Rockingham Forest Youth 2 v Thrapston Town
2
When they awoke this morning, Thrapston supporters knew
that today they would be witnessing a game played at a soulless
venue, with no atmosphere and little about the place to excite
the footballing spirit.
However, that’s enough about this afternoon’s
encounter between the gooners and the pool at Highbury Light,
First we travelled to the Rockingham Triangle (description
as above) for a first league encounter with Rockingham Forest.
On a short, but wide pitch, both sides set out to play passing
football, and this created a good game, which ebbed and flowed
and in which Town had several good chances to score, but
were also grateful to Alex Vitue between the sticks for a
string of fine saves.
Down the left, good link up play between Luke Rivett and
fullback Josh Scarbrow helped Thrapston to ask a number of
questions of the Forest defence. From one of these forays
Thrapston took the lead. In the left hand corner of the pitch
Tom Alsop picked up the ball, turned and ran to the end of
the box, before unleashing a dipping shot in the far corner
of the net.
Soon Forest were back on terms, with a similarly well struck
shot from distance.
Then Thrapston regained the lead from a well taken Josh
Cummins corner which was forced home by Devante Hodgson.
This is how things stayed until half time.
In the second half, Town had to withstand a great deal of
Forest pressure, and in truth created very few chances to
score themselves. Their backs to the wall defensive grit
increasingly looked like carrying the day. However, with
just a couple of minutes left for play, came the controversial
incident on which the result turned.
An onrushing Forest attacker challenged keeper Vitue, apparently
fairly for what was described by the Referee & Forest
officials later as a 50:50 ball. The ball finds its way in
to the net and a goal is awarded, without a moment’s
hesitation.
Uuuummmm. A goal keeper left with a bloody mouth and nose,
a badly swollen face, and unable to continue. 50:50, fair,
yeah right. I’ll say namore.
All in all a good game, played in the right spirit, spoiled
at the end. In the end probably a fair result if perhaps
engineered in the most unfortunate of circumstances.
Final Score
Thrapston Town Two, Rockingham Forest Two
MOTM – Firstly for a string of fine saves, and then
for apparently coming off worst in a fair challenge for a
50:50 ball, today’s man of the match was Alex Vitue
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