I hadn’t expected to be at a game today as we were travelling back from a short break in York but with an early departure and a good connection from Waterloo, I was able to get to a local game in Amesbury. This game had originally been due to take place in January so the programme from that day was reused but it was good that they had taken the time to prepare an insert with updated league tables etc. The big match of the day was Manchester United v Liverpool and as I arrived at the ground there were a few shouts of 4.1 from a celebrating Liverpool supporter. The weather was nice and sunny – much warmer than my last visit despite the strong wind blowing across the pitch!
Both teams struggled to cope with the windy conditions in the first half and some good chances were missed. Amesbury had the first opportunity to open the scoring with a scramble after a corner but no-one was able to force the ball in. A Tadley player tried an ambitious chip over the keeper from distance after 15 minutes but the ball held up in the wind which allowed the Amesbury keeper to get back to his goalline and pick the ball up. Amesbury then played a good cross into the box but no-one was in there to take advantage and the defence cleared easily.
Tadley started to pick up the second balls in midfield as Amesbury’s control let them down. After 30 minutes they had a one on one chance but the Amesbury keeper managed to save it with his legs. 30 seconds later an Amesbury defender headed the ball back to his keeper but it was too short. A Tadley player took the ball but hit it wide past the keeper from a narrow angle. The Amesbury goalkeeper appeared to be leading a charmed life as he ran out to try and win a ball on the edge of the area. He didn’t make it in time but fortunately for him his defenders got back to cover him which allowed him to get back into position when the shot finally came in.
Amesbury were creating some chances but their shooting left a lot to be desired in the absence of top scorer Nic Turpin. Two good opportunities went begging when shots were sliced wide rather than hit on target. Just before half time the Tadley no 9 ran in to the box but the Amesbury keeper made a good one-on-one save.
At the start of the second half Amesbury had a couple of good chances – one header that went straight at the keeper close to the line and another header that was well saved by the keeper. Some of their decision making in the final third was poor – several times a long corner was taken when the attackers had moved in for a short corner or vice versa. Tadley continued the Amesbury trend of hitting a rugby conversion attempt over the goal when shooting rather than keeping shots low and on target.
On 55 minutes an Amesbury corner routine almost worked and the ball was headed across the line but there was no-one there to pass the ball into the back of the net to the frustration of the home crowd. Three minutes later a shot made it past the keeper but it wasn’t strong enough to reach the goal line and a defender was able to clear it in time.
The opening goal finally came on 62 minutes. A weak freekick was taken from the D outside the penalty area and should have been saved by the Tadley keeper. He managed to spill the ball and an Amesbury player who had followed the ball in managed to poke the spilt ball in at the near post. Amesbury should have extended their lead a couple of minutes later. They had a counter-attack with three players on one but the player on the ball was greedy and tried a shot on goal that went wide when his teammates were in a better position to score.
Tadley had made some good breakaway chances during the game and their equaliser came from one of these chances. There was a good break down the left, an accurate cross into the middle for the Tadley no 9 to shoot pas the keeper. Both teams had a chance or two after that to get the winner but it didn’t come and the game ended in a draw.
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