MERE GREEN RANGERS 1-5 HAWKINS SPORTS

(MOMs HOPE/PETTY)

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." – Booker T. Washington

What a patchy period we’ve had. Restarts…false starts…last minute postponements, it’s been frustrating for everyone that we’ve only had two games back. The FA will not sanction the league to continue past June 30th so we may well run out of time. The boys have been brilliant and trained superbly regardless of what has been going around them. There is nothing like playing games though, and so we knew that it would be tough to play the team that sit at the top of the Premier League with an unbeaten record. Post-match today I talked about the type of football I’d been brought up on. I was lucky that the team I supported when I was younger were run by a manager who remained focussed on building strength through team work. Football is a team game and I know that what we have here at Mere Green is a group who look after each other, never apportion blame and understand that there is strength in numbers. As coaches we are proud of that…they are a group…together.

First Half

Hawkins kicked off and the Rangers were straight into their opponents with an impressive display of pressing and tackling. George LeFort nicked the ball away from his marker and found Tom Smyth. Smyth moved the ball on to Jake Pearson, our No.3 looked to thread a ball in for Ryan Delport but the keeper was quickly off his line and prevented the move developing any further. Our opponents were openly being advised by their coaches to fall over at every opportunity and it made for a scrappy game as chances were few and far between without any rhythm to the game. Max Petty cleared superbly and Darren Gilchrist intercepted with great precision as Hawkins tried to thread passes in behind. Luke Joeres used his pace to consistently frustrate the centre forward with a series of fine blocks and interceptions. George Hope on the other side was tenacious and relentless as the boys in green refused to let the away side gain any early control. Jack McNerlin shielded the back line with discipline and broke up the opposition play repetitively. A ball over the top was immaculately plucked out of the air by Theo Caldicott in the Rangers’ goal. Our No.1 sent the ball out to the right but the defender headed out for a throw. Sonny Kelland collected the ball in touch and like lightning sent an early throw in to Pearson on the edge of the box. Pearson leapt superbly above his centre back and arched a header backward to LeFort who was arriving with unerring timing to collect the ball. With one touch to control our No.6 sent a stunning volley in the top corner from just outside the area to give the Rangers the lead. 1-0 The boys in green had been magnificent in the opening stages. Movement and pace on the counter had caught out their opponents. Hawkins are not used to going behind and their temperament was tested by the organised and controlled manner of the Rangers. Petty, Joeres and Gilchrist were dominant and with every block, interception and clearance were frustrating their opponents. Petty blocked and McNerlin diverted the ball to Hope. Our No.8 burst forward and rode a tackle before winning the throw. Hope found Kelland from the throw and the Rangers’ No.10 flicked it inside for Pearson. Pearson found Smyth who then slotted a pass in for Delport, our No.7 whipped a cross in and the Hawkins’ keeper collided with his centre back in a nasty coming together. Games can change in seconds and after a prolonged period of treatment for the head injuries we saw a crazy five minutes that turned the game upside down. Joeres won a crunching tackle and sent the ball in for Smyth, the Rangers’ No.20 turned, held off a challenge and rolled the ball into McNerlin. McNerlin in turn found LeFort who travelled at pace before sending a lovely ball in for Ben Underwood. Underwood held the ball up for Ollie Adams-Moor who was challenged from behind but squeezed possession back to LeFort who scythed open the Hawkins defence with a straight ball in for Delport to run onto. Our No.7 struck a superb drive that beat the keeper but rattled the crossbar as the Rangers’ army collectively held their heads in frustration. The ball was pumped to the other end immediately and initially the Rangers’ back line kept their shape and prevented progress, the Hawkins’ striker did superbly well to turn and curl a pinpoint shot into the bottom corner of the net. 1-1 The Rangers concede at one end after nearly scoring at the other. It had been a punishing first half in the afternoon heat and the levels from the boys remained high, Hawkins had their tails up and pressed from the kick off. After good work on their right, a low driven cross caused all sorts of trouble and a side foot finish completed a quick one-two and suddenly the boys in green were behind. 1-2 A suckerpunch of a goal after the boys had worked their socks off to contain their premier league opponents. Underwood went up for a ball and although his foot was slightly high he only had eyes for the ball. The defender in his way reacted furiously and threw a punch and kicked out at our No.9. The ref booked both players as a result… Adams-Moor collected a pass from McNerlin and turned the ball out to Delport, Delport raced through and lashed a lovely cross in but neither Underwood or Adams-Moor could get the decisive touch. Petty won the ball under pressure again and this time travelled forward before curling the ball in for Underwood. Our No.9 found Smyth who brought Hope into the game on the right. Hope worked the ball forward to Adams-Moor who found LeFort on the edge of the box. The Rangers’ No.6 drove a shot on goal but it fell wide of the post.

Half Time 1-0

The boys looked knackered but we reminded them that they had held their own against the leaders of the division above them. Regardless of what happened in the second half they we knew they wouldn’t resort to rolling around on the floor, screaming at the slightest touch or backchatting the ref. “We are a team, we do things the right way and when you leave this pitch you will be applauded off for your conduct and maturity.”

Second Half

The half got underway with some good opening possession and play from the Rangers. Caldicott sent a straight pass into the middle for LeFort, LeFort turned and sent the ball out to Hope who in turn drove for the line and won a corner. Delport curled in the cross, LeFort rose highest and headed down with power. A stray leg diverted the goal-bound effort away from danger. McNerlin won possession and rolled the ball to Adams-Moor who beat one, then two before finding LeFort again, LeFort drove a shot in that went just over the bar. It was a positive start but the Hawkins’ players were alive to the prospect of being caught early and went all out to stamp out the Rangers’ resolve. A long ball over the top found their striker on his own and with the goal gaping, he struck a fierce drive on towards the top centre of the net but Caldicott was unbelievably able to pull of a superb reflex save by pushing the effort onto the bar to frustrate the opposition. A battle was commencing in the midfield and after some solid tackles a Hawkins’ midfielder smashed a long clearance into the air…it was one of those that somehow came out of the air and headed for the corner of the net. Caldicott somehow got underneath it and managed to keep the looping ball out of the goal. Hawkins were starting to turn the screw and the Rangers looked tired, after good work on their left and a neat slotted pass their wide player was clean through, Caldicott positioned himself well but couldn’t prevent the low shot dropping into the corner of the goal. 1-3 The boys in green fall further behind after a positive start to the half. Just like the first half the Rangers were hit with a quick sucker-punch and before they had time to resettle Hawkins had found a gap and raced through to finish again. The boys threw their bodies in the way and bravely tried to prevent the concession but it squirmed into the net and moved the score further away from them. 1-4 Hard on the boys but Hawkins had gone up a gear and been ruthless in possession. I spoke to the skipper from the touchline and asked him to lift the boys around him and it wasn’t long before the boys were back on the front foot. Hope won a crunching tackle and got the ball to Smyth. Smyth turned and found LeFort. LeFort drove forward and burst into the channel. Our No.6 whipped the cross in…the keeper was stranded but neither Pearson or Kelland could get that touch to finish. Gilchrist headed superbly clear and then McNerlin followed in with a nod to LeFort. LeFort was clattered from behind and the ref awarded a free kick. Kelland ran up and curled a long range effort from inside the centre circle that had the keeper rocked back on his heels but for the second time in the game a Rangers’ shot rattled back off the bar and was pumped away for the throw in. Hope took the throw and found McNerlin who rolled the ball in for LeFort, LeFort travelled and found Kelland who raced into the channel, beat his man and then sent a cross in for Luca Thornton, our No.2 controlled, shaped to shoot but then. Opted for a lateral pass as he was closed down on the edge of the box. Pearson collected and moved forward before crossing, the defender cut it out in concession of the corner. Kelland swung in the cross but Gilchrist was edged of his line before he could get the header at the far post. Thornton collected and then curled a ball back over the defence that Kelland flicked on, the ball came out to LeFort who hit a thunderous drive that was blocked away by the defence. Hope was in possession when he was the recipient of a brutal two footed tackle…the player got all of the ball and Hope bounced back to his feet and got on with it without complaint. Our No.8 then won the ball and sent a pass in to Smyth. Smyth found Petty who sent a lovely ball in to Adams-Moor, Adams-Moor beat his marker and then clipped a short pass in to LeFort who curled a lovely cross over the top that Pearson was nearly onto but for the keeper’s smart intervention. Hawkins’ threatened to break and Hope slid in…it was slightly mistimed but not dangerous and certainly not malicious. Unfortunately the player on the other end of the challenge was up quickly and trying to instigate a fight with arms flailing and lips flapping. The referee decided to book both players…I’ll comment no further. The free kick was sent into the area and as Petty, Joeres and Gilchrist converged to block they were clattered by the striker but no foul was awarded…when Caldicott also fell in the melee we could forgiven for thinking that it wasn’t our day…the ball rolled into the net and the boys were punished again. 1-5 The scoreline hadn’t reflected the effort of the boys but signalled the end of the Rangers’ resolve. The boys battled on, Joeres won possession and had time to pick out a lovely ball to Smyth on the left, Smyth found Underwood who turned and picked out Adams-Moor. Adams-Moor found Pearson who slotted in the overlapping Joeres. Our No.5 curled a cross in but it flashed all the way across goal, Hope picked it up and pulled the ball back for LeFort who shot first time but the keeper was equal to it. The game ended with the boys applauded from the pitch.

Thanks for the support today, it’s been tough to get any rhythm into the boys and we don’t know how the season will conclude. One thing we are proud of is that the boys are a proper team and irrespective of how the result was today they will always have that.

Up The Rangers!