CHASETOWN FC 0-2 STAMFORD AFC: FULL REPORT & IMAGES...

Chasetown's Big Snow Clearance Backfires As Daniels Shovel Up Three Points…

Chasetown FC 0-2 Stamford AFC

A Category C concession ticket for Spurs v Stoke City would have set me back £28, not to mention the price of a programme, some food, a drink or two and the cost of travelling to London and back from Solihull. No Spurs supporters would have been begged to attend the ground in the morning to shovel snow from the surface, had the situation arisen and Stoke were humbled 5-1. I’m sure Spurs’ fans enjoyed their day… Chasetown’s die-hards, staff, the referee and forward Will Whieldon grabbed their tools and did a remarkable job to clear a deluge of snow from the pitch at the Scholars’ Ground and in a race against time, produced a playable surface, albeit lacking some bounce, rather like a moist Christmas pudding. I paid £5 to attend, £2 for a programme, was faced with mere forty minute journeys both ways and I got to see one of the main disciples of the footballing Messiah that is Brian ‘He’s a very naughty boy…’ Ndlovu, namely St Muzzy Nduna, ex-Coventry United.

TOSSING WITH A TALL REF...

So, all things considered, I’m glad I went to Chasetown…  

LEGS IN SNOW...

Stamford’s Daniels must have been pleased too, for not only did they not have to endure a fruitless journey to Chasetown had the pitch clearing been in vain, they dug in their footballing shovels and hacked three points from The Scholars too, whose slow start was integral to their defeat. The early Ben George goal for the visitors appeared to unsettle the Scholars and the lively Liam Adams might have added another before the break but Adams sealed the victory with a predatory strike during the second period. Certainly the hosts missed several chances, especially after the break, even striking the crossbar through defender Ryan Wynter but the lean Nduna’s clever feet in attack surely needed a strong central striker to benefit from, rather than having to fend off the enormous Stamford defender Henry Eze by himself. Visiting ‘keeper Dan Haystead made three smart saves in the second period but the guests held firm and denied the hosts any reward from all that snow shifting. 

Notorious for their inaccuracy, match team-sheets can be irritations on calm afternoons and evenings covering soccer games but when an Evo-Stik Division 1 South club posts a copy of the official team-sheet on a wall, listing the Stamford number 9 as Bradley Adams, one tends to believe it… Wrong… He was Bradley Wells and I apologise to him for the incorrect references to ‘Brad Adams’ in my video footage… Not my fault this time…

LANGSTON READY TO GO...

Despite an early cross from the right by Baker which Daniel Mike Armstrong walloped away, the visitors looked bright on offense early on and scored quickly. The speed of Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson (not Fortnum-Mason?) and Adams was always threatening for the Scholars and it was Fortnam-Tomlinson who broke at inside-left onto a decent pass by the industrious Jake Duffy, who was at the heart of much of AFC’s good creativity. The wide-man shoved a cross from the left-flank but although it passed behind the supporting forwards, George was lurking at the edge of the penalty-box and he lurched forward unchallenged by the absent and rather unscholarly defence to shoot low into the bottom left corner of the net with ease from 15 yards.

0-1...

LOW FINISH BY GEORGE...

SEEMS HAPPY ENOUGH...

YEAH, DEFINITELY CHUFFED WITH A "CHEEKY GOAL"...

A clearance by Ryan Wynter for the Chasers led to an instant drive from 25 yards by Adams, whose effort flew just over the target and home goalie Curtis Pond, better named for after heavy rain, rather than heavy snow, fell left to get a hand to a nudge goalwards by Fortnam-Tomlinson and only a desperate slither into the mucky goalmouth by Pond prevented the ball from trickling over the goal-line. Pond then advanced to beat the rampaging Adams to a through-pass but perhaps the guests lost a little impetus when there was a delay due to an injury to Chasetown’s right-sider Jack Lovatt, who was eventually stretchered from the pitch. The break in play, just after Nduna had cut inside from the left but had sliced his shot, led to the introduction to the game of Oli Hayward and then a free-kick for the Scholars which Langson whacked from 20 yards against the body of AFC’s Armstrong, who felt the pain too, though on his back, for his arm was, er, strong… The subsequent corner by Whieldon was nodded well wide by Jimmy O’Neill and soon Nduna rose to glance a header into the gloves of Haystead beneath his crossbar.

WOOLLY HEADGEAR 1...

WOOLLY HEADGEAR 2...

MORGAN: NO HEADGEAR AT ALL...

WYNTER SLUGS A HUGE SNOWBALL...

An altercation between Baker and Adams, following a rough challenge by the Scholar then a hack as the Daniel lay on the ground, threatened to ignite player-anger but that incident passed with no escalation and the same Stamford striker was immediately played in through the inside-left channel by the hardworking Wells but he drove his angled near post effort straight at Pond. A fine right-side centre by Whieldon at the other end found Nduna criminally unmarked by AFC at the far upright but the forward’s downward header, although well aimed, lacked power and was blocked on his goal-line by Haystead. 

NDUNA & EZE: AERIAL CONTEST?
ER, NO...

LOVATT LIES HURT...

STRETCHER ARRIVES...

LOVATT DEPARTS...

COCKS HAS WON A FREE-KICK...

Skipper Langston fired wildly off target for the hosts, sprightly Scholar Danny Cocks was cautioned by the tall referee and the half ended with the visitors still a goal to the good. Spurs led 1-0 at the break apparently but the match at Villa Park between the hosting Lions and those from Millwall’s den must have been a joy to behold: 0-0. It would remain thus… 

FINE SKY...

"YEAH?"

HALF-TIME...

LIGHTS ON...

Fortnam-Tomlinson kindly did not appear for the second period, saving me time whilst writing this report and his replacement Sam Hollis kicked off the second-half. A rush inside from the right by Cocks resulted in, er, a ‘trip’ by Eze, who seemed amazed by the decision but the 24 yard free-kick shot by Whieldon was good, forcing a dive left by Haystead and a tip away. Energetic offense by the hosts produced more good work by Baker on the right and when his low pass to Nduna saw the striker turn and shimmy, his half-hit low shot took a deflection off George past the left stick. Wells fell but was cautioned for feigning being the recipient of a foul, the very loud Jordan Smith replaced the central striker soon afterwards and a jumping Nduna was unable to reach a cross by Baker.

READY AGAIN...

HOLLIS STARTS IT...

It was a surprise then when AFC managed a couple of attacks and netted from the second. First Adams’ long shot drifted well wide but then he blocked a clearance by home left-back Mike O’Reilly and slipped a pass right to Duffy, whose low centre was nudged into the net from a yard or two by Adams after drifting between a defender and Pond. 

0-2...

ADAMS THIS TIME...

In truth, Stamford’s offense seemed to pick up a newspaper, light a pipe and sit in front of a warm fire from thence, bar the odd scamper by Hollis and the occasional run by the effervescent Adams, for the Scholars became more of a force. First Nduna turned in slick fashion but his low 10 yard effort was well blocked by the eager Elliot Putman for the visitors, yet surprisingly it was Nduna and Cocks who made way for replacements George Cater and Callum Lovatt, with Wynter moving forward from defence to at least cause Eze some aerial challenge. Nduna might have been wondering why that hadn’t happened whilst he was on the field… Wynter nodded a right-wing corner onto the face of the crossbar, a Hayward centre dropped onto the roof of the net, an inside-right free-kick by Whieldon saw Baker fall to get in a close-range header which Haystead appeared to drop left for and stop and from the second phase of attack, a low over-shoulder falling shot by Baker in front of goal was scrambled away by the Daniels.

OOOPS...

Whieldon beat a defender but drove a 23 yard shot wide of the left post, before sliding into a very unwise challenge on the defenceless George, who was eventually stretchered from the field. A yellow card was received by Whieldon, who was suddenly castigated by a small, angry veteran spectator wearing a woolly hat. His language deteriorated into profanity, as he bellowed at Whieldon: “You are a f…..’ disgrace 10…” Then “You are a f…..’ tosser, 10…” He wandered away then, probably hoping that Whieldon hadn’t spotted him. The chap was still bawling obscenities at Whieldon but oddly, in a West Midlands accent, despite being a Daniels fan. As he stole away behind the Stamford goal, some locals chucked snowballs at him… Let’s hope their throwing accuracy was high…

GEORGE IS HURT...

SOME ANGER ABOUT...

CONCERN FOR GEORGE...

George was replaced by Jon Challinor, whom I’d seen a number of times in an Aldershot shirt but the delay caused by the George injury had interrupted Chasetown and all they managed from then on was a deflected Cater shot which found the head of O’Neill, 4 yards out at the right stick but the ball flew straight into the chest, then the gloves of a grateful Haystead. A late left-boot free-kick from 24 yards by O’Neill curled past the left post and the referee brought 6 minutes of added time to a close, leaving Chasetown stunned and Stamford rather pleased. 

ALL OVER...

HANDSHAKES...

Chasetown might point to their missed chances to reckon a point was deserved, whilst Stamford would reckon their game-plan, yelled at them by their manager on the pitch, pre-game, was effective enough to deserve the win. Whatever, fans of both teams will have their own views naturally, but under the circumstances, on a pitch so desperately cleared of snow, the two teams put on a reasonable show, with Duffy and the influential Rob Morgan doing well in midfield for the Daniels. George and Putman were effective as the full-backs and skipper Delroy Gordon backed the powerful Eze in defence. Armstrong though was immense in his defensive midfield role and Adams was a constant thorn in the Chasetown defensive sides.

The hosts were well served by Wynter generally, Langston fought spiritedly, Nduna’s link-up play was often smart, although his finishing wasn’t clinical, Cocks and Whieldon really sought to get their team back into the game following the early setback, as did midfielder Tom Urwin, but Baker was really strong, quick and inventive from the attacking right-back position. 

I was home quicker than if I’d gone to watch Stoke at Wembley and definitely happier than if I’d dragged myself to Villa Park…

It’s what I do…   

TEAMS:

CHASETOWN FC:

CURTIS POND, CHRIS BAKER, MIKE O’REILLY, TOM URWIN, JIMMY O’NEILL, RYAN WINTER, JAKE LOVATT, JACK LANGSTON (CAPT), MUZZY NDUNA, WILL WHIELDON, DANNY COCKS.

SUBS:

GEORGE CATER, OLI HAYWARD, NKOSI MZUNGWANA, CALLUM LOVATT, JORDAN FLATTLEY.

STAMFORD AFC:

DAN HAYSTEAD, BEN GEORGE, ELLIOT PUTMAN, MIKE ARMSTRONG, HENRY EZE, DELROY GORDON (CAPT), ROB MORGAN, JAKE DUFFY, BRAD WELLS, LIAM ADAMS, BRADLEY FORTNAM-TOMLINSON.

SUBS:

JON CHALLINOR, JORDAN SMITH, SAM HOLLIS, JOE BURGESS.