FAIRFORD TOWN 2-8 BINFIELD: match report by The Mowdog...

Moles Dig In After Fairford’s Stormy Start

Fairford Town 2 Binfield 8

The skippers toss to see who gets to remove molehills from the pitch...

I had travelled the 70 miles or so to watch Fairford play a couple of seasons ago but the Non League Paper had reproduced the previous week’s fixtures for the Hellenic League, so I arrived 7 days too late for the game. I had to return. Binfield were the perfect opponents, for the club is based near Great Hollands estate, Bracknell, where I lived in digs for 18 months, whilst training to be a P.E. teacher in 1970-1. A thunderstorm would be the only drawback to my visit but it arrived and disappeared in the half-hour before kick-off, leaving the match to be played in warm, damp boots but also hot sunshine until the final cloudy 10 minutes or so. Many thanks to both clubs for providing players’ names and numbers and I apologise for any errors I have made in spelling those names. A hat-trick by Ian Davies, beard still dripping raindrops came in contrast to his strike-partner’s fortunes, for Adam Dickens finished more like Charles Dickens on the day, even missing a penalty and an open goal, although the emergence of a mole’s head from the turf might just have caused the ball to take a bobble. Fair play to Adam though, he kept at his game and set up opportunities for others. Fairford’s two goals were scored direct from free-kicks but the hosts had no real answer to the impish play of Mole Josh Warren (a Mole called Warren? A rabbit, surely..?) in the Binfield midfield and the size and mouth of Mole David Woozley in the visitors’ defence, who I saw last at Burton Latimer, winning a play-off final with Slough Town.

David Woozley...

Town, with thunder still ringing in their ears, dug themselves into a tough hole against the Moles, for they were 0-2 behind far too quickly. The back-three Moles of Woozley, Callum Whitty and Jack Broome, who began the game with some power, dominated the opening stages and Warren ran the midfield, supported ably by Carl Withers and Jack Tallentire. A fine run by Broome bristled the home defence and Dickens picked up possession, feeding the ball left to Ian Davies inside the penalty-box and on-side, whereupon the striker simply pushed a low shot inside the left upright, leaving home ‘keeper Joe Snell helpless. 40 seconds I believe and the Moles were already up and digging.

The bearded one: Ian Davies...

The threat from Fairford could (and should) have emerged from space on the right flank, where the diminutive Josh Skeetes might have capitalised behind Seb Bowerman, the wide Mole midfielder but his only early run was halted at the expense of an unproductive corner. Town cleared a Binfield corner but the ball fell at Woozley’s feet, 17 yards out, right of centre and his foot-skills were impressive, as he turned a defender to shoot left-booted, only for Snell to excel, arching to tip the ball over his crossbar. Another Mole corner from the left reached Woozley’s head beyond the far post and his header towards the goal-line was hacked clear, only for Tallentine’s low drive to be deflected behind again and then for Davies to head the subsequent flag-kick badly over the bar from a good, unmarked position. A free-kick brought goal two and from inside-left Warren curled his 23 yard shot beyond the flailing right hand of the airborne Snell, reminding me that I was near an airfield.

0-2 and Warren (12) has netted a free-kick...

Neat Binfield play by Dickens, Broome and the emerging Jemel Johnson won another corner then Johnson fed Dickens for a 12 yard shot, which Snell did well to beat away, like he was swatting a huge and fearsome queen bee from around his jam sandwich. Fairford then began to assert themselves a little more, with defender Luke Corderey breaking up the play well and initiating an attack but Woozley and Whitty, sounding like a comedy duo, stood as tall as two Stonehenge pillars, leaving home striker Nathan Gambling gambling on errors, which never seemed to materialise. Stratford’s left-side corner for the hosts left visiting ‘keeper Dan Weait swinging and missing, like Henry Cooper vainly attempting to clout Cassius Clay but the ball dropped out for a goal-kick, then Davies threatened twice for Binfield, with Corderey and partner James Eddie doing well enough to deny the bearded one.

Johnson (7) in action for Binfield...

Suddenly though, Warren popped up in the inside-right channel, chasing onto a long Broome pass and the midfielder smacked a low angled cross-shot past the surprised Snell and into the net, just inside the left stick. Skeets was often in room on the right-wing for Town but the creativity needed to switch the play to him simply wasn’t there, as possession almost inevitably fell at Warren’s feet. With no warning at all however, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just outside the Binfield penalty-area and with Gambling grumbling when Stratford took the ball, saying something like that if he wanted it, he’d better make sure he jolly well succeeded with it. (There were other words used, actually, but that was the jist of it.) Stratford did so, curling a good shot over the defensive wall and past the goalie. Weait wasn’t wearing his cap, as he had threatened to do if he conceded a goal on video… 

Warren again: 0-3...

Stratford has scored for Fairford, against Binfield... Hmm...
1-3...

  

Neat Mole passing, involving a one-two between Withers and Warren, as the half waned, offered Dickens a shot from inside-left but his effort, although well struck, was held above his head by Snell and the whistle blew for the interval. I had been asked to go and have a guest’s cuppa but I saw a loose ball in the Binfield dugout and juggled a bit… See, Mr Woozley, I’m not just a blogger... As your coach said, “You never lose it…”

In the opening stages of the second period, Corderey fouled Bowerman from behind to concede a penalty but Dickens, despite Great Expectations, was on Hard Times in Bleak House, striking his spot-kick low and Snell swooped like a Tiger Moth at Fairford’s airshow to save well to his right, even recovering to save similarly from Davies’ rebound effort. Skeetes nudged a header wide of the far post from Dan Thompson’s right-side centre as Fairford responded but then Dickens did so well on the Binfield left, tricking two defenders to reach the byeline but his pass rolled behind two too-eager supporting colleagues. A long Corderey boot was collected by the starved Gambling and I would have bet on him finding the target, but he didn’t, firing a wild shot high and wide of the left angle of bar and post from 25 yards. Woozley was then caught in possession, possibly woozy from the heat, but although Thompson’s delivery was converted from close range by I think Skeetes, an offside flag was waved and the ‘goal’ was ruled out.

Binfield's capless goalie, Weait...

Replacement Josh Howell was looking lively on the Binfield right and his low centre was turned on and into the net by Davies, beyond the static Snell, so there might have been a slight deflection, but Dickens would have scored had the ball not been diverted anyway. Maybe... Dickens was becoming more Ratty than Mole but his bluster was all Wind In the Willows. 1-4 and really, Fairford began to lose all composure in defence, as Howell and Bowerman attacked the flanks. Tallentire’s 24 yard drive was smothered by Snell but the ‘keeper was completely beaten by a great low strike by Howell from 17 yards, right of centre, following support from Davies, which crashed past the hapless goalie like a non-stop Virgin train arrowing past one’s platform at Cheltenham Station.

Davies, centre, has scored again...

Howell, right, sniffs an arm after scoring Binfield's 5th goal...

A good strike by Gambling from 25 yards was comfortably held above his head by Weait, then Johnson, back from a rest, raced away on the right for the Moles, sensibly picked out Aaron Rowland outside the 18 yard box but the replacement’s clipped shot rose horribly too high, leaving his coach advising that he should put his laces through it next time, which is technical, legal jargon for “Belt it.” A fine Binfield move involving Warren and Bowerman saw the former pass to Johnson inside the 18 yard box, who laid the ball back for Bowerman but an awful finish from 10 yards totally missed the target. However, the left-sided youngster was to become even more effective on that flank in the latter stages of the game, otherwise known to Fairford as ‘a lost cause’. A fine tackle by Eddie on Johnson was followed by a really bad mistake by the Town defender; Warren picked up the ball on the left, after a poor defensive clearance by Fairford and he switched the play to Howell on the right, whose low delivery was hacked at by Eddie at his near post but he totally miscued, allowing the lurking Davies to complete his treble with a close-range hooked shot past new goalie Mick Alexander. Soon though, the hosts were awarded another free-kick just outside the penalty-box and Stratford curled his shot off end-brick-in-the-wall Whitty’s head this time, leaving Weait struggling then clawing at the summer midges as the ball hit the net. Ah, Stratford, Much Ado About Nothing, as his team trailed 2-6...

Bowerman’s fine left-wing delivery was turned into the net at the far post by Aaron Rowland but a flag was waving, to the verbal annoyance of the visiting coaches, but the Moles scored again anyway when Bowerman played Warren in on goal at inside-left, only for Snell to save well at his feet, resulting in an overhead kick towards Johnson by Rowland, allowing the winger to turn and hammer the ball spectacularly across the goalmouth and into the top left corner of the net from near the right post.

3 for Davies: 1-6...

Muted celebrations: 2-6, following Stratford's deflected free-kick...

7, Johnson and it's 2-7 to the Moles...

Neat Fairford passes, involving Ash Taylor, Alex Rudd and Ryan Laytham set up an angled shot for the supporting Hall, whose fine effort was only just too high, then the unselfish Dickens passed left to Bowerman but Alexander saved with an outstretched right boot and collected the rebound at his near post, almost sitting on his buttocks as the ball dropped like an acorn from an oak. Howell’s dangerous running saw him provide another low centre but Dickens missed the ball completely at the near post, leaving him on his back, wondering whether he should stick to writing novels about Victorian England, but Bowerman retrieved the ball out on the left, cut inside Ben Anderson and beat the goalie with a near post shot from 7 yards. There was still time for Johnson’s right-side centre to be cleverly heeled by the innovative Dickens but even that was blocked and the ball flew out towards Tallentire, whose 25 yarder flew to Alexander.

Bowerman, left, finally netted his deserved goal: 2-8...

The game over, Fairford would have to take the positive aspects from the game and start over; the free-kicks were good, Gambling looked useful at times and Skeetes will be an asset, as well as Corderey. Binfield must have been really pleased, for their play was strong at the back, with Woozley like a manager on the field; in midfield, Warren was good throughout, Howell and Johnson were always quick and dangerous and although Davies notched three goals, whilst Dickens failed find the net, the writer will come good... The Moles could well have a really good season, on this flimsy evidence.

Playmaker Warren in action...

The Bodging and I trailed back to Solihull through Stow and Moreton, it was still warm and I watched two old episodes of The Wire, just to make me feel happier and calmer after being horrified by the world news…

It’s what you do...