At the start of the week we thought we were playing MBDA, mid-week Kimpton, but eventually we ended up playing our old adversaries Goldings in a friendly.
Woody doesn’t do friendlies so he dropped out. Paul drank so much on Friday that the pain in his ankle disappeared so he felt fit enough to replace Woody. On Saturday Paul woke up with a pain in his ankle and head and so he dropped out again. Barney then made himself available after his 1 appearance and instant retirement 4 years ago. The situation was fluid.
On the day there was confusion about whom we were playing and who Barney was. This was not helped by Goldings turning up with 10 and Barney being donated to them. Last week’s referee Gavin also returned from retirement but did state ahead of the game that he may not be able to work as hard as the rest of the team had the previous week.
Gavin need not have worried as the team must have felt sorry for him as they played at a much slower tempo and work rate that the week before.
Referee Les / Len also seemed to be confused. He asked why we were doing another Remembrance Day silence before the game!
The last time we gave the opposition players we lost. It looked like we would do this again as after only a few minutes Barney broke down our right and crossed for the Goldings forward to poke in at the near post. A very poor start.
Although we had the balance of play and possession we looked susceptible to long balls for the 2 (1 borrowed) quick forwards to chase and this became the pattern of play for the rest of the half.
Greg was obviously full of confidence after his goal last week and also wanted to show us he believed in the saying, “if at first you don’t succeed” as he peppered the trees and tennis courts with long range efforts over and over again.
The management dream team’s decision to leave Wayne on the Bench (he took that too literally) was proved to be a genius decision. His replacement (Chairman Al) picked up the ball on the right, crossed and picked out an unmarked Greg who headed the ball into the corner of the net. Total football personified when your centre back appears on the wing and gets an assist. Shortly after the equaliser the whistle went for half time and Al was rewarded for his assist by being donated to Goldings who had another player turn up just in time for their forward to pull his hamstring.
Wayne replaced Al, Barney switched shirts and took a rest, Tony K replaced Gerry and off we went again. Bully declared that anyone who embarrassed Al would win a pint. Martyn nutmegged Al to claim the pint. Goldings changed their formation to what they described as 3 in the middle. In practice it became 5 centre backs as we lay siege to their goal. We must have had 80% possession. Our winning goal finally arrived with a great cross field pass from Greg to Martyn who beat his man to roll the ball across to Barney who had a 1 yard tap in. Goldings had 2 attacks in 45 minutes, both of those from Gavin who somehow managed to sub himself on for one of their players whilst being subbed for Barney. The best chance for Goldings was when our chuckle brothers (Tony C and Wayne) decided to tackle each other under no pressure from anyone.
There was a big concern for Dave K who injured his lungs having to run 20 yards to keep the ball in before slicing it off. He begged to be replaced due to a lack of oxygen.
The game ended, we all decided their best player was the goalkeeper who had made a number of saves and we will all probably forget about the game very quickly.
Ground hog day then ensued – Greg and Wayne swept up and most of us went to the pub for brown food.
Goodbye Sir Ronald
Quack quack
Monday, 16 November 2015
Monday, 9 November 2015
Knobs 2 Dun Cow 5
Co-mangers Hobbs and Aldrich launched a stinging attack on Director of Footballs John Boyle after the Vets conceded 2 critical goals through unlucky bounces in this match against Dun Cow.
The hard men managers accused Boyle of buying sub-standard match balls. Boyle maintains the balls are genuine high quality, bought from Fred the Fence at the back of Mike Ashley Soccer World. Hobbs and Aldrich remain unconvinced.
Having lost in the cup last week, Knebworth made several changes to the squad for this league match. Jono was left out following a training ground bust up with Tony C, Paul "biscuits" Matthews was sent to A&E as a precautionary measure, Woody was competing in a marathon (a drinking one) and Tony K took one look at the form guide and pulled his groin. So the formation switched to 4-5-1, once the telepathic managers realised they had agreed to play different Robs at centre half.
On a heavy pitch, Knebworth held their own in the first half against a strong Dun Cow side who have not lost a match since Tony Clare had a full head of hair. Knebworth conceded possession at times, but looked dangerous in the counter attack, with the Dave 'the mouth' Millhouse putting in a great shift. In midfield his brother Greg 'wallace' Millhouse had his best game of the season despite having to carry Bully and Darren on his shoulders.
Into the second half Knebworth had just started to believe in themselves when disaster struck. Hobbs was perfectly positioned (as usual) to clear a cross but the bouncing ball did not bounce and went straight under his foot to the far post and Dun Cow were able to take the lead. At this point John Boyle started to look a bit shifty on the sidelines.
Knebworth soon struck back - the Millhouse brothers combined well, and the one with slightly more hair (Greg) found some space in the box to equalise. Back in the game, Knebworth continued to attack and Banksy found some space on the edge of the box.... say what you like about Banksy, and most people do, the boy can finish 2-1 Knebworth with 21 minutes to go - what could possibly go wrong ...
Into the last 20 minutes the crowd doubled with Tony K, Vinny and Phil Wheeler arriving at the Rec having heard on the radio a victory to rival Japan vs . South Africa was possible.... But disaster struck again when a weak shot bounced under Tony Clare due to the faulty footballs again. John Boyle was now starting to look very guilty. Dun Cow could not believe their luck, and were re-energised to go for the win. They were successful in that objective. From 2-1 up with 20 minutes to go, to a 5-2 defeat for Knebworth.
The final score did not reflect a strong performance, and everyone showed great commitment. particularly the Millhouse brothers who also swept up after non-paying Rob H failed to do his duty and clean the dressing room. Note to all, if you have to leave in a hurry after the game make sure are not in the last 2 to arrive!
Thanks to Gavin "Tory Boy" Simpson for another good performance with the whistle.
The hard men managers accused Boyle of buying sub-standard match balls. Boyle maintains the balls are genuine high quality, bought from Fred the Fence at the back of Mike Ashley Soccer World. Hobbs and Aldrich remain unconvinced.
Having lost in the cup last week, Knebworth made several changes to the squad for this league match. Jono was left out following a training ground bust up with Tony C, Paul "biscuits" Matthews was sent to A&E as a precautionary measure, Woody was competing in a marathon (a drinking one) and Tony K took one look at the form guide and pulled his groin. So the formation switched to 4-5-1, once the telepathic managers realised they had agreed to play different Robs at centre half.
On a heavy pitch, Knebworth held their own in the first half against a strong Dun Cow side who have not lost a match since Tony Clare had a full head of hair. Knebworth conceded possession at times, but looked dangerous in the counter attack, with the Dave 'the mouth' Millhouse putting in a great shift. In midfield his brother Greg 'wallace' Millhouse had his best game of the season despite having to carry Bully and Darren on his shoulders.
Into the second half Knebworth had just started to believe in themselves when disaster struck. Hobbs was perfectly positioned (as usual) to clear a cross but the bouncing ball did not bounce and went straight under his foot to the far post and Dun Cow were able to take the lead. At this point John Boyle started to look a bit shifty on the sidelines.
Knebworth soon struck back - the Millhouse brothers combined well, and the one with slightly more hair (Greg) found some space in the box to equalise. Back in the game, Knebworth continued to attack and Banksy found some space on the edge of the box.... say what you like about Banksy, and most people do, the boy can finish 2-1 Knebworth with 21 minutes to go - what could possibly go wrong ...
Into the last 20 minutes the crowd doubled with Tony K, Vinny and Phil Wheeler arriving at the Rec having heard on the radio a victory to rival Japan vs . South Africa was possible.... But disaster struck again when a weak shot bounced under Tony Clare due to the faulty footballs again. John Boyle was now starting to look very guilty. Dun Cow could not believe their luck, and were re-energised to go for the win. They were successful in that objective. From 2-1 up with 20 minutes to go, to a 5-2 defeat for Knebworth.
The final score did not reflect a strong performance, and everyone showed great commitment. particularly the Millhouse brothers who also swept up after non-paying Rob H failed to do his duty and clean the dressing room. Note to all, if you have to leave in a hurry after the game make sure are not in the last 2 to arrive!
Thanks to Gavin "Tory Boy" Simpson for another good performance with the whistle.
Monday, 2 November 2015
Knobs 1 Oxhey Jets 2
The Vets crashed out of the Herts County Cup losing in a competitive match for the first time this season.
It was a beautiful November morning, the early morning sun rose over the church and shone through the giant cloud of mist from Banksy's Shisha pipe. Despite the loss of Woody, Sergio and Biscuits Matthews, Knebworth were able to put out a strong team with Jono and Dave M back in the squad to reinforce the forward line. It was a typical Knebworth first half - a strong Oxhey side dominated possession but good shape and a resilient back line kept the ship steady. Greg and Martyn put in a lot of work to help Bully and Darren who were out numbered in he middle. Playing on the break, Knebworth had a couple of half chances, but non-scoring centre midfielder Darren was the man to break the deadlock. After some good work down the left, a shot was blocked and the ball fell to Darren to smash a side footer home. 1-0 against the run play, this usually means Knebworth are playing well.
Unfortunately after a couple of changes at half time, Knebworth lost their shape and conceded twice shortly after the interval. As Tony C was keen to point out after the game, neither were his fault (team game Tony, first for everything and all that!). A cruel bounce saw a cross skip past Tony K for the first goal, and Wayne left the referee with little choice for a penalty for the second goal.
Knebworth fought hard to get back in the game, but struggled to impose themselves and hold their shape. Wayne and Tony C were excellent throughout, but in the end it probably looked more likely to go to 3-1 than 2-2.
Great effort from everyone, this was a strong Oxhey side and a close game.
Strong turn out from a hungry Oxhey side at the pub left a few chips for the Knebworth stragglers.
Post match warm down was held at Odyssey "Health Club" Family Swim session where Jono and James were joined by reserve squad members Gerry Dempsey and Steve Bradley. Unfortunately the pool had to be closed when a huge amount of foam appeared in the water after Jono jumped in. Jono, now banned from the "Health Club", blames the 2 litres of shampoo dumped on his head by best friend Wayne after the match. Hard man Gerry took the opportunity to strut his stuff in the free weights section of the gym.
It was a beautiful November morning, the early morning sun rose over the church and shone through the giant cloud of mist from Banksy's Shisha pipe. Despite the loss of Woody, Sergio and Biscuits Matthews, Knebworth were able to put out a strong team with Jono and Dave M back in the squad to reinforce the forward line. It was a typical Knebworth first half - a strong Oxhey side dominated possession but good shape and a resilient back line kept the ship steady. Greg and Martyn put in a lot of work to help Bully and Darren who were out numbered in he middle. Playing on the break, Knebworth had a couple of half chances, but non-scoring centre midfielder Darren was the man to break the deadlock. After some good work down the left, a shot was blocked and the ball fell to Darren to smash a side footer home. 1-0 against the run play, this usually means Knebworth are playing well.
Unfortunately after a couple of changes at half time, Knebworth lost their shape and conceded twice shortly after the interval. As Tony C was keen to point out after the game, neither were his fault (team game Tony, first for everything and all that!). A cruel bounce saw a cross skip past Tony K for the first goal, and Wayne left the referee with little choice for a penalty for the second goal.
Knebworth fought hard to get back in the game, but struggled to impose themselves and hold their shape. Wayne and Tony C were excellent throughout, but in the end it probably looked more likely to go to 3-1 than 2-2.
Great effort from everyone, this was a strong Oxhey side and a close game.
Strong turn out from a hungry Oxhey side at the pub left a few chips for the Knebworth stragglers.
Post match warm down was held at Odyssey "Health Club" Family Swim session where Jono and James were joined by reserve squad members Gerry Dempsey and Steve Bradley. Unfortunately the pool had to be closed when a huge amount of foam appeared in the water after Jono jumped in. Jono, now banned from the "Health Club", blames the 2 litres of shampoo dumped on his head by best friend Wayne after the match. Hard man Gerry took the opportunity to strut his stuff in the free weights section of the gym.
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Knobs 6 Hadley Green 1
It's now 5 wins in a row for Knebworth Vets after Hadley Green were dismantled with 4 goals in the second half.
Knebworth started slowly, conceding a lot of possession in the first 25 minutes - but the back four held firm protecting stand in keeper Dave Jordan (thanks Dave). Upfront Woody looked lively, and the deadlock was broken when Woody turned his man inside out and was hacked down in the box. Phil Wheeler, looking as smart as we've ever seen him, pointed to the spot. Bully had clearly not read the blog after last weeks miss, and stepped forward to give Knebworth the lead.
Knebworth then went 2 up. Free scoring, deputy manager, James cleared a corner to Paul Matthews, and followed his clearance like Bryan Habana chasing a high ball. Paul returned the pass and James ran through, closed his eyes, swung his right foot and the keeper dived out of the way.
Hadley Green got back in it shortly before half time. Wayne didn't quite understand the term "indirect" and deflected an indirect free kick past Dave. This was Wayne's 53rd career own goal.
At half time the statistics said not to bring Banksy - pitch too big, and his form with the flag is just too good. so Dave K went in goal (thanks Dave), Ally replaced Tony.
The game was over 10 minutes after half time. Some much improved passing cut through a tiring Hadley team and Woody netted twice. Darren tied the bootlaces of a giant together so James could head in the fifth goal. Banksy made a nuisance of himself, tripped over his Shisha pipe and was awarded a penalty - Bully converted again - to answer his "anonymous" critics on the blog.
After the game a naked man wondered why naked men did not have any cash on their person to pay their subs. A tense and frightening moment, but eventually money was found to pay Phil for the 2 penalties.
50 shades of beige was served in the pub
Supporters Jack Matthews and Louis Hobbs, 50% of John Boyle
Knebworth started slowly, conceding a lot of possession in the first 25 minutes - but the back four held firm protecting stand in keeper Dave Jordan (thanks Dave). Upfront Woody looked lively, and the deadlock was broken when Woody turned his man inside out and was hacked down in the box. Phil Wheeler, looking as smart as we've ever seen him, pointed to the spot. Bully had clearly not read the blog after last weeks miss, and stepped forward to give Knebworth the lead.
Knebworth then went 2 up. Free scoring, deputy manager, James cleared a corner to Paul Matthews, and followed his clearance like Bryan Habana chasing a high ball. Paul returned the pass and James ran through, closed his eyes, swung his right foot and the keeper dived out of the way.
Hadley Green got back in it shortly before half time. Wayne didn't quite understand the term "indirect" and deflected an indirect free kick past Dave. This was Wayne's 53rd career own goal.
At half time the statistics said not to bring Banksy - pitch too big, and his form with the flag is just too good. so Dave K went in goal (thanks Dave), Ally replaced Tony.
The game was over 10 minutes after half time. Some much improved passing cut through a tiring Hadley team and Woody netted twice. Darren tied the bootlaces of a giant together so James could head in the fifth goal. Banksy made a nuisance of himself, tripped over his Shisha pipe and was awarded a penalty - Bully converted again - to answer his "anonymous" critics on the blog.
After the game a naked man wondered why naked men did not have any cash on their person to pay their subs. A tense and frightening moment, but eventually money was found to pay Phil for the 2 penalties.
50 shades of beige was served in the pub
Supporters Jack Matthews and Louis Hobbs, 50% of John Boyle
Monday, 19 October 2015
Harpenden 2 Knobs 3
The Vets made it 4 wins in a row and go top of league with a scrappy win away at Harpenden. The match was shrouded in mystery after Tony Kingsbury's water went missing - more on this later. On a bobbly pitch Knebworth struggled to find any form in a difficult first half. Harpenden had a good chance to lob Tony, but put it over, Knebworth threatened a few times, but overall it was a poor first half.
The first goal nearly came after Dave Millhouse made a lovely turn in the box, drove towards the goal and was tripped before he could shoot. Lots of protesting from Harpenden, but a clear penalty to Knebworth - unfortunately Bully missed.
Three changes made at half time - moneyball theory dictating that all players must play at least 45 mins. The deadlock was broken shortly after half time. Manager Hobbs went forward for his 1058th corner in Knebworth colours and recorded his 6th ever goal with a bullet header after Bully's corner found was initially cleared and then played back in again.
Knebworth went 2 up 10 minutes later - after a series of heavy tackles the ball fell to Paul, he flicked it up and volleyed home from 30 yards. Excellent goal.
But Harpenden did not give up and continued to look for long balls through. They got one back after Tony made a fantastic double save, Dave Jordan blocked another shot, but then the centre forward poked it home. To ensure no one forgot his great double save, Tony aimed a two footed tackle at the post and lost out. He misses the next game with a heavily bruised foot.
Knebworth were starting to get a bit nervous - conceding an unnecessary free kick 30 yards out. Unfortunately the free kick was accidentally floated over Tony, and from cruising at 2 nil up, it was 2-2 with 10 minutes to go.
It was starting to get a bit frantic now, but Woody kept a cool head and cut in from the left to fire in a shot from the edge of the box. The ball rolled under the keeper, and City boys Paul and Darren swore with the honesty of an Enron accountant it was over the line. Creative honesty from Harpenden said it was not over the line. A fault with the video technology meant the referee had no choice but to say "no goal". Paul subsequently gave his son Jack a lesson in finger pointing and aggressive body language towards the creatively honest keeper.
But Knebworth were not done yet. Banksy topped up his Shisha pipe with Tony's water and found his first burst of energy to cause some confusion in the Harpenden defence - with 90 seconds remaining and only the keeper to bear, he wobbled past and tapped home the winner.
Strong turn out in the pub meant Bully was forced to moan about "normal" pub attendance, rather than this specific turn out. Quite a refreshing change.
Greg had 2 sausage sandwiches, Brendan Walkden had 3 - both looked guilty when Harpenden shared the remaining 3 sandwiches between 8 of them.
Supporters - Billy Brown, Jack Matthews
The first goal nearly came after Dave Millhouse made a lovely turn in the box, drove towards the goal and was tripped before he could shoot. Lots of protesting from Harpenden, but a clear penalty to Knebworth - unfortunately Bully missed.
Three changes made at half time - moneyball theory dictating that all players must play at least 45 mins. The deadlock was broken shortly after half time. Manager Hobbs went forward for his 1058th corner in Knebworth colours and recorded his 6th ever goal with a bullet header after Bully's corner found was initially cleared and then played back in again.
Knebworth went 2 up 10 minutes later - after a series of heavy tackles the ball fell to Paul, he flicked it up and volleyed home from 30 yards. Excellent goal.
But Harpenden did not give up and continued to look for long balls through. They got one back after Tony made a fantastic double save, Dave Jordan blocked another shot, but then the centre forward poked it home. To ensure no one forgot his great double save, Tony aimed a two footed tackle at the post and lost out. He misses the next game with a heavily bruised foot.
Knebworth were starting to get a bit nervous - conceding an unnecessary free kick 30 yards out. Unfortunately the free kick was accidentally floated over Tony, and from cruising at 2 nil up, it was 2-2 with 10 minutes to go.
It was starting to get a bit frantic now, but Woody kept a cool head and cut in from the left to fire in a shot from the edge of the box. The ball rolled under the keeper, and City boys Paul and Darren swore with the honesty of an Enron accountant it was over the line. Creative honesty from Harpenden said it was not over the line. A fault with the video technology meant the referee had no choice but to say "no goal". Paul subsequently gave his son Jack a lesson in finger pointing and aggressive body language towards the creatively honest keeper.
But Knebworth were not done yet. Banksy topped up his Shisha pipe with Tony's water and found his first burst of energy to cause some confusion in the Harpenden defence - with 90 seconds remaining and only the keeper to bear, he wobbled past and tapped home the winner.
Strong turn out in the pub meant Bully was forced to moan about "normal" pub attendance, rather than this specific turn out. Quite a refreshing change.
Greg had 2 sausage sandwiches, Brendan Walkden had 3 - both looked guilty when Harpenden shared the remaining 3 sandwiches between 8 of them.
Supporters - Billy Brown, Jack Matthews
Monday, 12 October 2015
MBDA 0 Knobs 8
On the back of a good win last week, and with authoritarian deputy coach Darren Aldrich away on a gambling trip to Las Vegas, the Vets were in good spirits ahead of this short trip to MBDA.
However, the mood was quickly dampened with the discovery that Dave Knights had dried the kit on his sun bed, causing shrinkage and the labels to peel off.
Having had just 12 players for the long trip last week, suddenly 17 were available to this journey to Stevenage. The 17 were cut back to 14, and the 3 subs for Knebworth contrasted an under strength MBDA who lined up without subs.
Knebworth dominated the early exchanges, but were well below par. Jono made his midfield debut, and the constant abuse from Wayne seemed to get to him. James made some early runs forward but the final ball was poor. The deadlock was broken when Paul Matthews, who is first choice striker for lead coach Hobbs, beat the offside trap, and ran through to score. Les was tempted to give off side, and may have whistled a little early, but stuck with linesman Banks' decision. MBDA continued to play a dangerously high line, and Paul beat the offside trap to add a second, third and fourth before half time. The goals all looked quite similar and the assists were from across the back five (including Tony). 4 up at half time, without playing well, and missing several good chances.
Changes were made at half time. That statistics showed that it was 110% likely that Paul Matthews would get injured in the second half so he was off for Banks. Full backs Tony K and Dave "sun bed" Knights were off for the returning Chairman Al and Brendan Walkden.
Taking off a four goal hero at half time was seem by many as management suicide, but the old Steve Banks was back and he next scored 2 goals, again beating the high line with assists from the back 5.
With MBDA down to 9 men through injury, for the next 30 mins Knebworth missed a good chance every 2 minutes. Ridiculous. Woody scored the next 2, including a lovely chip after an assist from the back 5.
(Nearly forgot...) Tony saved a penalty, after a tired tackle from Bully. To be fair to the penalty taker, the grass was quite long.
8 nil, great result, average performance, terrible finishing, sterner tests await.
Greg "Wallace" Millhouse was surprised, and delighted by the post match stew, including vegetables. Nothing had been fried, and he's booked in for Valentine's Day 2016.
Supporters Charlie Millhouse and Louis Hobbs
However, the mood was quickly dampened with the discovery that Dave Knights had dried the kit on his sun bed, causing shrinkage and the labels to peel off.
Having had just 12 players for the long trip last week, suddenly 17 were available to this journey to Stevenage. The 17 were cut back to 14, and the 3 subs for Knebworth contrasted an under strength MBDA who lined up without subs.
Knebworth dominated the early exchanges, but were well below par. Jono made his midfield debut, and the constant abuse from Wayne seemed to get to him. James made some early runs forward but the final ball was poor. The deadlock was broken when Paul Matthews, who is first choice striker for lead coach Hobbs, beat the offside trap, and ran through to score. Les was tempted to give off side, and may have whistled a little early, but stuck with linesman Banks' decision. MBDA continued to play a dangerously high line, and Paul beat the offside trap to add a second, third and fourth before half time. The goals all looked quite similar and the assists were from across the back five (including Tony). 4 up at half time, without playing well, and missing several good chances.
Changes were made at half time. That statistics showed that it was 110% likely that Paul Matthews would get injured in the second half so he was off for Banks. Full backs Tony K and Dave "sun bed" Knights were off for the returning Chairman Al and Brendan Walkden.
Taking off a four goal hero at half time was seem by many as management suicide, but the old Steve Banks was back and he next scored 2 goals, again beating the high line with assists from the back 5.
With MBDA down to 9 men through injury, for the next 30 mins Knebworth missed a good chance every 2 minutes. Ridiculous. Woody scored the next 2, including a lovely chip after an assist from the back 5.
(Nearly forgot...) Tony saved a penalty, after a tired tackle from Bully. To be fair to the penalty taker, the grass was quite long.
8 nil, great result, average performance, terrible finishing, sterner tests await.
Greg "Wallace" Millhouse was surprised, and delighted by the post match stew, including vegetables. Nothing had been fried, and he's booked in for Valentine's Day 2016.
Supporters Charlie Millhouse and Louis Hobbs
Monday, 5 October 2015
Rickmansworth 2 Knobs 4
After the failure of Stuart Lancaster's men on Saturday night, the RFU are said to be looking at the approach to tournament football of joint managers Darren Aldrich and James Hobbs. Minutes of pre-match planning saw Knebworth line up with a 4 4 2 formation for this cup match with Rickmansworth.
The personal touch from the managers to get the best from their resources was evident as they picked up Gerry Dempsey from his house 15 mins after the scheduled meet time. No apology from Gerry for poor time keeping, just a generous thanks for the home visit. There was also an arm round the shoulder for late arrivals for Greg "Wallace" Millhouse and Wayne - both casually walking onto the pitch with 20 players in position and the ref about to kick off. Rickmansworth were probably a little tired by this time having completed numerous warm up drills whilst we counted players and the kids put long shots past Tony.
Last season, most clubs in the league, including ourselves, declined the invitation to play away at Rickmansworth, having seen them record double digit scores in some early fixtures - but this Knebworth team (mostly) holds no fear. With fourth choice striker Paul and Sergio upfront, there is confidence that we will be able to give the opposition back four a hard time.
Both teams started brightly, knocking the ball around on a small but flat pitch. Much to the bookies surprise, and the non-believers in the Knebworth side, Knebworth took an early lead. The Rickmansworth keeper was only able to parry an excellent shot from Paul, and Sergio tapped in the rebound. Further astonishment followed - Knebworth won a free kick after a foul on Sergio. He's taken 97.7% of Knebworth dead balls in the last 13 years, with 0.06% success rate - so it was no surprise to see Bully ping the free kick into the top corner. 2 - 0, after 25 minutes, could we actually beat the mighty Rickmansworth? Maybe some started to believe it....
But Rickmansworth then got back in the game after a run through the heart of midfield stretched the defence and a pass through allowed an easy finish.
Rickmansworth continued to press hard but the back four and Tony held firm. Tony claimed some crosses and made one important save. Greg tried really hard to give away a penalty, twice in 10 seconds. Upfront Sergio and Paul were excellent, the counter attacking strategy (or default position) was working well.
Continuing the threaten on the break, Knebworth won a corner. Bully took his 9,564th corner for Knebworth, these corners have produced 3 goals, ever. Bully mis kicked his corner, Sergio was at the near post and flicked it in. 3 - 1, people starting to believe again.
That belief took a dent when Sergio was forced off with an injury, but Steve the hammer Banks was back on the bench after a period away training with the reserves, and who can forget the day he scored four.
More of the same was the cry at half time. Hobbs and Aldrich consulted the statisticians and decided that with no one left on the bench, they would leave things unchanged into the second half.
Knebworth continued to battle hard in the second half, conceding possession but holding a thin orange line to keep Rickmansworth back. Across the pitch everyone dug in and stuck together. Crosses and long passes rained on the back four, but everything was challenged and for all their dominance Rickmansworth did not threaten Tony on many occasions.
The game was nearly sealed when Paul put a mis hit shot from Martyn past the keeper, 4 - 1 to Knebworth was 100-1 bet in William Hill in Knebworth on Saturday lunchtime.
Rickmansworth kept going, scoring another to make it 4 - 2, but that was it, Knebworth were through!
Greg "Wallace" Millhouse was again impressed with the sandwiches - colourful he said. That's called salad said Bully.
Dave Knight gave a lesson in how to win friends and influence people after the game. Step 1) tell centre backs James and Wayne he could find a decent centre back for next week. Step 2) tell Bully his free kick was rubbish and should have been saved easily. For best effect, do this whilst eating your own post match meal with your own bottle of champagne and a single glass. He has a lovely tan though.
Supporters Brendan Wren, Louis Hobbs, Billy Brown, Jack Matthews
The personal touch from the managers to get the best from their resources was evident as they picked up Gerry Dempsey from his house 15 mins after the scheduled meet time. No apology from Gerry for poor time keeping, just a generous thanks for the home visit. There was also an arm round the shoulder for late arrivals for Greg "Wallace" Millhouse and Wayne - both casually walking onto the pitch with 20 players in position and the ref about to kick off. Rickmansworth were probably a little tired by this time having completed numerous warm up drills whilst we counted players and the kids put long shots past Tony.
Last season, most clubs in the league, including ourselves, declined the invitation to play away at Rickmansworth, having seen them record double digit scores in some early fixtures - but this Knebworth team (mostly) holds no fear. With fourth choice striker Paul and Sergio upfront, there is confidence that we will be able to give the opposition back four a hard time.
Both teams started brightly, knocking the ball around on a small but flat pitch. Much to the bookies surprise, and the non-believers in the Knebworth side, Knebworth took an early lead. The Rickmansworth keeper was only able to parry an excellent shot from Paul, and Sergio tapped in the rebound. Further astonishment followed - Knebworth won a free kick after a foul on Sergio. He's taken 97.7% of Knebworth dead balls in the last 13 years, with 0.06% success rate - so it was no surprise to see Bully ping the free kick into the top corner. 2 - 0, after 25 minutes, could we actually beat the mighty Rickmansworth? Maybe some started to believe it....
But Rickmansworth then got back in the game after a run through the heart of midfield stretched the defence and a pass through allowed an easy finish.
Rickmansworth continued to press hard but the back four and Tony held firm. Tony claimed some crosses and made one important save. Greg tried really hard to give away a penalty, twice in 10 seconds. Upfront Sergio and Paul were excellent, the counter attacking strategy (or default position) was working well.
Continuing the threaten on the break, Knebworth won a corner. Bully took his 9,564th corner for Knebworth, these corners have produced 3 goals, ever. Bully mis kicked his corner, Sergio was at the near post and flicked it in. 3 - 1, people starting to believe again.
That belief took a dent when Sergio was forced off with an injury, but Steve the hammer Banks was back on the bench after a period away training with the reserves, and who can forget the day he scored four.
More of the same was the cry at half time. Hobbs and Aldrich consulted the statisticians and decided that with no one left on the bench, they would leave things unchanged into the second half.
Knebworth continued to battle hard in the second half, conceding possession but holding a thin orange line to keep Rickmansworth back. Across the pitch everyone dug in and stuck together. Crosses and long passes rained on the back four, but everything was challenged and for all their dominance Rickmansworth did not threaten Tony on many occasions.
The game was nearly sealed when Paul put a mis hit shot from Martyn past the keeper, 4 - 1 to Knebworth was 100-1 bet in William Hill in Knebworth on Saturday lunchtime.
Rickmansworth kept going, scoring another to make it 4 - 2, but that was it, Knebworth were through!
Greg "Wallace" Millhouse was again impressed with the sandwiches - colourful he said. That's called salad said Bully.
Dave Knight gave a lesson in how to win friends and influence people after the game. Step 1) tell centre backs James and Wayne he could find a decent centre back for next week. Step 2) tell Bully his free kick was rubbish and should have been saved easily. For best effect, do this whilst eating your own post match meal with your own bottle of champagne and a single glass. He has a lovely tan though.
Supporters Brendan Wren, Louis Hobbs, Billy Brown, Jack Matthews
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