35D’s vs Woy Woy

Singing in the Rain

Barnstoneworth 35D’s won a sensational battle over Woy Woy 3-2, on rain sodden Duffy’s pitch on Saturday. It was the lads first win over nemesis Woy Woy in over 3 years, with star import goalkeeper Cam earning Man of the Match honours for a superb display in front of the goals.

Despite the heavy conditions, the game was played at a frenetic pace going from end to end. Dell on the right, Andy on the left running riot up and down the pitch, with Bill and Dennis controlling the middle. The backs of Mick, Andy, Rob and Jess were feeding the middle pairing of Dennis and Bill beautifully, while shutting down Woy Woy’s counter attacks.

In the 13th minute, it was no surprise that it was the home side who opened the scoring. Ed, who had been playing a more roving role up to the midfield, fired a beautiful cross into the box. A clever ‘fain’ by Frank deceived the opposition with his Houdini-like trick, with the ball rolling to Dell to hammer home the goal and send the home fans (35 B’s) into wild celebrations.

The locals’ goal however spurned the Woy Woy attack into action, with Cam having to pull off a few sensational stops. Unfortunately after two superb back to back saves, a rebound fell at the feet of one of the opposition who tapped it in to make it 1-1.

The locals remained positive and the renewed strong team spirit shone through in the best possible way. A swift reply thanks to a sublime Messi like finish by Mr Andy Stuart was the reward. Andy worked his way from the left over the right and was fed a lovely pass from (forgotten who say we’ll just say it was that man again – Bill) and Andy saw seized upon his opportunity.

As if in slow motion, Andy evaded a couple of would be defenders, before stopping – propping – and striking the ball with his left boot from 16 yards on the right edge. The noise of the ball spinning through the air was deafening, as all the other 20 players on the pitch stood and watched as it curled around the outstretched arms of the Woy Woy keeper and into the top left of the goal. Strolling back to his position coolly as if he’d just scored in a training drill, Andy simply kinked to acknowledge his adoring fans knowing his upcoming 6 weeks off with surgery would be filled with visions of this splendor.

Tragedy soon struck the locals however, with Super coach Rob going down after had been hacked in the ankle. Rob was helped off the pitch to the applause of his team, causing a reshuffle with Rod coming on in midfield and Dennis dropping back to the heart of the defense. It wasn’t long before Woy Woy capitalised after Rod lost his marker who snuck into the box and set up a goal for Woy Woy to make it 2-2. The half time whistle soon blew to end a truly magnificent half of football for the home side.

The second half provided a simply breathtaking display from Barnstoneworth, arguably the best played all season. Andy and Mick combined beautifully at the back, with Dell and Jess working tirelessly on the edges to feed the midfielders and shut down Woy Woy’s attacks. Bill, Dennis, Andy and Rod all had wonderful halves with numerous runs down the flanks and through the middle. Frank and Ed continued to gel together as a formidable strike force, creating many opportunities and supporting the midfielders strongly.

It was therefore only a matter of time before the Woy Woy defense had to crack. On the 69th minute, Dell fired a pass to Rod which sent him on a down the right flank. After evading at least 15 Woy Woy defenders, Rod passed the ball to Ed who pulled off his famed roulette double pass to Dennis in the box and despite the heavy conditions, Dennis controlled it and miraculously fired his shot through the legs of one would be Woy Woy defender, and under the outstretched arms of the keeper to make it 3-2.

After a tense final 8 minutes, the boys held for a well-deserved victory and reverse the result from the round 1 encounter. Cam was unanimously voted man of the match with a number of superb saves, aggressive runs out of the box to support his defenders and all in his first (of many?) appearances as keeper. Andy Stuart got 2nd in polling for a tireless display up and down the pitch on the left and a magnificent goal, while Ed was rewarded for his creatively and hard working display with 3rd in the voting.

Regardless of individual performances however, it was the TEAMWORK and TEAM SPIRIT that shone through first and foremost. The team rises to 4th on the ladder and look towards next week’s fixture against 3rd placed Umina 1’s.