Away once again and this time to the lovely town of Bracknell for Tongham’s first ever meeting with FC Bracknell.
Makes a change for opposition manager to actually welcome us this year and Rob seems a decent chap.
Referee is a change from the original and the replacement is his son, and on the whole very good especially in the first half as he proves to have an excellent grasp of the advantage law, second half....!
Forgetting the opening minute it doesn’t take long for Tongham to get in their stride and early possession is the way forward, lots of movement lots of passing and it’s no surprise when we take the lead, Steve Cale running free, shrugging off a challenge to smash an early opener from all of 20 yards that leaves Bracknell’s Keeper floundering.
At this time it is one way traffic with MoM Aaron taking the lead with some smashing tackles and intelligent running, must be something to do with his shiny new boots, some lovely interplays then tear Bracknell apart, Jordan and Darren combine and Jordan sends a defence splitting ball 40 yards across the area for his brother Cameron to chase down and with the out rushing keeper coolly lofts the ball over him and into the unguarded net.
Comments are ringing round at how good the team looks, the play is good from front to back and several chances go begging that should have put us out of sight.
We waste several free kicks before Jordan is brought down on the right touch line and Darren sends one over that is just begging to be headed into that lovely holey thing called a net and Sam rises like the proverbial fish and plants his header firmly into the back of the net.
3 bloody nil up playing some sumptuous football everything in Farley is wonderful (That’s the ground by the way).
I think it might have something to do with the clocks going back because that was it, we lost the next hour. Bracknell to their credit did not give up and after hitting the bar twice manage to get 1 back through a scrappy goal that we didn’t manage to clear. We start arguing, not making decisions, concede too many free kicks in and around our own box and Jack takes the first red card of the match.
We hang on to half time and hang on it was. What went wrong? how can you go from the sublime to the ridiculous in such a short time.
Second half and it’s a great start just like the first when within the first few minutes Max breaks from the edge of the lovely white painted half way line, drives down the wing like a silky smooth Ferrari and fires a superb shot over the keeper into the roof of the net.
Normal service resumed, nope just a blip as Bracknell get one back within two minutes as we fail to defend a corner of all things.
It’s just as well we are clinical when it comes to finishing otherwise we would have been looking down the barrel today, Cammy gets his second as he battles hard gets a slice of luck and slots past the keeper to put us back to having a 3 goal cushion.
How long does that last, yes that’s right two bloody minutes as Bracknell bundle the ball in, H complains that Freddie was grabbed by 3 Bracknell players but the ref failed to see it.
A period of rest as the middle is shored up with the reinstatement of Aaron and Sam to midfield.
Tempers are now starting to flair with all the decisions seeming to be going just one way now.
Darren then picks up a yellow card for a strong challenge and we have the sight of some stupid Bracknell supporter shouting at the ref that it was his second yellow and he should be sent off, quite how he can get Darren mixed up with Jack God only knows and quite frankly I have not got a clue, my advice is Spec Savers mate.
From the resulting free kick there is a bit of argy bargy, (that’s a restaurant in Eastenders I think).
We force the Bracknell keeper into a stunning save as he keeps his teams hopes alive and from the resulting poor corner Bracknell then grab their 4th as they break from their own area and with our defence nowhere to be seen .....and all of a sudden the real danger is that we are not only going to draw this but maybe throw it away.
Harry is the next in the book as he takes out the striker as he races clear, lucky boy to still be on the pitch methinks, from the resulting free kick the header is glanced wide.
The ref is asked how long left... 6 is the reply....14 minutes later we are still going.
With Bracknell going full tilt they are winning every tackle, free kick and verbally challenge every decision but ahh well let’s just say I don’t think we had the rub of the green with some decision and we didn’t deserve to win the yellow card battle 3-0.
The boys hang on for all three points, a wins a win I hear you say..definitely. For thirty minutes only one team in it, for an hour and a quarter we definitely hung on.
