The 9.30am meeting time outside the Woodlands saw the team not only scraping up players due to illness and a christening but also saw the Away side trying to find a referee for the game. A ref was found, the players turned up and the whistle blew to start a game which was very much a one of two bewildering half’s.
The Woodlands started the half the most positive and pressed hard for an opener. 10 minutes in and the comedy of Bottomley was the most surprising as he used is thighs as a vice to out manoeuvre the home side. Rawcliffe looked vulnerable as Bottomley and Pheasant provided some stunning long balls and Collins saw a thunder strike go just wide of the post. Bottomley continued to show that he had learnt something from watching Beckham’s training videos as he provided a long ball which connected with the head of Maundril only to see it scrape past the post.
25 minutes in and although Rawcliffe had had some spirited moments it was always Woodlands who looked like going ahead. Woodlands were given a free kick on the half hour mark which was swerved in by Pheasant but Woodlands couldn’t connect.
10 minutes from half time and the Woodlands were awarded another free kick just outside the box. Pheasant stepped up to take the shot as surely now was the time Woodlands would go ahead. The ball left Pheasant’s boots, over who wall and struck the top left had corner of the crossbar. Another chance gone astray. The best chance of the half came just before the break as the usual dependable Maundril was put clean through for a one on one with the keeper. The keeper came out, widening his stance and Maundril’s subsequent shot was unluckily blocked. The first half ended as all square in the goal department but not in performances – Woodlands were the better side of the half. Some excellent play and some noticeable improved individual performances from the Away side could have fooled the spectators that the Woodlands would have the upper hand in the second half.
Full time score – 4-0 to Rawcliffe – I don’t think a blow-by-blow match report for this half is justified as the game defied all logic on the basis of the first half. Putting it simply – Rawcliffe shocked the Away side with an early second-half goal and the pressure got to the travelling team in Pink. All credit to Rawcliffe for their efforts but the Woodlands were left kicking themselves for their first half missed opportunities, licking their wounds after a low-confidence second half performance but now have to pick themselves up from this in a weeks time.
M.O.M – could have been one or two nominees in the first half but these were ironed out by performances in the second. All agreed that the result didn’t deserve a Man of the Match accolade.
