Thaxted Rangers 2, Eaton Socon res. 4

21st December 2019 :: Kershaw Senior B

Match Report 

Thaxted Rangers 3-4 Eaton Socon

With Thaxted calling last weeks game off, and a further 7 days of rain out in the middle of nowhere, it was highly expected this game would be called off. By the look of some of the players (Foxy) as they turned up, they also believed this was the case. With Callan Irvine and Ash Howard, in his last game for the club, before joining up with Ryan Barnett in a sheep rustling venture, called up to the 1st team, the reserve team were depleted further with an illness( believed to be self inflicted )  an injury, and an emergency all on the Saturday morning at 10:30. 
Damian Chamberlain answered his phone when others ignored, and traveled over with the evergreen Micky Banbury. 
With everything going against Eaton, an inspirational speech from the manager, and all was forgotten on ko. One minute in, a corner from Hall was met superbly by Kirk Kidd. 1-0. 
Thaxted didn’t lie down, and showed why they are top of the league. From a Eaton corner Thaxted broke, and six passes later the ball was being tapped in the other end. Thaxted then took the game to Eaton, but couldn’t brake down the experienced defence, with an average age of 30, that included teenager George Pyke. 
Eaton soaked up the pressure, and hit Thaxted on the break. An impressive run from Kieran Mitham on his debut, who slid in Chamberlain who was promptly brought down for a penalty. 
Connor Heaps stepped up and dispatched the ball into the bottom corner. 2-1 Eaton. Thaxted continued to press, but found 40 year old Bowskill in inspired form, making saves and claiming crosses, before kicking the ball out of play on every occasion. 
Half time arrived, and with it came another player. Roberts arrived straight from work, and came on for the tireless Rob Coles. 
Roberts added some guile to the hardworking midfield of Andy Coles and Tom Hall. Which gave license to Mitham and Banbury to get forward. 
On the back foot it was Thaxted that broke, and when Kidd up ended the centre forward on the edge of the box, a penalty was given. The Thaxted No.9 followed Heaps and put the ball in the exact same place. 2-2
20 minutes to go and all to play for.
Dawkes limbered up by emptying a tube of deep heat onto his legs, and came on for Chamberlain, and the results were instant. Dawkes ran the channel turned his man, beat another before smashing the ball into the top corner. Absolute scenes. 
It didn’t stop at that, Dawkes and Banbury pressed the centre half and full back, who then played to the keeper who was tackled by Heaps. As the ball bobbled up from tackle, Heaps nonchalantly lobbed the keeper and the defenders on the goal line. More scenes 4-2. 
There was still time for a late Thaxted goal and a nervous last 5 minutes, but the game ended 4-3.
100%  win rate in December. 3/3

Bowskill🍾
Coles R 🍾(Roberts)🍾
Banbury 🍾
Kidd🍾⚽
Pyke🍾
Fox🍾
Coles A🍾
Hall 🍾
Mitham🍾
Chamberlain🍾 (Dawkes)🍾⚽
Heaps⚽⚽

Best team performance of the season and No Joey Kokotka this week 🤷🏼‍♂
Anyone would have thought he’d had the baby.