Reserves ....
SILLS AND BETTERIDGE LINCOLNSHIRE LEAGUE
Lincoln Moorlands Railway v Grimsby Soccer Club (Tue 9 Oct 07)
Heavy rain provided a greasy surface but the conditions were far from ideal as torrential rain continued intermittently throughout the evening. The start of the game between Moorlands Railway and Grimsby Soccer Club was both interesting and frantic. Due to the late arrival of the visitors the start was delayed and when the game did get going it was 11 Railwaymen against the 8 from Grimsby. The introduction of the missing players was frantically actioned just as soon as they were ready and was finally completed after about 8 minutes with the game still scoreless. Other than the charge of the light brigade start, the first half hour was relatively uneventful with both teams battling against the conditions as much as each other. The game struggled to get going with both sides having not much more than one notable moment inside the opening half hour. The first on target shot of the game was from the very impressive Langford who created his own space after cutting in from the left wing and his shot was straight at Barnes in the Railway goals. Then Stokes, the Rails hatrick hero from the weekend, tried his luck from the right hand edge of the box but his shot curled wide of the upright with the keeper struggling to cover it. Grimsby were having by far the better of the play and it was they who opened the scoring in the 28th minute when a deep free kick was headed in by Dunster at the back post. They doubled their lead on 34 minutes when a Stokes back pass slowed up on the rain sodden pitch and the lively Mason nipped in to round the keeper and pass the ball into the empty net. On the stroke of half time Bobby Hulse tested the keeper with a skimming free kick that Hammond did well to get down to and save. Half time 0-2. The first of the action was in the Grimsby area at the start of the second half and Rails substitute Danny Foxon tested the substitute Soccer Club keeper with a rasping shot that was just wide of the target. On the hour Grimsby scored again; a good break down the middle of the park saw them attacking with a 3 on 2 advantage and they made no mistake in extending their lead to 0-3. This sparked some life into the home side and for once they were the ones sharper and quicker to the second ball. A double substitution on 65 mins reaped immediate rewards as an Evans cross was flicked on by Bailey and Stokes took it in his stride entering the penalty area and finished calmly with the left foot he had left on the coach on Saturday. The game went back up to the other end again and Goodwin had a sweet effort that the Railway keeper tipped over the bar. On 70 minutes the game was wide open again after a cross by Paul Hodds was headed in at the back post by Danny Foxon. The Railwaymen continued to press and two fumbles by the Grimsby keeper gave them hope. It took until the dying seconds of the third minute of added time for them to finally equalise. A corner from Frecklington was met by Stokes and he headed in unchallenged from 6 yards. With the balance of play being theirs Soccer Club knew they had been robbed of the points. Their dominance and slick play in the first hour deserved far more; however, some would argue that the Railwaymen deserved a point for their commitment to the end and following a belief that a game is not over until the man in black blows his whistle. Final result 3-3.
Keelby Utd v Lincoln Moorlands Railway (Sat 6 Oct 07)
After a comprehensive drubbing in the Cup just 7 days earlier Keelby Utd entertained Moorlands Railway in the League and it took 12 minutes for the Railway to break the deadlock. On a small pitch, the long throw of Lewis King carried all the way to the back post and when it rebounded to Ben Tate he made no mistake from 6 yards. 4 minutes later another long throw was met by Stokes but Goulding in the Keelby goals made the first of a series of fine saves. On 17 mins it was Foster who was thwarted but good play from Foster and Frecklington down the left flank created the second goal which was converted by Stokes on 18 mins. After 25 mins it was 0-3; a volley from Evans was tipped over the bar and from the resultant Frecklington corner, stokes headed in unchallenged. Just before the hour the contest was over and all 3 points were on their way back to Lincoln. The lively Batchelor was closed down wide on the left wing and from the half way line he tried to pass back to his keeper. Unfortunately his pass was under hit and Ben Tate nipped in to nutmeg the keeper to give the Rails the comfort of a 0-4 score line. More was still to come; on 62 mins Kieran O’Boyle was fouled in the area and with his hatrick in mind, Stokes grabbed the ball. At the intervention and demands of the Railway management, the regular penalty taker Lee Foster stepped up but his weak penalty was saved by the Keelby keeper; however, the resultant corner was powered into the net by Stokes for his 3rd and the Rails 5th goal. Whilst the Keelby keeper had produced some good saves it has to be said that his kicking was woeful and just 2 mins later his attempted clearance went straight to O’Boyle who finished well from 20 yards. O’Boyle was in again seconds later after breaking through the flat Keelby back four; but, on this occasion he was tackled by Dyer after he had rounded the keeper and the net was at his mercy. Credit has to be given to Dyer for tracking back when all around him stood and watched! The final goal came in the 77th min when Foxon played a defence splitter wide to Szendrey and, when he crossed into the box, Sam Bailey thundered a volley into the net from 6 yards. United’s skipper, Jarvis, hit a cracker in the last few mins that troubled Barnes in the Railway goal and he just managed to deflect the ball over the bar. That result gives the Railwaymen a creditable played 8, won 4, lost 4 start to their first season in the Lincolnshire League.
Lincoln Moorlands Railway v Keelby Utd (Sat 29 Sep 07)
The Rails hosted Keelby in the Challenge Cup and they opted to start with just 10 men whilst they awaited the arrival of their keeper. With the knowledge that they were playing their centre half in goal Railway attacked from the start and Dean Szendrey tested him as early as the first min with a shot that Wray tipped professionally over the bar. Szendrey was a man on a mission as he tried to make up for the time he has spent on the bench this season and he had another effort just off target before the Rails linesman ruled him offside on 15 mins when he did get the ball in the net. When Playford arrived to take up his position in the Keelby nets Wray moved to his normal position and they started to take the game to their hosts but on the half hour the Railwaymen took the lead. Strong running by Luke Evans towards the penalty area and a precise Kieran O’Boyle cross invited a first time side foot from Lee Foster finished a great move. The second goal was equally as good just 6 mins later when Foster fed Evans on the right wing. Again his strong running created problems for the Keelby defence and when Stokes crossed to the back post there was Lee Foster to stab home. With a two goal cushion the Rails settled into a slick passing game with good running and this created gaps all over the park and they had clearly gained the territorial advantage. Just before the break an under hit back pass and the gambling of Foster presented him with a chance to complete his hatrick but his shot was well saved. The second half was only 10 mins old when O’Boyle scored at the second attempt after good work from Foster and Szendrey. It was Szendrey who then grabbed the fourth on the hour after a charge towards goal by Ben Tate.
M Conroy showed good skill minutes later when he turned and volleyed from 25 yards and Barnes did well to tip it over the bar. On 67 mins Braithwaite escaped the Railway offside trap but he fired into the side netting. The final goal followed good link up play between Foster and Szendrey with the later finishing well from 20 yards in the 81st min.
Lincoln Moorlands Railway v Horncastle Town (Sat 22 Sep 07)
With only 5 games played in the new season, Lincoln Moorlands Railway faced Horncastle Town knowing that they could collect their first double of the season having beaten there opponents two weeks earlier in their own back yard. Horncastle made a few changes to the side that narrowly lost that 5 goal thriller and the Rails were forced into a couple of changes themselves due to injuries. The game set off at a frantic pace and the home side scored after just 4 mins when debutant Mark Rooney calmly finished from 12 yards. Both teams looked lively and Town had the first corner of the game after 7 mins and on 14 mins they came close with a good header from Johnson that dipped just over the bar following a free kick. The long throws of Lewis King caused the Town defence problems all afternoon and on 17 mins Maddison in the Horncastle goal had to tip one testing throw over his bar. From the resultant corner Stokes smashed a loose ball into the Horncastle net but his effort was ruled offside. The second goal arrived on 19 mins and followed another long throw that unsettled the visitors and Rooney popped up at the back post to volley in from 7 yards to double the lead. Town matched their hosts for work rate as the last 20 mins of the first half descended into a battle for supremacy between the boxes. Town midfielder Harris had a worthy effort from inside his own half that was much closer than team mate Chapman’s shot from half the distance. A direct free kick from Reeson curled agonisingly wide in the 42nd min and served the Rails a reminder that complacency could be punished but the score remained 2-0 until half time.
The second half started in a similar fashion to that of the first with both teams attacking with pace. The Railwaymen extended their lead in the 50th min when Stokes volleyed in from 20 yards after the Town defence could only clear a free kick to the edge of their box. Horncastle reduced the deficit on 72 mins when Tuplin clinically finished from inside the penalty area. The second half never lived up to the expectation of the first and was littered with injuries. Despite losing the services of the impressive Reeson, Town had the better of the second period, just as they had 2 weeks earlier, but they failed to break down the dogged home defence. Both teams worked hard for the whole game and the Railwaymen grabbed all three points based on their performance in the opening 50 mins.
Lincoln Moorlands Railway v Hykeham Town (Sat 15 Sep 07)
Moorlands Railway entertained local rivals Hykeham Town knowing that they were hosting a team that had both won the league and finished runner up in the last two seasons. It was Town that threatened first after 6 mins when Addlesee cut in from the left wing and curled a right foot shot towards the goal but, Barney Barnes kept his eyes on it and dived to his left to tip it wide for a corner. The visitors almost scored in their own net in the 11th min when Wilkinson stretched out a leg to a Bobby Hulse free kick but his deflection bounced just wide for a corner. The game was swinging end to end and two more good saves from Barnes, one with assistance from a post, prevented Newman and Wilkinson from opening the scoring. Kieran O’Boyle looked lively up front and was causing the experienced Town defence all sorts of problems; he was put through on 20 mins from around the half way line but he could not get the ball out of his feet to attack with speed and the Town defence regrouped and marshalled him away from goal before closing down his shot. Ten mins later it was the Rail again, a good pass from Luke Evans again released O’Boyle and when his cross eluded 2 defenders, it hit Lee Foster and rebounded to a grateful Sizer in the Town goal. On 32 mins Town broke the deadlock. M Newman was given a little too much time to produce a cross that fizzed across the Rail goal and Addlesee nodded in from about 4 yards.
The Town defence was under early pressure in the second half following a long throw from Lewis King and a volley from Aaron Murphy tested the Town keeper’s concentration. King then provided a cross to the back post where James Stokes guided a header towards the corner of Town net but Sizer produced a reflex save as he clattered into the upright. In the 55th min, M Newman shot high and wide with the home defence appealing for offside before O’Boyle, again released by a fine Murphy ball, slipped the shackles of the Hykeham defence but his shot was straight at the Town keeper. A nice turn and a curling shot from Wilkinson on the right hand edge of the box again brought the best from Barnes in the Railway goal and young Evans cleared off the line when it seemed certain that Town would double their lead. With 10 mins left on the clock, the Rail waited for their central defence to get into the box before taking a corner and King bulleted Sam Bailey’s cross just over the bar. With 2 mins of added time already played, a long clearance from the Town defence released R Newman who calmly chipped the advancing keeper and sealed the win for the visitors. At the end, the Railwaymen felt deflated and believed they had deserved at least a point from a game they had contributed so much to; as it was, Hykeham took all 3 points. To be fair, Town produced an experienced and professional performance; they knew when to play and when to defend, when to suffer and when to pass and they are also big enough to admit that they had been in a game and had had to fight for every point. For the Rail’s another lesson learnt, they have to be more ruthless in front of goal but can be justifiably proud of their performance against one of the better organised and more successful opponents of the Lincolnshire League.
Final mention must go to Aaron Murphy who was carried off after 68 mins of Saturday’s game against Hykeham with a suspected twisted or sprained ankle; unfortunately, an x-ray on Sunday revealed that the ankle was actually broken. Yet another victim in a season littered with innocuous challenges producing bad injuries. We wish him a speedy return to the Moorlands Railway.
Horncastle Town v Lincoln Moorlands Railway (Sat 8 Sep 07)
Lincoln Moorlands Railway travelled to Horncastle in search of a second successive away win and after just 5 mins they were one up. Lewis King headed clear from a Town corner and when Craig Bridge collected the ball half way inside his own half, and ran at the Town defence until he reached the edge of the area where he passed wide to Murphy. A first time low cross was met by the unmarked Lee Foster around the penalty area and he converted low into the corner. Broome tested Danny Barnes in the Rail goal with a good shot after 8 mins but it was again the Railwaymen who scored next. With a strong height advantage man for man the Town defence dealt well with corners and crosses for most of the afternoon; but, one clearance landed at the feet of the classy Owen Kirk on 17 minutes. He picked his spot from 2o yards out and curled a sweet shot into the net with the outside of his boot. The visitors were in dominating form and the next move deserved better. Sweeping from one end of the pitch to the other, good interchange involving Kirk and the lively Foster released Murphy on the edge of the box but his shot was straight at the keeper. Town kept plugging away and another snap shot from Kuhn dipped just over after 27 mins. A long throw from King surprised the home defence when it landed in the middle of the six yard box at the feet of top scorer Bridge; however, his tame shot was straight into the rooted keeper’s hands when it should have taken the net off the goals. On 39 mins Horncastle got a life line when a clearance charged down by Shinn and he showed everyone how to score from 4 yards out. Half time 1-2 but the Railwaymen knew they should have had the game sewn up.
Kleczyinski had the first shot of the second half but it was easily gathered by Danny Barnes in the Rail goal and Bridge put more venom into his next effort but it was just wide of the mark. The game changed on its head just before the hour when Town’s industrious midfielder Broome challenged Railway’s full back Bailey after the ball had been played. An altercation between the two followed that is best described as a much to do about nothing; however, Referee Brookes saw fit to show a straight red card, to the dismay off everyone at the ground. He later explained that he missed some of the incident but he did see Broome show a form of retaliation whilst on the floor and it was for this and not the challenge that he sent him off. Town, justifiably feeling hard done by, grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and equalised within 5 minutes from a Shinn penalty and took the lead 5 mins later again when they attacked in strength and Michotowski threw himself at a cross from the left to head passed the stranded Barnes. The Rail’s were now on the back foot and unable to get back into the game against the spirited 10 men of Horncastle; that was until, another long throw from King caused havoc in the penalty area and Murphy slotted the ball home from around 6 yards to equalise in the 85th min. On 88 mins, Town keeper Maddison produced a good save following a Dean Szendrey free kick from the edge of the area. As the ball bobbled around the foot of the post with the keeper stranded in his net Aaron Murphy quickly reacted broke the hearts of the home team by scoring from all of 2 yards. There was still time for Szendrey to test the keeper from another direct free kick but Maddison again produced a top class save after the ball had been deflected off the top of the wall.
Just about deserved on their first half performance alone, the Railwaymen returned to Lincoln with all 3 points having shown tremendous character weathering the storm and bouncing back at the death; however, you had to feel sorry for Horncastle and congratulate them for their second half performance when they were down to 10 men. The home support certainly believed their efforts had deserved at least a point.
Grimsby Soccer Club v Lincoln Moorlands Railway (Sat 25 Aug 07)
The Lincoln Moorlands Railway team travelled to fellow league newcomers Grimsby Soccer Club for their second game of the season. With a slight wind behind them they had the slightly brighter start and had 3 corners in the opening 8 minutes. Craig Bridge had a shot which sailed high over the bar from the first corner; the second was well cleared by the Grimsby defence, but the first goal came from the third corner when Owen Kirk curled it straight into the net. Beecham produced a good cross in Grimsby’s first meaningful attack but Gareth Kirk plucked it from the air under pressure from MacFadyen. Durosomo was proving a handful all day and when Ben Tate pulled him back after 19 minutes, Beecham curled a free kick just wide of the Railway upright. After 30 minutes of end to end football the game descended into a battle for the last 15 minutes of the half with Tate, Westerman, Phil and Luke Evans battling hard for the Rails against Payne, Durosomo, Beecham and Hunter. Strong refereeing from the impressive Don Brown kept things calm when it looked they could spill over and with his watch signalling the end of the half, the Referee awarded Grimsby a penalty after TJ Shaw unexplainably handled in the area; but, Kirk saved well from Durosomo’s well hit spot kick. The Railwaymen attacked from the start of the second period and had 2 corners in the first minute. A free kick from Owen Kirk troubled the young Grimsby keeper but it was smothered at the second attempt; but, when Kirk tried his luck from the edge of the box on 61 minutes after good play from Foster and Bridge, young Toyne gathered it up comfortably at the first attempt. The next 4 minutes changed the game on its head. A misplaced header from the experienced Phil Evans released Beecham who raced towards the goal and scored from around the edge of the box. The scorer then became provider as his pass unlocked the Rail defence and ????? scored from the edge of the box. With 3 substitutions in as many minutes the Rails rallied quickly and when Bridge was upended in the area, substitute Dean Szendrey buried his penalty in the bottom corner with what appeared to be his first touch of the game. Two efforts from Bridge kept Toyne busy in the Grimsby goal and then Kirk saved well and palmed a shot wide of the goal. From the resultant corner and numerous clearances that pin balled around the 6 yard box, Beecham toe pocked the ball home for his second goal of the day. A similar incident happened following a corner at the other end but when the ball was leathered towards the Grimsby goal by TJ Shaw, Toyne finger tipped it over the bar to safety. With 2 minutes left, Grimsby broke away from their box and sealed the game with a delightful lob from 20 yards by Langford. There was still time for Bridge to score his second in two games and set up a thrilling 3 minutes of injury time but the closest the Rails came was a shot from Hulse on the edge of the area that ballooned over the bar.
It was a disappointing result for the men from Lincoln as they had contributed greatly to a game in which both teams deserved to get a point; however, with a ruthless mindset one has to say that they contributed to their own downfall with a couple of errors. Another learning day but things certainly look brighter!
Lincoln Moorlands Railway v Ruston Sports (Sat 18 Aug 07)
The first game of the season saw Moorlands Railway host Ruston Sport’s who finished 4th in the Lincs League last year. The Rails have a few new faces in their 2007/08 squad but Daz Holmes gave a familiar look to the starting line up with 8 of the 11 coming from last years Lincoln League Championship winning team.
The game started at a frantic pace and never really let up. The Rails had the better of the early exchanges and Craig Bridge had 3 shots in the first 5 minutes. None troubled the Ruston’s keeper but each one got a little closer to the goal. Ruston’s first effort came on 10 minutes but it too was well high and wide of the mark. The first clear chance fell to Scott Westerman after an Owen Kirk free kick found him unmarked at the back post. Despite his efforts to stretch and reach the ball, it went agonisingly past the wrong side of the upright. Bridge had another effort that bounced wide of the post with the keeper making late attempts to see it to safety before he finally broke the deadlock on 20 minutes. Slick play from the Rails took the ball to the edge of the area and when Foster played the ball behind the line of defence to the on running Bridge he made no mistake in finishing this time and placed it wide of the stranded keeper. The game got a little niggly and Sayce talked his way into Referee Goodhands book on 25 minutes. Ruston’s Craig Burnett had a few chances that included a header flying wide of the mark before he brought a good save from Gareth Kirk in the Rails goal. The half finished with Ruston’s the stronger of the two teams and Kirk busy preventing No 11 and Burnett equalising on the stroke of half time. The Rails lead lasted just 7 minutes into the second half and the equaliser came from the experienced No 11. A fine cross-field pass released him down the right flank and, as he cut into the box, he unleashed a shot from an acute angle that Kirk could only get his fingertips to. Ruston’s were now dominating the play though the Rails continued to look dangerous on the counter attack. On 73 minutes a good move found Ruston’s No 15 on the edge of the box and Burnett buried the resultant cross in the Rail’s goal from around the penalty spot. No other clear-cut chances came in the final 15 minutes though the Railwaymen had the better of the play. Overall, probably a fair result following Ruston’s dominance in the second half.