Sunday
2nd
October
2008
–
Dorset
Cup
2nd
Round
Hamworthy
Lions
1
Merley
Allendale
2
Here
we
are
into
the
second
round
and
found
out
that
things
get
tougher
the
further
you
go.
Playing
conditions
were
also
tougher
as
when
we
got
to
Branksome
Recreation
ground
we
found
the
pitch
was
being
‘swept’
to
try
and
get
rid
of
the
surface
water
from
the
previous
24hrs
deluge.
That
being
said
we
agreed
to
play
and
I
have
to
say
the
pitch
then
proceeded
to
play
a
major
part
in
the
game.
The
first
half
started
badly
with
Merley
not
quite
awake
in
that
we
took
the
kick
off
and
had
an
immediate
attack
on
goal
with
Joe
putting
the
ball
through
to
be
picked
up
by
their
keeper.
The
keeper
then
proceeded
to
launch
the
ball
down
field
which
got
knocked
on
the
the
Hamworthy
centre
forward
who
had
got
himself
between
George
and
Tim.
He
then
ran
forward
without
being
tackled
and
then
calmly
slotted
the
ball
past
Ben
despite
being
surrounded
by
three
Merley
players.
A
well
taken
goal
it
has
to
be
said
in 1
min
40
secs.
A
timely
wake
up
call
and
reminder
that
the
game
starts
when
the
ref
blows
his
whistle!
Picking
themselves
up
from
this
set
back
the
boys
then
started
to
play
football.
The
midfield
tried
to
get
on
the
ball
and
indeed
seemed
to
be
doing
well
with
moves
like
Tim
to
Mat
on
the
right
wing,
Mat
to
mike
in
centre
with
a
through
ball
to
Max.
At
this
point
the
pitch
plays
it’s
part
and
the
opposition
box
was
a
quagmire
with
pools
of
water
to
the
left.
Max’s
low
shot
was
on
target
to
bounce
just
before
the
keeper
but
instead
it
stopped
dead
and
the
keeper
just
picked
it
up.
Several
attacks
later
that
all
seemed
to
stop
dead
in
the
mud
and
water
and
with
the
keeper
taking
quite
short
goal
kicks
Mike
pounced
on
one
and
sent
a
low
drive
from
right
to
left
just
across
the
face
of
the
keeper
and
with
Joe
just
failing
to
connect
at
the
far
post.
Hamworthy
in
the
mean
time
were
using
the
long
ball
tactic
and
I
have
to
say
in
the
conditions
it
was
effective
as
our
half
of
the
pitch
was
not
bogged
down
and
the
ball
bounced
and
ran
on
which
enabled
Hamworthy
to
cause
all
sorts
of
problems
for
our
back
four.
George
and
Tim
combined
well
after
the
initial
mix
up
and
worked
hard
to
close
the
centre.
Harry
on
the
right
was
under
continual
pressure
and
constantly
made
excellent
tackles
just
when
they
were
most
needed.
The
conditions
meant
that
our
usual
tactics
of
getting
the
ball
down,
passing
and
using
our
wing
men
to
cross
the
ball
meant
that
we
were
struggling
to
get
the
ball
into
the
Hamworthy
box
as
the
ball
refused
to
travel
along
the
ground
in
the
Hamworthy
half.
11
min
30
secs
and
Mike
is
brought
down
a
few
yards
outside
the
Hamworthy
box.
Mathew
sets
his
sites
on
goal
but
the
ball
just
slips
over
the
bar.
The
boys
are
finding
the
going
hard
but
continue
pressing,
through
balls
being
chased
down
but
the
mud/water
just
seemed
to
stop
the
ball
dead.
The
pressure
was
telling
and
we
had
several
corners.
One
such
corner
from
Mike
was
again
cleared
with
a
long
punt
down
field
but
this
time
was
met
by
Tim
who
calmly
side
footed
it
high
and
back
into
the
Hamworthy
box,
which
was
clear
as
the
defense
had
all
rushed
out
to
clear
their
line.
Joe
beat
the
off
side
and
chased
down
the
ball
just
before
the
keeper
and
put
it
in
the
net.
1
all
in
17
min
27
secs.
A
well
deserved
equalizer.
The
rest
of
the
half
was
much
the
same
with
both
sides
having
three
or
four
chances
on
goal
but
neither
keeper
really
having
to
make
any
good
saves.
The
second
half
saw
Mat
and
James
come
off
with
Gareth
going
left
back
and
Giles
moving
into
centre
with
Charlie
wide
right.
We
continued
the
game
in
the
same
manner
but
Hamworthy
changed
tactics
slightly
in
that
they
continued
the
long
ball
but
started
to
put
it
long
and
wide
on
the
wings
more.
This
instantly
brought
pressure
onto
Gareth
and
Harry
who
both
stepped
up
and
dealt
with
this
new
threat,
both
Tim
and
George
covered
well
with
the
mid
field
stepping
up a
gear
to
cover
the
spaces
and
still
try
to
attack
down
the
wings.
We
had
two
or
three
attacks
with
a
couple
of
goal
mouth
scrambles
at
both
ends
but
this
time
the
quagmire
that
was
now
our
goal
mouth
worked
to
our
advantage.
We
still
pushed
up
and
a
short
goal
kick
by
the
Hamworthy
keeper
was
again
picked
up
by
Mike
who
just
steered
his
curling
shot
wide.
With
us
attacking
into
the
drier
end
of
the
pitch
a
couple
of
our
passing
moves
worked
well,
especially
down
the
left
with
neat
moves
from
Sam
to
Mike
to
Joe
and
several
shots
to
keeper
and
wide.
Joe
also
worked
hard
and
closed
down
another
short
goal
kick
but
again
his
shot
going
wide.
We
were
totally
dominant
at
this
point
and
were
camped
in
the
Hamworthy
18
yard
box,
it
seemed
just
a
matter
of
time
before
we
scored
again
but
the
Hamworthy
keeper
pulled
of
some
stunning
blocks
and
their
defense
and
mid
field
threw
themselves
in
front
of
every
thing
with
some
first
class
defending.
With
the
pitch
such
hard
going
our
mid
field
was
starting
to
tire
and
with
Hamworthy
still
firing
long
balls
up
field
more
and
more
of
them
were
starting
to
get
into
our
area.
Ben
picked
up
one
such
ball
and
returned
the
favour
with
a
fantastic
long
ball
to
just
over
the
half
way
mark
to
find
Mike
who
out
sprinted
the
defense
all
the
way
into
the
18
yard
box
on
the
left
and
finishes
with
a
great
shot
that
lifts
over
the
keeper
into
the
top
right
hand
corner
of
the
net.
2
–1
on
54
min
50
secs.
With
five
minutes
remaining
Hamworthy
threw
everything
at
us
but
we
held
firm
with
only
a
couple
of
scary
moments
and
even
had
two
or
three
more
attacks
up
field.
In
the
end
we
came
through
and
it
was
a
well
deserved
win.
A
hard
slog
for
this
win
in
the
mud
and
water.
Well
done
to
the
whole
team.
Man
of
the
match
was
Harry
Low
Vs
Dorchester
Town
Stars
(A)
26
Oct
08
This
was
a
game
which
was
definitely
a
game
of
two
halves.
The
first
half
was
like
the
British
weather
–
good
in
parts,
dodgy
in
others!
The
second
half
was
total
domination.
The
strange
part
is
why
so
different?
The
game
started
off
with
Merley
going
straight
for
the
Dorchester
defence,
setting
up
Joe
Williams
for
a
shot
within
15
seconds,
saved
by
the
‘keeper.
Things
settled
for
the
first
few
minutes
and
Sam
Walon,
taking
a
turn
in
goal
this
week,
in
place
of
Ben
Simmons
made
a
save
after
3
minutes.
His
next
contribution
was
to
place
a
loose
ball
down
the
pitch
for
Charlie
and
Joe
to
chase,
resulting
in a
corner.
A
few
minutes
later
Max,
got
on
the
ball
and
beat
the
defender
only
for
the
keeper
to
block
the
shot
with
his
legs.
Then
the
luck
went
the
other
way,
with
a
ball
into
the
Merley
box
failing
to
be
cleared
and
falling
to
Dorchester
to
slip
past
Sam.
0-1.
However
the
lead
didn’t
last
long
–
about
a
minute!
George
Bartlett
put
a
firm
low
ball
through
the
Dorchester
defence
for
Joe
Williams
to
run
straight
on
and
calmly
pass
the
ball
beyond
the
‘keeper
into
the
net.
1-1
For
the
next
five
minutes
we
kept
the
pressure
on,
with
two
near
misses
after
crosses
from
Joe
and
George
holding
his
head
in
anguish
after
seeing
his
header
skim
the
bar
from
a
Matthew
Page
corner.
Then
the
bad
luck
came
again.
Sam
slipped
on
the
wet
turf
when
collecting
a
shot
and
the
ball
rebounded
to
Dorchester
to
score
again.
However,
we
kept
going
forward,
Max
having
a
run
and
shot
past
the
post
and
then
Matt
took
a
quick
throw
to
Max
who
ran
on
to
slip
the
ball
past
the
‘keeper.
2-2.
Our
pressure
kept
up
with
Joe
going
close,
but
we
stood
off
again
in
defence
and
Dorchester
scored
a
third
goal.
2-3.
Things
appeared
to
get
worse
when
the
first
Dorchester
corner
came
into
the
box,
and
although
Sam
got
his
hands
to
the
wet
ball,
it
skimmed
unluckily
into
the
top
corner
rather
than
over
(just
plain
unlucky!!).
2-4.
Yet
Merley
kept
going.
Ben
Simmons
was
playing
his
first
match
outfield
this
season
and
was
adjusting
to a
midfield
role,
which
had
been
his
own
in
the
seven-a-side
game
some
years
ago.
He
is
still
working
at
it
and
improved
during
the
half,
coming
into
the
game
towards
the
latter
part
of
the
half
having
two
runs
and
a
shot
blocked
by
the
’keeper.
We
began
to
get
results
from
our
efforts
when
Giles
put
a
pass
through
for
Joe
to
score
his
second
with
a
neat
finish,
followed
by
Charlie
putting
in a
good
cross
with
a
narrow
miss
from
Joe.
3-4.
Joe
then
followed
Charlie’s
lead,
put
in a
good
cross
for
Max,
who
juggled
the
ball
between
his
feet
to
beat
the
defender
and
passed
into
the
net
with
his
left
foot
(yes
his
LEFT
foot!!).
4-4.
The
half
finished
with
Giles
having
a
run
and
laying
the
ball
off
to
Max,
whose
shot
was
saved.
Things
were
changed
around
at
half-time,
Sam
being
replaced
in
goal
by
Ben
and
Charlie
moving
to
centre
midfield
with
Sam
on
the
left
wing.
The
second
half
started
quietly
with
neither
side
causing
many
problems,
but
the
pattern
began
to
be
set
after
4
minutes
when
Charlie
got
on
the
end
of a
corner
to
see
his
shot
hit
the
side
netting.
He
followed
this
up 3
minutes
later
with
a
shot
from
the
edge
of
the
box
which
drifted
past
the
post.
From
this
point
on
Merley
began
to
press
on
the
Dorchester
defence,
with
Sam
and
Joe
working
well
on
the
left
and
Max
and
Matt
on
the
right.
A
goalmouth
melee
followed
with
Joe,
Matt
and
Max
having
shots
saved
(somehow!!!).
Max
then
played
a
great
ball
back
to
Joe
in
the
box,
who
brought
it
under
control
and
swivelled
in
one
movement
to
hammer
a
shot
against
the
bar.
A
rash
of
corners
was
becoming
apparent
and
from
one
clearance
Tim
Barker
was
unlucky
to
see
a
shot
from
outside
the
box
drift
away
from
the
left
hand
post.
...and
the
Dorchester
response....well
there
wasn’t
one
really.
George,
Tim,
Harry
and
James
were
providing
a
far
stronger,
impenetrable
back
line,
so
much
so
that
when
a
long
ball
got
through
to
Ben,
he
almost
taunted
the
Dorchester
forwards
to
come
and
get
it,
just
so
he
could
be
busy!!.
Elsewhere,
Charlie
was
putting
himself
into
tackles
and
popping
upon
the
edge
of
the
box
only
to
see
his
strong
shot
blocked.
Max
and
Joe
began
to
play
with
the
Dorchester
defenders,
Max
running
on
to a
neat
through
ball
from
Harry
Low
and
placing
the
ball
in
the
far
corner
of
the
Dorchester
net.
5-4.
He
almost
repeated
the
feat
moments
later
taking
a
pass
first
time
and
lifting
an
audacious
volley
over
the
Dorchester
‘keeper,
only
to
see
the
shot
fail
to
drop
under
the
bar.
Joe
was
picking
up
from
Sam
and
running
the
right
side
of
the
Dorchester
defence
ragged.
Matthew
also
joined
in
the
spirit,
hitting
a
free
kick
from
a
narrow
angle
which
skimmed
the
top
of
the
bar.
The
pressure
kept
up
and
from
a
Merley
corner,
the
ball
fell
to
George
Bartlett,
with
his
back
to
the
goal,
who
promptly
followed
up
his
training
and
swivelled
on
the
spot
to
fire
the
ball
into
the
bottom
corner
of
the
net.
6-4.
The
chances
kept
coming
and
Joe
was
unlucky
to
see
some
sparkling
wing
play
and
turns
end
as
his
shot
skimmed
the
post
and
hit
the
side
netting.
In
summary,
we
conceded
two
goals
which
were
unlucky
and
two
where
marking
could
have
been
better,
but
our
play
going
forward
was
varied,
quick,
exciting
to
watch
and
but
for
some
desperate
defending,
woodwork
and
fractions
of
inches
could
have
had
greater
reward.
This
result
also
put
the
team
at
the
top
of
their
division.
The
other
teams
will
be
seeking
to
try
harder
against
us –
so
the
challenge
now
is
to
prove
that
the
top
spot
is
deserved
and
keep
up
the
pressure
on
the
other
teams!!
Man
of
the
Match:
Tricky
this
week,
but
it
went
to
three
players:
Max
Timmins
&
Joe
Williams
–
for
tormenting
the
life
out
of
the
Dorchester
defence
and
whacking
in
five
goals!
Charlie
Symes
–
For
a
competent
first
half
on
the
left
wing,
and
an
accomplished,
energetic,
tigerish,
biting
performance
in
the
midfield
in
the
second
half,
snuffing
out
the
Dorchester
midfield.
|
Merley
Vs
Corfe
Mullen
Juniors.
(H)
19th
oct
2008
This
game
came
as a
reality
check
for
the
under-13s
–
and
that
is
no
bad
thing.
Their
results
so
far
this
season
have
been
excellent
and
to
believe
that
they
can
win
any
game
easily
is
an
easy
trap
to
fall
into.
The
boys
were
made
well
aware
that
for
all
their
goal
scoring
in
recent
weeks,
their
opponents
today
had
played
2 –
won
2
and
they
could
be
level
on
points
by
the
end
of
the
day.
The
first
minute
saw
Max
Timmins
thwarted
only
by
the
keeper
saving
at
his
feet,
so
all
seemed
well
and
for
the
next
10
minutes
Merley
looked
confident,
and
had
chances
from
Giles
and
Matthew.
But
Corfe
Mullen
didn’t
buckle
and
didn’t
show
any
signs
of
buckling,
having
two
strong
forward
players
and
a
following
wind
with
which
to
trouble
the
Merley
back
four.
It
was
after
10
minutes
that
a
few
signs
of
frail
confidence
crept
in –
standing
off
and
giving
Corfe
players
time
on
the
ball
–
panicking
when
in
control
of
the
ball
–
and
failing
to
communicate
with
one
another.
It
wasn’t
all
bad,
but
it
was
below
the
standard
the
boys
had
set
in
previous
matches.
In
amongst
this,
Merley
had
chances
from
Michael
and
Joe
whilst
Corfe
Mullen
had
4
attempts
on
goal,
one
being
saved
point
blank
by
Ben
–
proving
that
when
he
is
called
upon
he
will
produce
the
goods!!
Finally,
in
the
last
minute
of
the
first
half,
a
throw
from
George
inside
his
own
half,
reached
Max
just
over
the
halfway
line,
whereupon
he
provided
good
clear
evidence
that
training
does
work
by
bringing
the
ball
under
control,
quickly
turning,
looking
up
and
laying
an
inch
perfect
ball
into
the
run
of
Joe
Williams
who
calmly
whipped
the
ball
past
the
Corfe
‘keeper.
1-0.
Followed
shortly
by
the
half-time
whistle.
Corfe
were
big
team
and
in
the
first
half
had
relied
upon
the
wind
and
the
pace
of
their
two
strikers
to
cause
problems,
thus
with
the
wind
against
them
in
the
second
half
they
had
to
be
more
inventive.
The
half
began
with
Joe
taking
a
mazy
run
into
the
Corfe
half,
but
being
unable
to
find
a
team-mate
and
being
crowded
out
by
Corfe.
The
half
continued
with
James
shooting
over
from
the
resulting
corner
and
Sam
having
a
blistering
shot
saved
by
the
Corfe
‘keeper.
This
could
have
had
more
reward,
but
Max
was
unable
to
get
the
ball
into
the
net,
trying
a
back-heel
which
didn’t
come
off.
At
the
same
time
Corfe
were
seeking
to
put
more
pressure
on
both
wings
rather
than
going
through
the
centre
with
Harry
and
Sam
both
having
plenty
of
work
to
do.
Finally
the
chances
started
to
come
again
–
Michael
having
a
shot
saved
by
the
keeper
and
Max
providing
a
nice
chip
through
to
Charlie
who
was
fractionally
offside.
For
the
next
few
minutes
Corfe
dug
in,
making
the
game
scrappy
and
Sam
having
a
personal
battle
with
the
Corfe
inside
right.
Finally,
Sam’s
efforts
began
to
see
him
gaining
the
upper
hand
and
getting
to
link
up
with
Joe
on
the
left
wing.
Their
efforts
were
the
fulcrum
of
Merley’s
second
goal
–
Sam
winning
a
strong
challenge
and
moving
to
the
half-way
line,
placing
a
short
pass
inside
to
Joe’s
feet
and
Joe
returning
the
compliment
to
give
Sam
space
on
the
left
wing
to
put
in a
stunning
cross
which
found
it’s
way
to
Michael
who
buried
it
in
the
corner.
2-0.
This
goal
appeared
to
knock
Corfe
and
two
further
chances
came
quickly
with
Giles
putting
a
ball
through
for
Michael
which
was
saved
and
Giles
hitting
the
side
netting.
This
was
followed
by
an
unbelievable
save
from
the
Corfe
‘keeper
when
George
met
a
corner
with
a
bullet
header
only
to
look
in
disbelief
as
the
‘keeper
somehow
got
a
hand
on
it
from
around
3
feet
away!!
The
final
significant
action
revolved
around
a
Corfe
free-kick
sailing
wide
followed
by
Sam
taking
decisive
action
with
a
long
ball
and
using
his
left
leg
like
a
7-iron
to
hoist
it
well
into
touch.
In
summary,
a
reality
check.
The
boys
had
to
struggle
against
a
big
strong
Corfe
team
in
the
first
half
and
to
retain
their
own
self
confidence.
However,
with
a
little
bit
of
direction
in
the
right
areas,
they
responded
well
in
the
second
half
and
deserved
the
win
in
the
end
–
it’s
not
all
Brazil
at
times!!
The
shot
count
tells
the
story
–
first
half
Merley
6,
Corfe
5 –
second
half
Merley
8,
Corfe
1.
Man
of
the
Match
–
Sam
Walon.
Had
a
steady
first
half
as
Corfe
aimed
to
work
through
the
middle,
but
put
in a
strong
second
performance,
stifling
the
Corfe
right
side,
getting
in a
shot
of
his
own
and
providing
the
pass
of
the
game
to
set
up
the
second
Merley
goal.
|
Sunday
12th October 2008 - Match 4 Merley
Allendale 7 Weymouth Terras 0
This has got to be a contender for
fastest goal of the season (and we did
not even have the kick off). Weymouth
take the kick of and Joe Williams and
Max Timmins were onto the opposition in
a flash. Strong tackle by Joe takes the
ball from his opposite number, runs
through their mid field avoiding several
tackles and passes to Max who slides
through a perfect ball to Michael Higbee
who has made a bullet like run from our
mid field to go one on one with the
keeper and finished with a perfect flick
over the keeper – GOAL in 16 seconds! 1
- 0
A fantastic start that saw the
opposition left wondering what had hit
them. More was to follow as for the
next 4 minutes Weymouth did not seem to
touch the ball as we totally dominated
possession. With two shots wide from
Max Timmins and Joe Williams and another
from Mathew Page deflected by the keeper
for a corner. A good ball in from Sam
Walon on the left wing to Michael Higbee
who broke through from the centre and
slotted the ball home past the keeper on
4 and half minutes. 2 - 0
A long clearance by Weymouth got the
ball into our half only for it to be
swept up by our keeper Ben Simmons. A
long clearance down field saw the ball
headed on the be picked up by Max
Timmins who dribbled the ball past a
defender, through the keepers legs and
walked the ball into the net whilst
holding of the last defender in just
under 7 minutes. 3 – 0
Merley really were piling on the
pressure with runs wide down the left
and the right from Sam Walon and Mathew
Page causing the Weymouth defence all
sorts of problems. One such run by
Mathew resulting in another corner.
Mathew puts the ball into the six yard
box and after a scramble the ball broke
to Joe Williams in the penalty area
who’s shot ends up in the back of the
net in the 10th minute. 4 – 0
Whilst this was happening everything
that Weymouth tried was closed down by
the tireless efforts of the mid field of
Sam Walon, Giles Livesey, Michael Higbee
and Mathew Page. Our defence were solid
and the back four of Gareth Griffiths,
George Bartlett, Tim Barker and Charlie
Symes were determined not to let
anything past them and it showed with
only one Weymouth attack managing to get
a ball into our eighteen yard box by
this time. Unfortunately at this point
Gareth cleared a bal and hurt his right
foot and needed to be substituted. Sam
Walen dropped back to left back and
James Naylor came on to the left wing.
More of the same domination continued
and having won a throw on the left of
the half way line it was taken quickly
and the ball found Joe Williams running
through the Weymouth defenders from the
centre left. He quickly out paced them
and found himself one on one with the
keeper. The keeper came out fast and
hard and Joe tried to slot his shot to
the right, fortunately for Joe and
unfortunately for the keeper he only
managed to deflect the shot slightly and
it was in the net in the thirteenth
minute. 5 – 0
On fifteen minutes a run down the right
wing saw Michael Higbee out pace the
Weymouth defence again and a great cross
was met by Max Timmins who put in the
net only to be ruled off side. Things
continued with attack after attack from
Merley but the Weymouth defence got
stiffer as they brought all their
players back into defence. The ball was
never in the Merley half of the pitch
for the rest of this half but there was
no more goals due the the packed defence.
This continued on until the last minute
when we won another corner on the left.
Michael Higbee placed a curling ball
into the goal mouth from the corner and
straight into the net after a despairing
attempt from the keeper who could only
get a finger to the ball. 6 – 0
Half time saw a change in formation
with Tim Barker and Giles Livesey
changing position. The second half was
a much more closely fought half as
Weymouth came out fighting and were much
stronger in their tackling and closed us
down very quickly. We could not play
our normal passing and wing play was cut
short. The game was being ground out in
a mêlée of tackles and and the changing
of position had not seemed to help.
Through this we had three or four
scrappy chances on goal and Weymouth had
similar chances with a couple of shot at
goal and two or three corners. Fifteen
minutes into the half saw Charlie Symes
win the ball on the right and slot a
perfect pass to Max Timmins in the
centre who made no mistake and calmly
placed the ball past the keeper. 7 - 0
The match continued on as before and a
change was needed. 10 minutes to go Tim
Barker and Giles Livesey reverted to
their normal positions as although Tim
was doing well in mid field, his smaller
stature meant that the more physical
game that Weymouth were now playing,
meant that he was being muscling off of
the ball and he was not getting the time
to play his normal passing game. Giles
to was not settling in defence and it
was causing a few problems. With return
to normal positions the games again
turned for us and we started to win more
of the ball and our passing improved
considerably. Again we started to
dominate and the last 10 minutes of the
game were spent camped in the Weymouth
half but unfortunately we had run out of
steam and no more goals were forth
coming.
All in all a fantastic performance.
Well done to the whole team. Man of
the match was Giles Livesey.
|
