FLACKWELL HEATH 0-3 COCKFOSTERS: WHAT HAPPENED ON THE PITCH...

Heathens Flacked Off By Rampant Cockers…

Flackwell Heath 0-3 Cockfosters

(FA Vase Round 1 Proper)

AUSTIN BYFIELD HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO TIE HIS FRIENDS' SHOELACES...

THE REFEREE TELLS A SPECTATOR THAT HE CAN'T REST HIS HEAD ON CARL RESCH'S SHOULDER, WHILST BEN STURGESS CAN'T WORK OUT WHY HE'S GOT THREE LEGS...

Flackwell: possibly the name of an ancient stream which ran through the area; Heath: where there was a cherry orchard and indeed, the Flackers had their cherries well and truly picked by their visitors in this match. Cockfosters: possibly a family name, or perhaps where the chief, or ‘cock forester’ once lived in woods? Or maybe a place where willy-waving goes on in pints of Australian lager? Who knows? But certainly a few pints would have been downed last night by the Cockers, who strangled Flackwell Heath in a really poor opening half, netted before the break due to some shocking Heathen defending and then proceeded to dominate the second period, creating a number of chances, bossing midfield and rarely offering a glimpse of a chance to their hosts. True, the Flackers were missing striker Dan Burnell and ‘keeper Dan Weait, along with other injured individuals but as a team on the day they looked sluggish, whereas the Fosters looked quicker, Flackwell lacked penetration, whereas the Fosters had Ioannis Varouxakis in attack, who might have netted a handful of goals, but more importantly, there seemed to be a malaise through the Heathen team, whereas their guests were livelier, especially after the interval.

TOSSING THE FLACKERS & THE COCKERS...

An error-riddled opening 45 minutes, during which the young referee maybe attempted to wrestle unnecessary control, without much success, led to a bitty half of stoppages, free-kicks, lectures and general irritation. Tom Willment had clipped an early free-kick opportunity too high for the Heathens, the sprightly Dan Rapley had fizzed a low centre across the Cockfosters penalty-box and Liam Tack’s drive from an angle, following a short free-kick, which saw Fosters’ Jerry Maja not get back to cover, flew across the goalmouth. Apart from those early attacks, nothing really materialised for the Flackers until comfortable Cocker goalie Austin Byfield (great name for a car…) fisted away a free-kick by Adam Morris. My Uncle Jack bought an Austin Metro once but his wife, my mum’s sister Ivy, lived in Knowle (posh place, you see…) and she insisted it was a ROVER Metro, despite what it said on the body of the car… I’ll not forget that.   

George Ironton, busy, combative and much involved behind Varouxakis felt he had been pushed in the opposition penalty-box but that apart, the Fosters really made little impression until Varouxakis was fouled by Mitch Woodward but the striker got up and pushed home skipper Ben Sturgess to the ground. The official didn’t book any of them but he had also not offered yellow cards to earlier tough tacklers either, so it was a surprise to then see him caution Maja, who had leapt to head the ball in a challenge, had been turned in the air and the ball had presumably struck his hand… A nonsense, surely? Maja did find himself onside and clear on the left side, with the Flackwell defence missing but from an angle, he smacked the ball high across the face of goal, with right-flanker Ben Hart free in the middle. Hart pulled his shirt over his head in frustration but really, Maja ought to have done instead, out of embarrassment.

MAJA ARGUES THAT IT WASN'T HAND-BALL BECAUSE HIS HAND WAS TRAPPED INSIDE HIS SHIRT AT THE TIME...

The remainder of the half featured Varouxakis and he took advantage of some loose marking in the middle of the home defence, where often, James Tripp and Willment  seemed wrenched apart from each other. Tripp blocked him once, the very influential Cameron Ferguson fed him for a low 23 yard shot pas the right upright, he then fastened onto a loose Matty Stockill pass but was unceremoniously hacked down by Willment, who earned a caution and Willment then tackled him superbly in another dangerous attack. Visiting skipper Ben Spaul had been cautioned for a foul on Woodward but just as people were leaving the sidelines, either to grab a beer, a mug of tea, or just a few minutes’ relief from the rather tepid fayre on offer, Cockfosters scored.

Home ‘keeper Mo Sampat had not enjoyed a particularly pleasant half, mishandling the ball at the edge of his penalty-area on one occasion and struggling with his kicking and when a back-header came his way, he appeared to be out of position to collect it, Hart spotted his chance and fastened onto the ball, Sampat slipped over and Hart rammed his close range finish into the roof of the net. OOOPS…

0-1...

COCKER-HOOP...

SOMEWHERE IN THERE IS BEATING HART BEN...

The half ended very quickly after that and one set of fans’ expectations had risen, whereas the other bunch rather hung their heads in steaming tea-cups. Cockers Carl Resch and Tom Massey had defended with some resolution and Flacker Jamie Essex had been offered little leeway, as his colleagues struggled to provide any decent service. Defensive backs Jay Rolfe and Jonny Sexton were firm for the guests and really, although Rapley worked hard for Flackwell and Tack surged forward a few times, those Cocker full-backs simply got better and better during the second period.

BEN STURGESS: A LOSING BATTLE FOUGHT...

Immediately after the restart, Ferguson was slipped into the left side of the 18 yard box by Varouxakis, he wrong-footed Tripp but Sampat stopped the right foot poked angled shot with a boot. A left foot shot might have brought a greater reward perhaps… Immediately, the Flackers counter-attacked and Rapley struck a shot from the left-side of the penalty-box but despite a deflection off Resch, Byfield reacted well to turn the ball aside for an unproductive corner. The spectators needed to recover from two saves within a minute, following that not very exciting first-half… Fine approach play by Ironton for the Cockers led to Varouxakis’ left-footed rising drive cannoning from the crossbeam and behind, although the referee adjudged that Sampat had managed the finest of touches on the effort. Sampat reached a through-pass before Varouxakis could benefit and smothered the danger but following the replacements of the rather quiet Essex and Stockill with Jon Bennett and the returning Joe Blount, the hosts succumbed to a second Cocker goal.

0-2 NOW & VAROUXAKIS CHECKS THAT NOBODY HAS BLOCKED UP THE CAR-PARK...

THE COCKERS REFLECT ON SOME GOOD ATTACKING...

THE FLACKERS REFLECT ON SOME NOT QUITE SO GOOD DEFENDING...

Varouxakis chased Tripp towards the left byeline onto Sexton’s pass, where the Flackwell defender was attempting to guard the ball as it rolled for a corner but the striker did not give up and as Tripp slithered and protected the ball, Varouxakis stole possession, cut inside the bewildered Willment and lashed a low, near post shot past the helplessly exposed Sampat. And that was that really for the hosts, despite some eager Blount running, some mild threat from Rapley and a header on the bounce by Willment from Woodward’s free-kick, which was parried easily by Byfield, all that the Heathens managed from that point until the finish was the substitution of Morris by Dan Molloy and a looping Dan Bayliss header from Tack’s set-piece, which Byfield pulled down like he was removing a hanging sloth from his goal-frame.

VAROUXAKIS (YELLOW BOOTS) HAS SHOT TOO HIGH FROM 8 YARDS...

Indeed, Bayliss, usually an aerial danger for the Flackers, was not a threat at all on the day, as his team-mates struggled to contain the midfield quickness and smartly released passes of Ironton and Ferguson. Bayliss became more exposed by the runs of Hart however and following the caution of Ferguson for an over-exuberant challenge on Tack, a couple of poor fly-kicks by Sampat added pressure to his defence. Firstly, Varouxakis was signalled offside, and secondly, Hart drove too high but soon, Hart ran strongly on the right three times. His first rapid rush ended with a deflected low shot, which Sampat fell to save and was fortunate that when the ball squirmed beneath him, it skidded behind for a corner. The second Hart run ended with a pass inside to Varouxakis, who leaned back and lifted his 8 yard shot wastefully over the crossbar and his third sortie ended with a pass which nearly let in Varouxakis, who was by now finding space from his markers far too easy to steal.

ANOTHER FOSTERS CHANCE COCKED UP...

Hart was thus rather weary I guess and Courtney Lawrence took his place, joining the splendidly named Ramone Cassidy-Sinclair, who had already relieved Maja. The third goal was a similar finish to the second, but Sexton’s pass into the left side of the penalty-area wasn’t reached by the stretching Willment, thus Varouxakis latched onto the ball, turned with a neat piece of control and as Tripp took evasive action, the forward slammed another low shot into the net from 8 yards, virtually through Sampat.

0-3...

SEXTON (3) IS CHUFFED...

VAROUXAKIS AGAIN...

It remained only for Taylor Wild (is he a distant relation of Taylor Swift?) to replace the excellent Ferguson but this disappointed me, for Dominic Bongo wasn't on the Cocker bench at all… How could you do that to me, Mr Barker, Cockfosters manager and P.E. teacher, Sir? The last piece of action demonstrated the ascendancy of Varouxakis over Tripp and Willment, for when fine play on the right saw Spaul reach the byeline, his low cross was claimed at the near stick by Sampat, but Willment had simply given up on the two-goal Varouxakis and had plainly shoved him over from behind for a clear penalty, yet the referee and his assistant simply failed in their responsibility to award one.

A thoroughly deserved win for the guests, a disappointing performance by the hosts, for whom skipper Sturgess never stopped competing but in truth, the Cockers outsmarted the Flackers after the break and in Varouxakis, they fielded a player in very decent form, well supported by the effervescent Ferguson and Ironton. Resch and Massey were rarely troubled at the back for the Fosters, Sexton was a wily competitor and Byfield looked calm and collected in his goalmouth. 

I was left to consider that my mum was a good netball player in the early 1930s apparently and her school was Birmingham’s Cherrywood Road, which no longer exists and she always took pride in telling me that her team was unbeaten and known as the ‘Cherrypickers’, something I shall always remember her for…

DEAN BARKER: HAPPY...

PAUL SHONE: GRIM ACCEPTANCE...

Cockfosters had cherry-picked Flackwell Heath in Round 1 of the FA Vase and would be looking forward to Monday’s Round 2 draw…

It’s what they do…

TEAMS:

FLACKWELL HEATH:

MO SAMPAT, MITCH WOODWARD, DAN BAYLISS, ADAM MORRIS, JAMES TRIPP, TOM WILLMENT, LIAM TACK, BEN STURGESS (CAPT), JAMIE ESSEX, MATTY STOCKILL, DAN RAPLEY.

SUBS:

DAN MOLLOY, JON BENNETT, JOE BLOUNT, TOM MASON (GK).

COCKFOSTERS:

AUSTIN BYFIELD, JAY ROLFE, JONNY SEXTON, BEN SPAUL (CAPT), CARL RESCH, TOM MASSEY, BEN HART, CAMERON FERGUSON, IOANNIS VAROUXAKIS, GEORGE IRONTON, JERRY MAJA.

SUBS:

RAMONE CASSIDY-SINCLAIR, COURTNEY LAWRENCE, TAYLOR WILD, CALLUM LEE, CHRIS STEAD (GK).