic display in the first half proved to be the difference as the Victory took their foot off the pedal after the interval. The clean sheet was the first one registered in the league by the Victory since way back on the 18th January 2009 against Grindon Mill when the referee that day also happened to be Fatai Balogun. Lee Hermiston’s men will hope to build on this week’s win in another huge basement battle next Sunday as the Victory travel to fellow relegation strugglers, Hunters Lodge (City FC).
