Pre-Season

Sunday 17th August 2008
Pre-Season Friendly Match at the Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Bridge
JUBILEE	2	EDMONTON ROVERS	2	HT 1-0
Carey (7 mins.), Gash (84 mins.)		Storm (Own Goal) (51 mins.) Dorward (73 mins.)
JUBILEE'S LINE-UP: Phil CONNOLLY (GK); 'Chris', Danny BIMBOW, Spencer ALLRIGHT, Barry STORM; Darren COLE, Mark CAREY, Neil THOMPSON, Ben RUSSELL; Austin GASH, Joe BIMBOW *Subs.:* Robert DENTON, Danny IPHEEWAI, Luke MURPHY, 'Elton'
EDMONTON ROVERS LINE-UP (with Marks out of 10): Darryl JOHNSON (GK) (7); Terry MOORE (6½), Scott JENKINS (6½), Martin LOVEDAY (7); John BEASLEY (6½), Tem ADIL (6½), Danny HAGAN (6½), Steve COKELL (6½); Stuart DORWARD (6½); Danny GREEN (6½), Daniel DALEY (6½) Sub.: Tony KING (6½) (On at H-T for Beasley, then various 'roll-on, roll-off' substitutions thereafter).
Referee: John ARGUE	Weather Conditions: Sunny but Very Windy		Attendance: 11
Report (by Laurence Hughes): This match, the first of our Pre-Season Friendlies this Summer, was arranged at rather short notice, which perhaps not surprisingly meant that most of our players had already planned to do other things. Frustratingly, that included all of our prospective new players and also three of Manager Trevor Hughes's first-choices in defender Alan Barnard, midfielder Rob Brown and recently-crowned dual Player Of The Year Conor Mc,Govern. However, although we only had 12 players available in total, they were all regulars from the end of last season with the exception of John Beasley, who was able to help us out again as he lived not far from the venue in Woodford. Our opponents Jubilee though, a newly-formed team from the East Herts Corinthian Sunday League, turned up with several substitutes and with some former Trent Park (Arkay) players in their line-up, so they were obviously going to give us a good test in this match, even though they had lost 5-2 to a Northmet (Riverside) XI in one of their other Pre-Season Friendlies. In fact they took the lead after just 7 minutes when an inswinging corner from Mark Carey sailed over Steve Cokell's head and into the net at the far post thanks to a huge gust of wind...and the crossbar being a foot too high (according to red-faced keeper Darryl Johnson). In fairness to D.J. though, the near gale-force wind certainly wasn't in the weather forecast that I watched on the Beeb a couple of hours before the match. They said it would be a nice sunny day with a light 5 m.p.h. breeze, but I spent virtually all of the match trying to keep the camera steady while almost being blown off my feet ! Indeed the rest of the First Half was quite scrappy because of that with numerous free-kicks and players running around at 100 m.p.h., while both sides were guilty of poor finishing with Jubilee hitting a number of shots straight at Darryl Johnson, and our players, especially later in the half, hitting shots high and wide from good positions. It therefore wasn't too much of a surprise that our equaliser early in the Second Half was another wind-affected effort as Steve Cokell's corner forced defender Barry Storm to head into his own net at the near post. Both sides then had spells of pressure, but far too many players (including ours) were more interested in making a total mockery of the F.A.'s Respect Campaign by consistently arguing with Mr. Argue. Stuart Dorward was one of the worst culprits (and in front of his Wife and 4-year-old son as well !), but then Captains are still allowed to 'bollock' the Ref aren't they ? Thankfully though, Stuart calmed down a bit in the 73rd minute when he put us 2-1 up with a close-range mis-hit 'bicycle kick' from Danny Green's cross, but he soon became frustrated again as we started missing more and more 'sitters' on the break as the Jubilee defence started leaving massive gaps at the back. In fact they managed to equalise in the 84th minute with what was the 4th really scrappy goal of the game, this time from a scuffed free-kick from Austin Gash that crept into the bottom corner with Darryl Johnson unsighted. 2-2 was how it finished, and although we had the better chances and maybe should have won the game by a goal or two, it was a good work-out against a strong, fit and sometimes physical side who were of a similar standard and style of play to one or two teams that we played in Division One last season. However, it would have been useful to see how the likes of James Whittick and other new players would have coped, so in that respect it was a bit of a let-down that they couldn't play and we didn't really learn anything that we didn't already know. Roll on next week.

Sunday 24th August 2008
Pre-Season Friendly Match at The Downs, Brimsdown Rovers F.C.
A.C. ENFIELD	3	EDMONTON ROVERS	2	HT 1-2
Rodia (8 mins.), Noto (67, 86 mins.)		Jenkins (11, 18 mins.)
A.C. ENFIELD'S LINE-UP: Jason JARMAN (GK), Giuseppe VIRCIGLIO, Jim PHILPOTT, Simon TAITT, Ollie KETTLE; Tom COLLIER, David WILSON, Diego DAFONTE, Mario VIRCIGLIO; Rick DEAR, Vince RODIA *Subs.:* Mario NOTO, Danny LEEDS
EDMONTON ROVERS LINE-UP (with Marks out of 10): Darryl JOHNSON (GK) (6); Paul WOOLSTON (6½), Alan BARNARD (7), Stuart DORWARD (7); Scott JENKINS (7½), Tem ADIL (7), Rob BROWN (7), Jim ARROWSMITH (7); Terry BROWN (7); Danny GREEN (6½), Greg CUMMINS (6) Subs.: Clark WILLIAMS (6½), Aron WHITE (7), Daniel DALEY (7) (Various 'roll-on, roll-off' substitutions thereafter).
Referee: Simon DRINKWATER	Weather Conditions: Sunny and Warm		Attendance: 18
Report (by Laurence Hughes): This game was arranged thanks to A.C. Enfield's Manager being a certain Marcello Devizio, one of our former goalkeepers who played 70 matches for us in the mid-90's. Of course, such has been the upheaval within our squad over the last few seasons that skipper Stuart Dorward was the only one of our players in this match who 'Marchie' recognised. A.C. Enfield though, won Division Three in our League last season and are a good young side whose players turn up more-or-less every week, and although they did have a few players missing this match, they only had to bring in a couple of newcomers whereas we had a whole host of players in the squad who had never met each other before. That included three players making their 11-a-side debuts in Terry Brown, Greg Cummins and Aron White, while Jim Arrowsmith was making only his second appearance having featured in a Pre-Season Friendly last Summer (before family commitments put paid to him playing any competitive matches). With A.C. Enfield having won all of their Pre-Season Friendlies so far (against good sides) and having won something like 20-odd matches in a row since the middle of last season (and most of them by very big margins), it perhaps wasn't surprising that they took the lead after just 8 minutes when Vince Rodia, who was one of three players in their line-up who had played against us before for other clubs, capitalised on a defensive mix-up to chip the ball over Darryl Johnson in a one on one. With key defenders Terry Moore and Martin Loveday both unavailable, that looked rather ominous, but we played really well after that and managed to equalise just 3 minutes later when midfielder Scott Jenkins got forward to head in Jim Arrowsmith's excellent left-wing cross. (See picture above right) In fact Jenkins then put us into the lead with another goal from close range as early as the 18th minute, and at that stage it looked as if maybe A.C. Enfield were finding Division One opposition too much of a step up in class and that we might get a comfortable (but shock ?) victory. However, although we defended better as the half went on and produced some good sharp passing in midfield, forwards Danny Green and Greg Cummins struggled to hit the target and we had to be satisfied with just a narrow 2-1 lead at Half-Time. Manager Trevor Hughes then brought on Clark Williams, Aron White and Daniel Daley at Half-Time for Stuart Dorward, Scott Jenkins and Danny Green, and Daley's extra pace and sharpness made us look a lot more dangerous in attack, despite him turning up just before Half-Time having overslept...even though it was a 1.00.p.m. kick-off ! We then had a really good 15-minute spell when we could easily have gone 4-1 up and killed off the game, but Aron White's goal-bound shot hit Paul Woolston in the 6-yard box and Daniel Daley was unlucky to have a goal disallowed for offside. After seeing that, A.C. Enfield Manager Devizio therefore decided to bring on his Player-Coach, namely ex-Conference midfielder Mario Noto, who played for Ryman League Premier Division Champions Chelmsford City last season and has now joined Boreham Wood. Not surprisingly, he almost immediately ran straight through a square defence to equalise with ease in a one-on-one with Darryl Johnson, and then after we had made another round of 'roll-on, roll-off' substitutions, he scored what turned out to be a winner for them with a mis-hit half-volley from the edge of the area in the 86th minute that 'D.J.' seemed to think was going wide but allowed it to sneak inside his near post. 'Deej' then tried to make amends in Injury Time when he came up for a corner and actually got in a decent volley towards goal (See picture left !), but unfortunately it was blocked by a defender with the final whistle going straight away. Although it was another defeat for us to a team from a lower Division, we actually played well considering we were missing the likes of Conor Mc,Govern, Danny Hagan and Steve Cokell in addition to Terry Moore and Martin Loveday, while numerous other squad members from last season and several prospective (and quality) new signings were also unavailable. As with the previous week then, it was another good workout against a good side and definitely a worthwhile exercise.

Sunday 31st August 2008

Pre-Season Friendly Match at the Ashton Playing Fields, Woodford Bridge

WOODHURST
2
EDMONTON ROVERS
7

HT 0-4

   Owusu (73, 86 mins.)

     Martin (23 mins.),
     Mc,Govern (29 mins.),
     Cummins (38, 66 mins.),
     Ahmed (41 mins.),
     S.Dorward (61 (Pen.), 69 mins.)

WOODHURST'S LINE-UP: Tom GRAY (GK); Jenssen CLIFFORD, Alex ALEXANDER, Godwin AMOAKA, Martin ROBINSON; Kevin BLACOE, Brian Jack O'REILLY, Nigel JORDON; Eric IBEKWEM; Chidi IBEKWEM, Stephan WILLIS Subs.: Kofi OWUSU (On at Half-Time), Murray FORTAG (On in Second Half)

EDMONTON ROVERS LINE-UP (with Marks out of 10): Tony KING (GK for first 14 minutes, then outfield) (7); Stuart DORWARD (7), Scott JENKINS (7), Josh DUBERRY (7); Jamie MARTIN (7), Paul AMICO (7), Rob BROWN (7), Foysol AHMED (7); Greg CUMMINS (7); Conor Mc,GOVERN (7), James WHITTICK (6) (Centre-forward for first 14 minutes, then GK due to injury) Subs.: None !

Referee:   Owen CLARKE Weather Conditions: Misty and Humid Attendance:   8

Report (by Laurence Hughes): As with the previous week's Friendly, this game was arranged due to the opposition Manager being an ex-Rovers player, in this case Chidi Ibekwem, while Chidi's younger brother Eric (another former Rovers player) was also in their line-up. Once again though, they would have had real problems recognising any of our players, even though they both only left us three seasons ago. That was because stalwarts Darryl Johnson, Paul Woolston, Tony Speller, Simon Jackson and Derek Dorward were amongst some 27 players who were actually unavailable for this match, although at least skipper Stuart Dorward and dual Player-Of-The-Year Conor Mc,Govern were both playing.
With Woodhurst in the Premier Division of the Essex Sunday Corinthian League and apparently having had some good results in their five Pre-Season Friendlies so far, including a 2-1 win against Jubilee, we were a bit worried when we turned up with just a bare eleven including no proper goalkeeper, but thanks to Referee Owen Clarke arriving 30 minutes late for some reason, Manager Trevor Hughes had plenty of time to instruct our five new players on the vagaries of zonal marking and our 'unusual' 3-4-1-2 formation...while I even had time to take some mugshots for the Player Profiles Page !
With prospective new signings Adam & Alex Kemp failing to turn up and Darryl Johnson and Danny Hagan both dropping out through illness the night before, it meant a lot of last-minute changes had to be made to the line-up with the usual story of players having to play out of position, none more so than Tony King, who ended up in goal (again). We were also missing all four of our first-choice defenders in Alan Barnard (Hamstring Injury), Terry Moore (Playing Golf), Martin Loveday (Ankle Injury) & Paul Woolston (Babysitting), so Stuart Dorward and Scott Jenkins therefore had to play at the back again when they would much rather play as attacking midfielders, while Josh Duberry (Cousin of Reading's Michael and formerly of now-defunct Edmonton Sunday League Premier Division winners Turf Moor) made his debut as a central defender instead of as a left-back (or left wing-back).
We also had three new players in midfield, namely Greg Cummins (who had made his debut the week before), ex-London Ajax forward Jamie Martin, and Norsemen First XI player Paul Amico, while Foysol Ahmed played a rare game as well, and in attack, 19-year-old James Whittick came in for his 11-a-side debut after scoring goals for fun in the 7-a-side League so far this season. Unfortunately though, James pulled a hamstring in his most recent 7-a-side League game, and it was always on the cards that he would not last very long as an outfield player in this game. Manager Hughes decided to give him a chance to show what he could do alongside Conor Mc,Govern though, but that partnership only lasted 14 minutes before James was forced to go in goal with us not having any substitutes. Tony King therefore came out to play on the left of midfield with Foysol Ahmed switching to the right and Jamie Martin going up front, and although we had been by far the better side right from the kick-off, we suddenly looked a lot more dangerous in attack. Indeed debutant Martin opened his Rovers account with our first goal after 23 minutes after some good build-up work by King and Ahmed and Woodhurst then really crumbled after that. Conor Mc,Govern made it 2-0 in the 29th minute with a long-range left-footed shot that skidded off the 'dewy turf' under keeper Tom Gray, while Greg Cummins, Turf Moor's top scorer for the last two seasons, opened his Rovers account in the 38th minute with a casual sidefoot into an empty net after a comical defensive mix-up. We then scored a possible Goal Of The Season Top 10 contender in the 41st minute to make it 4-0 at Half-Time when Foysol Ahmed finished off a good move with a cool finish and Woodhurst were lucky that we didn't punish them more severely as we played some excellent football despite a number of our players not having met each other before.
Chidi not surprisingly read his players the riot act at Half-Time though, as this must have been hugely embarrassing for him and Eric when one of the reasons they left us was because we did not look like winning anything (and they were right !). Woodhurst therefore came out for the Second Half a lot more committed and didn't give us as much time on the ball, but that just made it an even game as we had two very competitive players in the centre of midfield ourselves in Rob Brown and Paul Amico. However, when Amico was tripped in the area by defender Godwin Amoaka for Stuart Dorward to make it 5-0 from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, we got on top again and played our best football of the match with Greg Cummins and Dorward both scoring another goal apiece to make it 7-0 with 21 minutes still to play, while we came close to increasing that lead on several other occasions.
Meanwhile, at the other end, James Whittick had hardly been tested at all, but Woodhurst substitute Kofi Owusu scored a couple of late goals with well-taken finishes to make the final score 7-2, these coming mainly as a result of another team using (and eventually walking away with) one of our match balls and a couple of water bottles while they were warming up for their match on our touchline. That meant our players had to keep an eye on their valuables while the game was going on with Manager Trevor Hughes acting as Club Linesman and myself looking through a viewfinder and unable to see behind me. Indeed, that's when the reluctance of our players to turn up when they know they are going to be a substitute gets really annoying, but that was the only sour point of an excellent day which finished with all these new players proving their quality and signing up for the season...thanks to Scott Jenkins conveniently bringing his white van along to act as a background for me to take their passport photos !
Roll on the League season...as long as we can find a goalkeeper for our first game !?