STICKER AFC 4-2 ELBURTON VILLA: FULL REPORT...

Elburton Frustrated As Bowyer Lifts Burden On Sticker

Sticker AFC 4-2 Elburton Villa

Villa’s brusque style, breaking strongly on hosts Sticker in the early stages of this important SWPL West encounter, forced home goalie Kai Stone into two vital saves and although his team made a better fist of things as the opening half wore on, little had been seen of strikers Jack Bowyer and Joel Cockings, although Mike Body and the effervescent, excellent Martyn Duff in midfield had already made their marks. Then the referee awarded Sticker a penalty for the use of an arm by Villa’s Lewis Chrimes but the result of his alleged crime was a weak spot-kick by Frankie McAvoy which was saved falling left by Elburton ‘keeper Jack Dixon. McAvoy was however the quickest to the rebound and bundled the ball into goal. The incensed visitors lost some composure after the incident and wouldn’t you know it, right on the break Bowyer mugged central defender Shaun Corben and cleverly shot past Dixon to engineer an unlikely 2-0 lead for his team. He netted smartly again after the interval but after replacing a couple of players, the Sticker manager was probably annoyed that his troops conceded two foolish free-kicks and subsequently a brace of goals. Fortunately for him Bowyer completed his fifth hat-trick in five games with a fine lob immediately after Villa’s second goal, so soon in fact that I was unable to press record on my camera and thus failed to video the strike, dammit…

TOSSING...

Sticker were the more offensive outfit for the remainder of the game and might have won by more, despite Villa’s resolute and determined final twenty minutes. Their management team was clearly disappointed by the performance of the referee and the official’s yellow card issuing certainly seemed inconsistent for any unbiased observers to behold. The three points were thus gobbled up by Bowyer and his mates, leaving Villa rueing what might have been and the majority of spectators raving about the exploits of Duff… 

STONE: EARLY GOAL-KICK...

The opening exchanges were odd to watch, for league leaders Sticker could barely cross the half-way line, as a confident Elburton outfit, using top scorer Will Matthews wide left and the lean, mean Travis Skerton (is he a Country singer?) as a forceful runner on the right. Midfielder Simon McClements was soon offered the opportunity to swing over flag-kicks from the left side. Indeed, Sticker looked vulnerable at the near stick(er) and after one corner struck the shoulder of home skipper Ben Rosevear, ricochets saw the ball fly to the left byeline and McClements got in a centre, despite the attentions of adventurous Sticker right-back Jason Rogers. Visiting skipper Jon Winters rammed a downward header goalwards but a fine reaction save to his right by Stone kept the score at 0-0. Another left-flank corner saw Chrimes’ flick bounce off Rosevear’s eye (no Sticker plaster needed) for another flag-kick and it seemed merely a matter of time before the guests scored.

COCKINGS & WINTERS...

ROSEVEAR & SMALE...

They didn’t though and Duff began to make some headway for his team, delivering two decent crosses from the right which weren't challenged for by his team-mates and then attempting a clever lob from inside-right, which only just cleared the naturally concerned Dixon’s crossbar. Skerton slipped Matthews into the penalty-box at inside-right at the other end though and Stone advanced well from goal to make his second important save, before a Skerton run led to a too hard centre from the right and then the same player shot off target. Sticker? Stuck in neutral… 

STONE: 2 FINE SAVES...

MATTHEWS: NO GOAL THIS TIME...

However, following a corner, Bowyer’s cross from the right led to McAvoy smacking the ball towards the near post, forcing a beat-out by Dixon but Rogers was cautioned soon afterwards for a daft trip. In the light of some of the tackles, niggles and hacks which followed, that booking began to appear a little harsh. Another dangerous McClements corner was back-headed over the bar by a defender but the referee ridiculously awarded Sticker a goal-kick and this too angered the Villa contingent, quite rightly… And then, when the ball bounced up at Chrimes and struck him, the official signalled for a penalty…   

THE YETI GRUMBLES...

Andy Butler, getting more into the game for the hosts jumped for a loose ball and his headed nudge struck Chrimes’ arm, thereby offering McAvoy a chance to open the scoring. He did so but actually failed with his spot-kick, as Dixon scrabbled left to keep the effort out, only for McAvoy to convert the loose ball from a yard or so. Villa were absolutely livid and maybe suffered because of it, although Chrimes and others escaped cautions for their protestations. 

ARGUING OVER THE PENALTY...

1-0...

McAVOY THE SCORER...

Neat Matthews play for the guests, which involved a headed pass then a drift inside, led to a superb block by Duff 19 yards from goal and then the diminutive midfielder rose like a salmon at the other end to head Body’s right-side free-kick down towards goal but Dixon dropped to save comfortably. Bowyer finally escaped his markers for once but miscued an attempted lobbed effort way off target, before he suddenly robbed the covering Corben at inside-right, sprinted away and with the outside of his right boot, caressed a clever low shot beyond Dixon and just inside the far upright. A fine, confident finish…  

2-0...

BOWYER HAS NETTED...

And the break arrived. And Kevin Yetton displayed the kind of frown I saw so many times on brother Stewart’s face when playing for Truro in 2008-09, with that long, flowing, mean hair… The Sticker manager looked incredulous, for his team had performed below par, I am certain, yet led their rivals by 2-0. Strange game, soccer…

"2-0 AHEAD? REALLY? LETS SKIP..."

The spectators hurried to the clubhouse for their Sticker Paninis and mugs of hot tea, the replacements warmed up and I found out that Mark ‘Rappo’ Rapsey had not bothered to turn up at Sticker, preferring instead to watch Truro City… Thanks, mate…

Soon after the restart Sticker added a third goal which should have wrapped up the game totally and again it was the pacy forward Bowyer who benefited from fine spadework by Duff, whose tackling in midfield was as effective as a Chicago Blackhawk defenseman whipping the puck from a Detroit Redwing offenseman. His snappy challenges, both on Jacob Smale, led to McAvoy feeding Bowyer along the left flank and he cut inside, skated between Corben and Chrimes just like he was actually playing ice hockey, before planting a fine 17 yarder past goalminder Dixon and into the left side of the net.

3-0...

BOWYER AGAIN...

SURELY HOME & DRY NOW?

THAT'S 14 IN 5...

Immediately Villa needed fresh impetus and so Winters and Smale were replaced by Scott Wickens and Ray Card, hence shuffling the pack. Sticker responded by withdrawing the lively minded Body and Cockings, whose aerial threat hadn’t materialised and substitutes Sam Marchant and Matt Lloyd joined the fray. Strangely, out of nothing, the visitors pulled a goal back and Stone, stoney-faced, was beaten by the flight of a right-side free-kick by Jordan Rundle, whose high clipped delivery evaded the ‘keeper and dropped into the net off the inside of the far post.

BOWYER & HAMILTON TANGLING...

3-1: RUNDLE...

Striker Robbie Mann, who had been offered scant service thus far, drove a shot wide for the guests, before another free-kick by Rundle, this time 24 yards out inside-left channel, saw his low shot merely pushed left by the pressured goalie and there was Card to convert simply. Whatever happened to non-Sticker gloves? 

3-2: CARD...

However, before Elburton could capitalise, Bowyer’s pace took him into a shooting position on the right and his clever lob beat Dixon before dropping into the net and the forward had thus bagged five hat-tricks in five consecutive matches. Sticker had cemented their victory…

4-2...

BOWYER AGAIN...

15 IN 5...

The Villa coaches’ least favourite Sticker player Rosevear was cautioned, deservedly, but Chrimes, after having protested vehemently about the penalty was then not similarly punished for a foul and colleague Smale had also received two warnings but no card. It just highlighted the inconsistency of the refereeing… Hard job though, I’ve done it…

ROSEVEAR IN TROUBLE...

...& CAUTIONED...

Duff sprang like he was on his garden trampoline again but nodded Butler’s free-kick just too high, Mann was replaced by Villa’s Jacob Smelt, Lloyd set up Bowyer for a 20 yard shot which flew wide this time and I believe Rundle might have been cautioned, although the referee actually pulled out the wrong coloured card at someone, possibly Rundle? Marchant had a long shot fallen upon by Dixon, the irrepressible Duff drove too high, as did Villa’s Wickens and finally Chrimes' crimes led to a caution…

RUNDLE: A HARD GAME IN MIDFIELD...

DUFF: A SUPERB STICKER...

Certainly Sticker just about deserved the win, after Villa’s early ascendancy for whatever reason had become unstuck. Sticker’s adhesive grip on the league table had become more of a sticking point for the chasers and the lead at the top is now less duct tape, more Uhu by its impact. The game ended in pale sunlight, the odd Sticker-insect hovering over the damp turf and once again, Bowyer’s finishing had been as explosive as a World War 1 Sticker-Grenade…

ANDY AVERY: CHUFFED...

WOW...

LOVED THIS...

Villa? Matthews and Skerton always offered some threat, McClements battled, as did Rundle but the team didn’t really manage to keep any real pressure on Sticker’s defence in which Sam Kenny looked mostly assured and Mick Rowles-Jane settled as the match wore on. Villa’s left-back Ross Hamilton impressed though. Sticker’s Body, Butler, McAvoy and Rogers all assisted the offensive game, in which Bowyer was the arrow, whilst Duff was the consummate bow. Rosevear was a powerhouse of a skipper…

Maybe if the team does win the league, a set of cards, ‘Pictures of MatchStickermen’, drawn by Jack Walker’s father, should be produced to go into club Sticker Albums and affixed more effectively than the laminated admission price list is attached to the entrance hut. Is that super glued on? Nah, fixed with a pin… 

Will the club ever reach the Evo-Sticker Southern League South-West Division? Who knows…

TEAMS:

STICKER AFC:

KAI STONE, JASON ROGERS, FRANKIE McAVOY, SAM KENNY, MICK ROWLES-JANE, BEN ROSEVEAR (CAPT), MARTYN DUFF, ANDY BUTLER, MIKE BODY, JOEL COCKINGS, JACK BOWYER.

SUBS:

ANDY AVERY, SAM MARCHANT, MATT LLOYD, GARY WHEILDON, MATT BOYNTON.

ELBURTON VILLA:

JACK DIXON, JON WINTERS (CAPT), ROSS HAMILTON, JORDAN RUNDLE, SHAUN CORBEN, LEWIS CHRIMES, SIMON McCLEMENTS, JACOB SMALE, ROBBIE MANN, TRAVIS SKERTON, WILL MATTHEWS.

SUBS:

SCOTT WICKENS, JACOB SMELT, RAY CARD, KEVIN YETTON.