Smithfield Firestarters v Globe - Match Report
Smithfield Firestarters 7 - 3 Globe
September 21st, 2008
Smithfield kicked off the new season with a match against The Globe (formerly Rising Sun) in the TB Williamson Cup 1st Round. The Fenton Stadium had undergone a facelift during the summer, with new corner posts and goal nets looking stunning in the morning sunshine (well when they were finally put up). A large crowd had turned out to watch the match against a team the Firestarters had failed to beat in the last four attempts.
The game was nearly called off due to the referee being called up to officiate the Chelsea v Man United game later that afternoon, so someone had to step in to save the day. With no one else brave enough to face the challenge, Smithfield manager Tony Craig stepped forward, complete with a Christmas cracker whistle and laminated red and orange cards. This left co-manager Plant with the task to pick the team alone and he responded by selecting a 4-4-2 formation and gave new boys Harris and Ford (ha ha) their debuts. Fellow new signing Ryan was on the bench as Plant had a full-strength squad of 14 players to choose from.
First Half
The match kicked off ten minutes late due to a technical difficulty with the nets, but the season had finally begun! The first five minutes were a nervy affair with both teams trying to work the other out, but it was Smithfield who had the first attempt on goal. However the visitors drew first blood in the 8th minute when poor marking from a throw in allowed a Globe midfielder to pick up a loose ball and curl an unstoppable shot into the right corner of Stanways goal. It wasnt the start manager Plant wanted and the pressure was clearly getting to him already. Rumour has it that he was seen on his phone talking to his travel agent in an attempt to get on the first flight out of the country. Also unimpressed by the start their team had made, some of the crowd decided to entertain themselves by starting a game of swing ball.
The Smithfield machine gradually started to respond and Evans went close with a header at the back post. Then on fifteen minutes Clarke curled a David Beckham like cross into the box that was met by Matt Maskery who side footed the ball into the net! Smithfield were level thanks to some Blurzillian magic!!
In the 29th minute referee Craig made his first controversial decision as he awarded Smithfield a penalty. Rob Evans was brought down by the goalkeeper as the forward tried to go around him to score a certain goal. The Globe players and linesman claimed the contact occurred outside the box, but Craig immediately pointed to the spot despite still being in the other half of the pitch due to his aging legs. With the Globe players descending on him like a pack of wolves he signalled over to Plant to make it two tickets on the plane to Austria. What should have been a straight red card for the goalkeeper ended up being a warning as Craig, clearly under pressure, appeared to lose the plot.
Despite missing a penalty in the pre-season Chesterton Charities tournament, proven penalty taker Damien Askey stepped up and placed the ball on the spot. He coolly placed a low shot down the middle of the goal and the ball bounced off the back of the tight net, which was stronger than one of captain Joey Seymours brick walls. Askey had given Smithfield the lead and the crowd went wild!
Now starting to dominate the game, Smithfield went further in front thanks to a goal from Andrew Fordy Ford on his full debut. Seymour out-muscled a Globe defender which allowed a forward header from Matt Craig to send Ford clear, who then outpaced the defence and slotted the ball calmly between the goalkeepers legs. Ian Stanway made two good saves late in the half to give Smithfield a healthy 3-1 lead at the break.
Second Half
The Globe kicked off the second half and showed their intent by immediately putting Smithfield under pressure. It wasnt long before the home side cracked and the score became 3-2 in the 48th minute. A cross from the right came into the box and Stanway attempted to come out and collect the ball, but he had obviously eaten too many half time oranges and failed to get off the ground. The loose ball came off the post and Askey, running back towards his own goal, blasted a powerful header into his own net.
However it wasnt long before normal service was resumed as Seymour opened his account for the season with a brilliant solo goal. Collecting the ball in the middle of the pitch, he turned and curled a low shot from 25 yards past the motionless Globe goalkeeper. The Globe were clearly shaken by this immediate response and the match then turned ugly with a few bad tackles which resulted in several bookings. The usually cool Bagnall got involved in some handbags with an opposition forward and referee Craig showed both players an orange card.
Smithfield then got back to business in the 55th minute as Evans burst down the left wing and avoided a strong challenge before delivering a ball across the box and Seymour blasted home for a second time. 5-3! Smithfield somehow failed to extend their lead further on 60 minutes when a long free kick from Askey was flicked on by Seymour into Craigs path. His right-footed shot was turned onto the post by the advancing goalkeeper and Maskery followed up but blasted his shot against the crossbar. A mad scramble followed and Ford failed to convert a low cross by Seymour. Such was the domination by Smithfield some of the bored defenders sneaked off to join in the Swing ball tournament, with Harris beating Bagnall in the final.
Maskery scored his second goal of the game thanks to a brilliant run and cross from Seymour. The big lad picked up the ball in his own half and ran down the right wing before delivering a sublime cross over to the back post, where Maskery was waiting to nod home from 5 yards. Confidence was flowing throughout the team and three quick goals in nine minutes had put the game beyond the visitors. Stanway was also showing no ill effects from his earlier mistake as he made several key saves and the only thing flapping now was Dean Hickins right boot. After 68 minutes Plant made his first substitution, bringing on the lively winger Fordham to replace Matt Craig. The young Pete Doherty look-alike immediately made an impression by delivering two good balls into the opposition box.
The Smithfield continued to run the opposition ragged and Evans was robbed of the goal he deserved due to a dodgy decision by the oppositions linesman. The Globe then scored against the run of play as they broke away and shot at keeper Stanway. Safe hands was only able to parry the ball into the path of another Globe striker who tapped home to reduce the deficit to 6-3. Desperate to finish the game on a high, Plant made two more substitutions, bringing Ryan on for Evans and Mark Stanway on for Dean Hickin. The fresh blood immediately injected fresh impetus into the home side and on 79 minutes any hope of a Globe fight back was distinguished. Good work by Maskery saw a loose ball fall to Ford who capped off a brilliant debut by scoring his second goal.
Four minutes later Ryan was harshly adjudged to be offside as he broke clear of the defence and finished superbly, leaving the keeper with no chance. However the score remained at 7-3, a stunning result against a good side and the Firestarters are in the hat for the second round draw. All the pre-season training appears to have paid off as Smithfield looked quicker and sharper than their Premier League opponents. The new players have settled in well with last seasons team and with Tom Plant putting his newly booked tickets to Austria to good use by going on a scouting trip, the Smithfield squad could be getting even stronger in future weeks.
Man of the Match: Paul Seymour
Donkey: Damien Askey
The Smithfield FC Forum » Smithfield Echo
Match Report - The Globe, 21st Sept 08 (Cup)
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Clark Kent
OfflineRoving ReporterPosted 1 year ago #
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