Match report from Birchanger - in before Ron's (again!)

Match Report for 02/11/08
Knebworth v Birchanger
Birchanger lost 3-1

Caretaker manager Gavin Tooke had an embarassment of riches with 16 players available and a decent surface in spite of heavey overnight rain. After a pre match chat about previous slow starts, Birchanger looked solid and determined not to give away anything too cheaply and so it proved in the first half. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last and a comedy of errors in front of their own goal in the second period saw them concede the lead and from then on struggle to get back into the game.

In spite of playing the better football for much of the first half, Birchanger could easily have found themselves behind. On one occasion, but for a brilliant intervention by Ian Winter, the home side would surely have taken the lead. However, neither side looked particularly likely to break the deadlock as the half came to a close until Birchanger won a corner down their left. The visitors, always strong from set pieces, caused havoc in the 18 yard box. Bob Beckwith got a head to it and his header was flicked in by a home team's defender to give Birchanger a 1-0 half time lead.

Their lead didn't last long, as shortly after the break the home side broke down their left, beat the Birchanger defence for pace, and a good finish into the bottom corner made it 1-1. Most of the play centred in the midfield, for a time, before a series of howlers in the visitors box. In spite of the pre match call to cut out conceding soft goals, too much football in front of their own goal ended up with Birchanger passing the ball to an astonished striker who just sidefooted it home to take the lead.

Further damage was soon to come when, this time, an attempted clearance was sliced and fell fortuitously to a Knebworth striker, who pulled the ball back inside the 18 yard box, to another black shirt, who finished well to make it 3-1.

Birchanger fought hard to get back into the game, with Mark Booker and Andy Gilbey going close. They even thought they had grabbed a late penalty when Ian Hollamby was upended, but the referee insisted the foul was just outside the box. The resulting free kick from Steve Luxford was brilliantly tipped over and that was the last Birchanger chance as the game finished 3-1.
This was a disappointing defeat and questions were asked about how the game was lost in the dressing room, but once again Birchanger had given their opponents a helping hand.

PS the ref was a knob head