Hobnob end the season on a high
After a run of only one win in seven, Hobnob could have been forgiven for going into the game against Reeves Rangers a little cautiously but as it was the final game of the season, and with nothing to play for, there was perhaps a sense of freedom that had been missing in previous weeks. This freedom was evident from the moment the side was read out and it was announced that the 4-4-2 that had served for most of the season was being ditched in favour of an untried 3-4-3 formation. It was a brave move with Dan Hare coming in on the right hand side and Dave Harris on the left. Rich Paine was moved forward into more of a roaming role and the whole side felt like a very attacking one from the off.
Whether it was a case of shock tactics or whether it was being able to play with the freedom of knowing that there were no expectations from the game, Hobnob were utterly dominant in the first half. It took only five minutes for Paine to open the scoring when he latched on to Hare’s through ball and found the corner of the net. It was the kind of goal that Hobnob’s top scorer is so adept at, he found space for himself between the defenders and had time to take a touch before beating the goalkeeper. The second came shortly afterwards in slightly less conventional style. After complaining before the game about his low goal tally, it was somehow fitting that it came from Matt Bolton. It was his long throw that was headed back to him on the left flank and he curled the ball perfectly over the defence, around the keeper and inside the post. There’s some debate as to whether he was aiming for the goal or not but after a tremendous debut season from the midfielder, the team were inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. The chances began to come thick and fast, Dan Robertson was very unlucky not to find the net with a cheeky lob from the edge of the area that had the keeper well beaten but unfortunately had the post as well. From a corner Mike Terry, desperate to open his account for the season, couldn’t get enough power on his header and it was only so frenetic defending that kept Robertson from knocking in the rebound.
With the chances flowing and the game barely half an hour old, it was perhaps no surprise that Rangers were dropping deeper and deeper and Pulfer almost took full advantage of the extra space. Collecting the ball on the left he ghosted his way inside two players before unleashing a bullet of a strike towards goal. It was struck so cleanly and was flying into the top corner only for the keeper to dive at full stretch to push the ball around the post. A truly excellent bit of football all round. On previous occasions a save like that might have propelled the opposition on but it wasn’t to be in this case. Hobnob’s forwards again found space behind the defenders and Pulfer’s cross found Harris unmarked at the far post who was free to bring the ball down and smash the ball in via a deflection. Some might argue he handled the ball when he controlled it, some might argue it was an own goal but the strike marked a very good performance on a rare start for the man with the hammer in his left boot. Rangers looked shell shocked and Hobnob completed the first half rout seconds after kick off. Again Hare had time on the right to find Paine and his accurate finish clipped into the net off the post to take his tally to 16 goals for the season.
After such a dominant half it was perhaps no surprise that the second forty five failed to live up to the first. It may just be that Hobnob had worn themselves out by spending so long in the opposition area or maybe with the game, and indeed the season, all but over, Hobnob allowed themselves to coast a little. Either way, chances were few and far between. Paine was desperate to complete his hat trick but was finding that ball just wasn’t falling for him as it had before. He was however denied a very strong case for a penalty when taken out by the goalkeeper but the referee ignored his protests. It may be a blessing that it was because I suspect a real argument may have ensued over who got to take the kick! Hobnob’s only real chance of note came from a quickly taken free kick from Plant who, seeing the goalkeeper well off his line, decided to have a go from distance but, much like Robertson’s effort in the first half, it beat everyone, including the post. The only goal in the half came against the run of play and Hobnob will be kicking themselves that the spoiled what would have been a rare clean sheet. The ball fell kindly to the Rangers striker who took a speculative swing at it. Chapman in the Hobnob goal hardly moved as he, like everyone else, assumed from the trajectory that it was flying over only to see it dip into the top corner. It was an excellent strike but it barely registered. The final 20 minutes felt like it was a case of going through the motions but for the second game running Chapman almost had his chance of glory. Bombing forward for a last minute corner, the goalkeeper was agonizingly close to making contact with the ball and heading in his first goal in sixty eight games. It would have been a fantastic way to end the season but Hobnob can be content with what was one of the most dominant performances of the season.
And so the long pre-season starts for Hobnob who will look back on what has been an up and down season but now know that they will definitely finish seventh. Not a disrespectable position but one that probably belies the abilities of the players. I will at some point do a review of the season but suffice to say that this performance will rank as one of the better ones. The back three were rarely troubled and having the extra attacker allowed some lovely interplay with there always being someone available for the pass. It will be nice to know for manager Terry that there is a more unorthodox method that he can potentially employ next season and on the display, those games should be entertaining.
