Nottsborough Veterans v Ascot United 2nd X1 Veterans

A patched up Ascot United 2^nd XI took the strain and put in an excellent shift at Nottsborough on 18 October.  A rock-solid defensive unit saw to it that the visitors kept a clean sheet and subsequently took a hard-earned point back home with them down the A3.

“If you’re in the trenches then you need people who are at home wearing tin hats and won’t take a step backwards” mused skipper Steve Dando post-game to Five Live’s Mark Chapman “and Ascot’s three centre-halves today fitted the bill perfectly. Lewis, Keough and Hamblin were magnificent all afternoon, but particularly in the last ten minutes. Even an out-of-control bulldozer wouldn’t have been able to bludgeon its way through those three”.

True indeed. There was, however, more to Ascot’s performance than simply keeping the opposition out. Lawrence Stephenson again impressed, first at right back and then as a midfield juggernaut. Steve Dando, watched by a family fan club, again put in the miles, whilst Adam Abusweder and Leon Palmer-Wilson kept plugging away.

Going forward, chances were few and far between, but both Alex Markarian and Chris Watney did what they could to manufacture space. Indeed, Markarian had what was arguably the best chance of the game, skipping through mid-way through the first half only for the keeper to dive at his feet just as he was about to unleash. What might have been.

If Ascot – just – had the better of the first half, it was Nottsborough who’ll feel they had the better of the second. Not that they had lots of chances, but the game was played ever more frequently in the Ascot half as slowly but surely the game turned into a ‘backs to the wall’ stand off.

Ever more balls were piled into the box, messrs Hamblin and Keough knocked everything back precisely where it came from. Did Keough head more balls in the second half than he kicked? Quite possibly.  That having been said, it was Ascot who came closest to scoring. Chris Watney fired a shot in, and the home keeper fumbled it on to the post before scrambling to pick it up.

In truth, neither side did quite enough to merit three points, and both defensive units were decent enough. The first goalless draw in living memory it was indeed then.

The twos have a couple of weeks off now. Next up are Wandsworth on Friday 7 November.

Good shift everyone!

Team: Eryk Nawala, Lawrence Stephenson, John Wilkes, Leon Palmer-Wilson, Jon Keough, Darren Lewis, Steve Dando, Adam Abusweder, James Niknejad, Alex Markarian, Phil White.

Subs; Chris Watney, Dan Hough, Paul Hamblin.