SPORTING KHALSA 1-1 WESTFIELDS: MATCH REPORT...

Torrid Khalsa Pegged Back By Astute Westfields

Sporting Khalsa 1-1 Westfields

It took until around the 80th minute for one of these teams to produce a goal but Sporting’s understandable joy and relief were undermined by a late and perhaps deserved equaliser by Westfields’ Craig Jones who pounced upon a rebound from the Khalsa crossbar. Jones then squandered a great chance to plunder victory, miscuing a low centre by the excellent Chris Ham from just 3 yards. Ham had missed a couple of first period chances too prior to a late surge to the interval by the hosts but visiting ‘keeper Matt Gwynne, despite mishandling a few times during the encounter, made a couple of good saves and Craig Bannister clipped the top of the guests’ crossbar. Perhaps Khalsa deserved the lead late on when Yusifu Ceesay’s low drive beat Gwynne at the near post but the lean Ham was always lively and thoughtful, even though it was a header from colleague Nathan Summers which offered Jones the opportunity to regain parity. Home manager Ian Rowe was indignant about his team’s inability to secure that late lead but Westfields could claim to have been more innovative on offense, although Ceesay was a constant threat for Sporting.

A SPOT OF COIN LEAPING...

A decent early deep cross by Tim Jackson for Khalsa led to an angled effort by Marvin Nisbett but his finish was sliced and in truth he didn’t really show as particularly dangerous on the evening, possibly due to some fine marking by Westfields’ Sam Plane. Gwynne’s hesitancy led to a Bannister shot striking a defender just inside the visitors’ penalty-area but then Ben Miller caused a couple of problems on the guests’ attacking right, first cutting inside following a short corner but his shot lacked power and was comfortably fallen upon by home ‘keeper Tom Turner. His second similar effort, after home midfielder Michael Perks had driven a long shot wide of a Westfields post, was well deflected off target by Sporting skipper Tesfa Robinson. 

DAVE MEESE (8) IS ASKED WHETHER HE BELIEVES  DAVID BECKHAM DESERVES A KNIGHTHOOD.
DAVE REPLIED WITH TWO WORDS... 

Khalsa hadn’t started too well and the keen quickly taken set-pieces by Westfields were causing some disarray in the FA Vase quarter-finalists’ ranks but Ham really ought to have netted one of the two chances which came his way in similar circumstances. He raced past the static home central defenders onto a pass by Alex Hainault but powered a rising effort over the target from 18 yards but then found himself clear again onto a pass from Jones and it looked like he would surely score. He managed to scurry past the advancing Turner on the 18 yard line, veered left but had to turn back inside from an angle and when he finally attempted a right-footed shot, the ball rolled past the far upright to his chagrin. The latter miss had oddly stemmed from a fine nutmeg instigated by home midfielder Bannister and a subsequent interception by Westfields…

"I'M SORRY REF, BUT I THINK BECKHAM DOESDESERVE A KNIGHTHOOD..."  

Aiden Thomas was providing the width on the left for Westfields and from another quickly taken corner on the left, his low cross was missed by two flailing home defenders but also evaded his own supporting colleagues. Untidy at times, frenetic at others, the play included bouts of head-tennis too but suddenly, after failing to ignite like Roman Candle on a damp Bonfire Night, suddenly Khalsa’s thrust looked meaningful. Hesitation between Summers and Gwynne so nearly gifted Ceesay a goal when the defender appeared to want to shield the ball for his ‘keeper to run forward and deal with but he realised that Ceesay was a shadow at his back and so tried to hack the ball to the touchline. Unfortunately, Ceesay blocked the kick and he was quick to poke a shot 5 yards from the left upright but Gwynne did well to parry the ball away for a corner. The flag-kick was cleared towards Dave Meese, a little moody and frustrated on the night and his flying left-footer was scooped aside by the sprawling Gwynne on his goal-line. The next corner was played short and Bannister quickly reached the left byeline but his crafty left-boot far post centre dropped against the far angle of bar and upright. 

THE PLAYERS TRY TO IMAGINE HOW SIR DAVID BECKHAM'S KNIGHTHOOD WAXWORK WILL STAND AT MADAME TUSSAUD'S...

THE DEPENDABLE JOE ROGERS...

It seemed that both teams were destined not to score but a couple of spectators reckoned at half-time that one error could determine the outcome. And that error might just have been overlooked by the referee at the start of the second period. The official looked to me even younger than policemen used to when I was fifty… A mere child was this chap in black. Big Westfields skipper Phil Glover, as usual a rock in the visitors’ defence, winning most of the aerial balls was simply shoved over by Robinson it appeared… No penalty. Glover sat miserably on the mud like he wanted someone to clean the Mawgan Porth beach sand from between his toes before he would put his flip-flops back on and the hosts escaped punishment. There is a clip of it to watch but really it matters not a jot, for a spot-kick wasn’t given…

SHAWN BOOTHE IS BEING CAUTIONED.
HE'S NOT HAPPY...

Both teams tried to force the pace after that without really settling into any offensive pattern or dominance but there was enough to intrigue the majority of spectators I reckon. Gwynne nearly set up Fabrice Kasiama for a chance at the far post, following a non too convincing swat away of Perks’ right-side delivery but he managed to grab at the ball as it bounced off the attacker and hold on. Perks had a strong shot blocked by massed defenders from another Khalsa corner but Bannister’s rebound left-footer screwed past the right upright from 10 yards and level with the post. Another Jackson corner was pushed out by the under pressure Gwynne and a left-wing corner by Bannister clipped the top of the crossbar, before Gwynne fumbled a through-pass by Meese and nearly presented Nisbett with a gift. The ‘keeper had found trouble picking up the ball a few times, suggesting it was slippery, possibly an uneven surface or maybe the ball had the devil inside.

Nisbett blazed a shot high like an extra point for the Atlanta Falcons, Kasiama shot straight at Gwynne’s gloves and then home defender Shawn Boothe was cautioned for an innocuous nudge on Ham, whose touch had been loose. Had he hammed it up? Ham clipped in a tasty bacon-crisp of a free-kick from 20 yards, inside-left but with Glover just unable to reach the trajectory, Turner snaffled it like an Atlanta Hawks point guard grabbing a defensive rebound off the back-board. I wondered why Ham hadn’t tried a shot…

Bannister was withdrawn for the introduction of Sporting’s Brad Lawley, Miller was hauled back by Jackson, who was booked, Summers hauled back the troublesome Ceesay and he too was shown a nice yellow card but wasn’t allowed to keep it and then when it seemed that 0-0 was going to be the outcome, the hosts struck. The ball was shoved left by Perks to Ceesay, who moved into the left side of the penalty-area between two defenders and shot low past Gwynne, inside the near post. It was surprising that the ball ended up in the net but Khalsa didn’t care.

1-0...

CEESAY THE SCORER...

Jackson had been replaced by long-thrower Jonny Haynes and Nisbett by Luke Shearer, as Khalsa looked to secure victory but then after Miller, less adventurous by this time, had been replaced by Dan Polan, the equaliser was emphatically buried by midfielder Jones. A free-kick was cleared by Sporting and Meese’s boot away was picked up by Ceesay on the left flank. He ran with the ball, only to be barged off it, I think by Alex Hainault, whose fine left-footed cross was headed by the criminally unmarked Summers over the helpless Turner but onto the face of the crossbar, from whence Jones belted a close range finish.

1-1 & A RUSH TO RESTART BY WESTFIELDS...

JONES, LEFT, WAS THE SCORER...

It remained only for Westfields to defend a couple of long throws, thanks to Glover and then for Thomas to win a throw on the left, from where Ham raced to the byeline and released a great pass across the 6 yard box but Jones, off balance to be fair, miscued the ball wide. He was soon booked for a foul too. Certainly Westfields would have to be pleased with their point and avoiding a loss to a team in strong form but Khalsa, with such an important game just a week and a half away, would be disappointed certainly, yet the players might have been relieved to get through another match avoiding injury, for who would NOT like to play in the Coleshill Town tie on 18th February?

Jamie Saunston and Plane flanked Glover and Summers stoutly for Westfields and midfielder Matt Reeve showed glimpses of neat skill, as did Hainault but for the hosts, there seemed a little weak seam in the centre of defence which Ham exploited and despite Ceesay’s all-action performance, neither Nisbett nor Kasiama really threatened for Sporting. Right-back Joe Rogers was dependable and again, Jackson’s left boot was a worthy asset for the Noose Laners…

Again a great welcome from the staff at Khalsa, although no-one could find me a couple of Paracetamol to wrestle with my joints but it was rather cool to stroll into the beer bar clutching a mug of steaming tea. One more thing which made me smile was during the final warm-up moments when a Khalsa player was prone on the turf stretching and a loose ball rolled my way; I couldn’t resist a pass to his buttocks and it certainly found its mark as he rolled his thighs over… 

Midfield for me Rowey? I reckon so.

TEAMS:

SPORTING KHALSA:

TOM TURNER, JOE ROGERS, TIM JACKSON, SHAWN BOOTHE, TESFA ROBINSON (CAPT), MICHAEL PERKS, FABRICE KASIAMA, DAVE MEESE, CRAIG BANNISTER, MARVIN NISBETT, YUSIFU CEESAY.

SUBS:

BRAD LAWLEY, LUKE SHEARER, CARLO FRANCO, JONNY HAYNES, AARON PERRIN.

WESTFIELDS:

MATT GLYNNE, JAMES SAUNSTON, SAM PLANE, PHIL GLOVER (CAPT), NATHAN SUMMERS, MATT REEVE, CRAIG JONES, ALEX HAINAULT, CHRIS HAM, AIDEN THOMAS, BEN MILLER.

SUBS:

ELLIS DAVY, DAN POLAN, JULIO DA MATA, SCOTT JACKSON.