Saturday 29th October 2005 Garnett B 2 (1) vs.(0) 1 Dynamo Fenham

Our thanks go to Stephen (Ian Holme’s flatmate) for taking on the burden of acting official for a half as, for the second time this season the referee did not show up – the same ref as last time. The game was subject to the usual Bullocksteads conditions, with a strong gusting wind making both defending and finishing a lottery at times.

With the wind behind them in the first half, Garnett took the initiative from the start and Fenham seemed quite happy to sit back and try to counter attack when they could. This meant territorial advantage for the green and blacks, but with a lack of invention on the edge of the box and a poor final ball, few clear chances were created. Dangerous looking corners from Ford carried too much pace for attacking players to direct their headers goalwards, although Holme did come close on one occasion. Envy also found himself in space on the edge of the area but went for power and blazed just over. At the other end the unpredictable wind meant a lot of last minute covering was needed to tidy up. An under hit back pass from Jones almost put Fenham in, but luckily the striker also failed to connect adequately and the ball trickled harmlessly wide. As half time approached Garnett finally broke the deadlock. Jones fed Holme in space and his ball to Envy was hit early and looped off a defender and over the keeper. It was always going to need a slice of luck to open the game up. 1:0 to Garnett at the half way mark.

The question was always going to be ‘is one goal enough?’ It was clear from the start that Fenham would use their added height to bombard the Garnett defence. However, it was easier to defend against this straightforward tactic and Holme and Jones looked quite content holding the Fenham forwards at bay. Ford in particular was finding the final ball easier to pick out against the wind and this allowed Emmlett, Envy and Marshall all to run on to through balls. At last Marshall was able to tuck one such ball away and the extra lead proved crucial. Fenham became conscious of the danger on the break and were more cautious about throwing men forward. Although Garnett were profligate in front of goal, the threat was always there and took pressure off the defence. Marshall got through again, but this time the keeper got a hand to his shot and was able to scramble back to his line to stop the danger. Walworth had a similar opportunity but relied on his left foot from the wrong side and his shot was tame. A couple of free kicks against Holme, both for handball, caused concern. The first was blasted straight at the Garnett wall, which held firm – Cooky’s head firmest of all. The second forced a save from Shaw but the rebound was bundled over the line to provide a tense last 15mins. Fenham failed to generate any real pressure though and only a speculative shot, that dropped onto the bar and was chased around the 6 yard box by Shaw, caused any concern.

Moment to remember: Despite some late challenges by Fenham throughout the game it was Walworth who inflicted damage on his captain by stamping on his hand.

Author: Gaffer

Team: E.Shaw, S.Cook, K.Jones, I.Holme (MoM), R.Eglington, M.Envy, G.Dawnay (c) (L.Harris '85), D.Ford, A.Walworth, S.Emmlett, L.Marshall,