My original plan for today was to head to a Western League game but with heavy rain overnight and through the morning, I decided to stay local and head to Laverstock's game with Moneyfields. On my last couple of visits I've had to park up in a field away from the pitch but for today's game there was enough space to park by the pitch.
Both of these teams are mid table with four wins each but Laverstock have had to rely on their away form as they haven't won at home in the league this season. Moneyfields were quick to take the game to Laverstock and in the 6th minute had the first opportunity to score with a one on one breakaway. The shot was pushed wide by the Laverstock keeper and went for a corner.
In the 9th minute Moneyfields took the lead from a freekick from the near touchline. The ball was lofted long into the box and a Moneyfields player dived full length to head the ball back like a cross across the box. The ball flew past the keeper and a defender to the far post where a visiting player slide in and popped it into the net from close range.
In the 12th minute Moneyfields extended their lead from a long ball. The home keeper decided to rush out of his penalty area to act as a sweeper but as he tried to chest the ball down he misjudged the bounce and saw the ball fly over his head instead. There were two Moneyfields players following the ball and one of them beat the keeper to it and passed it into the back of the net.
The game turned on one moment in the 22nd minute. One of the Moneyfields strikers had run onto a through ball ahead of the last Laverstock defender and as the defender turned he clipped the striker's ankle. While it didn't appear to be deliberate, it did prevent a goal scoring opportunity so the referee was left with no choice but to send him off. While the referee was making this decision, one of the Laverstock players was discussing the decision with either the assistant or some spectators and appeared to have taken his protests too far as the assistant called the referee over. After a brief discussion, the referee pulled out his red card again and sent off the player who protested that he hadn't called anyone a *****.
Moneyfields made the most of their two man advantage and went 3.0 up in the 28th minute. The ball was crossed in from the right touchline and tapped into the net from close range.
However the sendings off seem to finally spark Laverstock into life and they pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute thanks to a great individual effort from pacy winger Youssef Bamba. He took the ball down the left wing, cut the ball back past a tackle and looked like he would cross the ball into the area for a team mate. However he decided to take a shot from the edge of the box and it flew across the keeper and into the top right of the goal. An spectacular finish that was applauded by both home and away supporters.
To my surprise Laverstock scored again in the 38th minute from some wing play down the right hand side. Moneyfields gave the ball away on the halfway line and Laverstock quickly counter attacked. The player took the ball into the penalty area and twisted, turned and dummied a shot before finally lifting what appeared to be a cross into the area. The ball went over the keeper's hands and then dropped down to hit the base of the left post before ending up in the back of the net.
After the excitement of 2 sendings off and 5 goals in the first half, it was no surprise that the second half didn't continue in the same way. Laverstock were able to survive an early scare after 55 minutes when a Moneyfields striker chipped the ball over the oncoming keeper only to see the ball strike the post and bounce out for a corner. Only the referee appeared to see a touch on the ball as all around me felt that it should have been a goal kick.
Moneyfields lost their way and were unable to break down the Laverstock team who defended well and successfully played the offside trap on many occasions - the Moneyfields coach announced in a frustrated tone that it was at least 16 times! In the 73rd minute Laverstock had their best chance to equalise from a freekick which found an unmarked player in the box. He had the opportunity to place a header on target but tried to put too much direction on it and put the ball wide.
In the 76th minute the Laverstock defence made another mistake. Moneyfields had played a cross into the box but it was a poor ball and none of their players was close to it. One of the Laverstock players went to clear the ball but mistimed his kick and ended up knocking the ball with his hand. The referee awarded a penalty and it was hit down the middle while the keeper dived to the left to give Moneyfields a 4.2 lead.
Laverstock continued to try and get back into the game and didn't tire as I was expecting with only 9 men on the pitch. They created a couple of half chances through their three subs before the end but were unable to get another goal.
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