London FA Cup Quarter Final, Sunday. 12/01/2014, played neutral venue due to waterlogged pitch at BHFC
Hill return after after a four week break to conditions better suited to 'Torvill & Dean' The management anxious to get the fixture under way had a few of the heavier parents walking up and down the pitch to soften the more frozen parts!
Even having no nets was never going to be a problem for Darren 'the artful dodger' Redhead. Five minutes with the ground staff,who emerged with bulging pockets and the boys had flags,nets and a ladder... Very impressive.
The game gets under way and early exchanges show the away side to be powerful who can play with the ball. Hill are on the back foot and showing signs of the long break,and are having difficulty getting the ball down and playing on the frozen surface. A little against the run of play Hill have a corner which is sent into the box and headed goal wards only for it to be handled on the line, penalty. The ref (4ft nothing) hesitates, Deano (coach 6ft 6') gently tells him from 40 yards what should happen and the ref awards a penalty! Brookes steps up and slides it in the corner 1-0
Hill instantly grow in character after the goal and Redhead gets away only for the keeper to make a good save. H Barrett who had an excellent game shows great strength in the tackle and will not be bullied by the bigger side. Emmerson shows pace and beats the advancing keeper to the ball but from an acute angle hits the outside of the post.
With 12 minutes on the clock the away side make a power play and out muscle Hill,the forward is left bearing down on goal and tucks it past the advancing S Barrett 1-1
Hill are straight back into the game and Redhead runs at the back four slipping in Brookes who is through on goal, the conditions take over as the ball bounces around on the icy surface and the ball is cleared. Moments later Hill gain another corner which the keeper spills and pin ball wizard takes over. Three players have shots which are cleared off the line and somehow the ball fails to find the net.
Johnson then sees a 30yard shot just go over the bar. Brookes up against a fullback twice his size turns him inside out and sends over a cross which falls to Johnson who again sees his effort go narrowly wide.
Hill look comfortable but the away side are powerful and if given room are very capable of scoring. They hit a high hopeful ball forward which gets lost in the sun,hits a hard ice patch and bounces over S Barrett 1-2
Hill nowadays are a side that don't know how to lie down and have great character, the goal only works to spur them on. Within two minutes they are level, ( the gaffer has emailed me twice, sent three texts and had the artful doger offer me loads of money to make sure he takes credit for our equaliser. I took the bribe so he gets a mention!!!) Brookes takes the corner, there is movement like the Red Arrows in the box and Harrison arrives with a great timed run, out jumps his marker and buries it in the bottom corner 2-2 Well worked corner from the training ground the gaffer wants me to say, which to give credit it was!
H/T. 2-2
The second half gets under way and most of the boys are still digesting their coco, except for Dackombe who picks up the ball skips past two uses his pace to go outside the third and smashes it into the far corner. 3-2 the gaffer loved that!
Hill are now in full control and playing their flowing football but more importantly not being bullied and winning tackles.
Redhead brakes down the right, hits the byline and pulls it back for Swan to bullet his header into the roof of the net. 4-2
Hill back four are looking strong and marshall any counter attacks. They have taken the wind out of the sails of the away side and it now looks a matter of how many. Johnson gets his just reward for an outstanding performance when he takes a short corner, receives it back and powers it into the roof of the net 5-2
Eve playing in an unfamiliar role of centre forward goes close when hitting the bar, and the keeper tipping one past the post, gets on the scoresheet when Ewing flicks with the outside of his foot and Eve finds the bottom corner 6-2
Great result for the boys and what was a very difficult pitch. Semi final here we come...
Well done gaffer great corner!!! (Is that double pay??)