Banter Central FC

"It's banter init, if you've got banter you're alright." - Rio Ferdinand, 2006

Sunday 16th November 2008

League, Purley Way 18

Coulsdon Rangers 4 - 4 Banter Central FC
  Wommy (3), L.Dancer

Team: Wuker; Boma, Tino, Bushy; Village (Adkins, 70 mins), Fintan, Gillardino, L.Dancer, Pasty; Wommy, Cling

An action packed game full of goals, drama and howlers from players and dare I say it, officials too. Banter began the game particularly poorly, gifting Coulsdon an early lead when Wuker punched a cross into the air, over his head and eventually into his own net. The home side could barely believe their luck but they'd had the better of the play up to that point. 15 minutes in, Banter began switching on and the tackles were flying in from both sides in a very competitive fashion. Coulsdon had some good opportunities to double their lead; fortunately for Banter though, Wuker was making up for his earlier error making a couple of fine saves which allowed Banter to grab an all important equaliser. Wommy found himself in on goal when Cling's pass was cut out but played straight into the Gunn man's path, Banter's top goalscorer brought the ball down and side-footed home from close range to make it 1-1. He had the chance to give Banter the lead too when a poor touch from Coulsdon's centre-half allowed the number 11 to latch on and get in on goal, his shot was blasted over the bar. As it was, Coulsdon took their next chance to take the lead for the second time in the game. Banter were using the ball well in the last 15-20 minutes, a long free-kick from Tino was flicked on well by Wommy, Roddy Rod Fintan ran on to meet it only to be stopped by the referee as the free-kick needed to be re-taken because the whistle hadn't gone. Shocking. It was from here on in that some rather bizarre officiating began to cloud a very good-natured and end-to-end affair between two teams who liked to keep the ball moving with simple, 1 and 2-touch football. Rod did find another chance when Wommy laid off a great pass wide-right, the shot was beyond the goalkeeper and struck the top of the crossbar. With 10 seconds of the half remaining, Coulsdon's goalkeeper mis-hit his goal kick, which Wommy reacted quickly too, twisting in and out of his marker before burying the ball wonderfully into the bottom left corner of the net. It made the scores 2-2 at half time.

The second half was largely like the first - full of action and goals. After a long spell where both teams had some good chances, Jonny Gill had started to take control of the midfield a lot more and it was his volley over the top that allowed Wommy to chase down, battle his marker and eventually bundle the ball into the net past the helpless goalkeeper. 3-2 in Banter's favour, but sadly for the blues things were not over yet. Coulsdon's equaliser was certainly one of controversy. A corner from the left was swung out, back in and off the post, with everyone but the referee having seen the ball go out of play it just happened that the rebound fell to a Coulsdon player who had the simple task of controlling and tappping in an equaliser. Coulsdon would soon be more than disappointed themselves though having two goals dis-allowed for offside, the second of which seemed controversial given the long shot went in without a second touch, but the two players running across the keepers view were clearly in offside positions. The frustration in both cases being how late the calls were, right or wrong. Banter had a couple of decent chances of their own which were also pulled back for similarly questionable offside decisions, most free-kicks that were being awarded were almost always incorrectly given in both directions and rather humouressly both teams were agreeing with one another about how bad they were. Coulsdon got their noses in front though, another of their quick breakaways saw one forward troubling Tino and Bushy, his cross into the box was met by his strike partner, completely unmarked he fired in to make it 4-3. Banter soon replied, Cling was sent down the left to cross into the box into Legend Dancer's path, he lashed his shot into the roof of the net and showed everyone his pretty little boots he'd just bought and how they were doing nice things for him. With 20 minutes remaining, Adkins replaced Village which saw Fintan move to the right and Cling drop into midfield. It was end to end stuff throughout, Wommy was sent one on one but the awkward bounce saw him only just nick it past the goalkeeper and unfortunately past the post too. Adkins also looked like he could have won it, he left foot shot from the right sailed beautifully for the far corner, it missed post and crossbar by a matter if inches. Coulsdon's version of Deco had the best chance to seal the game though, a quick free-kick was played to him and with everyone in blue smoking a cigar, he controlled well and somehow fired his shot completely off target. 4-4 it finished, an entertaining affair and a share of the spoils.

The ratings...

Wuker - 6 - Made some decent saves to make up for his early error and this should be commended, but the big shout of "Keepers ball" should be used to signal that you are 100% getting it and very often this wasn't the case. Sometimes looks like he's day-dreaming too when simple communication or coming off his line early to collect a long ball don't always happen.

Boma - 6 - Overall pretty decent, perhaps just not at that very high level he's been at in his last few games. But it was after all his man that had a free shot when the cross came in for Coulsdon's 4th.

Tino - 7 - Pretty solid throughout, did his usual job of mopping up at the back and playing it out of defence neatly.

Bushy - 7 - As with Tino and in his first full season is looking like a very valuable member of the squad.

Village - 6 - Worked as hard as he could, whilst typically too quiet throughout. Looked like he had no gas left in the tank when he was replaced!

Fintan - 8 - Hard working, determined and linked up with the attack superbly. Was one of the driving forces when Banter needed to battle harder in the first half and was dangerous when moved wide-right later on.

Gillardino - 7 - A far better second half than first, where he really began to boss things. He doesn't have many weaknesses, but one could be that he can take 15 minutes or so to adjust and get into the game from the first whistle. Bizarre, since the rest of the time he's very consistent and controls the midfield perfectly. Arguably he isn't the only one who starts slow, but it's the level he reaches when he does get going - often above and beyond anyone else on the pitch - that Banter need for 90 minutes. This minor issue can, I'm certain, be erradicated quickly.

LD - 7 - Worked well in midfield, particularly since he hadn't played in a while. Plenty of grit and determination in the challenge which is an excellent example and took his goal very well.

Pasty - 8 - Looks like he's really found himself in this position. Gets back as much as he supports the attack - again involved in many Banter chances - and keeps giving the simple pass when he can. Could be more gutsy in the tackle, but wasn't being overrun down that side to warrant it being a problem.

Wommy - 10 - Chances to do the business are what he thrives on. His 3 goals were probably all just half-chances. In all cases it was his hard work and determination getting him in on goal as much as it was his pace and skill. If he drifts out of the game for 5 or 10 minutes, it's only because his teammates are allowing him to.

Cling - 7 - Struggled from the first whistle with a hamstring injury (I'll get my excuses in early, ta), but had some nice touches for the most part and crossed well for LD's goal.

Adkins - 6 - Didn't have the greatest chances or service to show his capabilities but worked hard and held the ball up well enough in the 20 minutes he got.

A well deserved point, lads. Firstly, I've been really impressed with our fightback in the last couple of games. It's been noted that we let our heads go down easily sometimes but I think we're getting better at bouncing back - which if we keep plugging away in game we always can. Secondly, the training attendance and quality has been really impressive. About 14 every week means we're all getting the practice and I do genuinely think it transfers itself onto 11-a-side on a Sunday, so I appreciate that. Finally, any negative comments above are not for the benefit of just wanting to highlight errors for a bit of fun - in all cases it's because they can be struck off immediately because everyone's capable of improvement and taking the advice on board. The scores themselves represent the fact that we dug in and got a result today. It's very often just organisation and if you take that first step to keep focused and on your toes, you've always got a good chance. Lets take all the positives and crack on with a win next week.

Sunday 2nd November 2008
League, Purley Way 17

Banter Central FC 2 - 3 Croydon Postal
Wommy (2)

Team: Wuker; Boma, Doc, Bushy; Jewish, Fintan (Hore, 65 mins), Gillardino, Lee (Adkins, 80 mins), Pasty; Wommy, Cling

Banter went into this fixture off the back of two wins and with some confidence. Unfortunately that confidence and desire didn't seem to surface, not in the first half at least where Croydon Postal were allowed to run rings around the home side for long spells. Banter made one change to the team that finished the 5-1 win over Santos, Doc came in for Tino who was away on Irish duty. Postal took the lead after a number of errors, an easy flick on was "chased" down by the centre-forward who was allowed as much time and space as he pleased, so he took the ball on and lobbed Wuker - who was actually on his line. A bizarre goal putting Banter 1-0 down. It should have been the warning sign but Banter didn't really raise the effort levels and Postal's goalkeeper was largely a spectator. Wommy was sent through wide for one effort which he shot awkwardly over the bar under pressure, another chance saw Cling's left wing cross fly inches away from Fintan's soft baldy head. Croydon doubled their lead when Mick decided he'd attempt to do kick-ups on the edge of his own area, the result was him being tackled, the ball going wide and the right winger cutting in to finish well into the bottom corner. It remained 2-0 to Postal at the break and the team talk addressed the fact that Banter are a far better side than was being demonstrated out there and it was time to show it.

The second half began with a quick pace to it, it became apparent that Croydon thought they had more of a cushion than they did and when showboating were shut down far quicker than was happening in the first half. Cling and Wommy began knocking short passes to one another and the team-work was beginning to show everywhere. Jonny took a short free-kick 40 yards from Postal's goal, Pasty couldn't quite get a cross in but the ball managed to find its way into the area anyway, falling to Wommy who controlled and thundered his shot into the net. The first real sniff he'd had and he took it expertly. 2-1 and all of a sudden there was a game on again. Banter kept plugging away but the chance Cling had to equalise was as easy as he'll get all season. Whilst charging the keeper down from a back-pass, it cannoned back off him and to his feet, with vein "handball" cries around him, he rolled his shot toward goal from the edge of the area and taking an eternity to reach its destination - which was past the post for a goal kick. As horrible a miss as you'll ever see, but more about Mick a bit later. From the resulting goal kick, the ball went long, was flicked on again and in went Postal's 3rd at the near post. There can be a fine line between winning and losing, Banter were witnessing it the hard way. 3-1. Hore replaced Fintan in the centre of midfield with 25+ minutes remaining and ran hard to try and get something back. Shortly after, a good ball from Pasty found Cling who ran on and took the ball around the goalkeeper, his cross from the left was inches over Wommy's head and cleared by the defender. Mick had the chance to pull a goal back, Cling's cross from the left was cut out by Wommy before the keeper could get to it, he spun and squared for Lee, who with no-one to beat ballooned his right foot shot over the bar from barely 5 yards. With 10 minutes to go there actually was belief again, Boma's long ball was a hit and hope as Wommy chased down another lost cause, he found himself in behind the defence, striking from another awkward angle which the goalkeeper parried, only for Wommy to sweep in the rebound to bring the scores to 3-2. It made for a dramatic finish and in those last 10 minutes we witnessed the return of Adkins, who replaced Mick Lee. It had been a while, but he made his impact. One cross-field pass evaded the entire Postal backline, Cling meeting it wide right and crossing for Wommy, who was just beaten to win a corner. The resulting corner gave the goalkeeper some trouble, only managing to punch high in the air as the ball scrambled around before being cleared. Minutes remained when Cling sent a ball into the box which somehow managed to miss everyone, there was even less time when Adkins almost found the equaliser - Wommy's excellent cut-back found the number 8, whose shot was blocked at the last second. 3-2 is how it finished, probably a fair result but Banter could really have got something but for the poor first half and missed chances in the second.

The ratings...

Wuker - 5 - Some questionable Superman impressions when dealing with crosses and being lobbed from on his line made for a difficult morning, despite some decent saves with his feet.

Boma - 7 - Defended well enough under a lot of pressure throughout.

Doc - 7 - As with all the defence, appeared to be bombarded with regularity and couldn't do a lot to prevent it. Won headers and generally ran hard.

Bushy - 7 - As above.

Jewish - 7 - Was forced to play extremely deep and was barely allowed to get forward, but stuck to his task well and fought to the end. His throw-ins could make him Banter's version of Rory Delap, yet surprisingly there is a lack of urgency and bite in winning headers from those long, dangerous throws.

Fintan - 4 - Didn't look particularly interested or like he was enjoying it. Gave untold backchat, the worst being the sarcastic "good luck" to Hore when he was substituted on 65 minutes.

Gillardino - 6 - Not his finest game, but continued to try and get the football going on countless occasions with mixed results and usually quite poor support.

Lick Me - 5 - Very quiet, but put his foot in where it was needed. If he kept it simple all of the time it'd be fantastic, he just looked a little unsettled. And that really was a miss and a half.

Pasty - 6 - Just as last week, ran hard and was forced - like Deano - to track back an awful lot. Kept possession almost everytime he had the ball and was involved in numerous attacks, including Banter's first goal.

Wommy - 8 - Man of the match. Not his best game by a long way, but that was mostly because of how starved of service he was. He was given two chances and he didn't waste them. The first was instinctive, the second was more perseverance than anything else.

Cling - 4 - Had some nice enough touches and crossed in from both sides well, but at 2-1 with an empty goal ahead, that really was panic at the disco. An unbelievable miss and one which arguably cost - and maybe could've changed - the game for Banter.

Hore - 6 - Tried hard, threw his weight about and tried the simple pass when it was available. Needs to start being available regularly so he can really get his season going properly.

Adkins - 7 - 12 months, 53 weeks, 371 days or 21 games - whichever way you look at it, that's how long ago he limped off against Sovereign, way back in October 2007. Some would have given up, some would have rushed back again to get injured once more. Full credit for watching all this time and being patient, but his return had energy, determination and that all important vision and passing range which gave Banter a couple of chances in the last 10 minutes to equalise. He's been missed and with him returning to fitness, it'll open up a can of worms where the fight for places is concerned. Welcome back.

The second half display was far stronger and it was good to see a bit of fight out there so we didn't get thrashed again. We had our chances, we didn't take them. But it's nicer to narrowly lose and take something away from the game and I think we can. We've learnt (maybe not for the first time) that we cannot allow teams time on the ball, free headers or the chance to cross the ball at will. If we do, we will be punished. It was a decent game and Croydon remain top and we know we came close to matching them, at least on the scoresheet. Not sure if we have a week off next week or not, I'll be in touch and if we don't I think a nice team night out on Saturday is on the cards. Wouldn't that be nice?