MATCH REPORT: RESERVES VS BARCOMBE FC

As November started with early morning heavy rain to hasten in Winter, the Reserves were pleased to travel for the sixth consecutive week (irony)! On arrival at Barcombe they were greeted by a pitch with really long grass & a slope better suited to crampons than studs!

With manager James Bowen needing to assume a new player-manager role, the warm up was taken by new Reserves coach Ollie “Slot” Caird. Well at least the hair style is similar.

Playing up the mountain into the teeth of a Himalayan breeze, Rotherfield started the first half really well. Patience on the ball, passing to feet & with decent offensive movement created a number of half chances but powder puff finishing wasted these opportunities. Defensively the Greens were excellent with organisation & distances to the fore. The loss of Craig King with a groin strain after 20 minutes meant a reshuffle. Rich Holman dropped into right back, the fast lane given the skill level of the young Barcombe winger, & Jonah Caird came off the bench, fresh from his exploration of all things Italian for the last 3 months! Hopefully all things!

Barcombe opened the scoring with the source from the dangerous left flank, but a wicked deflection was instrumental in the ball finding the net.

Then just before half time a cross from the right was horribly miss-judged by keeper Rob who ultimately punched the ball into his own net.

Rushing down the mountain in the second half saw Rotherfield give every ounce of energy & to their credit they still tried to build up from the back. From a really well delivered in swinging corner by Will Sutton (one of a number in the second half) a volley from skipper Owen Ridley smashed against the bar.

However as Barcombe exploited the space by stretching the game on both flanks with their wide players hogging the touchlines (please note any opposition managers) a third goal arrived again conceived from wide left. The final finish was powerful & in the corner oozing quality.

A fourth goal for the home side came when once again the wide left player jinked past three before shooting into the roof of the net from 20 yards.

Then with a change of tactic the visitors went long from keeper Davies & when Connor Evans was first to the ball his lob over the advancing keeper was just wide.

The legs of the midfield players tired as recovery runs up the mountain became difficult even for Jack “the GOAT” Birdsall. More Toggenberg than the greatest of all time, he never gave up & kept trying to drive the team forward, whilst at the back player-manager Bowen continually showed he was class (albeit middle rather than landed gentry).

Then as the game approached the final throes the heavens opened with a torrential down pour. Monsoon season in the Himalayas! Not very pleasant for the partisans who were watching.

The home side deserved their comfortable victory but there were plenty of positives for the visitors, a point made very succinctly with erudition by James “Downton” Bowen.

Squad: Davies, King, Ridley O, Bowen J, Sutton, Bristow, Birdsall, Holman, Brazier, Ridley B, Bowen L.

Subs used: Caird, Chittenden, Furman, Evans