MAGPIES SIX SHOOTERS GUN DOWN THE TORNADOES

Trumpington Tornadoes 3  Magpies 2001  6

Over the last year and half I have avoided using the phrase “soap opera” to describe the goings on at the club as first of all it is a cliché, and secondly every football club has passages of time where there is great change or even turmoil. A year ago we lost over half our squad for one reason or another and the season that followed was in truth pretty dismal. This summer we have again lost the services of quite a few players but due to a pretty successful recruitment campaign over the past two months we now have a bigger squad than at any point last season. This point is born out by the amazing number of players we have already used in just three pre-season games in August. Twenty six have turned out for the Magpies in those three games and today we had three new faces although one was just an emergency goalkeeper. This in itself of course doesn’t really present us with more than the obvious problem of making a team gel, but last night the shock decision of our manager and long serving secretary to resign was pretty much a bolt from the blue. With a game the very next day it would be hard to focus entirely on the matter in hand but I felt it was important to leave the discussions until after the game. Today we were facing Trumpington Tornadoes, a game I arranged to make sure we had a stiffer test after playing, with all respect to them, teams from divisions much further below. A team from just one division below will always have a point to prove and with the events as they were leading up to the game I was keen to see how we’d respond to the challenge. I was pleased to see a strong looking squad assemble in Anstey Way, fifteen in total, with three of them making their debuts today. One of these debutants was a forced change as regular goalkeeper Garth Brewer missed a game for the first time in a year, our thanks go to John Minto for stepping in today. We also had two new defenders, Dan Probert, a left back who has just returned to England after four years in South Africa, and Sean Hefferon, a centre back Phil May had promised me would be top notch. Alongside this new trio we had Ryan Asby at right back and Fraser Kelsall at centre back playing his first game of the season, and it would be the first time we had been able to field a back four of recognised defenders for quite some time. In midfield we were missing Dave Morley who still needed more time to overcome a knee injury, Paul May being my choice to captain the Magpies in his absence, although Dave again came to watch, something I really like to see. With Paul in the centre was Sean Peacock, with David May wide on the left and Jonny Pugh wide on the right and a front two of Kevin Jones and Gary James. On the bench were Luke Minshall, Gary Anstee, Dan Aro and Mauro Rocco. The game itself was delayed somewhat due to a lack of posts on the recreation ground, so a switch to the nearby Fawcett School was made, with a pitch marked out right there and then. Sadly no nets were available but with match referee James Garrett happy to play without we began at just before eleven o clock with the sun strong and the conditions pretty good if quite warm. Fair play to the Tornadoes, they made a decent effort to get the game on today.
The game began a little slowly, Magpies making a bright enough start and having decent possession and territory without a goal attempt to show. Dan Probert and Sean Hefferon both showed good early touches and appeared to settle in with ease and overall our back four already looked stronger than it had done so far this season. Keeper John Minto had an early involvement as with their first real attack Tornadoes caused havoc in Magpies penalty area and as the ball ran loose close to the goal only a desperate dive from the debutant custodian retrieved the situation as the striker looked to make contact. As a result his boot caught the keeper just above the eye, totally accidental of course but the game was stopped briefly for some treatment. Once we got going again Magpies mounted a counter-attack down the Tornadoes right with Kevin Jones beating his man and crossing low to the far post where David May applied the finishing touch. A short while after he had another great chance to extend Magpies lead further but despite taking the ball round the keeper his shot was blocked by the defender for a corner. The corner just evaded the head of Johnny Pugh and as Sean Hefferon picked up the pieces, the second cross was just too high for David May. After this bright opening from the visitors, Tornadoes picked up the pace and began to look more of a threat. First a snap-shot went just wide of the apex of bar and post, then a low shot saw John Minto allowed a comfortable save low to his right to spill from his grasp but fortunately at the expense of only a corner. The keeper made amends by punching clear the corner with Ryan Asby completing the clearance. After another brief spell of Magpies possession Tornadoes found an equaliser as their number nine rifled home a finish from twelve yards out. Again the pattern was repeated as Magpies had some good possession for a while but failed to find the killer pass before Tornadoes nearly took the lead, keeper Minto getting something on the ball and as it rolled slowly towards the net Magpies got the ball away with a corner resulting which saw their dangerous number nine head just wide. Five minutes later and the same Tornadoes striker had another chance one on one but this time was well thwarted by Magpies debutant keeper. Then at the other end after Kevin Jones saw an improvised effort go just wide, David May had another great chance but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Tornadoes then had another effort from distance go just wide of the post before Magpies took the lead again on about the half hour mark. Sean Hefferon went on a marauding run which ended with a Magpies free kick just inside the Tornadoes half, Dan Probert’s delivery was excellent and Sean Hefferon powered a header just under the crossbar. Soon after this Jonny Pugh picked up a nasty knock and was brought off for Dan Aro. Another Magpies attack soon after was ended with a tight offside decision before one of the real turning points of the match came. A great chance fell to the Tornadoes player about twelve yards out and as Sean Hefferon made a desperate attempt to block the shot, the ball cannoned back off the underside of the bar, clearly the right side of the line from Magpies point of view and not only was the danger cleared, Magpies quick break ended with Kevin Jones firing home a left footed shot off the inside of the far post to give the visitors a three-one lead. This came very close to half time, and the score remained the same to the break.
For the second half we made another change as Luke Minshall came on at right midfield with Dan Probert taking a break and Dan Aro switching to left midfield and David May to left back. The early stages off the half saw Tornadoes come forward, but then a Magpies attack brought a set piece with Sean Hefferon heading over from the cross. Tornadoes then had their best spell of the game as they pressured Magpies and got a goal back as a scramble ended with a low shot across the keeper and inside the far post. Shortly after it was all square as quite possibly an incorrect offside decision allowed four Tornadoes players to bear down on goal as Magpies waited in vein for a decision, only the custodian standing between them and a goal. With the odds stacked so badly against it was no surprise that the chance was converted and as Tornadoes celebrated, Magpies held a brief inquest with first me, and then the ref. I have to apologise to the players for my error but at the same time, being now at three all would be a good test of character. Magpies made another change with Gary Anstee coming on, Sean Peacock switching to right back as Ryan Asby came off. The change didn’t immediately affect the game but Gary Anstee was involved in the next two moments of real incident. First from a Magpies set-piece he made a decoy run before Paul May shot just over and then from a loose ball on the edge of the area, his shot, which was going well wide of the goal, was deflected unluckily by a Tornadoes defender for an own goal. With Magpies back in the lead Tornadoes heads seemed to drop a little and Magpies soon found a fifth as Sean Hefferon bundled home a rebound after the initial effort from Kevin Jones was blocked. With Magpies making two further changes as Mauro Rocco came on and Jonny Pugh came back on Kevin Jones tapped in a sixth near the end to ultimately wrap up a comfortable win for the visitors.
Overall this was another improvement on the last game, we seem to be going in the right direction on the pitch and the eleven who started the game today in particular looked a very decent side. All three debutants did really well, stand-in keeper John Minto had a very decent game, Dan Probert looked very solid at left back and Sean Hefferon proved to be every bit as good as Phil had suggested he would be, so much so that he got my vote for man of the match.
Kevin took his goals well, especially the first, and all over the pitch there was plenty to be encouraged by. After all this is the first time we’ve netted six goals for two days short of two years, the last time was a pre-season game at Sandon when we won 7-2. I definitely feel we’re moving in the right direction on the pitch, even if events off the pitch are still somewhat unsettling. We’re still two weeks away from the start of the season and a lot can happen in that time so nothing is set in stone as yet. I have a fairly good idea of the starting eleven for that game but places are still up for grabs along with the inevitable injury situation and players being unavailable each week.
Finally I’d like to thank Trumpington for the game, James Garrett for refereeing it, Mauro Rocco for doing excellent work with the camera, and everyone who was there today for Magpies for showing solidarity. Of course I’d also like to thank Geoff and Jackie too for all the hard work they’ve put in over the years, this is still their club, and I really hope it isn’t quite the end of an era, even if it appears so just now. The club is a fine club, built on a reputation for sportsmanship and good football, and we have to keep the club moving in the right direction whoever is calling the shots. I know I made two big mistakes today, missing an offside which led to a goal for Tornadoes, to the Magpies players I again apologise for this, but by the same token our hosts thanked me after the game for being an honest linesman so at least they were happy with my efforts! My second mistake was under-estimating the power of the sun today such that I ended up looking somewhat lobster like after my stint running the line this morning. It was my first game running the line for almost two years so I was probably a bit rusty, when it matters more in two week’s time if I’m doing it again, I promise I’ll try hard to make sure there’s no repeat and I will also remember the sun cream or wear a hat and a shirt with a collar if it’s as hot as it was today in two weeks time!