Eight Left-Boot Strikes By GNP Punish Ajax, As Champions Net A Dozen
Central Ajax 2-12 GNP Sports
Following a few attacks by their guests, Ajax scored early in this game, courtesy of a neat Jordan Lewis finish but once the exposure on the left side of the GNP defence had been addressed, the visitors settled more and eventually took a 1-3 interval lead. In fact though, home right-flanker Adam Hughes’ second dangerous centre immediately after the goal, had seen Lewis rap another shot just wide which would have meant a 0-2 deficit for the Raiders to wrangle with but once Adam Knight had fired his first-half hat-trick, Ajax were sunk. Indeed during the second period, unfortunate home goalie Craig Lawrence must have wished he were somewhere else as another nine goals flew past him. Knight scored five all told, Scott Hammond struck once, Charlie Cook, for the second time in a few weeks, entered the fray as a replacement and netted a quick-fire trio and the ever so tricky Josh O’Grady added two late strikes to his sublime earlier goal and the scoring was complete. A header by home substitute Steve Nurse wasn’t enough to nurse the Ajax wounds…
 |
| COMPTON HAS AN EAR CLEANED BY A FLAG... |
A couple of recent defeats, with skipper Leigh Phillips missing and other players unavailable at Ajax Park, meant only two substitutes being named by manager Sham Alam. GNP had been in a bit of a dip but on this day their finishing was clinical and their skipper, the muddied and combative Matty Compton urged them on for more goals, and more, and more… His shirt and shorts were caked in muck which was a legacy of his all-out motion and with Corey Jack Brookes also battling in midfield and Scott Lindley doing the fetching and carrying, Ajax struggled in the engine-room, despite their skipper Matt Trinder’s efforts. Joe Wright was industrious firstly in attack for the hosts and then later on in midfield, so fair play to him for keeping going, despite the hiding.
 |
| STRENUOUS WARM-UP BY O'GRADY... |
 |
| THE REF REFUSES TO ALLOW KNIGHT TO KICK OFF... |
Before Ajax could even react to the encounter, O’Grady slipped a fine pass to Knight at inside-right but the forward’s miscue rolled across the 6 yard box rather abjectly, before neat approach work by Brookes and Jason Evans offered a shot for Lindley but his total mis-kick wrong-footed the home defence and Hammond was in for a clear shot at goal. However, his effort rose way too high from 15 yards. O’Grady belted a 20 yarder some metres over the left angle of crossbar and upright but then Ajax exploited a lack of cover on the left side of the GNP defence to score.
Wright nodded on a long kick, leaving Nathan Stoute out of position but more importantly setting Adam Hughes free on the right, where his low centre was toe-ended away by the stretching James Bryson. The impressive GNP defender’s ensuing challenge on Wright then saw the ball ricochet to Lewis at 18 yards and his clipped shot drifted over goalkeeper Paul Lawrence and dropped into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
 |
| LEWIS, CENTRE, HAS SCORED BUT KNIGHT LOOKS LESS THAN IMPRESSED... |
Quite soon, Trinder fed the ball to Adam Hughes on that right flank again and Lindley was caught unawares as the wide player ran on and crossed low again. This time Lewis got in a shot from 8 yards, despite being surrounded by three opponents but his low drive flew past the left stick. I’m sure I heard Trinder remark to the GNP defenders, “You lucky people…”
 |
| SCOTT HUGHES & SMITH, 5 & 6: REALLY STRETCHED... |
 |
| KNIGHT, LEFT: 5 GOAL HAUL... |
Anyway, moving on, Hammond began to terrorise Ajax left-back Phil Richardson, after O’Grady had sent the winger clear but centrally, only for Craig Lawrence to advance and save smartly. A delivery by Hammond from the right fell for Evans, whose drive flew past the left upright, before Hammond streaked past Richardson again and centred for O’Grady to stub a 15 yard shot at the ‘keeper, who fumbled the effort but quickly recovered to gather the loose ball. However, the pressure was building on the home defence, in which Sam Smith and Scott Hughes were having to pull out all the stops to prevent the GNP forwards from succeeding. The foot of the right post kept out a low cross-shot by Knight before finally the striker netted.
 |
| COMPTON: PLAYS WHERE THE MUCK IS... |
Sports’ goalminder Paul Lawrence threw the ball right to Hammond who ghosted past Trinder and flicked a neat pass to Knight, right side of the 18 yard box and he eased past Richardson’s challenge before slipping a low left-footer through the falling Craig Lawrence and into the empty net.
 |
| 1-1... |
 |
| KNIGHT HAS STRUCK... |
No chance was offered to Ajax for recovery because the guests wrecked the party completely with a quick second goal. O’Grady’s deep and central free-kick was taken down by Knight’s chest at the edge of the 6 yard box and he was able to turn on the ball between Smith and Scott Hughes to fire a close range goal past the helpless Craig Lawrence.
 |
| 1-2... |
 |
| KNIGHT AGAIN... |
Fine play by GNP led to a 20 yard shot by O’Grady being deflected over and wide of the target, resulting in a corner on the left which the tricky winger took. Compton won a header at the near post and only a desperate dive low and left on his goal-line by Craig Lawrence kept the ball out, assisted by sprightly right-back Josh East, who played decently throughout. Evans fed Lindley from the left and only a fine leaping save to his right by the Ajax goalie kept the midfielder’s fine drive out. Compton was again the danger from the resulting corner and his low nudge was again kept out, diving low and left by the harassed Craig Lawrence. The ensuing corner from the right by O’Grady was touched past the near post by the lurking Bryson.
 |
| EVERYONE IS LAUGHING BECAUSE SHAM THE SHAM IS SINGING 'WOOLLY BULLY'... |
 |
| PAUL LAWRENCE: BUSIER NEXT SEASON? |
It was really all GNP by this stage and after Evans and O’Grady combined to set up Lindley for another shot, his drive this time was way too high. And then Knight claimed his hat-trick following a strange, almost subdued attack. Hammond began the danger on the right, Knight passed the ball left to Lindley and his neat set-up for Evans on the left allowed the wide-man to shove a low cross for Knight to bundle into the net from one yard. Smith had slid in an attempt to block the cross from Evans and that movement had baulked his own ‘keeper who was thus taken out of the equation, allowing Knight to finish easily.
 |
| COMPTON: "NEED A PEE, MAN..." |
 |
| MR WRONG PUSHES MR WRIGHT? |
 |
| 1-3... |
 |
| TRIO FOR KNIGHT... |
Craig Lawrence was unable to gather a free-kick from the right by O’Grady as the half ebbed away but the loose ball fell for a goal-kick off Bryson at the far post. The interval arrived with GNP rightly ahead but straight after the restart, only two desperate defensive stops by GNP prevented a reduction of the arrears which opened the way for GNP to punish their hosts severely.
 |
| INTERVAL REACHED... |
 |
| STOUTE & BRYSON... |
Adam Hughes managed to get past Stoute on the right and his short, low centre was intercepted by Lewis at the near edge of the 6 yard box, leaving Paul Lawrence stranded but Bryson kicked the shot away to Adam Hughes and only a superb sliding block by skipper Compton kept GNP’s goal intact. Compton was then cautioned during the only incident of ill feeling during the afternoon, although after a late, if unsuccessful foul challenge on Hammond earlier by Barry Hobbins, he may have been fortunate if he wasn’t actually cautioned in the subsequent scuffle. He was then replaced by Charlie Fitzmaurice but rather quickly the hosts were 1-4 behind.
 |
| SECOND PERIOD... |
 |
| SCRAP... |
 |
| ARGUMENT... |
 |
| HOBBINS & DIRTY COMPTON... |
 |
| YELLOW FOR COMPTON... |
O’Grady took possession on the right, shuffled inside, no defender was able to get near the ball and he powered a great shot high into the far corner of the net and essentially the points were GNP’s.
 |
| 1-4: O'GRADY'S FINE STRIKE... |
Clever play by GNP allowed O’Grady to slip Evans away on the left and his byeline centre was nudged home by the tumbling Knight and suddenly it was 1-5.
 |
| CRAIG LAWRENCE: LOOKS SO DISAPPOINTED... |
 |
| 1-5... |
 |
| KNIGHT AGAIN... |
Fitzmaurice drove way too high for Ajax but before long Knight had grabbed his fifth goal of the game. Stoute had just been replaced by Callum Rai and soon afterwards a fine move again by the visitors involving a strong challenge by Brookes and a one-two between Evans and O’Grady so nearly set up Knight again. Then a fine, long through-pass by Compton sent Knight running clear of the home defence and he buried a low left-booter past the advancing Craig Lawrence.
 |
| FIGHT KNIGHT... |
 |
| EAST & O'GRADY... |
 |
| 1-6: KNIGHT'S 5TH... |
Ajax cleared a flick by Brookes from another fine rush on the right by O’Grady, whose next clever dribble to the right byeline resulted in a centre which Evans retrieved on the left and he cut inside to fire a fine shot just over the target. It was quickly 1-7 however, as O’Grady passed smartly to Hammond for a run at goal at inside-right and his low, albeit challenged shot struck Craig Lawrence on its way into the net.
 |
| 1-7... |
 |
| HAMMOND THIS TIME... |
Knight left the game for the introduction of the newly shorn Cook, at the same time that Nurse replaced Lewis for the hosts. Wright fired too high for Ajax but Cook was quick to make his mark for the Raiders with an eighth goal when a clearance, er, long pass by Bryson sent Cook scurrying and he simply chipped the stranded goalkeeper from deep and inside-right. A fine finish and his first touch of the ball, I believe…
 |
| THE REPLACEMENT... |
 |
| THE DEJECTION... |
 |
| THE GOALSCORER IS COOK & IT'S 1-8... |
Richardson and Nurse combined on the break for Ajax but a disappointing Fitzmaurice shot spoilt the attack, before Brookes shot low at Craig Lawrence at the other end. Soon though, O’Grady broke to release Cook to his right and the substitute rattled a near post effort past the desperately disappointed Craig Lawrence from 19 yards. 1-9 and more to come…
 |
| KNIGHT ON THE BALL... |
 |
| FREE-KICK FOR WRIGHT... |
 |
| 1-9 & COOK'S SECOND... |
 |
| COMPTON'S TEAM-MATES SEEM TO LIKE HIS WARDROBE... |
George Hunt replaced the lively Ajax left-winger Niall Thoms then more trickery by O’Grady on the right saw his low delivery strike Craig Lawrence I believe and Evans picked up the loose ball on the left, passed it inside for Cook to run onto and he fired a 10 yard left-footer just inside Lawrence’s near post and so not only had Cook served up a fast-food hat-trick, double figures had also been achieved by the Raiders.
 |
| 1-10... |
 |
| COOK'S HAT-TRICK... |
 |
| COOK IS AFTER MORE OF THAT MAGICAL HOT CHOCOLATE... |
Some relief for the hosts was attained when a free-kick at inside-left by Adam Hughes was nodded downwards past Paul Lawrence and just inside the left upright by Nurse, so he and the guy he’d replaced had both netted. Unfortunately for Ajax, O’Grady finished the game strongly and netted twice as GNP, roared on by Compton’s urgings, scored two more goals.
 |
| 2-10: GOAL BY NURSE... |
More clever work by O’Grady on the right, a one-two between Evans and Cook, a save at Evans’ feet by Craig Lawrence and a rebound conversion by O’Grady made the score 2-11 and finally a fine pass right to left by the quieter Hammond to Cook led to a low pass across the penalty-box by the Chef for the Magician O’Grady to control and poke left-booted into the bottom right corner of the net. And a dozen had been netted…
 |
| 2-11... |
 |
| O'GRADY THE SCORER... |
 |
| "I WANT MORE..." |
 |
| 2-12... |
 |
| O'GRADY'S HAT-TRICK... |
And that was that…
 |
| THE END... |
Fair play to GNP for moving Brookes across to the left to nullify the offensive threat of Adam Hughes and in truth, once that was done, Wright was a lonely attacker for the most part, until he dropped into a more withdrawn role. East played a good enough game and Richardson never gave up despite the threats thrown his way: Hammond and O’Grady… Trinder also kept working hard but it really was an uphill task for the hosts throughout.
Jin Dhaliwal was unhurried in defence for the Raiders, although Thoms did make a few rushes at him but Bryson was often imperious for his team. Compton and Brookes were fine, Lindley was handy but Knight, O’Grady and Cook were devastating, in truth… And 8 of the 12 GNP goals were struck by left boots. Amazing…
This victory was eminently watchable, GNP are heading for a more challenging season in 2018-19 and it was also weird for me to return to Ajax Park where my son had played as a kid so long back…
TEAMS:
CENTRAL AJAX:
CRAIG LAWRENCE, JOSH EAST, PHIL RICHARDSON, BARRY HOBBINS, SCOTT HUGHES, SAM SMITH, ADAM HUGHES, MATT TRINDER (CAPT), JOE WRIGHT, JORDAN LEWIS, NIALL THOMS.
SUBS:
ASH BRAMMER, GEORGE HUNT, STEVE NURSE, CHARLIE FITZMAURICE, JON BEACHAM- SHARPE.
GNP SPORTS:
PAUL LAWRENCE, JIN DHALIWAL, NATHAN STOUTE, SCOTT LINDLEY, JAMES BRYSON, COREY JACK BROOKES, SCOTT HAMMOND, MATT COMPTON (CAPT), ADAM KNIGHT, JOSH O’GRADY, JASON EVANS.
SUBS:
CHARLIE COOK, CALLUM RAI.
