Hillingdon Borough 1 Clevedon Town 1
It’s all square as the Errea Cup Final circus moves on to Clevedon...
Clevedon travelled to London last night for their Errea Cup Final, 1st leg and returned home with a 1-1 draw which sets them up well for the home leg. However it should have been a lot better and in the end could have been a lot worse after the Seasiders surrendered the initiative they held up until after half time to a Hillingdon side who showed just why they had beaten three Premier Division sides to reach the final. Ultimately though all the post match discussion, from both sides, was about the refereeing of Steve Ross, who seemed to totally lose the plot in booking nine players, 5 for Hillingdon and 4 for Clevedon, in a match that could never be described as dirty or malicious. The official seemed out of his depth and was far too quick to reach for a card when perhaps a word was all that was needed, but when tough decisions had to be made he seemed reluctant to take action. I understand he won’t be in charge of the second leg...
On a cold night in London, and in front of a disappointing crowd of 115, affected no doubt by more live TV soccer, it was Clevedon who started well and they dominated their Division One opponents without really making the goalkeeper work for his pay packet. Kerry Morgan had the first chance of the match when his speculative lob from distance went well wide but it was not long before Clevedon took the lead with the first clear chance of the game on 15 minutes. A long throw from Kris Leek was headed on by Scott Hendy for Mitchell Page to lash home at the near post to the delight of the vociferous travelling fans. This was the signal for Clevedon to take control of the game for a period in which they had most of the play but, with the exception of a couple of good efforts from Christian Sylvester, failed to turn that domination into clear chances. Hillingdon’s attempts to get into the game were thwarted by a tight Clevedon defence but when Sylvester failed to convert a great cross by Kris Leek, when he really should have scored, they suddenly began to find new confidence just before the break and Danny Greaves was called into action a couple of times to deny the home side what would have been, in honesty, an undeserved first half equaliser.
However, with both sides unchanged as the second half began, it was clear that the hosts half time cuppa had livened them up and they began to play with more confidence and attacking intentions. Mitchell Page had the first real chance of the half though for the visitors and it was just like Groundhog Day
as he too failed to convert Morgan’s cross at the back post, a minute after Kerry Morgan had a superb volley disallowed for offside. But Hillingdon were now raising the pace of the game and playing some good passing football and the visitors were indebted to Geraint Bater for a goal line clearance after Danny Greaves had been beaten to a ball into his penalty area. Hillingdon’s Dave Lawrence then had their best chance thus far in the 63rd minute when he hooked a shot wide of the post and Clevedon now looked to be in some discomfort as the home side began to dominate the midfield, and perhaps Clevedon’s youthfulness and lack of experience was beginning to be exposed.
An equaliser seemed to be coming and it duly arrived in the 71st minute when Danny Greaves appeared to lose control of a right wing corner from Sam Byfield and the ball somehow ended up in the net, apparently off the head of the delighted Max Howell. Having dominated the game Clevedon now looked shell shocked but continued to trouble their hosts on the break, although being reduced mainly to the occasional long range efforts. Hillingdon though looked the more likely to snatch a late winner and both Lawrence and Nelson had good chances before Geraint Bater was again required to hook the ball of his own goal line again before Leon Nelson wasted a golden opportunity in injury time to give the home side a valuable lead for the away leg. It was not to be though for Hillingdon in a classic game of two halves but Clevedon have only themselves to blame as they wasted their first half dominance and the opportunity to have established a clear lead before the half time whistle. Hillingdon though never gave up and their second half revival fully deserved a share of the spoils and ensured that the tie is set up for a thrilling conclusion on April 22, hopefully in the charge of an official more intent on letting the teams get on with playing the game...
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Brigham | ||
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Bater | ||
| 5 | Hendy | ||
| 6 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 7 | Sylvester | ||
| 8 | Loxton | ||
| 9 | Page | 1 | |
| 10 | Morgan | ||
| 11 | Leek | ||
| 12 | Prosser | 9 | |
| 14 | Cook | ||
| 15 | Bassett | 10 | |
| 16 | - | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 08/04/08 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | Errea Cup Final (First Leg) |
| Opponents: | Hillingdon Borough |
| Venue: | Middlesex Stadium Breakspear Road Ruislip Middlesex HA4 7SB |
| Half Time: | 1 - 0 |
| Full Time: | 1 - 1 |
| Attendance: | 115 |
| Match Report: | Steve Small |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
Away Kit |
On-Site Recruitment Solutions Ltd |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |