Ascot United 2nd XI Veterans vs Civil Service Veterans

Report

25 October 2024

Ascot United 2nd XI 3-1 Civil Service

 

Ascot United’s Vets’ 2nd XI got back on the horse following last week’s defeat against Actonians with a 3-1 win against an ever-resilient Civil Service. It took over an hour for the first goal to come, but once that arrived the Yellas relaxed and ultimately ran out deserved winners.

 

“Football” as Jimmy Greaves used to say “is a funny old game”. The massed ranks on Ascot United’s version of theKippax will no doubt have agreed with that. It’s not often you see someone get carried off having injured themselves taking a penalty and it’s also not often that a player manages to take a goal kick only to see it somehow skew right and go out for a corner. We saw both this evening. Football does nothing if not surprise.

 

Neither of those intriguing incidents ultimately decided the game, but for a long time it did look and feel as if Ascot might well not find a way past an obdurate Civil Service defence. The visitors from Chiswick had made it clear from the outset that they were parking a big, red double decker bus and it was up to Ascot to find a way of getting round it. The longer Ascot failed to do so, the more you could sense that Civils were planning counter attacks to try and go back up the M3 with three points rather than one.

 

It’s not that Ascot didn’t have their chances. The ever-lively Jon Bennett cracked one against the post, Chris Watney also hit the woodwork and the Civils’ keeper made a string of decidedly decent saves.

 

Ascot were at their best when they moved the ball quickly. Steve Dando was very much at the centre of that, and the former army man was very much a force for good in the middle. Ed Du Bois and Darren Lewis marshalled things admirably at the back, as did Nigel Gatehouse when he came on for Lewis in the second half. That left the full backs free to roam up and down the flanks more or less at will.

 

Fifteen minutes into the second half the Yellas found themselves with the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock. Chris Watney was fouled just inside the box and Ascot were subsequently awarded a penalty at the Shed End. Skipper Leon Palmer-Wilson, a man with decent penalty-taking pedigree, calmly stepped up to get the job done. He moved elegantly forward and was all set to place the ball to the keeper’s right when … a sniper from the grassy knoll behind the goal struck him brutally down.

 

Poor old Palmer-Wilson crumpled in a heap on the penalty spot. The search for Ascot’s version of Lee Harvey-Oswald will continue over the weekend, but in the meantime the ball bobbled wide and Palmer-Wilson found himself having to be stretchered off. Initially it didn’t look at all good for Croydon’s finest, but soon enough he was gingerly back on his feet and indeed able to walk to his car. Thankfully no long-term damage done.

 

The Yellas, however, really were beginning to worry that it was going to be one of those nights. But, with Phil White and Adam Abusweder settling nicely into re-organised centre-of-the-park roles the hosts were eventually able to get the ball into the onion bag. Abusweder manoeuvred the ball into gaffer Dan Hough’s direction and the Shropshire Lad finished smartly from just inside the box.

 

The massed ranks on the sidelines could sense the tension seep away. Carl Collins started finding all sorts of space on the right and it came as no surprise when he was heavily involved in goal number two. Stuart Birkett picked him out with an excellent pass, Collins fired the ball across the six-yard-box and Jon Bennett made no mistake.

 

That wasn’t, however, quite job done. Civils pressed a bit higher and forced the Yellas’ defensive unit into a mistake. The lively visiting centre forward made no mistake, fizzing the ball into the bottom corner.

Was this the start of a rousing comeback? Not quite. More decent play from the troika up front and Jon Bennett was on hand to double his tally for the evening and secure Ascot a hard-earned three points.

Civil Service have not had the greatest of starts to the season, but they certainly came to Ascot with a plan. For long periods of the game it looked like it might work, too. Respect due.

 

But, Ascot showed decent patience and kept the faith that the opening goal would eventually come. When it did, they stepped things up and ultimately cruised over the finishing line. Decent stuff.

 

Team. Rob Stockford, John Wilkes, Karl Small, Darren Lewis, Ed Du Bois, Steve Dando, Leon Palmer-Wilson (c), Stuart Birkett, Jon Bennett, Chris Watney, Alex Markarian.

Subs. Phil White, Adam Abusweder, Dan Hough, Carl Collins, Nigel Gatehouse.

Goals. Jon Bennett (2), Dan Hough