KNOWLE FC 7-1 FAIRFIELD VILLA: MATCH REPORT & MORE IMAGES...

Villa Stunned As Ruck & Pitt Fire Knowle To Victory…

Knowle FC 7-1 Fairfield Villa

This was truly a remarkable scoreline, whereby home skipper Steve Ruck rapped in a quartet of goals, also struck the crossbar and fired another effort just too high. Typically, ex-Fairfield forward DJ Pitt snaffled a hat-trick too, as Villa struggled to get much offense going, despite a good deal of possession. Only late on, when home replacement Kelan Shepherd’s injury had forced him off and left his team to play out the game with ten players, did the guests go closer to scoring, through their three substitutes. Home ‘keeper Craig Johnson had earlier made a couple of good saves, from Connor Collins and Danny Ludlow but a pair of tip-overs from Jarrad Hill and Alex Dugmore made sure his team’s lead remained at 6-1, before his punt upfield caught the weakened Villa defence out for Pitt to lift a chip over visiting goalie Josh Goddard to complete the scoring. Goddard had one of those games during which whatever he tried to do to keep Knowle out seemed not to work, despite one good save from a Louis Bridges free-kick. Yes, Villa kept Bridges off the scoresheet, but not Ruck and Pitt, which sounds like a firm of untrustworthy lawyers…

VILLA START THE GAME...

Indeed, Bridges would be the catalyst for Knowle’s response, following a decent start by their guests. Collins had received a pass from the sprightly Alfie Bloomer at inside-left but Johnson advanced bravely to make a good save and Collins then struck a free-kick from 20 yards, inside-right channel but it dropped just too late over the target. An opening goal seemed imminent and Collins scored it, firing in from close range at the near stick, following a low centre from the right byeline by the busy Bloomer. Later Bloomer would nod a difficult cross from the right against the outside of the left upright, from an angle beyond it and Ludlow shot disappointingly into the side-netting after a short corner on the Villa right. That really was it for the visitors before the break, who lost their grip, mainly through the endeavour and experience of Bridges.

BRIDGES & SMITH: KEEN CONTEST...

0-1...

Apart from the three first period goals, only a drive by Luke Oakley over the goal-frame, after Bridges had dummied from a long throw on the right, caused any real trouble for the visiting defence but when Bridges switched play with a clever pass to inside-right and Oakley’s low drive from 15 yards was partially saved by Goddard, Pitt was left in acres of coal-face to convert from a couple of yards.

THE DAZZLING SUN...

1-1...

Villa defender Matt O’Beirne had taken an early knock, I think when an opponent trod upon his foot and he would soon be beaten as the unselfish Bridges cut in from the left flank. His low drive deflected upwards off the gloveless boot of Reuben Wilson, who wore mittens on his lollipop-holding hands, whereupon Ruck ran into a ruck of players and volleyed the ball into goal from 8 yards.

BLOOMER & THE REF...

SEELEY IN TROUBLE...

GOAL 2 ON THE WAY...

2-1...

RUCK'S FIRST...

The third goal stemmed from a defensive header by Villa which Ruck chased and to be fair, Goddard might have done better as he advanced from goal, allowing Ruck to take the ball away from him, then with players rushing to support, the home skipper lashed a low left-booter into the net from an angle near the right byeline.

3-1...

THE INTERVAL...

And thus the half ended with Fairfield surely wondering how their game had slipped from such a decent beginning. Knowle certainly had taken their chances but with O’Beirne struggling a little and skipper Scott Smith looking slightly the worse for wear, neither Wilson nor left-back Connor Gifford could help them stem the Knowle goalscoring flow. Smith had shown considerable restraint when he was badly fouled by home midfielder George Seeley, who was cautioned for his misdemeanour and although Bloomer got into a slight scuffle during the half, he was spared a booking, which was fortunate, for something else would happen involving him later in the match. Seeley, Tom Cullen and Ruck had matched Ludlow, James McKeon and Ryan Molesworth in the midfield battleground and subsequently the Villa service to Collins and Bloomer had dried up somewhat.

2ND PERIOD...

The referee decided that McKeon deserved a caution for complaining at the start of half two and Villa began to show a little more in an attacking sense, for a downward header by Collins was dropped upon at his left post by Johnson, the ‘keeper then took a bash on the nose when Collins was unable to get a header from Ludlow’s free-kick on target and after Ellis Blakemore had got into the fracas to attempt a shot. A linesman’s flag was wagging anyway and Johnson underwent lengthy treatment on his bleeding nostrils. At the other end, Bridges fired narrowly wide from 23 yards and apart from his brace of second period goals, two 23 yard left-foot drives by Ruck went close too, one clipping the top of the crossbeam, the other rising just too high.

NOSE INJURY FOR JOHNSON...

DIFFERENT DAYS FOR THE TWO NUMBER 7s...

Bloomer shot off target for the guests but it was Pitt who netted for Knowle from a right-side throw, which he flicked past Goddard from the near post with a deft header. Scott Smith had limped away by then and soon a left-flank corner was met by Ruck’s head beyond the far stick, a position from which surely even he wouldn’t really have expected to score but somehow the ball evaded both Goddard and a defender and crept into the net. A hat-trick for Ruck then but when Molesworth fouled Pitt to concede a spot-kick, Pitt seemed favourite to take the penalty and achieve his trio of goals, whilst without a goal at all, perhaps Bridges was second favourite to take the kick. But no! Ruck grabbed the ball and smashed a fine penalty high into the Villa net and the sixth goal had been registered… 

4-1...

5-1...

6-1...

Ruck was then sensibly replaced by Harry Reece who took the captain’s armband from his skipper but did that mean he qualified to take the next penalty awarded? Luke Fox was cautioned for his turn of phrase but he, alongside fellow big chap Callum Ingram would stand tall and solid in the Knowle defence, alongside the in-form Corey Powell and Chris Else, until the latter stages. Johnson did well to save from Ludlow, parrying the midfielder’s 10 yard drive from inside-right, Ludlow lifted another chance too high and Bridges, still not on the scoresheet, saw a 23 yard free-kick turned away at the opposite end by the leaping Goddard. The justifiably frustrated Bloomer jumped into a challenge on an opponent and was booked, underlining the good fortune he had received in the opening half after his playground face-off. Looked an unpleasant lunge, too…

BLOOMER WONDERS...

...BUT RECEIVES YELLOW...

And so to the enjoyable final moments of the game, after Shepherd had injured himself. The visitors suddenly found a gear, just one, and the lively replacements were the guys who threatened the ten cheery Robins of Knowle. First a Hill shot was safely batted away for a corner by Johnson, the result of which was a drive by Dugmore, who had slotted into defence for Fairfield, but Johnson did well to turn that effort away for a flag-kick too. Ludlow’s third left-side corner led to a shot over the bar by the other substitute Lewis Smith. And then Knowle rubbed salt into the Villa wounds…

VILLA FIGHT ON...

Johnson caught a wayward Ludlow free-kick, volleyed it upfield, Pitt broke clear and lobbed the ball over the stranded Goddard. Pitt galloped like a pony with ecstasy written all over his hat-trick face and Collins’ expression was basically an impression of disbelief. Bloomer had already been replaced of course and he had been really angry as he walked past me en route to the facilities. 

7-1 & THREE FOR PITT...

7-1… Remarkable really and there had been some clinical finishing by Knowle, albeit with Fairfield not being blessed with fit central defenders. However, on a cold day (maybe not cold enough for Reuben’s mittens…) there was enough incident to satisfy the few spectators who had bothered to turn up. 

THE HANDSHAKES...

Me? Well, I had been invited to cover a Knowle game by Louis Bridges, who didn’t want me to pay any entrance fee (indeed no-one asked me, actually…) This rarely happens. GNP Sports have kindly given me a pass to watch any of their home games, possibly because of the coverage given on my blog but who knows? 

KNOWLE MOONLIGHT...

My aunt and uncle had lived their last years in Knowle, my dentist’s surgery is there, I eat at Café Saffron every Friday evening and there is a great story below on my blog about a Knowle chap during the First World War, ‘Black Price Smitten…’ Maybe check it out?  

On this November day, Villa were totally smitten… 

TEAMS: (AS SHOWN ON THE TEAM-SHEETS)

KNOWLE FC:

CRAIG JOHNSON, COREY POWELL, CHRIS ELSE, GEORGE SEELEY, CALLUM INGRAM, LUKE FOX, STEVE RUCK (CAPT), TOM CULLEN, LOUIS BRIDGES, DANIEL PITT, LUKE OAKLEY.

SUBS:

KELAN SHEPHERD, BAZ HEALEY, HARRY REECE, JAY PAYNE, NIC OAKLEY.

FAIRFIELD VILLA:

JOSH GODDARD, REUBEN WILSON, CONNOR GIFFORD, MATT O’BEIRNE, SCOTT SMITH (CAPT), RYAN MOLESWORTH, DANNY LUDLOW, JAMES MCKEON, CONNOR COLLINS, ALFIE BLOOMER, ELLIS BLAKEMORE.

SUBS:

LEWIS PHILLIPS, ALEX DUGMORE, JARRAD HILL, LEWIS SMITH.