Ascot United Supervets v Windlesham Veterans

Report

Ascot United’s Supervets and Windlesham Vets served up an entertaining 4-4 draw in a friendly encounter on Saturday 26 April. Windlesham went one up early, before doubling their lead halfway through the first half. Ascot then stormed back and midway through the second half were 3-2 and then 4-3up. The visitors, however, bundled home an eighth goal of the game to see the spoils shared.

Ascot’s over 50s should have been playing their final league game of the season on 26 April. That plan went up in smoke when Chelsea Supervets conceded. Given that the SVs most definitely fancied a run out before the cup final on 9 May, Windlesham Vets generously stepped in to fill the breach.

Windlesham were certainly a bit younger, but that was largely levelled out with Ascot giving Adam Moroney, Glenn Johnson and the irrepressible Chris Tredwell a run out. It was Windlesham who got out of the blocks quicker; Ascot appeared to be very much on screensaver mode as a visiting forward waltzed into the box only to be felled by an Ascot defender. Penalty, 1-0 to the team from the other side of the A30.

Things didn’t really improve. Ascot gave the ball away too easily and Windlesham used the possession gifted to them impressively. 1-0 became 2-0 and it would have become 3-0 had a Martin Kay flag not saved the home side’s bacon.

The Yellas needed to shake themselves from their slumber. That they did by keeping the ball a bit better. Do that, and everything would get easier. Mike Tomlinson and Chris Purdue began to exert a modicum of control, Paul Hamblin smashed his now regulation thunderbastard from outside the box onto the crossbar and, slowly but surely, Ascot sorted themselves out.

2-0 it remained at half-time, but gaffer Dave Porter then decided to ring the changes. Chris Tredwell came on in an unfamiliar left wing back roll…..and took to it like a duck to water. Indeed, it was a pinpoint Tredwell cross that went via Dan Hough’s head into the back of the net. 2-1 and the tide was turning.

New boys Geoff Stothert and Russ Fogden started getting their respective feet on the ball, Matt Newall oozed decorum at the back and Adam Moroney became a thorn in the visiting defence’s side.

It wasn’t long before the equaliser came. Phil White was bundled over in the box, Justin Staniforth pointed to the spot and Mike Tomlinson despatched the kick nicely to the keeper’s left. Two minutes later and it was 3-2, the otherwise excellent Windlesham keeper having a bit of a brain fade, gifting a goal to the predatory Glenn Johnson.

That wasn’t, however, quite the end of things. Mark Power continued to be in the middle of things, whilst Windlesham’s impressive striker caused a whole series of problems. Indeed he was at the centre of things as the score clicked up to 3-3. Abbas Hussain, with a piece of precision engineering from the left, added a fourth for the Yellas, but, again, Windlesham came back and 4-4 it soon was once more.

Was there going to be a winner? A champagne moment to tell the grandkids about? Nah, not today. 4-4 it was to be, so both sides retired to the pavilion for some liquid refreshment. Good job one and all.

Starting XI. Dwaine Bryan, Dan Hough, Abbas Hussain, Micky Parker, Matt Newall, Dave Porter, Stuart Flurry, Mike Tomlinson, Chris Purdue, Phil White and Paul Hamblin.

Subs. Ed Dubois, Chris Tredwell, Geoff Stothert, Adam Moroney, Russ Fogden, Glenn Johnson, Doug Page,

Goals. Dan Hough, Glenn Johnson, Mike Tomlinson, Abbas Hussain