Saturday 26th April 2008
Whitegrove Predators 4 v 0 Sandhurst Scorpions
The Predators needed to win their last game of the season to pip Hurst Romans for second place in the league and gain promotion to division 2. They did it with a dominant display of good attacking football and solid defending. The 4-0 scoreline did not flatter them. The Predators started brightly and almost scored in the first minute when Michael ran onto a ball into the box and hit a shot across goal that the keeper got down to and should have gathered but he fumbled and Alex G coming in at the far post put the ball just wide from a tight angle. The Predators kept up the pressure in the early stages, keeping the Scorpions pinned in their own half with a series of corners. A goal looked inevitable and it came in the ninth minute when Jon crossed a great ball into the area that found James at the far post unmarked and he had time to control the ball before cracking it past the helpless keeper. A couple of minutes later the lead was almost doubled when David and Alex G combined really well to set up a shooting opportunity for David but the keeper did enough to take the pace off the shot and a defender cleared off the line. The Predators continued to press and play good football but could not find that elusive second goal. At the other end the defence looked secure, the main threat from Sandhurst was a long throw that initially caused problems for the defence but once they were aware of it they dealt with it quite well. Jordan was relatively untroubled in the Whitegrove goal. In the twenty-fifth minute Jaime played a free-kick into the Scorpions box and following a bit of a scramble the ball broke to Sam F. Sam hit a great low shot but the keeper stuck out a foot to deflect it away, a good reaction save that kept the score at 1-0 at half time.
The Predators knew that all the time the score remained at only 1-0 they could not breathe easy and they started the second half in search of the second goal and a bit of breathing space. In the third minute they thought they had it when Alex G and David attacked a good ball in from the left, the ball broke to David who calmly side-footed it home only to have celebrations cut short by the assistant referees flag for offside. It was only a temporary reprieve for the Scorpions however as a couple of minutes later David did well to find space down the right and played a great ball into the area for Alex O to slot home from six yards. Daylight between the teams and the Scorpions seemed to wilt a bit in the heat and under the constant pressure. In the thirteenth minute Michael made a trademark run down the left and crossed into the area, the ball was only cleared out to Jaimie on the edge of the area but he could not keep his shot down and it sailed over the bar. A few minutes later Sam F took a long throw on the left, James headed it on and the ball ran through to Alex G at the far post to calmly slot home for 3-0. A couple of minutes later Alex almost scored again when played in by Michael but his shot was well saved at the expense of a corner. The Predators were attacking at will now and Jon hit another cross-field ball that James ran onto but he struck his shot just wide of target. Then Michael cut in from the left and struck a great shot that thudded against the bar. The only real chance for the Scorpions came from an indirect free kick just outside the Predators area. It was teed up for a shot that was well struck but wide of target. The Predators signed off their season with a goal right at the end from a corner from Michael that just eluded David at the near post but Alex O coming in behind him chested the ball home. Soon after the referees whistle brought the season to a close and the promotion celebrations began.
It has been a fantastic season with lots of good close matches and many teams competing for the top positions right to the end. The Predators finished on 44 points out of a possible 66, six points behind division champions Wokingham & Emmbrook and just one above Hurst Romans. They only conceded 29 goals in the 22 games, the best defensive record in the division.
Team: Jordan Donovan, Amarit Pooni, Sam Wilson, Sam Forsyth (C), Liam Drablow, James Hamilton, Ryan May, Jonathan Nattriss, Alex Goddard, David Carson, Michael Shields, Alex Oxford, Jaimie Howe, Oliver Wickens.
Goal scorers: James Hamilton, Alex Oxford (2), Alex Goddard.