Ascot United Men v Metropolitan Police

Report

ASCOT ROUND OFF SEASON WITH DEFEAT

 

Safe Yellamen lose 3-2 against Met Police

 

Ascot United rounded off an-otherwise stellar end-of-season with a 3-2 defeat against already-relegated Metropolitan Police on Saturday. Having secured their step-four status one week earlier after taking 17 points from a possible 24, the home side could finally relax in the sun as they came back from 2-0 down, only to lose 3-2.

 

Three, that’s the magic number

Ascot’s form over the previous six games had propelled them to number three in the league’s form table. Whilst safety was all-but-certain following last week’s first-half demolition job at Raynes Park Vale, a midweek defeat for Littlehampton rubber-stamped the maths; The Sussex side would have needed to win both that, and today, and overturn a twenty-plus inferior goal difference to have any chance themselves.

 

As for The Met, three was more of a tragic than magic number. The Imber Court side squandered a total of five points in injury time across three consecutive games earlier in the month, leaving them facing a drop to step five for the first time in 25 years since the Isthmian League structural changes in the early 2000’s.

 

That said, a win for the visitors could still mathematically see them finish as the best-placed relegated team across Step four’s eight regional divisions – a reprieve often granted should other teams lose their status – but even that would require an unlikely array of results elsewhere.

 

As for Ascot, it was a case of go out and enjoy it – they could climb one place to 15^th or even drop back to 18^th – in front of their relieved supporters.

 

Police stun Ascot with early goals

In a predictably slow encounter, the visitors belied their status – if not their ability to take the lead – with two goals inside two first half minutes.

 

The first of them came in the 14^th minute through Jamal Sharpe’s low finish from right-of goal that fizzed across Kie Plumley and in off the left-hand post.

 

Moments later, Jethro Odumosu and Tane Caubo’s smart one-two ended when the latter’s shot was blocked, although Mason Galloway gobbled up the pieces and smashed home from just inside the area.

 

Ascot were lacklustre and only created two chances of note later in the half. The first of them came when Kai Hobbs’s close range shot following a corner deflected wide when it could have gone anywhere – 37 minutes passed – and barely a minute later Josh Edwards failed to make a decent enough connection on Tyrese Osbourne’s cut-back and ‘keeper Charlie Burton saved easily.

 

The question was whether the visitors could actually hang onto points from a leading position, but Ascot would need to up their game to have any chance of a comeback.

 

Predictably unpredictable second half

The home side would finally kick into gear having made the first of five second half changes, and when Caubo was adjudged to have handled Luis Le Paih’s rasping 52^nd minute effort in the box, Le Paih himself stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

 

Five minutes later, and Ascot were rewarded for patient build-up, and when Osbourne cut the ball back for Jaye Long, he made no mistake with a thumping first-time effort that sailed over Burton and into the top left to make it 2-2.

 

At this point, it looked like there would be only one winner – Plumley got his side going with a quickly taken goal-kick, Lui Edwards picked out Osbourne, and he checked back onto his left before forcing a fine, low save out of Burton.

 

But with nine minutes remaining Sharpe got goal-side of Henry Curtis at the other end, Curtis’s clumsy challenge in the box earnt The Met a penalty of their own, and Galloway planted it into the top left to make it 3-2.

 

Ascot finished the day where they finished in 16^th place and that was that, as they say.

 

Ascot United: Plumley, Queally (Paxford 46’), Hobbs, J. Edwards, Curtis (Stewart 82’), Long (Mohamed 82’), Le Paih, L. Edwards, Allsopp (Lombardi 71’), Kamara, Osbourne (Brooks 82’).

 

Venue: The Racecourse Ground, Ascot

Attendance: 217

Weather: 22c, sunny

Ascot United MOM: Jaye Long

Entertainment: 3

Away fans estimate: 10

One-word summary: Pedestrian