Tilehurst YM maintained their 100% start to the season with an impressive win away to Victoria Arms in Mortimer this morning. This was a game that admittedly won't end up on a video compilation of Sky's greatest games in 20 years of football coverage, but the old mantra "good teams win ugly" shone through.
The visiting Bees started brightly with an early spell of pressure resulting in a series of corners taken by the captain Mark Harding. One of these resulted in Michael Buck rising like Shaquille O'Neal to meet a header that proved too hot for the defender to handle as he could only head it into the roof of the net.
The Bees' lead didn't last long however. A hoof forward from a Victoria Arms centreback rumoured to be named Mr A.Lump, last seen on a John Smith's advert, resulted in a defensive mix-up between Ryan Maslen and debutant goalkeeper Matthew Haines, allowing the Victoria Arms attacker to come between the 2 and strike home for the equaliser.
Mark Harding went close with a long range free kick that the opposing goalkeeper did well to save over the bar, thankfully not onto oncoming traffic after he smashed a car in the first game of the season with a wayward free kick. Before the first half had finished, there was still plenty of time for eccentric centre-back and physio's best friend Matthew Gill to go on a couple of mazy runs with his head down further than David Pleat in a red light area.
At Half Time, the gaffer Clive Butler rallied his troops demanding they dug in deep and gave 110% to the cause of re-taking the lead. Striker Richard Godfrey was booked for kicking the ball away (again) which lead the manager with no choice but to punish his no.10 by subbing him for Adam Cole. Some great play down the left hand side by Michael "Get tackled by me and try for a quick" Buck and Cole lead to the Victoria Arms defence being dragged out of position more effectively than anything the lack lustre Reading FC had served up 24 hours before. The result of this was David Gill advancing on the left channel of the box before poking it underneath the rushing out goalkeeper and into the far corner of the goal. Tilehurst YM were 2-1 up and the dozen fans on the sidelines danced into scenes of jubilation not seen since Charlotte Jackson first appeared on Sky Sports News.
Victoria Arms weren't going to give up the ghost and launched more pressure on the Tilehurst YM goal than the pressure levied on Garry Cook to resign for LOLing at a player's Mum's cancer. One of their attackers went through on goal, only to be denied by the inspired Haines who performed the sort of save Paul Merson would call a "worldy" before throwing himself over the desk of a Soccer Saturday set.
The longer the game progressed, the more it looked like TYM would hang on for the win. However, the Victoria Arms keeper had ideas of his own as he threw himself into the penalty area for 2 late late corners. Tilehurst YM safely cleared the ball and after a spell of Harding and Buck playing 1-2's with each other in the corner, the referee called time on the game to end a hard-fought victory for the bees as they continue to prove wrong their pre-season doubters (THAT MEANS YOU DRAKE, YOU AMATEUR).
***Bees fans - Home season tickets are still available from the club shop. Simply call 0118 3566712 to speak with one of our operators. Tickets are available for the price of £20 - that's us, the club, paying you £20 to watch us for the season. Sign up today!***
