vs Wheatsheaf Flitwick

Devonshire Arms Line up:
GK: Jeff Udoh
RB: Nathan
CB: Stevie Hall
CB: David Brooks
LB: Arthur McMurray
CM: Terry Hall
CM: Matthew Knights
RM: Johnny Scotland
LM: Nick Hurd
CF: Jason Williams
CF: Isaac Okyere
Subs: Dan Fisk, Jonathan Gibson

This was the first meeting between these two sides, just last week the Wheatsheaf had put 12 past their opponents and were sitting in 2nd place in the league, the Devy were struggling to score lately and were a just shadow of their early season displays, they really needed to get some goals, there had been a re-shuffle up front with Isaac hoping to pose more of a threat, Matty had dropped back into the middle.

The game started brightly enough for both sides, lots of possession in the middle of the park and on the wings, but no chances were created, the Devy were defending well, Stevie and Brooks looked to be playing well together for once, Arthur was performing well and Nathan was getting stuck in on the right.

Taking this into account it was ironic that the defence were mainly to blame for the first goal, a speculative ball through by the Wheatsheaf saw an awkward bounce in the box, Jeff came off his line, Stevie and Nathan also went for the ball along with the striker, the ball took a deflection and bobbled into the open net, it looked like the last touch had come off Nathan's arm, this was a fortunate goal, simple communication would have helped. Wheatsheaf 1 Devonshire Arms 0

It was obvious that the Wheatsheaf had some talent in their side, they seemed to know where each other were, created space well and it was easy to see why they were so high up in the league table, but the Devy weren't hiding in their shell, Johnny, Terry and Matty were battling well in midfield, Nick was also getting some possession on the left. The best Devy chance of the match fell to Jason, a good ball by Johnny, who looked offside, saw Jason one on one with the keeper, his shot was well saved, the rebound fell to Nick who although being someway out really only had to hit the target, but his shot went narrowly over the bar, an opportunity that we really should have taken.

The Wheatsheaf were still creating and winning several corners, the Devy were doing well, Stevie and Brooks both making good challenges to prevent goal scoring chances, but the Wheatsheaf caught them napping just before half time, the ball went out for a corner, taken quickly to the back post where the tall centre back had made a run, a free header, well directed into the far corner, the Devy had not paid attention at a vital moment, and were made to pay. Wheatsheaf 2 Devonshire Arms 0

The Devonshire maybe should have seen their opponents reduced to 10 men as Jason recieved the ball past the half way line and on the last defender, his turn saw a rash challenge bring him down when he would have been clean through on goal. The ref was having none of it though and didn't even produce a card. An amazing decision seeing as though a clear opportunity was lost.

Half Time

A good crowd had shown up today, particularly considering the conditions, there was tea, coffee and biscuits on the sidelines, making Steve's team talk much easier to hear, the team were playing well against a clearly superior side, but still could do better.

The changing of ends would hopefully help the Devonshire Arms' cause, they now had the wind to assist them, quite strong at times it was causing Jeff's kicks to hang in the air somewhat, this time it would hopefully be on our side.

Things started even enough, possession split between the two teams, Matty and Terry were really getting stuck in, conditions were difficult, the ground was wet and it was sometimes difficult to get a footing. A lot of the Wheatsheafs play was coming down the left and the whole defence was coping well but Arthur in particular was putting in an excellent display, nothing was getting past him and he was battling very well.

The Wheatsheaf however were soon to extend their lead, a good cross from the right went over the defence and fell to the right winger, his first touch was a poor one, he lost control of the ball, but to his relief his miss-control had eluded Jeff and rolled into the far corner, another very fortunate goal. Wheatsheaf 3 Devonshire Arms 0

Although being 3-0 down the Devy never let their heads drop, they were fighting hard in all areas, particularly midfield, Terry went on a run, beating one player before being on the end of a horrendous challenge which could have been far more serious, fortunately Terry recovered and was soon up on his feet, this was the first in a long line of injuries for the Devy, apart from Terry there were also knocks to Arthur, Brooks, Nick and Isaac.... Isaac eventually had to leave the field with a knee problem, he was replaced by Jono, who was playing his first competitive game for some years.

Despite the Devonshire Arms' grit and determination they could not prevent the fourth goal, a good move saw the ball cleared initially but fired back in by the tall Wheatsheaf midfielder, a good finish from a hard angle. Wheatsheaf 4 Devonshire Arms 0

The Devy had really played well today with some good solid individual performances, this was not a game where they simply let their heads drop and cave in, despite the 4-0 score line some heart can be taken from this performance, the only downside was again the limited number of players available to choose from, but hopefully that will change in the coming weeks.

Final Score - WheatSheaf Flitwick 4 -0 Devonshire Arms

To report a correction of information or to send any comments or reports please email info@devonshirearmsfc.co.uk