Knobs 3 Whitewebbs 6

A wise man once told me (or maybe it was Gavin) that if you want to criticise then you should sandwich the criticism between 2 pieces of praise.  So here goes –

We had a good turnout this week.  We have now played 32 different players in just 8 games.  The match being a friendly allowed us to revolve the players, start some players who deserved some playing time and give minutes to players returning form injury.  There was a record crowd in attendance and I am sure they thoroughly enjoyed all of the goals. All very nice. 

Before the match the new concept of “the last 2 to leave the changing room have to sweep up after the game” was introduced.  Unfortunately this was the quickest that many of the players in the team moved all day as the changing room emptied quicker than a John Boyle pint glass.  The new concept of “if you turn up late, you start as sub” will be discussed at the next managers meeting.  The management dream team run a tight ship!

This is the first time this season when the team have not played well.  The oppo were not great, they were not fit, they were not young but they can pass and move.  We beat them comfortably at home last year and we would have done again if we had not stopped doing what we have done so well all season.  We just did not get in their faces.  We did not shut them down.  If we did it was done by individuals and not as a team.  We have played much better teams this season and got results through pressing them as a team.  Let’s get back to doing that.  Surely no one enjoyed the game yesterday!

Anyway, somehow we took a 2-0 lead.  Both goals were against the run of play but the first was put away well by Dave M who has the pace and composure to trouble anyone we play.  The second was a cross that flew straight in from wide on the right.  Last week Steve Bradley scored a wonder goal, this week his goal was a little more fortunate!

The 2nd half is too painful to report fully.  The highlights were another great goal from Dave M, rounding the keeper after a great 1-2 with Steve Bradley.  The oppo linesman ruled out a Dave M goal for offside when he clearly was not.  The linesman was actually 20 yards behind play and that is being generous to him.  It mattered not, as we let them do whatever they wanted with the ball.  They had multiple pass options when they looked up and they just passed around us or in 1 case run from their own half all the way through to score unchallenged.  Embarrassing.  Maybe I’m being too tough but I hate losing and hate it even more when we don’t compete.

Special mention goes to Ally who scored an own goal from 2 centimetres out when trying to clear.

Back to the positives.  We continue to score goals even when we play badly.  It is the first time in 8 games we have not played well so hopefully a one off.  Richard continues to be a rock at the back.  Dave M looks like he’ll be a threat whenever he plays.  A much better turnout at the pub but I am not sure we got our money’s worth this week with a plate of brown stuff per team being all we were offered.

This week sees us continue or journey in the cup and I’m sure we will be up for the challenge and a place in the quarter finals.

Wilbury Wanderers 4 vs KNOBS 3 (But we win on appeal!)

It was a funny old game as Greavsie used to say. The lunchtime kick-off was clearly more popular with them than it was for us and the original referee. This was reflected in the fact that we let in a goal after 10 seconds!  Despite this early set back though, we battled back into the game well and it wasn’t long before we were level as Dave Millhouse nipped onto a poor headed back pass and finished with a beautiful lob. We were having a lot of success down the right flank but sadly many of the attacks came to nothing. They scored a second before half-time but I can’t remember much about that.

In the second half, Steve came on, with Ross moving to the right flank after previously being on the left flank.  They scored a third when their twat of a centre forward managed to get to the by-line and cross the ball which seem to evade all our defenders and one of their guys kicked the ball in. Steve then scored the goal of the game and potential KNOBS goal of the season with a jinking run that took him past three defenders before calmly chipping over the keeper from some distance. They then scored a fourth after another change when the player-manager took himself off and Lee came on (he was told a wrong time to meet at The Station) with Paul moving to a central midfield role. Basically one of their guys toe-punted the ball into the top corner…from the comments afterwards, it appears he has a knack for it. Dave managed to get another goal, again nipping in after a poor back pass and slowly the game petered out with continual ill-feeling and they won 4-3. They probably were the better team but seeing their goalkeeper time waste as if it was a Champions League match was something to behold and made for a rather frustrating time.

However, after the game we did point out that they had been playing with a 31 year old which is against the league rules. Darren had used the guy to do some work for him and had informed him he couldn’t play for the KNOBS due to his age. Clearly that hadn’t stopped Wilbury accepting his services. Chairman Al informed their guy that we would be putting in a complaint. They then said that we should have informed them but Darren had pointed out to a number of their players that he was under-age and yet he still continued to play. We probably wouldn’t have been so petty if we considered them a nice bunch of lads but alas…we didn’t. Which all adds some spice to the next time we see them which will be in the Herts County Cup in two weeks.

The team played well in patches. Paul really holds up the play well and when moved to the middle in the second half we missed that up front. Dave is a very tidy finisher when he gets the chance. That combo could have plenty of goals if they play enough together!

Nearly forgot…Tony C wanted me to point out that he basically started the move that set up Steve’s goal.  To be honest, he could probably say that for nearly every goal we’ve ever scored! Oh…he also made two fantastic saves…one going into the top corner in the first half and a one-on-one in the second. But writing that just reminded me of the second goal. Tony came out to punch the ball and was beaten by a header that went into the empty net.

Team: Tony C, Gerry, Richard, Chairman Al, Dave, Gavin, Bully, Darren, Ross, Dave M, Paul. Subs: Lee and Steve

Harpenden Rovers 1 Knobs 3 - county cup 1st round

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

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"

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!

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

Knobs 1 FC Falconer 3

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