Ascot United Supervets v Claygate Royals Strollers Supervets

Football, as someone famous once said, is often a game of two halves. Never has that been truer than at the Racecourse on a cold Friday evening in February as the Ascot United Vets took on Claygate.

Ascot were cruising at half-time. 4-0 up, totally dominant, and scratching their heads as to how they weren’t even further ahead. From back to front the side was cooking on gas.

To be fair to Claygate, they improved markedly in the second half. Ascot made changes, but as a unit the side seemed to forget how to keep the ball. Long balls bounced out and beyond, passes were misplaced and all of a sudden Claygate had their tails up.  Some solid defensive work from Matt Newall was crucial in keeping the rampaging hordes from deepest Surrey out, and, in truth, Ascot never really looked like losing. But, the second half blues need to be sorted out for when tougher challenges emerge on the horizon.

“We officially have a 4-0 problem” was co-gaffer Stu Flurry’s take on things. “We were 4-0 up against those guys before Christmas and they brought it back to 4-3. They nearly did the same again this evening. I reckon next time we’re 3-0 up against anyone we’ll just go 5-5-0 and ban everyone from going over the half way line looking for a fourth goal……”

The second half wobbles nonetheless shouldn’t disguise how good Ascot were in the first 45 minutes. They pressed impressively and subsequently launched attack after attack on the visitors’ goal. Dave Thompson will have felt he should have had one before he did indeed calmly slot the ball past the rather idiosyncratic Claygate custodian, whilst Dan Hough has quite possibly never struck a ball worse than he did in scoring the hosts’ second….somehow it went through the keeper’s hands and in at the far post.

Phil White then calmly tapped home a Mark Reed corner before Thompson bagged himself a brace as half-time loomed.  At the centre of all this was Mike Tomlinson, freshly minted in the Teddy Sheringham role. The only thing he didn’t seem able to do was get the ball in the onion bag himself.

A number of Yellas did nonetheless have to go through the pain barrier. Rob Stockford took a nasty whack on the leg when coming out and diving at an attacker’s feet, while Dave Porter talk an even worse blow to the head careering to the floor following a shoulder barge. A nasty gash on the forehand was the end product there. Goodness only knows what Mrs P. will make of it when he gets home.

Be all of that as it may, a win is a win is a win, and Ascot go into arguably their biggest game of the campaign so far with three points pouched.  The SVs’ next match is at fellow title-contenders Croxley on 28 February.

Squad. Rob Stockford, Ed Dubois, Micky Parker, Chris Purdue, Matt Newall, Paul Hamblin, Dan Hough, Phil White, Mark Read, Mike Tomlinson, Dave Thompson, Chris Ferdinand, Dave Freer, Dave Porter, Jon Gregory.

Goalscorers. Dave Thompson (2), Dan Hough, Phil White