FLACKWELL HEATH 1-2 THAME UNITED: FULL MATCH REPORT...

Thame Tame Feckless Flackers…

Flackwell Heath 1-2 Thame United

Shrugging off a tepid opening half performance, United equalised Dan Bayliss’ early goal for Flackwell Heath near the beginning of the second-half, then dominated proceedings, following the dismissal of the hosts’ combative midfielder Joe Gritt for a challenge and I understand, an alleged stamp on wily Thame forward Dan West. I really wasn’t aware that the officials had deemed the tackle such a vile one and I was thereby surprised to see the Heathen directed from the field. Just as the Flackers had missed a few first-half opportunities, their visitors squandered some after the interval too but importantly managed to snaffle a winner through their ever willing central striker Andrew Gledhill, who had also assisted Ben Connelly for the goal which had regained parity for United. Little was seen of the spluttering home offense during the second period and in the end, the hosts lost out in a game of little pattern, with rare moments of creativity but many instances of fouls and stoppages, due in no small way to the rather zealous refereeing performance presented. Sadly, after the final whistle, tempers and sourness boiled over into a fracas in the middle of the field and someone was red-carded, as the Thame chairman, to his great credit, battled to drag his players away from the trouble. A nasty end to an ill-tempered affair but Thame would have loved those three points after making such a shockingly bad start.  

THE COIN IS TOSSED...

BEN STURGESS: WORKED TIRELESSLY & I BELIEVE HE LOOKS AT MY BLOG SOMETIMES...
THANKS, MATE...

Before Luke Ricketts curled Thame’s first shot off target, following persistence by Linton Goss, the hosts had taken the lead in the opening moments after winning a left-side corner off Connelly. Adam Morris’ near post corner was headed past Henry Craven in the United goal from an unhindered position, with visiting skipper Conor Hayes unable to match the tall Heathen defender’s run. He nodded too high soon afterwards too from a Morris corner but was accused of shoving, then following a fine cross-field pass from the right by Morris, Jon Bennett was felled by Thame’s Nick Dugmore and the United right-back was cautioned. Morris’ resulting 26 yard free-kick was palmed away from under his cross-beam by the watchful Craven, for an unproductive flag-kick. 

1-0: A BAYLISS HEADER...

Dan Burnell endured a depressing afternoon, being cautioned for a late challenge then later in the half escaping punishment for a similar offence on the battered Hayes who soon stopped a Bennett shot with what appeared to be his face. Burnell did not have the best of games, in truth, twice ignoring Bennett in good positions to his left, once to lose possession and get his booking, the other time to lift a simple shot for Craven to clutch. After a Goss left-flank corner had been headed down and wide at the far stick by Nick Harrison, the Flackers went close to scoring again, Craven leaping right to save well from Dan Molloy’s far post header. Bayliss headed wide from another Morris corner then past the goal-frame again from a Morris free-kick and it was significant that Molloy’s header apart, the main danger to the visitors had been the forehead of Bayliss.

GOSS: NOT A CHANNEL SWIMMER BUT A CHANNEL RUNNER...

THE ZEALOUS CAUTION OF DUGMORE...

The quiet Tom Ashworth was cautioned for a late challenge on Burnell, the yellow card not impressing his grandparents much, but the only other incident worthy of note was when Gledhill and Ricketts failed to capitalise upon a decent near post centre by Goss. The stilted proceedings had been difficult to watch and really tough to comment upon but Gledhill’s forward play had been decent, Goss had run channels well enough, James Tripp had defended with sense for the hosts and Bayliss had looked effective at both ends for the Heathens. The interval arrived, the teams, like a Carousel, changed ends, spectators got The Message and shoved their faces into their iPhones (the iGeneration) for the latest scores, whilst some wondered why they were not Anywhere But Here, as drizzle offered Cold Comfort…

ASHWORTH HOPES HIS MUM ISN'T ANNOYED AND GROUNDS HIM...

A BADGER IS SPOTTED BENEATH THE FLACKWELL GRASSES...

David Lynn received a caution for a foul on the busy Morris at the start of the second-half, but then Thame’s forwards received Messages From God and gained Salvation from a left-side corner. Goss’ delivery, beyond the far upright, saw Gledhill back-pedalling like he was about to catch a touchdown pass for the Kansas Chiefs in the end zone from quarterback Alex Smith’s spiral pass, but instead he nodded the ball inside, off balance. Connelly was sniffing about like a badger at a cheese sandwich and his header went over Andrew Dean’s head into the net. Home goalie Dan Weait was unable to react, Dean was unable to stretch up enough and the ball bounced tamely into goal. “This Is Heartbreak…” thought the Flackers, as Thame celebrated Joyland…

SECOND-HALF THROUGH THE NET...

1-1: CONNELLY...

Gritt slid into West and was exiled, although there was a lot of finger pointing as he refused to leave quietly, probably thinking: “All My Mistakes have come to this…” It was a while before the midfielder was cajoled from the stage. Flackwell Heath’s Jigsaw Heart was now rent into a thousand pieces but they were forced to Soldier On. A fine head-down by Gledhill from Connelly’s next right-wing centre saw the striker outjump Liam Tack, and the watching Bayliss wasn’t able to prevent Goss from a sure strike, but the forward leaned back and lifted a poor effort over the target from 5 yards. Hayes fouled Burnell to earn a booking, as the stop-start events continued, Goss drove the ball across the face of the Flackwell goal before Gledhill began and finished a good Thame move without scoring.

ONE COACH SULKS BECAUSE HE'S NOT ALLOWED A DRINK...

THE FLACKERS AREN'T HAPPY...

GRITT IN TROUBLE...

GRITT (4) HOPES FOR A REPRIEVE...

MR ZEALOUS DOESN'T GIVE HIM ONE...

WISH I'D HEARD WHAT THEY SAID...

THE THAME BENCHMEN APPEAR AMUSED ANYWAY...

Gledhill swivelled to flick a fine header out left to Ricketts, whose pace on the left was causing Tack some real difficulty and was probably wishing not to be On This Train but when the winger’s delivery found the soaring Gledhill in the middle, only a superb diving save by Weait, arching to tip the ball over his crossbar, saved the day. The Flackers must have felt the Reaper At the Door and when a right-wing corner was flicked on at the near post by Tack into his own 6 yard area, Molloy hacked it desperately over his own goal-frame. The winning goal stemmed from hesitancy in the home defence but once again Ricketts was at the fulcrum of the attack. A low pass towards the near post left Bayliss in a mess facing his own goal and with Goss lurking, Gledhill had the resolution to side-foot the ball across the goal and inside the far upright. Absolution for United, The Road To Damnation for Flackwell Heath and Bayliss might have been feeling the pain: “Straight Through My Heart…”

1-2: ALWAYS YOU, GLEDHILL...

THAME ON TOP...

Tack made a fine block for his team, the Flackers made no inroads at all into the Thame defence, their moves breaking down and becoming Stuck On Replay, before Molloy was replaced by Matty Stockill. Ricketts tried a shot himself but it rose well over the crossbar onto Apple Tree Hill, then following Tripp’s clearance, the ball fell perfectly for Goss to shoot from close range but he meekly miscued. Tom Willment replaced the ineffective Bennett for the hosts and finally Goss looked to be in with a chance of crowning a rapid performance with a goal. Ashworth fed him but Weait dived right and made a good save from Goss’ fine drive from 25 yards. The subsequent corner’s trajectory was straight to the ‘keeper, indeed “Back Into Your Arms” but the game ended soon afterwards and the unpleasantness began. It needed Gypsy Rose to appear and take away the ugliness from the players’ expressions but In The Fight For Love, Flackwell Heath were the losers and Thame the winners and loving it… It Feels So Cruel to lose in circumstances involving a dismissal, which at the very least might have been considered controversial but it was really no surprise that this niggly match ended in such a manner. 

LATE SET-PIECE...

"WEAIT FOR ME..."

WEAIT ON GLEDHILL...

EVERY PICTURE...

TROUBLE AT FLACK...

Morris did well enough for the hosts, Weait made his saves well, Tripp was mainly reliable but in fairness the hosts didn’t have the imagination necessary to carve their opponents apart and offer ammunition to the strikers. Thame kept at it, escaped further Bayliss headed threats, always looked likely to cause problems in the second-half through the sorties of Ricketts and in Gledhill, a lean, intelligent striker, they possessed the match winner and in all honesty Gleds, it had Always Been You…

I had seen the band Keywest perform on the streets of Birmingham on Friday, was impressed by their live rendering of “Always Been You” and I bought the two albums JOYLAND & THE MESSAGE, there and then. I listened to both on the trip from Solihull to Flackwell Heath and decided to feature all the track titles in my match report. There are 24 and have been highlighted in red…