Hendon 1-1 Aveley
Ryman League Premier Division
Saturday 3rd December 2011
Vale Farm
Nearly 72 hours have passed since the end of our game at the weekend and I still cannot decide whether we should have won the game, been happy with a point or thought ourselves fortunate to have come away with as much as that. At the end of an open and entertaining 2nd half I was disappointed not to have won the game. The amount of possession we had after a turgid first half an hour or so was, whilst not quite of Barcelona height levels of dominance, as high as I’ve seen us have this term so far. Yet, in spite of all the possession and territory, apart from a comfortable save towards the end of the first half, Dave McCartney in the Aveley goal wasn’t stretched. It was the 'siege' of Tobruk.
To Aveley’s credit, they made life difficult for us, particularly after going ahead through a superb drive from Sean Bonnett-Johnson that I thought Berkley did quite well to get a hand to, even if he did only help the ball into the top corner of the net. The goal came about, not for the first time this season, after a run from deep by an opponent (in this case the lively Abs Thompson) that was unchecked by the retreating Hendon defence and as the ball fell some 25 or so yards out it was met with interest (and then some) by the Aveley enforcer.
Eliott Charles and Greg Ngoyi were fit enough at last to take their places on the Hendon substitutes bench but Frank Sinclair, James Parker and Mauro Vilhete were all unavailable. Dave Diedhiou moved to right back, Michael Peacock replaced Sinclair, Carl McCluskey came into midfield and Jerome Federico made his first start for the club providing support to Isaiah Rankin, who once again worked his socks off up front.
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| A lively first start for Jerome Federico provided much of Hendon's weekend threat |
As I’ve already said, the first half hour was a turgid, boring, dull affair full of overhit long balls and powder-puff efforts on goal. Neither goalkeeper was needed save for mopping up a few loose balls and taking goal kicks. I’ve said before that I don’t have an issue with Hendon playing long. It can be a sensible tactic, especially when Charles is up front but when he isn’t up top to hit, then the ball needs to be aimed into channels for the likes of Vilhete when fit, and on Saturday Jerome Federico to use their pace on. All too often in that opening spell, the ball was hit too straight and picked out no one but the opposition goalkeeper.
Aveley played some neat stuff, prompted by the neat and tidy presence of Joe Keith at number 8 and the pace of two genuine out and out wide players in Thompson and Evans Kouassi augmenting the burly figure of Ellis Remy at number 9. Although lively, the visitors threat was limited. Remy lobbed tamely wide of the target and Ryan Wharton bravely blocking a powerful effort from either Keith or Paul Shave (my memory has failed at this point).
The Greens finally came alive late in the half when Federico, who was impressive throughout with his direct running, skill and intelligent use of the ball ran at the Aveley back four and curled a shot from the edge of the box no more than a couple of feet past the flying McCartney’s left hand post. Rankin then lobbed McCartney after seizing on Harry Milton’s casual back header, and landed the ball on the roof of the net. Whilst the number 9 would probably have scored if he had gone low, the ball didn’t really come down for him and he had to improvise. Elliott Godfrey fired a powerful volley glancing against the crossbar on its way over the top after a corner hadn’t been cleared before Federico forced the save from the Aveley custodian. Had Hendon taken one of these openings in the last 10-15 minutes of the half, I think we would have gone on to claim all three points.
We didn’t score and we didn’t go on to claim all three points. We played some pretty intricate stuff in the 2nd half, keeping the ball well and probing, but found the Aveley back line able to deal comfortable with what they were faced with. Charles and Ngoyi were both introduced, and although the former equalised with 6 minutes remaining, remaining onside long enough to nod Darren Currie’s sumptuous (and it really was) cross that was arced towards the far post yelling ‘NOD ME IN!’ at the top of its voice. Charles did, for his 5th goal of the season, and we expected a tumultuous crescendo of pressure as the game approached its conclusion.
Despite our best efforts, it never really transpired that way. Not even the late late introduction of Junior Lewis some 12 and a half years after his previous competitive outing for the Greens could affect proceedings. Indeed, Aveley could have snatched the points late on when Daniel Francis turned a low right wing cross just over the top of Berkley’s goal. In actual fact, Aveley provided a real threat going forward on the break – Kouassi in particular had two or three decent openings after excellent runs but could only leather the ball over the covered terracing behind the goal instead of into the top corner of the net.
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| Junior in familiar coaching pose |
I think on balance a point apiece was fair enough. The feelings of disappointment soon evaporated as the realisation dawned on me that really, we didn’t do enough with our possession to warrant anything more. Aveley will battle hard in their fight against the drop, that much is obvious, but I am not sure whether there are four sides that will finish below them. Certainly, I thought Leatherhead were a better side a few weeks ago, but of course, I’m only basing my thoughts on the evidence of one look at either side. There are some decent people involved at Aveley, and Lee Hodges seems to want his side to try and play football as well as scrap and fight for every available point. I can get right behind that kind of idea and hope dearly that when we travel to Field Mill on the last day of the season, that the Millers are safe from relegation and we have our play-off spot guaranteed. Wishful thinking perhaps…
Player Ratings
1.Berkley Laurencin – Overall quite a quiet match for the Hendon custodian who had little chance of keeping the goal out. Otherwise commanding and solid. 6/10
2. Dave Diedhiou – Played at right back and gave his most commanding performance for a few weeks. Dealt reasonably well with the pacy threat of Evans Kouassi and got forward to support the attack when able to. 7
3. Scott Cousins – Defended well, his ability to time challenges has been tested quite a lot this season and he rarely comes off 2nd best. Linked up well with Darren Currie down the left flank at times. 7
4. Ryan Wharton – Yet another excellent performance by the number 4. As well as his ability both on the ground and in the air, I was really impressed with his reading of the game that on half a dozen occasions enabled him to avert danger. 8
5. Michael Peacock – Defended pretty well, did well in the air and on the deck. Was guilty at times of being a little casual in possession though. 6
6. Carl McCluskey – Quite an industrious performance in a more central role than usual. Some lovely touches in the 2nd half and a couple of purposeful runs, much more his old self after a few weeks of struggle. 7
7. Kevin Maclaren – I’ve been impressed with Kevin Mac recently. Quietly and efficiently patrols the midfield, passes the ball simply, but well and breaks up the opposition’s rhythm in midfield very well. 7
8. Elliott Godfrey – Unlucky in the first half to see his powerful volley glance off the crossbar, and used the ball well in his role wide on either flank. Lively performance. 7
9. Isaiah Rankin – Worked tirelessly again up front chasing lost causes and unsettling the two big Aveley centre halves. Some touches of real class, perhaps will be disappointed not to have scored in the first half. 6
10. Darren Currie – Got a good look at him in the 2nd half as he played down the right flank. On a couple of occasions he sent more than one defender the wrong way with a body swerve. Worked hard, provided the goal with a delightful cross. Classy. 7
11. Jerome Federico - The liveliest attacking threat of the afternoon. Ran directly with pace, showed some purpose and was unlucky not to come away with a goal. Impressive. 8
Subs
12. Elliott Charles – Infuriatingly caught offside three or four times in good positions again, but nodded home the equaliser for his 5th goal of the season. 6
14. Greg Ngoyi – Really pleased to see Greg back in action and showed his intent within seconds of his introduction with a powerful shot that was blocked. Looked lively and interested. 6
17. Junior Lewis – Late introduction, showed an unlikely turn of pace to chase a defender down though.
Star Man: Jerome Federico
Match Rating: 6/10
Verdict: A good point for Aveley, this may turn out to be a decent one for Hendon come the end of the season. I doubt we would have gained the point 3 or 4 weeks ago and with players slowly coming back to fitness, hopefully we can have a good seasonal period.
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