REPORTS
League & Cup Season 2009 – 2010
Rusthall v Uckfield (07.03.10)
Double
header fixture
Rusthall FC 4 v Uckfield Grasshoppers 0
Rusthall FC
2 v Uckfield Grasshoppers 1
After
the major interruptions we have had this season due to the appalling weather,
the dreaded double headers were never going to be far away. This was to be the
first of many such games as the end of the season looms and approximately only
half of the fixtures fulfilled. It had been early November when we had last
played at home and our last game played was on the 2nd February. Our
opponents in February were again Uckfield Grasshoppers and back then we lost 4-2
in a game we should have won. Playing two games in succession would have a
major bearing on our league position. Two losses and we would be out of the
title race. Today was therefore a big day for all concerned. As usual we
started brightly and managed to keep the ball in the oppositions half for the
majority of the time. We played some good passing football and after 9 minutes
we were rewarded with a goal resulting from a string of passes down the right
wing crossed to the middle to a waiting Louis, who slotted the ball into the
net. The second goal a minute later was a carbon copy of the first only this
time new signing Charlie Hicks was on hand to slide the ball into the goal.
Nothing breeds confidence like goals and at half time the boys were rightly
pleased with themselves. The second half was about not letting Uckfield back
into the game. It was not long after the break that Joe scored one of his trade
mark goals from outside the box to make it 3-0. From then on we were not really
in danger of losing the game and we attacked with confidence and five minutes
from time Uckfield conceded a penalty which Joe duly slotted home. 4-0 at full
time was a fair result with Rusthall having most of the possession and were
unlucky not to score more goals.
The
second game started much the same as the first although tiredness and the lack
of match fitness was evident in most players.
It was a much more scrappy game than the first and much of the finesse
of the previous match had disappeared, however what was encouraging was the
boy’s determination to win. Consistent waves of attack on the Uckfield goal
came to nothing until Charlie was brought down just inside the area. Joe
converted the penalty to put us 1-0 ahead. Minutes later Joe had another
spectacular goal ruled out due to an offside incident from a previous play. 1-0
at half time was not a comfortable score against a fit and strong Uckfield
side. The second half started with Rusthall kicking downhill and continuing to
attack the Uckfield goal. Four minutes into the second half Matthew put us 2-0
ahead. After several shots on goal went astray, Matt found himself in front of
an open goal with the ball at his feet and made no mistake in hitting the back
of the net. Uckfield got a consolation goal after 30 minutes but never really
looked like clawing back the deficit. Good performances were too many to
mention and several from boys playing in new positions. New boys Cameron and
Charlie also made significant contributions. Being my son Joe rarely gets any
accolades from me but this week he is my Man of the Match for his hard work and
the goals he scored. If the team continues to work as hard as they did today
our season is a long way from over.
Scorers: Louis,
Joe (3), Charlie, Matthew
Man of the match: Joe Graveney
Pembury J FC 3 v Rusthall FC 1 (24.1.10)
Our last match was played on
the 13th December 2009 (6 weeks ago) and it showed. Couple this with
the over indulgence that Christmas can bring and we had a team that was short
on fitness and short of breath. For the majority of players the enthusiasm was
there but the legs were not. We were facing a Pembury side that we had beaten
and drawn with already this season. It was reasonable to assume that we would
give a good account of ourselves again today. Straight from the kick off it was
evident that our normally strong defence had forgotten how to organise
themselves and after four minutes we were one goal down. Five minutes later
Pembury doubled their advantage. From this point on Rusthall dominated the half
and after some good pressure Joe scored to bring us back into the game.
Throughout the remainder of the first half we looked the most likely to score.
Some notable performances came from Max, Joe, Corentin and Rory. Matthew also
upped his game and looked very threatening at times. The half time talk was
“upbeat” with us showing every chance of being able to level the game in the
second half. Unfortunately nine minutes into the second half, Pembury scored a
third goal which really put paid to our attempts at getting anything from this
game. Our heads dropped and the lack of fitness became more than evident.
Harry, Max and Joe continued to battle on but they were swimming against the
tide. We did well to keep the score down on such tired legs. Some positives can
be taken from this game though. Pembury are a big physical team who will climb
the league table in the second half of this season and they will inflict a far
worse punishment on many teams in our division. Hopefully if some of the top
teams start taking points off of each other it will keep our title hopes alive.
In the first half we were more than a match for this team and if we remove the
silly mistakes we could have at the very least expected a draw. Our fitness will improve over the coming
weeks and with our new signings I expect us to get back to winning ways, sooner
rather than later. Whilst Joe and Harry were immense in this game my Man of the
Match this week goes to Max who played as well as I have ever seen him play.
His relentless work in mid field helped keep us in contention. Well done Max.
Scorer: Joe
Graveney
Man of the match: Max Beaton
Langton Green 1 v Rusthall FC 11 (13.12.2009)
After no football for at least
four weeks the players and management of both sides were keen for this game to
go ahead. Overnight weather had not been on our side but the ref declared the
pitch fit to play and we all breathed a sigh of relief, football at last. Due
to a skating injury we were without our Goalkeeper Ben and our top striker had
gone AWOL. We started the game with no substitutes but a willing and determined
11. Olly took up his old position between the sticks for the first half and
Corentin admirably volunteered to take the 2nd half stint. We were
in a precarious position in the league, 2nd on points, 3rd
on goal difference but with Pembury breathing down our necks. This is a game we
could not afford to lose. My instructions to the players before the start were
to go out and try and win the game early and then concentrate on trying to
reduce our goal difference against Jarvis Brook. To start with everything went
to plan. Two minutes into the game we were in the lead with a well worked goal
from Max. A few minutes later we were two up with a driving run from Louis.
Then things took a turn that could have affected the rest of the game. A poorly
defended corner gifted Langton a goal. At 2-1 a game can go either way.
Rusthall were not going to take their foot off the pedal and minutes later they
regained their two goal advantage. The goals then began to flow and we ended
the first half 7-1 up. The only save Olly had to make was from a header from
Josh. The expected collapse of Langton in the second half did not happen. We
were now kicking downhill and Langton were reduced to 10 men. Whilst we added a
further four goals in the second half we made hard work of it. We must have
missed twice as many as we scored. The goal of the game would have been
Matthews run from one end of the pitch to the other, if the finishing hadn’t of
spoilt it. Harrys solo run did result in a goal and probably was the goal of
the game although Joe’s left foot strike in the first half came close. On the
whole it was a satisfying performance, that did our league position no harm.
Although Harry and Joe both put in good performances my Man of the Match for
this week was Louis Plunkett, his three goals and consistent play down the
wings earns him this week’s award.
Scorers: Louis
Plunkett (3), Ashley Rodi (2), Max Beaton, Joe Graveney, Rory Salter (2),
Matthew Figgett, Harry Franklin
Man of the Match: Louis Plunkett
Rusthall FC 2 v Hailsham Utd Juniors 7 (01.11.09)
After our exploits against Raw
Skills a fortnight ago I don’t think I was being over optimistic by thinking we
could win this game and go top of the league (with a game in hand). It was a
particularly foul day, with driving wind and rain, but with the pitch offering
a sound surface to play on there was no chance of the game being called off.
Our tactics (rightly or wrongly) were to play with the wind and slope in the
first half, in the hope we could get a 2-3 goal advantage and then put ten men
behind the ball for the second half in order to defend our lead. Whilst having
the lion’s share of the game in the first half we were poor in front of goal
and many good chances went begging. Towards the end of the first half a superb
strike from Matthew found the back of the net to put us one goal up. When half
time came we knew that one goal would not be enough as the visiting team now
had the massive advantage of the wind and slope.
The second half started
without our boys switching on. Within ten minutes the visitors had scored 3
goals and were cruising. Alex managed to get us back in game and at 3-2, I
thought we might still get something out of the game’ but unfortunately I feel
that many of our boys had lost the heart for a fight. Hailsham also were not
going to let their league lead slip easily and four more goals followed in
quick succession with very little resistance from Rusthall. When the final
whistle went with a final score of 7-2 to Hailsham, it was a relief for
everyone involved. You may take this as unfair criticism, but one team wanted
to win this game more than the other one. It was cold and wet for both teams
and football is largely a winter sport, so please expect more of the same in
the coming months. We can coach the boys in technique, we can encourage and
organise but we cannot teach you “to want to win”. This is vital in any
competitive sport and you have to want to do well against the “tough” teams as
well as the easy ones. There were a few good performances and my Man of the
Match was Oliver Collins. He gave 100% all game even though he was playing with
an injury. He also took a turn in goal. Well done Olly.
Scorers:
Matthew Figgett, Alex Chantler
Man of the Match: Oliver Collins
Rotherfield Jnrs 1 v Rusthall FC 8 (11.10.09)
This really was the typical “game of two halves”. As the season
progresses a distinct pattern is emerging. I tell the boys to go all out for an
early goal; they underperform and keep us on the edge of our seats for the
first half. I give them a piece of my mind at half time; they then come out and
score a hat full of goals. Not for the first time this season we kicked off and
had most of the game without actually scoring. This becomes very frustrating
when you`re on the sidelines, and you know that the combined talent in front of
you should be doing far better than they are. As always we were defending well
and on this smallish pitch, defence can soon become attack, but invariably this
missed out our midfield and therefore became a hoofing match and not a game of
football. The deadlock was broken after twenty minutes by a well hit strike
from Rory. You would have thought that this would have settled the nerves, but
alas the scrap continued and we were lucky to get to half time with our 1-0
advantage.
The half time team talk was
easy. If the boys did not starting passing the ball around we could be heading
for our first defeat. Fortunately the boys heeded our advice (and probably
wanted to prove me wrong) and started knocking the ball around. Within ten
minutes of the re-start we had scored four more goals. These consisted of
another looping shot from Rory, a shot on the turn from Alex, a goal from Louis
after a strong run down the right wing and a deflected shot from Joe that
rattled off of some part of Alex’s body to give Alex his second goal (sorry
Joe). Alex completed his hat-trick half way through the second half with the
cheekiest goal of the season, by beating the goalkeeper one on one and
confidently running the ball into the net. In the midst of all this goal action
Rotherfield did manage to pull a goal back, but it was only a consolation.
Louis scored the seventh goal after another rifled shot from the right flank
and the eighth goal was an own goal direct from Joes corner (sorry again Joe).
It was no coincidence that the
success of the second half coincided with Joe upping his game, commanding his
midfield position and distributing the ball to good effect. Louis also upped
his game and used his tremendous pace and strength with bursts down the right
wing. There were too many heroes to name a man of the match this week. Rory was
the star of the first half, contributing with his goals and substituting for an
injured Matthew in the Midfield, Alex with his first Hat-Trick for Rusthall and
Joe and Louis’s performances in the second half. As always the back four were
steady and ready to react when called upon. Despite our fabulous start to the
season and scoring 21 league goals and 18 cup goals this team still lacks
confidence and self belief. When they realise how good they are the world is
their oyster.
Congratulations lads on a job well done.
Men of the Match: Rusthall under 12’s
Tunbridge Wells Foresters Colts 0 v Rusthall FC 5 (04.10.09)
Knowing that a decent victory
in this game could send us to the top of the table added a little extra spice
to this fixture. We had beaten this Foresters team in a pre-season friendly but
their results in the current league meant that they needed to be taken
seriously and nobody could be complacent. My advice again for this game was to
start at 100mph and try to get an early goal. After ten minutes the teams were
still deadlocked but Rusthall were dominating the game without actually
scoring. On 12 minutes Matthew put Rusthall ahead with a goal from a tight
angle after a run down the right wing. Alex doubled the advantage two minutes
later after being put through by the recently introduced George Stevenson.
Georges’ contribution this season cannot go without a mention. Whether he has
started the game or come off the bench he has been very influential. 2-0 at
half time was a score I would have been happy with at the start. We had done
just enough without being impressive.
The second half started much the
same as the first with Rusthall having most of the game without increasing the
margin. Half way through the second half Rory put us 3-0 up with a glorious
strike on the turn. A minute later Joe struck from outside the box to put us
4-0 up. Alex doubled his own tally in the 50th minute to make it
5-0. Jamie and Ashley both made appearances in the game and their contributions
were significant. The passing in the second half was much better and at times
some of the link play between the team was impressive. Whilst Alex deserves to
be commended for his goals and the fact that he is turning into a very
consistent striker, my Man of the Match this week was Joshua Platt. His strong
performance in defence helped us keep a clean sheet. His positioning was excellent
and he also made some vital clearances. On the times that the defence was
breached Ben was quickly and confidently off his line to clear. Well done
everybody.
Man of the Match: Joshua Platt
Pembury Athletic 2 v Rusthall FC 3 (27.9.09)
This was a game to prematurely
age any Rusthall coach or supporter. After our recent games, confidence was
high and so were my expectations.
The opening minutes of the
game were all Rusthall but with the better chances going to Pembury. It was
obvious from the start that this was not going to be one of our more stylish
performances. Pembury went ahead with a header from a well taken corner and the
resolve of the Rusthall squad was now going to be tested. The remainder of the
half saw chances at both ends until George Stevenson hit a shot over the
opposition’s keeper from outside of the box to pull us level.
Some harsh words at half time
appeared to put a spark in the Rustics performance. Early into the second half
Alex Chantler put us ahead with a well taken shot, which was the result of some
good passing between Joe Graveney and George Stevenson. Not long after we were
awarded a penalty which Joe hit against the cross bar, but his blushes were
saved after scrambling in the re-bound. At 3-1 up we looked good value to go on
and win by a large margin. Alas Pembury didn’t see it that way and their
persistence was rewarded with a goal. At 3-2 we now looked in serious danger of
drawing or losing this match. We were very lucky not to concede on several
occasions, with Pembury hitting the woodwork on two occasions. We managed to
hold out to scrape the victory but I don’t think I can take too many encounters
like this one. Whilst on the whole our performance was sloppy our solid back
four kept us in the game. Whilst all our defence worked hard to keep Pembury at
bay they were led by our Captain Harry Franklin and for that reason he is my
Man of the Match for this week. His performance was strong and brave to the
point that the first aid man was never very far from his side.
Man of the Match: Harry Franklin
Rusthall FC 18 v Langton Green Sports 0 (20.09.09)
CDJFL Cup
Whilst this looks like an
astounding result on paper, the reality is that 99% of this game was played in
the Langton half with the opposition having no shots on goal. Hat’s off to
Langton for going ahead with this game with only ten players. It would have
been easier to concede the tie but they were happy to play on. The Langton
players showed great character by continuing to battle throughout the game and
despite the score the Langton Goalkeeper was superb in the first half. The
Langton management should also be applauded for trying to maintain two sides at
this age group.
From the Rusthall point of
view we could only play the team in front of us. We made great use of the space
we were allowed and our passing game really came into play. Matthew Figgett was
switched from centre midfield to right wing for this game. This now gave us
pace on both flanks. This allowed both Matthew and Louis to break down the
wings and either deliver the ball or get their own shots away. This resulted in
a hat full of goals from this pair. Max Beaton was brought in alongside Joe to
share the task of ball winning in midfield and this seemed to work well,
although its true success will only be known when tried against stiffer
opposition.
The key to making this work
was my man of the match Rory Salter. Sitting just in front of the midfield pair
and behind the striker he was the link between midfield and attack. He was also
sitting far enough forward to contribute with goals of his own. Goals also came
from Joe, Ashley, Max, George, Louis and Alex. If I have left anybody out I
apologise. I’m sorry the goalkeeper and defence did not get a mention this week
but your time will come.
Man of the Match: Rory Salter
Rotherfield Jnrs 1 v Rusthall FC 5 (13.9.09)
After instructions to start
the game at full pace Rusthall had the lion’s share of the play in the first 10
minutes, although shots on target were limited. After 15 minutes a loose ball
outside the box fell to Harry Franklin who struck it cleanly and it rocketed
into the back of the net. Unfortunately this goal settled the Rusthall team a
little too much and a lack of concentration in defence allowed a Rotherfield
striker through who lobbed the Rusthall keeper to bring the game level. George
Stevenson was only on the pitch two minutes when his one on one with the keeper
was hit over the bar. A draw at half time was not the score I had envisaged.
Rusthall started the second half brightly and it was not long before Matthew
Figgett put us back in front from a Joe Graveney corner. This seemed to be the
spur we needed. The next goal came from a Joe Graveney penalty that was
clinically dispatched to put us 3-1 up. Ashley Rodi scored the fourth from a
George Stevenson cross and the fifth was a well deserved goal from Corentin
Lindsay.
On the whole it was a good
performance for the first game of the season. New signings Rory Salter and Alex
Chantler both worked well up front and both were unlucky not to get on the
score sheet. My man of the match performance this week was from Corentin
Lindsay. He had taken on board our instructions to clear every ball with his
head and made several goal saving tackles to keep us in the game early on. He
also contributed with a well taken goal.
Man of the Match: Corentin Lindsay