| B Team | vs | Phoenix Downs |
| Saturday October 2 2021 | ||
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The B’s preparation for their 2nd league game of the season had not been ideal. Availability across all Clifton St. Vincent's teams was limited, and the injury list was already growing so early in the campaign. An hour before KO , Stanleigh received a call from Scanlon declaring his front door lock breaking on his way out leaving for the game. He couldn’t lock it so had to stay at home and miss the game! The conditions weren’t great this week with constant rain and a breeze picking up stronger by the hour. The B’s started the game below par. Everyone seemed a little lacklustre and almost looked like they’d rather be back at the Kings Arms watching the Man U game. A goalmouth sramble after a CSB corner saw Finney’s header blocked and rolled out to the edge of the box where Stanleigh hit a (rare) left footed strike which clipped the outside of the post and out of play. It was probably against the run of play when Stanleigh tackled a Phoenix player just inside the opposition half and then drove forward at pace before unleashing a cultured toe punt from the edge of the area that flew into the bottom corner. 1-0 Clifton St. Vincent's ! This gave the B’s the lift they needed, and they suddenly seemed up for it. The backline of Davis, Stock, Downes and Lopez-Bland were clearing their lines well and protecting GK Cooper from any serious threat, although Phoenix did get in behind at one point and Cooper rushed out to make a great block to a one on one situation ! Just as everyone was starting to think about their halftime drinks, Phoenix forced the play into the Clifton St. Vincent's area and Lopez-Bland went to shoulder to shoulder with their forward who crumbled into a heap as if a sniper was on him, and the referee (to all Clifton St. Vincent's players horror) gave a pen. They converted the (very soft) pen with the last kick of the half. 1-1. Most of the language used in the half time team chat can’t really be repeated in this report , but its fair to say all the B’s players agreed they could be doing better ! Unfortunately, the first 10 mins was all Phoenix and a long ball into the back line wasn’t dealt with in anyway shape or form and the Phoenix forward was gifted the chance to unleash a shot which squirmed under Cooper. 2-1 Phoenix ! The B’s to their credit didn’t crumble at this point, but instead rolled their sleeves up and came back fighting. Pembroke , Finney, Ellet were chucking themselves into tackles and the back line firmed up. With 20 odd minutes left the B’s won a freekick midway into the opposition half. Fitzsimmons delivered a teasing cross into the danger zone & the ball seemed to cannon off numerous bodies before ending up in the goal. 2-2 !!! Now I’m not sure we’ll ever really know who the final touch came off , however Rich Todd claimed it 5 or 6 times as the B’s jogged back into their half and so Stanleigh awarded it to him , if nothing else to get his head back on the game in hand !! It was a tense final part of the game with both teams giving it a go. It really could have gone either way and so when the final whistle went it was arguably a fair result which saw the points shared. The B’s continued their unbeaten run …. just. They’ll all need to step up a gear in the next game if they want to be genuine contenders. MOM – It was a game won on effort and fight more than for footballing guile , and it was very close between Matt Lopez-Bland / Toby Stock and Toby Downes , however it was awarded to Toby Downes for an exemplary display at CB. Line up - A Cooper , L Davis , T Stock , T Downes , M Lopez-Bland, S Ellet , M Stanleigh, A Pembroke , L Finney , D Fitsimmons , R Todd , S King | ||
| Reserve Team | vs | Ashley |
| Saturday October 2 2021 | ||
| Another trying and stressful week regarding player availability and the fielding of competitive sides.
The Reserves had to make several positional changes again but did eventually manage to put a squad of 12 out on what proved to be the wettest match day so far this season. Early exchanges were as in previous weeks fairly even with both Ashley and Clifton St. Vincent's producing some good football in patches. However and despite Clifton St. Vincent's working hard I think it fair to say that Ashley’s approach play was superior and they took the lead with a superbly struck shot from outside the penalty area into the top left hand corner of the Clifton St. Vincent's net. Having conceded such a goal Clifton St. Vincent's did not drop their heads and showed their growing determination with a well taken equaliser before the end of the first half. Tom Brennand showed good approach work and close control to cut inside from his wing and hit a good low shot from outside the penalty area into the bottom left hand corner of the Ashley net. A mistake in the Clifton St. Vincent's area lead to Ashley taking the lead in the second half and they increased their lead to 3- 1 soon after. Clifton St. Vincent's appeared to be galvanised by this and started to dominate the game putting a lot of pressure on the Ashley defence. Clifton St. Vincent's pulled a goal back following a good cross from the left by Adam Kershaw which was deflected into the Ashley net by one of their defenders. For the final few minutes Clifton St. Vincent's continued to pressure and search for the equaliser but unfortunately ran out of time. Final Score Ashley 3-2 Clifton St. Vincent's Reserves In summary Clifton St. Vincent's worked hard and stuck in most part to their task despite obvious fatigue towards the end. Still a long way to go but showing signs of some improvement | ||
| First Team | vs | Retainers |
| Saturday October 2 2021 | ||
| Clifton St. Vincent's came away with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Retainers in the pouring rain on Saturday. After a dominant opening in which Clifton St. Vincent's were quicker to the ball and controlling possession in midfield, Clifton St. Vincent's took the lead when a driven Mars Murison corner was met with a neatly flicked header by Nick Danhawoor who, for possibly the smallest player on the pitch, is rapidly becoming the most dangerous threat in the air. Clifton St. Vincent's continued to press from the front lead by Seamus and Marsden Murison up front and Ollie Hatwell, Dyf Davies and Nick & Kylesh Danhawoor winning plenty of balls high up the pitch. The chances continued to come with Nick driving in from the left side and creating 2 or 3 good opportunities after combining with Ollie and Mars. Clifton St. Vincent's then won a penalty following a clumsy challenge from behind on Dyf, unfortunately the spot kick from Nick was well saved down low to the keepers left. Further efforts from Dyf and Kylesh flew over the bar leaving Clifton St. Vincent's with a narrow 1-0 lead at half time. The second half was a much closer affair with the game becoming increasingly stop/start and Retainers managed to equalise from one of a number of free kicks given away in dangerous territory. A well flighted free kick found the opposition number 10 with a free header 6 yards out. Despite some Clifton St. Vincent's pressure towards the end of the game, helped by the energy brought on from Jacques Kitenge and a couple more good chances not taken, Clifton St. Vincent's had to settle for a point. There were plenty of positive performances for the majority of the game, both defensively and moving forward, however Clifton St. Vincent's were left to rue a lack of clinical finishing to kill the game off.
AK | ||
| B Team | vs | DDAS |
| All Saints Cup | Saturday September 25 2021 | |
| The B’s opened their All Saints Cup group stage game with a tough encounter with DDAS who had played two and won two in Division 3 and were therefore top of the division. It was another lovely afternoon for it and not a gust of wind to be felt despite being close to the sea walls! The B’s got stuck straight in and matched DDAS for energy and effort. Clifton St. Vincent's pressed them with great tempo and intensity, and it was quickly apparent that DDAS were frustrated by not being given time on the ball. If DDAS thought they were in for an easy afternoon, the first 15-20 mins told them otherwise. Chances were few and far between for both teams and it felt like a very even contest as the half time approached. Changes were made with Pearce , Wilson and Fitzsimmons entering the game and all giving the same commitment as those who left the field. Clifton St. Vincent's keeper Cooper had a few crosses to deal with which he did with great composure. The second half was much of the same , with the B’s harassing DDAS every time they had the ball. This resulted in the inevitable long ball which Scanlon, Stock, Lopez-Bland, Stewart and Pearce dealt with every single time. The B’s were now playing some nice football on the deck with Crutchlow and McCullough playing neat passes and sending Finney and Ellet running into the spaces behind the DDAS defence. The best chances of the half fell to Todd (X 2) and Ellet but neither could find the net when presented with chances that they know themselves they should have done better with. The DDAS keeper sent a poor clearance to the feet of Stanleigh who tried a lob from 25 yards which went narrowly wide. The B’s could sense an upset and never sat back inviting DDAS, but instead pushed on in search of a win. In the final 5 mins DDAS threw caution to the wind and seemed themselves intent to find a winner but the B’s held firm and it finished honours even with the B’s earning themselves what might turn out to be a very valuable point ! MOM – Another tough choice this week as anyone from the backline deserved it, but it goes to Jon Scanlon for a second consecutive week for a very dominant display at CB. Line up - A Cooper , J Stewart, T Stock , J Scanlon, M Lopez-Bland, S Ellet , M Stanleigh, J Crutchlow, L Finney , J McCollough , R Todd , M Wilson , J Pearce , D Fitzsimmons | ||
| Reserve Team | vs | CSV 1st Team |
| Norman Hardy Cup | Saturday September 25 2021 | |
| It was a big occasion for Clifton St. Vincents (Clifton St. Vincent's) on Saturday 25th September as the 1st and reserve team had been drawn to play each other in the Norman Hardy cup for the first time in over 10 years. The game started a little nervously as both teams struggled to find much rhythm, however it didn’t take long for the first team to settle down and start showing their dominance in the middle of the park. About 15 mins into the game the 1st team created their first real chance with a defence splitting ball which put Sol through on goal. Sol didn’t waste the opportunity and smashed it into the back of the net from a tight angle. This would be the start of a period of dominance for the 1st team with the 2nd and 3rd goals coming in quick succession with both Sol Ayunga and Oliver Hatwell taking their chances well. Through the rest of the first half both teams had chances but it was the 1st team who again took the initiative with a corner leading to a strong header from Nik Danawhoor that beat Yusuf making it 4-0 by the end of the first half. Mike Wride was keen to change up the tactics for the reserves at half time, reverting to a 4-5-1 formation whilst ensuring the team was working hard to press the 1st team more. This had an instant impact with the reserves starting the second half the better of the two teams. Not long into the second half the pressing from the reserves paid dividends, with a turnover leading to an opportunity for Seamus Mooney to get in behind the 1st teams defence. With a well placed finish Seamus managed to beat Hobbsy to close the gap to 4-1. The game remained open but as the reserves continued their high press they quickly engineered another opportunity which fell to Josh Stevens who scored to make it 4-2. At this point the momentum of the game looked to have shifted and glimpses of a great come back were on the cards. Unfortunately, the pressing tactics led to lots of tired legs among the reserve team, and they seemed to run out of steam towards the end of the second half. Shortly before the final whistle Sol took it past a few players before scoring to finish the game 5-2. In general the Reserve squad showed better application and greater determination in the second half and should be proud of their efforts. JL | ||
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