AFC Hayes 0-3 Hendon
Saturday 17th September 2011
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Park Farm or Farm Park
I love records. Forever Changes by Love is one of my favourites and one that I really need to listen to on vinyl before I depart this dear beloved earth. Another of my favourites is an unbeaten record. Without going into too much detail just in case I stick a jinx on, the Greens are now enjoying their best unbeaten run since going 9 unbeaten between the end of October 2007 and New Years Day 2008. In addition, Saturday’s clean sheet meant that they haven’t conceded a goal away from home in their 4 away matches so far this season. The last time the club kept 4 blank sheets in consecutive matches on the road was in March & April 1994, the only game of which I remember was a midweek 4-0 win over doomed whipping boys Wivenhoe Town. (With thanks to the fantastic ever increasing in-depth archive that is on the website)
The win on Saturday was as comfortable as the score-line suggests. From the moment Jamie Busby stroked home another debatable spot kick given in the 2nd minute, the result was never really in doubt. Once again Greg Ngoyi was felled for the penalty decision, once again the goalkeeper was the guilty party, and once again, there was some doubt as to the validity of the claim. However, there was no suggestion this time that Ngoyi might have tumbled a little easily, but I thought the goalkeeper managed to get a pretty strong hand on the ball as he dived at the striker’s feet. The man who mattered disagreed however, and pointed to the elf-meter mark (one for any German readers) and Busby, never one to look a racing horse in the tail, sent the unfortunate keeper the wrong way.
The Greens, resplendently mawkish in their new yellow and black away strip, took the game to the hosts, looking to kill things as early as they could. Carl McCluskey and Elliot Godfrey were linking up well down the right flank, Dave Diedhiou was dominant in midfield and the back four were able to patrol the halfway line without much incident. It didn’t take long for the game to effectively be ended as a contest as just past the quarter hour mark, the McCluskey / Godfrey double act combined nicely and the Canadian’s low cross was guided inside the far post by the side-foot of Greg Ngoyi to reclaim a share of the lead in the race for the goal-den sock alongside Busby.
Little of consequence occurred in the remainder of the match, truth be told. Hendon’s pressing game disappeared into the West Middlesex abyss after the break, whilst AFC Hayes, for all their tidy passing, lacked the guile or wit to really trouble the back four of Parker (who came on at half time for his first minutes of competitive action this season), Fraser, Peacock or Cousins. Berkley Laurencin only had one save of any note to make, a decent tip over from a speculative looping long range effort but he did once again look pretty commanding when called upon to deal with crosses into the box.
The coup-de-grace was administered in the last couple of minutes when a free kick about 25 yards out was danced around and over by Cousins and Godfrey before Busby sent the ball over the wall, past the rooted goalkeeper and into the roof of the net. Goal, set and match. Progress made, cheque in the post and we await the release of the 2nd Qualifying Round with relish.
Considering the number of Ryman Premier sides that were ‘upset’ by lower level clubs, the description on the club’s twitter feed of the performance as ‘professional’ was fairly appropriate. The two early goals set up a routine last 75 minutes and although the ball was given away more than I might have liked in the 2nd half, I always thought we had another couple of gears to go through if needed. AFC Hayes, for their part, looked decent enough in possession, and tried to pass the ball, but they lacked any real cutting edge. The pitch was fairly uneven though and didn’t really help the game as a spectacle, I think the players deserve credit for making the game as watchable as they did (I think the 4* rating in the NLP was a bit generous though). As fans of Lewes, Wingate, Wealdstone and Kingstonian amongst others will no doubt attest, slipping over on great big steaming horse turds of cup ties is no fun at all and I’m very pleased that my weekend wasn’t marred by an early exit in the FA Cup.
So what next then? Who or what do I fancy in the 2nd Qualifying Round? Most people would say a nice home draw against a lower division side, and I am no different to most people in this respect. In other respects, I am very different, but not in this one. What I want to be avoiding is an away draw at somewhere like Dover or Woking (although there would be decent crowds I guess as a small consolation) or an all Ryman Premier tie. We get enough of those in the FA Trophy thanks very much. The draw is being released on the FA website in 41 minutes time. I’m already hammering away at the F5 button on my keyboard.
UPDATE!
Away at Oxhey Jets! Away at Oxhey Jets! That’ll do me nicely. Winnable on paper, a new ground relatively local and easy to get to and a closer look at Lewis Putnam. Let the anticipation begin!
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| An Oxhey Jet? |
Player Ratings
1. Berkley Laurencin: Rarely tested but did well when called upon (not my words, but those of Football Manager) to deal with the limited threat posed by the opposition. 6/10
2. Bradley Fraser: Looked more secure alongside Peacock and dealt with some comfort with the AFC Hayes front line. Encouraging. 6
3. Scott Cousins: Another tidy performance from the skipper, passed the ball well and looked solid defensively. 7
4. Michael Peacock: Shook off the cobwebs from Tuesday night to dominate in the air once again. Very rarely loses an aerial battle. Still sporting a wrist support. 6
5. James Archer: Did well going forward, but was occasionally a little loose in possession. Replaced at half time. 6
6. Dave Diedhiou: Back to his usual dominant self in midfield breaking up attacks and passing the ball simply. Better again. 7
7. Jamie Busby: A couple of goals, one more from the spot and a nicely taken free kick that looked simple in execution. Best player on the park. 8
8. Carl McCluskey: Lively first half, with a couple of touches of genuine class. Unlucky not to score on the stroke of half time, denied by a good save. Visibly ran out of steam after the break. 7
9. Greg Ngoyi: Another lively hour or so from the front man, given more support than usual and grabbed a well deserved goal. Never let the opposition centre halves settle on the ball. 7
10. Elliot Godfrey: Set up the second goal with a lovely cross and was unlucky with a couple of other balls into the box that either just eluded a yellow shirt or weren’t quite connected with properly. Faded a little after the break. 6
11. Byron Bubb: First game back in his 3rd spell at the club, hit the post in the 2nd half and used the ball quite well. Not the best when not in possession though. 6
Substitutes
12. Kevin Maclaren: Came on with 20 minutes remaining and did the simple things effectively. Enabled the yellows to keep possession better. 6
13. Danny Dyer: Replaced Bubb for the final 10 minutes, looked pretty lively.
15. James Parker: Slotted in at right back as if he’s been there all season. One excellent interception from a dangerous ball over the top. 6
Star Man: Jamie Busby
Match Rating: 5/10
Verdict: Comfortable progression into the next round in the end. The early goals certainly settled any nerves and you certainly got the impression that if needed, the side could have stepped it up a couple of gears. Tidy stuff.
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