SAFFRON DYNAMO 3-3 BOTTESFORD TOWN (AET): REPORT & IMAGES...

Strong Crosby Wind Wins 6-0…

Saffron Dynamo 3-3 Bottesford Town (aet)

It was odd but rather pleasant to be directed to a parking place at Kings Park for this FA Vase Round 1 tie between Saffron Dynamo and Bottesford Town. How very civilised… Rain had cleared, there was autumnal sunlight about but also a strong wind which favoured the team kicking from right to left, as one looked out from the two dugouts. All six goals were rattled into the net at that left extremity but in truth, Town’s first period superiority and busy start to the second-half against the blustery element offered no clue as to Dynamo’s eventual plucky response. Overtime was needed at 90 minutes with the teams locked at 2-2 and although the Botties scored direct from a corner, netted by the wind, assisted by flag-kicker Joe Edwards and then home striker Phil ‘Chunkyman’ Howard who was dismissed for a somewhat harsh second caution, the hosts fought back with the wind at their backs during the final 15 minutes, equalising in Leicestershire with a goal by, er someone called Essex and subsequently finished the match strongly…  

THE REF TEXTS A MATE BEFORE THE TOSS...

HOWARD AWAITS THE REF'S MATE'S REPLY BEFORE KICKING OFF...

A cock crowed a number of times behind me during this match, probably having the wind up because Bottesford’s nickname is The Poachers… However, Dynamo struggled before the break and managed only a weak Ben Tye header and a caution, I think for John Grady, before the opening 45 minutes were up. Forwards Devon Jackman (another county in the Saffron ranks but Mikey Gresley doesn’t count…) and Phil Howard were starved of action before the interval, bar chasing about in the gale and in effect it would become a half of seeing whether the Botties could amass enough goals to survive their hosts’ expected second period onslaught. Two did go in but in all honesty home goalie Dan Phillips wasn’t troubled too often as much of the good creativity by Botties’ skipper Steve McCarron (trained as a P.E. teacher, as was I), Henry Cook and Jack Cross didn’t really hurt the home defence in which skipper Ben Tye was outstanding for much of the match.

BOTTIES 11, 10 AND 9.
BUT WHICH ONE WOULDN'T SCORE?

A DISMISSAL SPELL IS PUT ON HOWARD BY A POACHER'S HAND...

TYE: FINE GAME FOR THE SAFFS...

The impressive individual on offense for the visitors was Martin Pembleton, whose nifty first few steps in possession took him away from markers and tacklers almost every time. He was dangerous. His partner in attack, leading goalscorer Jack McMenemy, although eager, wasn’t able to add to his season’s tally on this occasion. Indeed, Cook rolled a shot wide from 18 yards, Pembleton clipped an effort across the face of goal from inside-right, the lively Wayne Graves drove wide and saw another effort deflected, whilst McMenemy lost control slightly as he bore down on Phillips at inside-right, so that the ‘keeper’s block bounced off the forward’s shins for a tame goal-kick. Cross had clipped a shot over the right angle of crossbar and upright, scored the opening goal and then drove a free-kick into Dynamo’s defensive wall. His early goal was a low left-footer, wind-aided, which Phillips fell right for but couldn’t prevent from entering his net near his right stick. 

0-1: CROSS, LEFT, THE SCORER...

THE JOY OF SCORING HAS GONE, SO CROSS REFOCUSSES ON WHERE THE NEXT TATTOO MIGHT GO...

Pembleton added goal two with a sniper’s strike, reacting quickly to rap a loose ball into the roof of the net at the right post, after Cross’ deep free-kick delivery had bounced across goal off the unfortunate Tye at the far upright. Injuries to adventurous Bottie right-back Jack Bowskin and later Lee Ridley had meant a deeper role for Pembleton as the game wore on and his influence on offense was sorely missed. Although the hosts fought back to regain parity during the second period, the independent spectator would have considered their goals rather surprising, for despite using the wind as an extra driving force, the Poachers fashioned several chances after half-time too.

0-2...

A HAPPY SCORER...

A BOTTIE LOOKS LIKE HE'S TAKING OFF...

STARBUCK, SO QUIET NORMALLY I'M TOLD, GETS INVOLVED...
(NOT REALLY...)

Jackman collided with Town goalie Jordan Douglas before a deep free-kick from the right saw the not so tall Howard rise between the ever so tall visiting centre-half Tom Johnston and the shorter Graves, to nod the ball in a loop past the helpless Douglas (another place name…) into the right side of the net, gently. Howard turned a near post centre by Jackman wide of the near stick and was brilliantly tackled by Ridley later in the half, but the only other real opportunity was a glancing header by replacement Joe Kennedy which drifted wide. 

PEMBLETON TELLS HIS MATE NOT TO TRAIN-SPOT DURING THE GAME...

JACKSON LOOKS LIKE HE'S EATING HIS PACKED LUNCH IN CELEBRATING HOWARD'S GOAL...

McMENEMY WANTS THE BALL, I GUESS...

THESE MEN HAVE STEPPED INTO A DRINKS CRATE.
ODD THAT...

The equaliser was the result of a break by Jamie Starbuck through the centre of Bottesford’s awry defence and he beat the advancing Douglas into the bottom left corner of goal, before grabbing the ball like it was his own and ran off with it, as if he had to be home for his tea before his mum came a-looking for him. 

PLAYGROUND FALL-OUT...

CAUTION THUS DELIVERED...

MR HAPPY HAS EQUALISED FOR SAFFRON...

WHEN YOU JUST WANNA GET ON THE PITCH AND DO IT YOURSELF...

The Botties did threaten too, Pembleton’s falling left-foot volley from McMenemy’s pass going wide, Phillips hacking the ball away from Bowskin which left the Poacher lying hurt, plus a couple of shots being spilled then grabbed by the ‘keeper, from McMenemy and Cook but certainly McMenemy was unable to take the best chance of the second period. Receiving the ball in what looked an ominously offside position which the linesman in front of me was too far behind play to decide upon, the striker bounded goalwards, only to be foiled by the advancement of Phillips’ solid frame. The rebound was hammered low by Graves but Grady blocked it superbly, before the impish substitute Dayle Hutson drove a third effort wide of the mark. The whistle for the end of 90 minutes was heard alongside more cock crowing and thus overtime began. 

ESSEX RISES IN LEICESTERSHIRE...

STARBUCK NEEDS ANOTHER COFFEE...

OVERTIME, THEN...

"LET'S GATHER THOUGHTS..."

HUTSON STARTS THE EXTRA PERIODS...

Town started the extras with the wind in their favour but to be fair, Saffron spoilt the game, not allowing their guests to settle on the ball and the only goal came when Edwards curled his left-booted right-flank corner over Phillips and it dropped into the far side of the net. Johnston did try his luck from 45 yards, wind-aided but his effort screwed well off target. It then looked like wind-blown curtains for the hosts when Howard, already cautioned for a poorly timed lunge, attempted to get past two defenders into the penalty-area but found himself baulked and knocked off-balance. As he tumbled, he slid in to challenge Douglas who had advanced to claim the ball. The goalie writhed, the referee offered another yellow, then a red card to the disappointed striker and he wandered away to the rather inexplicable laughter of his mates on the far touchline. Maybe slightly harsh in truth but it hadn’t been my call and the official was closer to the incident than me…

HOWARD IS DOWN...
(BALL TO FACE...)

HOWARD IS CAUTIONED...

EDWARDS, RIGHT, HAS SCORED FOR THE BOTTIES...

2-3 NOW...

HOWARD IS DISMISSED...

HOWARD DEPARTS...

HOWARD'S DEMISE IS APPARENTLY AMUSING...

Strangely though, despite being a man short, the wind maybe made up for that and although Kennedy could get no power behind a near post header, following a brilliant rush on the left by Joe Brown without his bruvvers, (I took ‘A Picture Of You’ Joe, but you have to know the song…), then Kennedy rapped the crossbar and stuck in the rebound, only to be flagged offside. The desperately sought equaliser would come from Essex’s boot following a left-side long throw by Tye and confusion at the edge of the 6 yard box, whereby the increasingly effective Essex slammed the ball into the roof of the net with glee. A back-header by Bottie Pembleton towards his own goal so nearly handed the win to Saffron, as the hosts forced a helter-skelter finish but it would have been hard on the guests not to have left the party with their goody-bag containing a replay. 

LAST 15...

3-3...

ESSEX HAS SCORED BUT REVEALS WHITE THIGHS TO THE REFEREE, WHO REALLY ISN'T INTERESTED...

Town had moved the ball about well on many occasions, with Graves, Cook, Cross and especially McCarron involved often, McMeney had been the ideal target-man and Pembleton the livewire but Dynamo had responded with Tye yanking his team into contention with some fine defending and a succession of huge, wind-fired throw-ins. Myles Braden did the rough midfield work for the Crosbymen and was eventually cautioned but with Pearce Fox making some overtime rushes on the left and Essex working well on the right, Saffron certainly threatened late on.

ALL SQUARE...

Me? Back to the car-park and unbelievably, some thoughtless latecomer had parked his white saloon right in the middle of the otherwise neatly arranged lot. I was forced to make a several-point turn to exit… Thanks for that. Good job no access for emergency vehicles had been needed. And of course the errant driver had made no effort to get out quickly and shift his car. Not quite so refreshing for the 50 minute drive back to Solihull…  

TEAMS:

SAFFRON DYNAMO:

DAN PHILLIPS, DAN MARRIOTT, MIKEY GRESLEY, MYLES BRADEN, BEN TYE (CAPT), JOHN GRADY, PHIL HOWARD, JOE BROWN, JAMIE STARBUCK, DEVON JACKMAN, BRAD ESSEX.

SUBS:

JACK BLANKSBY, GEORGE TYLER, PEARCE FOX, LIAM BAINES, JOE KENNEDY.

BOTTESFORD TOWN:

JORDAN DOUGLAS, JACK BOWSKIN, JOE EDWARDS, LEE RIDLEY, TOM JOHNSTON, STEVE McCARRON (CAPT), WAYNE GRAVES, HENRY COOK, JACK McMENEMY, MARTIN PEMBLETON, JACK CROSS.

SUBS:

FINLEY O’SULLIVAN, ROBBIE LEANING, DAYLE HUTSON, BEN JOHNSON (DID HE PLAYRIGHT?), ASH ELLIS.