Garnett once again had a strong line up for this popular fixture against a Sporting Gibon side that under achieved a lot last season. A lot of the players on both sides knew each other; therefore there was a friendly yet competitive atmosphere around the pitch before kick off.

Garnett started the game better than expected with the team passing the ball around superbly and really taking control. The break through came after around the ten minute mark when Royal and Lavery combined with a one-two, and Lavery striking the ball superbly into the top left corner of the net. The team continued pressing, with endless work from winger Brown who kept on appearing everywhere. All Gibon attacks which were on the cards were dealt with easily by the solid central pairing of Nunn and Haines. Gibon goalkeeper, Chris Jenkins a close friend of several of the Garnett boys, found himself in trouble after misjudging a pass back from one of his defenders, he found himself running back to his goal line to make a clearance off the line, was it a goal? The ref said no, others felt differently. It was then a moment of great surprise when Gibon got a shock equaliser after what can only be described as a rare lapse of concentration by the usually unbeatable goalie AKA Rory Kroon, who gathered the ball, then proceeded to let go and let the Gibon number 9 slot home from a tight angle.

The game changed considerably after this with Garnett shook up and Gibon winning a lot of the midfield battles. Soon the Gibon goalkeeper found himself in a fiery debate with the referee, with the tension of the game obviously getting to the young keeper and leading him to receive a final warning. Half time finished with the teams a goal a piece.

No substitutions were made at half time, but with the game still at a stalemate like the end of the 1st half, changes were made with Atkinson replacing Royal and Bradley coming on for Appleby. The two substitutes made a gradual impact on the game, with Atkinson receiving the ball on the left wing, running directly at goal and then slicing the ball wide after a great run. The game continued with few chances especially from Gibon who were failing to take advantage of a lot of possession. Lavery continued making lots of useful runs up front, latching on to balls given from the hard working central midfield pairing of Thompson and Hindle.

In another moment of madness, keeper Kroon proceeded to nutmeg an incoming striker then collide with his own defender and have to watch as thankfully the Gibon striker smacked the ball over the cross bar.

With Garnett once again becoming the superior side in the game many chances were made after a cross from the right from Lavery was just missed by the diving head of Bradley - must admit from the sidelines it was possibly the funniest diving header attempt ever, keep it up!! Just at the death Bradley latched on to a through ball, hitting the ball firmly to the bottom left corner, leading to the Gibon keeper possibly producing the save of the game as everyone thought it was in.

At the final whistle the game ended 1:1.

Author: Jambo

Team: R.Kroon, R.Swiggs, G.Barker, D.Haines, C.Nunn, B.Brown, A.Hindle, J.Thomson, J.Royal (J.Atkinson), L.Appleby (J.Bradley), L.Lavery 1 (MoM)

NB: The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Gosforth Garnett Bohemian Football Club as a whole.