We’re on a cup run!!! WE ARE ON A CUP RUN!!!
These are exciting times for the Knebworth FC Veterans…the first time ever in a County Cup game and we go over to Harpenden and put them to the sword with a very convincing display. Well done everyone.
Before the game started it was revealed that our manager had handed over the responsibility of team affairs to his number two but just before the game was about to start, Dave appeared like some biblical character and lifted the whole squad, with his presence and forthright decision making. We were on it from the start and Lee had two good chances that were easily scooped up by the keeper. We pressed well and eventually our reward came with a great through ball from Darren A and it was expertly put away by Dave Millhouse. At the back, James and Darren B looked solid in the middle and also gave us a threat at set pieces, with James going close at a couple of corners. There best chances came from corners as well but our keeper was decisive and did well under pressure when needed.
At half time we were 1-0 and the heat was getting to all the players. Who’d have thought it was the back end of September? In the second half, we carried on where we left off, with some good breaks and some good pressure being shown across the field. We got the goals we deserved when a rare break from the returning John Boyle saw a cross he delivered rebound off a defender and Gavin was there like a fox in the box to tuck it away. Our final goal came from another venture forward from John, which saw the ball end up with Dave M. who had a shot at goal that was parried by the keeper. Lewis responded first and tucked the ball away under the keeper. 3-0 and the game was practically over. Lee missed a gilt edged chance from a few yards out after Gavin had crossed it in to make it 4-0 and even though they scored late on after their forward had got between Ally and Richard and tucked it home. This was after a defensive reshuffle that saw Darren come off after a collision in the box with Bully and one of their players.
It was a good team performance all round. James captained the side superbly at the back and Bully and Darren A put in a real shift in the middle of the park. Dave M looks more threatening with each game he plays and the new lad played really well and showed good energy.
Next up in the cup is Wilbury Wanderers at home…that will be a tough game but who knows what will happen? That’s the magic of the cup!
Starting XI (4-4-2): Dobbo, John Boyle, James, Dave B, Richard, Gavin, Bully, Darren A, Lewis, Dave M and Lee. Subs: Chairman Al
Goodbye Sir Ronald
Quack quack
Monday 29 September 2014
Monday 22 September 2014
Knobs 2 Blunham 3
We played quite well in patches today but it wasn’t good enough a team that have really upped their game since last year and the score is rather flattering. They were better than us and that’s that.
In the first half we created little but went into half time after a lovely flowing moved that started with Tony C, who passed to Brendan W, who picked out Bully, who fed Gavin, who drove down the middle and passed to Dave who had a shot at goal that deflected into the path of Dan, who powered the ball home. Their goal came from a cross come shot that Tony could do little with.
In the second half, a mix-up between big Darren and Brendan led to their second but ultimately it was a fantastic finish from their guy. Their third came from a dubious free kick that was given for a back pass. Although they didn’t score directly from it, the ball eventually went out to the wing where it was whipped in for them to score. Richard was furious at that one. They had more chances, Tony saved some, one was cleared off the line and big Darren made some excellent blocks. We had some chances with Ross shooting over, Dave having some blocked and the keeper saving from Gavin but overall there was nothing clear cut. The final goal came in the dying seconds after Gavin went on a marauding run that saw him fouled in the box. Bully tucked the ball away as he usually does. The ref then blew the whistle.
It was a hard fought game where we were simply over-run in midfield. Darren A and Bully tried their hardest but the wide men struggled to get back to help. It’s difficult committing to attack knowing fitness levels aren’t what they were. Maybe we should have changed the tactics somewhat but that’s up to Dave and Darren A to think about. We do seem to struggle against a 3-5-2 formation.
The team was Tony C in goal, Brendan W, Richard, Darren B, Dave, Gavin, Darren A, Bully, Dave, Ross and Dan. Adrian came on as substitute in the second half for Darren A.
After the game the manager said "I'm disappointed and angry. I think we had a very bad day. We played very very slow. We need to be more alive and play quick"
In the first half we created little but went into half time after a lovely flowing moved that started with Tony C, who passed to Brendan W, who picked out Bully, who fed Gavin, who drove down the middle and passed to Dave who had a shot at goal that deflected into the path of Dan, who powered the ball home. Their goal came from a cross come shot that Tony could do little with.
In the second half, a mix-up between big Darren and Brendan led to their second but ultimately it was a fantastic finish from their guy. Their third came from a dubious free kick that was given for a back pass. Although they didn’t score directly from it, the ball eventually went out to the wing where it was whipped in for them to score. Richard was furious at that one. They had more chances, Tony saved some, one was cleared off the line and big Darren made some excellent blocks. We had some chances with Ross shooting over, Dave having some blocked and the keeper saving from Gavin but overall there was nothing clear cut. The final goal came in the dying seconds after Gavin went on a marauding run that saw him fouled in the box. Bully tucked the ball away as he usually does. The ref then blew the whistle.
It was a hard fought game where we were simply over-run in midfield. Darren A and Bully tried their hardest but the wide men struggled to get back to help. It’s difficult committing to attack knowing fitness levels aren’t what they were. Maybe we should have changed the tactics somewhat but that’s up to Dave and Darren A to think about. We do seem to struggle against a 3-5-2 formation.
The team was Tony C in goal, Brendan W, Richard, Darren B, Dave, Gavin, Darren A, Bully, Dave, Ross and Dan. Adrian came on as substitute in the second half for Darren A.
After the game the manager said "I'm disappointed and angry. I think we had a very bad day. We played very very slow. We need to be more alive and play quick"
Monday 15 September 2014
Sandridge Rovers 1 Knobs 1
After our 3 pre-season friendlies, our first league match duly arrived – a tough looking away game v Sandridge.
Back in March we had surrendered meekly at home and lost 4-2. The dream team of Dave and Darren were expecting a lot better in this fixture.
For the 2nd away game on the bounce we all arrived early and were raring to go. We had time for a short presentation by the chairman to last year’s player of the year, James and off we went to do battle.
After 10 minutes of warming up the referee decided to get the match started. He made no friends on our team by making quite a few strange decisions. Leaning on a Sandridge player was a foul. Only when a Knob hit the floor hard did we get a decision.
The Sandridge players didn’t need the referee to wind them up though as they were doing a good job of that themselves. One of their players stormed off early saying that he would not come back on unless one of his team mates left the pitch.
We were just about on top in the first half as we pressed them high and restricted their chances. The only shot that troubled Tony all game was the deflected shot during the half that managed to find its way into our net. We had more of the chances but we either missed the target or found their very good goalkeeper. The half ended with us trailing 1-0.
At half time Dave J had a shuffle.
On came debutant Dave Millhouse. He says he is a forward so we put him on the left wing. Dan Looney was replaced by Ross up front.
From the off the second half was a different story. As the team continued to press, Sandridge resorted to simply lumping the ball up to their front players who rarely got a sniff with both James and Big Darren winning everything in the air. With Sandridge tiring our superior football meant the chances were coming to us more frequently.
Not long into the 2nd half we were forced to make a change as Sergio got a sun tan injury and was replaced by the returning Dan. Dan’s Mars bar would just have to wait.
The superior passing and moving meant we were now dominating the game. Darren A proved his crossbar hitting skill from the week before was not a fluke by lobbing the keeper and hitting the cross bar again.
Finally though we got the goal we more than deserved. Ross was played in down the left, cut in and sent a curling shot towards the top right corner. The goalie who was the difference on the day, somehow got his hand to the shot but the ball fell to Tony K who from 1 yard out managed to scramble the ball over the line. The management dream team should take full credit for this as they made the bold move of putting Tony on the right wing!
Our chances kept coming. These were missed, blocked or saved by their keeper. Frustration all around.
We pushed for the win but ran out of time. A great performance but ultimately it was a draw that felt like 2 points dropped.
Most of us headed for the bar to eat the sausage sandwiches and sawdust wedges where we were entertained by Dave J and Alastair debating the acoustics of the changing rooms back at Knebworth and the wisdom of making John Boyle a licensee of a club house at the Rec.
Next week we return home to play Blunham in the league. In our first 4 games we have used 26 different players but only Bully and Darren have played in all 4. It’s a big squad but it would be nice to have a settled team!
Back in March we had surrendered meekly at home and lost 4-2. The dream team of Dave and Darren were expecting a lot better in this fixture.
For the 2nd away game on the bounce we all arrived early and were raring to go. We had time for a short presentation by the chairman to last year’s player of the year, James and off we went to do battle.
After 10 minutes of warming up the referee decided to get the match started. He made no friends on our team by making quite a few strange decisions. Leaning on a Sandridge player was a foul. Only when a Knob hit the floor hard did we get a decision.
The Sandridge players didn’t need the referee to wind them up though as they were doing a good job of that themselves. One of their players stormed off early saying that he would not come back on unless one of his team mates left the pitch.
We were just about on top in the first half as we pressed them high and restricted their chances. The only shot that troubled Tony all game was the deflected shot during the half that managed to find its way into our net. We had more of the chances but we either missed the target or found their very good goalkeeper. The half ended with us trailing 1-0.
At half time Dave J had a shuffle.
On came debutant Dave Millhouse. He says he is a forward so we put him on the left wing. Dan Looney was replaced by Ross up front.
From the off the second half was a different story. As the team continued to press, Sandridge resorted to simply lumping the ball up to their front players who rarely got a sniff with both James and Big Darren winning everything in the air. With Sandridge tiring our superior football meant the chances were coming to us more frequently.
Not long into the 2nd half we were forced to make a change as Sergio got a sun tan injury and was replaced by the returning Dan. Dan’s Mars bar would just have to wait.
The superior passing and moving meant we were now dominating the game. Darren A proved his crossbar hitting skill from the week before was not a fluke by lobbing the keeper and hitting the cross bar again.
Finally though we got the goal we more than deserved. Ross was played in down the left, cut in and sent a curling shot towards the top right corner. The goalie who was the difference on the day, somehow got his hand to the shot but the ball fell to Tony K who from 1 yard out managed to scramble the ball over the line. The management dream team should take full credit for this as they made the bold move of putting Tony on the right wing!
Our chances kept coming. These were missed, blocked or saved by their keeper. Frustration all around.
We pushed for the win but ran out of time. A great performance but ultimately it was a draw that felt like 2 points dropped.
Most of us headed for the bar to eat the sausage sandwiches and sawdust wedges where we were entertained by Dave J and Alastair debating the acoustics of the changing rooms back at Knebworth and the wisdom of making John Boyle a licensee of a club house at the Rec.
Next week we return home to play Blunham in the league. In our first 4 games we have used 26 different players but only Bully and Darren have played in all 4. It’s a big squad but it would be nice to have a settled team!
Thursday 11 September 2014
Walkern 1 Knobs 4
The oppo star player heads clear
A sweltering September morning saw the veterans take on their local rivals Walken at Thomas Alleyn School. We all arrived early (well some of us did) to find that the opposition were struggling to find a team. They eventually found the bare 11 and the game kicked off 15 minutes late.
The game started at a pace with the veterans chasing down the oppo at every opportunity. We were not allowing them timer on the ball which forced them to play wayward passes or play backwards. Darren and Bully were controlling the midfield with Darren on his game, constantly running down loose balls and Bully tracking back to cover. We were playing some great passing football mainly on the right using Gavin's pace. He was combining well with Kenny who was right back and Paul.
Our opener wasn't far away and Paul obliged with Robin their defender as he was passing it back, to slot pass the keeper. #1-0 Got to say their keeper was shit, to say the least. So with that in mind Darren, Phil, Paul and i'm sure one other tried to either lob him or shoot from a considerable distance. Paul had two chances in quick succession and fluffed his lines on both occasions. Darren had a hit and hope (he would say different) which hit the bar and Phil was just trying his luck. Eventually Paul had a thunderous half volley which found the top corner. A goal to grace any game. Two in as many games, in fact it was pretty similar to last weeks terrific effort which found the same corner. More of the same please.
Our third goal was class personified. It started with Tony, playing a short pass from goal and the ball being stroked around from defence to midfield and out to the wing where Gavin played a triangle with Paul (I think) and then made his way into the box. This sweeping move was something to behold as Gavin was the final touch that passed the ball in the goal. Best "team" goal I have seen scored in my time at the club. Adding to that we barely gave the ball away. Our passing and vision was up there with the best of them. Not to dwell on it too much the goal we conceded was a poor back pass from Chris C who underestimated the thickness of the grass which helps their centre forward nip inbetween defender and keeper to slot home an easy goal. That said, we didn't let it get to us and played some very attractive football to get the third.
Second half started a bit flat as we conceeded several corners in the first ten minutes which we revered well. We are becoming very organised when it comes to set pieces a lot of talking and directing, we will definitely need this in our tougher games during the season. After the early spell of pressure we found our form and were back to passing the ball around. Walkern were running out of puff and had no answers to our constant pressure. Which paid dividens as a ball played from the back again by Darren B (who looks solid for his 45 minutes) found Steve Bradley who in turn passed a neat ball to Paul who then passed across field to Gavin (I think). Within four passes the ball was in the box and found its way to Dan who slotted home. Another great goal to the collection. We were outstanding for all 90 minutes.
Good Tony - Some terrific saves in the second half and well organised with his defence.
Chris Cocks - Unfortunate back pass for their only goal but done a job in a position he is not used too.
Richard and Martyn - Forming a good partnership together although both learning the ropes. They were solid and resolute throughout.
Gavin - Power and pace. Not many people can cope with the electrifying speed. A great contribution.
Bully and Darren - Much better than last week. Were commanding in the middle, much quick on and off the ball. Both put in a shift. May it continue.
Phil - The Ernie Els of the team! The big easy looks effortless on the ball and gives himself more time with his sidesteps. Unfortunately injured before half time.
Paul - Such a solid player was player maker throughout the game/ Great vision when passing a long ball. Another one to add to his collection.
Dan - First game out field and didn't put a foot worng. Was in some great positions but didn't get the right pass. Can see him bagging a few goals soon.
Steve B - Linked well with Darren B, had loads of energy covering back and supporting.
Darren B - Had a great 45 minutes didn't shirk from a challenge and pleasing on the eye. More of the same for Sunday please. We are serious contenders this season don't forget it.
Uncle Tom Cobley - rubbish
A sweltering September morning saw the veterans take on their local rivals Walken at Thomas Alleyn School. We all arrived early (well some of us did) to find that the opposition were struggling to find a team. They eventually found the bare 11 and the game kicked off 15 minutes late.
The game started at a pace with the veterans chasing down the oppo at every opportunity. We were not allowing them timer on the ball which forced them to play wayward passes or play backwards. Darren and Bully were controlling the midfield with Darren on his game, constantly running down loose balls and Bully tracking back to cover. We were playing some great passing football mainly on the right using Gavin's pace. He was combining well with Kenny who was right back and Paul.
Our opener wasn't far away and Paul obliged with Robin their defender as he was passing it back, to slot pass the keeper. #1-0 Got to say their keeper was shit, to say the least. So with that in mind Darren, Phil, Paul and i'm sure one other tried to either lob him or shoot from a considerable distance. Paul had two chances in quick succession and fluffed his lines on both occasions. Darren had a hit and hope (he would say different) which hit the bar and Phil was just trying his luck. Eventually Paul had a thunderous half volley which found the top corner. A goal to grace any game. Two in as many games, in fact it was pretty similar to last weeks terrific effort which found the same corner. More of the same please.
Our third goal was class personified. It started with Tony, playing a short pass from goal and the ball being stroked around from defence to midfield and out to the wing where Gavin played a triangle with Paul (I think) and then made his way into the box. This sweeping move was something to behold as Gavin was the final touch that passed the ball in the goal. Best "team" goal I have seen scored in my time at the club. Adding to that we barely gave the ball away. Our passing and vision was up there with the best of them. Not to dwell on it too much the goal we conceded was a poor back pass from Chris C who underestimated the thickness of the grass which helps their centre forward nip inbetween defender and keeper to slot home an easy goal. That said, we didn't let it get to us and played some very attractive football to get the third.
Second half started a bit flat as we conceeded several corners in the first ten minutes which we revered well. We are becoming very organised when it comes to set pieces a lot of talking and directing, we will definitely need this in our tougher games during the season. After the early spell of pressure we found our form and were back to passing the ball around. Walkern were running out of puff and had no answers to our constant pressure. Which paid dividens as a ball played from the back again by Darren B (who looks solid for his 45 minutes) found Steve Bradley who in turn passed a neat ball to Paul who then passed across field to Gavin (I think). Within four passes the ball was in the box and found its way to Dan who slotted home. Another great goal to the collection. We were outstanding for all 90 minutes.
Good Tony - Some terrific saves in the second half and well organised with his defence.
Chris Cocks - Unfortunate back pass for their only goal but done a job in a position he is not used too.
Richard and Martyn - Forming a good partnership together although both learning the ropes. They were solid and resolute throughout.
Gavin - Power and pace. Not many people can cope with the electrifying speed. A great contribution.
Bully and Darren - Much better than last week. Were commanding in the middle, much quick on and off the ball. Both put in a shift. May it continue.
Phil - The Ernie Els of the team! The big easy looks effortless on the ball and gives himself more time with his sidesteps. Unfortunately injured before half time.
Paul - Such a solid player was player maker throughout the game/ Great vision when passing a long ball. Another one to add to his collection.
Dan - First game out field and didn't put a foot worng. Was in some great positions but didn't get the right pass. Can see him bagging a few goals soon.
Steve B - Linked well with Darren B, had loads of energy covering back and supporting.
Darren B - Had a great 45 minutes didn't shirk from a challenge and pleasing on the eye. More of the same for Sunday please. We are serious contenders this season don't forget it.
Uncle Tom Cobley - rubbish
Thursday 4 September 2014
Knobs 1 FC Falconer 3
Did you know that Scottish immigrants brought their tradition of deep frying chicken in fat to the southern United States? After that, Colonel Harland Sanders perfected it with his 11 herbs and spices.
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