LONG BUCKBY 4-2 SAFFRON DYNAMO: THE MATCH REPORT...

Bucks Benefit From Lurker Smith’s Predatory Trio…

Long Buckby 4-2 Saffron Dynamo

It was like the Bucks had been travelling on a coach journey for several hours and had then been asked to play this game immediately after having exited the vehicle. Thus it took them a while to get loose and begin to compete like league leaders should but when they did, a number of chances were created, four being taken, including a hat-trick for striker Jimmy Smith. He netted from a scramble, before he leapt and headed a second goal whilst colliding with Dynamo’s in-form goalie Ben Chapman and then finally he benefited from Gerard McGahey’s chase and hustle to complete his trio into an empty net from 19 yards. And yet the visitors, for whom striker Mahir Mohammed never stopped running channels and giving his all, had taken a surprise lead early on with a free-kick by defender Joe Morrall, from, er, 45 yards.

THE REFEREE LOOKS HARD AT THE COIN, WONDERING WHETHER HE CAN MAKE IT FLIP THIS TIME...

That the Bucks recovered from this quickly like someone had slapped them all across the cheek, or splashed a cold flannel across their faces, was imperative and they did so, inspired by a flitting, fleeting and flamboyant performance by their tricky winger McGahey. The main surprise for the hosts was that forwards Adam Shaw and the often impressive Harley Matarutse didn’t score, despite being given several opportunities to do so. Fair play to Chapman though, for he made important saves from both those Bucks and late on he threw himself to make a spectacular stop from a McGahey volley, albeit with his right hand crossing over his body as he dived left. Mohammed then reduced the arrears to 4-2 but late efforts by replacement Phil Howard and a header by Jack Blanksby failed to steal a point for the plucky visitors, although in truth that would have been an injustice… 

MOHAMMED WAITS TO START THE MATCH...

After an early centre by McGahey dropped onto the roof of Chapman’s goal-frame, a free-kick was awarded to the guests some 40-45 yards from goal, deep left but Morrall looked more surprised than anyone when his delivery somehow dropped beneath the crossbar as tall home goalie Dylan Berry looked to have covered the trajectory. However, parity was soon claimed by the hosts following a pair of flag-kicks by McGahey. Chapman fisted the first away for a corner on the right but this delivery would be leapt for by Jay Finlay, who appeared to have his own fan club in the grandstand. His close-range header dropped towards the goal-line and although Chapman was scrambling, scurrying and scrabbling on the lush turf to try to claim the loose ball, Smith managed to bundle it into goal. 

GOAL FOR SAFFRON...

DOES ANYONE WANT TO CONGRATULATE SMITH (LEFT) ON HIS EQUALISER?

THOUGHTFULNESS ON THE BUCKS' BENCH...

His second goal was so much of a surprise that I hadn’t even started the camera rolling, for it came from an assist, I believe from Finlay, which comprised of a hump forward, sorry, a measured pass for the striker to chase. It bounced high and suddenly Chapman was making for it but so was Smith and as they collided, the forward’s skull reached the ball first and it bounced almost apologetically into the open net. Later in the half, Chapman dived at Smith’s feet to save but the ‘keeper also saved from Shaw, dragging the wide-man’s low shot across goal to concede a corner. McGahey had provided the pass for that, as Saffron saw two or three passes intercepted in midfield and with McGahey about, that was criminal. Shaw drove too high from another McGahey feed and then saw a low drive strike Blanksby in the midriff, before a late first-half shot by the number 11 drifted wide too. 

THIS TIME SMITH CELEBRATES A GOAL WITH PAIN...

Matarutse had hesitated when well positioned on the left, right-back Mitch Boe had headed too high from a McGahey corner, left-back Connor Gamble had shot wide from 23 yards but goal three was well taken by the impish McGahey. An assist by Smith led McGahey into the left side of the penalty-box from whence he turned inside a defender and shot smartly into the net at the near post, past the clearly unsighted Chapman. McGahey deserved that goal…

MCGAHEY, LEFT, HAS MADE IT 3-1...

All Dynamo managed was a threat by Mohammed which was nullified by a brave lunge by Berry and a drive by Aidy Kilby which rose too high but at 3-1 they were still in the contest as the interval for toasted teacakes and Guinness arrived. Their skipper Ben Tye had urged his team on, Sam Sutton had defended well and Elliott Butler had battled hard in attack on little fodder, although wide-men Fraser Snowball, surely melting in the warm weather, also Joe Brown (not THE Joe Brown surely? Wrong hair colour and lacking his Bruvvers…) had not been in the game too much thus far. 

SMITH WOULD START THE SECOND PERIOD...

Brad Harris, the home skipper had marshalled his team strongly, Kane Finney had looked comfortable alongside Finlay in defence but the offense, including full-backs Boe and Gamble, was the main feature of the Bucks’ play, in fairness.

THE DYNAMO BENCH...

Certainly Matarutse became even more of a factor for the Bucks post-lunch with his rangy running and movement but his finishing wasn’t quite what he would have liked, to be sure. He was released centrally on one occasion and veered slightly left, yet attempted to lift the ball over the advancing Chapman with an awkward right boot and his effort rose over the target from a good position. He also sliced a right footer well wide but eventually he did strike a fine shot with his left shoe but goalie Chapman did really well to turn the effort away with a diving save. Finlay drove 6 yards wide from 24 yards, replacement Alex Platt saw a shot deflected for a corner and fellow substitute Harry Taylor drove a late effort into the left side-netting but it was Smith and McGahey who really threatened Chapman’s goal.

Smith had already nodded wide of the right upright from Matarutse’s fine left-side centre but when Platt’s through-pass led to McGahey scampering after it, covered by Sutton, Chapman’s rush from goal resulted in a bundle at 18 yards. In the scuffle which ensued, the partly grounded McGahey managed to scoop the ball backwards towards Smith and he delivered a fatal blow to Saffron, his shot from 19 yards flying into the empty goal, despite Tye’s efforts and plain frustration. 

FINALLY, A CONGRATULATION FOR SMITH: 4-1 NOW...

McGahey shot wide of the left stick, then drove a great 18 volley goalwards, only for Chapman to make his excellent leaping save and finally the playmaker fired too high, after he had set up the hesitant Platt and the ball had rebounded to him. Defensive hesitancy at the other end had offered Dynamo one or two chances also, for Snowball shot across the face of goal, following Butler’s smart work, Blanksby’s header went wide from a really decent position, before Mohammed, who had stuck to his task unerringly, subsequently got his reward, shrugging off both defensive Fs, Finlay and Finney to fire a harsh cross-shot into the left corner of goal from the inside-right channel.

4-2 & MOHAMMED RUNS OFF WITH THE BALL...

A Mohammed cross was sliced over his own crossbar by Gamble, Kilby headed off target and Tye drove over the crossbeam from 23 yards but it was replacement Howard who affected the home defence’s previous calm by going close to scoring three times. In fact on one occasion he found the net, by apparently knocking the ball out of one of Berry’s gloves and shoving it into goal but after a consultation with an assistant, the main official disallowed the goal. A diving Howard header from a Morrall free-kick flew wide of the right stump and another of his shots was blocked at the right upright, as the visitors finished strongly.

MOHAMMED: "YOU WOULDN'T CHEAT, WOULD YOU PHIL?"
HOWARD: "NAH, MATE, I'D JUST DO ANYTHING TO SCORE..."

It wasn’t to be however and the Bucks ran out deserved winners in the end. Jim Farrow had taken a knock playing in midfield for the hosts but Harris remained the gritty fulcrum in the Long Buckby outfit, as McGahey pulled the creative strings, seemingly at will. Smith was withdrawn following his third goal and I guess he would have been surprised at that but the substitution actually served to underline his importance as the main striker…

HARRIS JUST CAN'T GET THAT BIT OF HAIR TO STICK DOWN...

Thus the league leaders maintained their 100% record and Dynamo fell to one and two, although there was plenty in the Saffron performance to suggest that their season might be decent enough. The Bucks are now there to be shot at but as long as just one of Shaw, Matarutse, Smith, or McGahey has a scoring day, their season might just bring some tangible reward…  

TEAMS:

LONG BUCKBY:

DYLAN BERRY, MITCH BOE, CONNOR GAMBLE, JIM FARROW, KANE FINNEY, JAY FINLAY, GEZ MCGAHEY, BRAD HARRIS (CAPT), JIMMY SMITH, HARLEY MATARUTSE, ADAM SHAW.

SUBS:

HARRY TAYLOR, ALEX PLATT, ALEX WINTON, ETHAN FLAIG, MAX PROUDLOCK.

SAFFRON DYNAMO:

BEN CHAPMAN, JACK BLANKSBY, JOE MORRALL, SAM SUTTON, BEN TYE (CAPT), AIDY KILBY, FRASER SNOWBALL, JOSH LEE, ELLIOTT BUTLER, MAHIR MOHAMMED, JOE BROWN.

SUBS:

DANNY COPP, LUKE SHAW, PHIL HOWARD, JAMIE STARBUCK, PEARCE FOX.