Pewsey Vale
A respectable crowd, despite the apparent counter-attraction of some televised football, watched Nomads’ penultimate home fixture of the season and witnessed a match which, in the first half at least, certainly did not have too much of the end-of-season atmosphere about it.
Nomads produced some early pressure with Danny Castro and Ben Moses bringing hasty clearances from Pewsey defenders, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the eighth minute. Mark Field (10) picked up a loose ball on the Pewsey right and with time to spare, and faced with the advancing Gareth Tucker, produced a long cross to an unmarked Adam Field (9) on the far-post who finished into an unguarded net from a narrowing angle.
This early setback stung Nomads into action and they were level within four minutes as Michael Sackey was fouled and Joe Parker curled a precise free-kick into the danger area where Moses back-headed past Stewart Thompson the Pewsey keeper, who perhaps might have been expected to deal with the threat.
Ryan Banks (7) produced a promising run for the visitors on their right and Tucker did well to clasp the ball as it was fired across the face of the goal; and Rhys Denton had a typically bustling run for Nomads halted by the combined efforts of two defenders.
Pewsey were given a chance to restore their lead on twenty minutes when Mark Field (10) was fouled by a Nomads’ defender as he closed on goal and there seemed to be few complaints from the players as Adam Field put the ball on the spot. His kick was not hard, but looked goalbound, as Tucker fingertipped it onto the post and Castro reacted the quickest to clear the ball.
Within minutes Nomads were pressing again and a strongly hit free-kick from Neil Greig was turned behind for a corner as Castro’s head looked like applying the final touch. At the scramble from the resulting corner loud shouts greeted a had-the-ball-crossed-the-line moment only to be answered by an unconvincing “not even close” cry from the man with the flag. But in the scramble to clear the ball the horizontal Castro drew a whistle from the referee, and Ben Moses confidently fired the spot-kick firmly past Thompson’s left hand to give the home side the lead for the first time.
On the half-hour equality was restored again as a green shirt was first to a ball out of a crowd of players in the Nomad’s goalmouth after a shot had bounced back off Tucker’s left-hand post.
Rhys Denton turned well and netted five minutes later, but a raised flag ruled out the strike, but the referee, already allowing advantage, pulled the game back to award Nomads a free-kick near the edge of the area, but Greig’s centre from Castro’s pass drifted behind. And a free-kick from Greig moments later flashed across the goal and behind with neither Denton nor Lance Shaw quite able to take full advantage of the opportunity.
With around five minutes of the half remaining the third penalty of this eventful session was awarded. Gareth Tucker’s full-length dive took away ball and man, but gave a great chance to Banks (7), but his shot was well off target. The advantage having evaporated, Mr Ludlow again indicated the spot and booked Tucker, who promptly pulled off another good stop, plunging to his right and beating away Banks’ spot-kick.
HALF-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale
Lewis Colwell replaced Ben Moses at the break and was quickly into action as he was faced with a long chase as Field (9) broke on the Pewsey right to deliver a low cross that was narrowly missed by green and hooped shirts alike.
Rhys Denton produced a couple of shots just off-target, and Michael Sackey’s powerful volley had Thompson scrabbling across his goal-line as the ball passed just outside the upright, but generally the excitement of the first half seemed to have taken its toll and for twenty minutes or so there was little to distract Roy Haley from carrying out some essential maintenance to the advertising boards.
Chances were fairly even in the final quarter as both Nomads and Pewsey went very close from corners. Danny Castro’s run allowed him to give Denton his clearest chance of the half, but though the shot had power it lacked accuracy. Gareth Tucker’s clearance of a through-ball struck a defender and fell kindly to Field (9), but his shot was straight at the grateful Tucker. And as time for that decisive goal ran out a Pewsey free-kick from an ominous position curled round the wall, but not inside the post; and Sackey raced onto a pass from midfield but lifted this final opportunity of the game over the bar.
FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale
Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Hall, Sackey, Parker, Shaw, Castro, Jussi (?), Moses (Colwell 45), Denton, Greig.
My apologies to any Pewsey Vale readers for any misidentification of players who were not numbered as per programme.
Nomads produced some early pressure with Danny Castro and Ben Moses bringing hasty clearances from Pewsey defenders, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the eighth minute. Mark Field (10) picked up a loose ball on the Pewsey right and with time to spare, and faced with the advancing Gareth Tucker, produced a long cross to an unmarked Adam Field (9) on the far-post who finished into an unguarded net from a narrowing angle.
This early setback stung Nomads into action and they were level within four minutes as Michael Sackey was fouled and Joe Parker curled a precise free-kick into the danger area where Moses back-headed past Stewart Thompson the Pewsey keeper, who perhaps might have been expected to deal with the threat.
Ryan Banks (7) produced a promising run for the visitors on their right and Tucker did well to clasp the ball as it was fired across the face of the goal; and Rhys Denton had a typically bustling run for Nomads halted by the combined efforts of two defenders.
Pewsey were given a chance to restore their lead on twenty minutes when Mark Field (10) was fouled by a Nomads’ defender as he closed on goal and there seemed to be few complaints from the players as Adam Field put the ball on the spot. His kick was not hard, but looked goalbound, as Tucker fingertipped it onto the post and Castro reacted the quickest to clear the ball.
Within minutes Nomads were pressing again and a strongly hit free-kick from Neil Greig was turned behind for a corner as Castro’s head looked like applying the final touch. At the scramble from the resulting corner loud shouts greeted a had-the-ball-crossed-the-line moment only to be answered by an unconvincing “not even close” cry from the man with the flag. But in the scramble to clear the ball the horizontal Castro drew a whistle from the referee, and Ben Moses confidently fired the spot-kick firmly past Thompson’s left hand to give the home side the lead for the first time.
On the half-hour equality was restored again as a green shirt was first to a ball out of a crowd of players in the Nomad’s goalmouth after a shot had bounced back off Tucker’s left-hand post.
Rhys Denton turned well and netted five minutes later, but a raised flag ruled out the strike, but the referee, already allowing advantage, pulled the game back to award Nomads a free-kick near the edge of the area, but Greig’s centre from Castro’s pass drifted behind. And a free-kick from Greig moments later flashed across the goal and behind with neither Denton nor Lance Shaw quite able to take full advantage of the opportunity.
With around five minutes of the half remaining the third penalty of this eventful session was awarded. Gareth Tucker’s full-length dive took away ball and man, but gave a great chance to Banks (7), but his shot was well off target. The advantage having evaporated, Mr Ludlow again indicated the spot and booked Tucker, who promptly pulled off another good stop, plunging to his right and beating away Banks’ spot-kick.
HALF-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale
Lewis Colwell replaced Ben Moses at the break and was quickly into action as he was faced with a long chase as Field (9) broke on the Pewsey right to deliver a low cross that was narrowly missed by green and hooped shirts alike.
Rhys Denton produced a couple of shots just off-target, and Michael Sackey’s powerful volley had Thompson scrabbling across his goal-line as the ball passed just outside the upright, but generally the excitement of the first half seemed to have taken its toll and for twenty minutes or so there was little to distract Roy Haley from carrying out some essential maintenance to the advertising boards.
Chances were fairly even in the final quarter as both Nomads and Pewsey went very close from corners. Danny Castro’s run allowed him to give Denton his clearest chance of the half, but though the shot had power it lacked accuracy. Gareth Tucker’s clearance of a through-ball struck a defender and fell kindly to Field (9), but his shot was straight at the grateful Tucker. And as time for that decisive goal ran out a Pewsey free-kick from an ominous position curled round the wall, but not inside the post; and Sackey raced onto a pass from midfield but lifted this final opportunity of the game over the bar.
FULL-TIME: Oxford City Nomads 2-2 Pewsey Vale
Nomads: Tucker, Quegan, Hall, Sackey, Parker, Shaw, Castro, Jussi (?), Moses (Colwell 45), Denton, Greig.
My apologies to any Pewsey Vale readers for any misidentification of players who were not numbered as per programme.
posted by Julian at Wednesday, April 09, 2008
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