Competition: Notts Senior League Senior Cup Final.
Scorers:
Boots - Ashley Harrison (61), Kevin Walker (79)
Rolls - Jack Matthews (73), Kane Matthews (85), Harry Allen (103)
We got to the ground fifteen minutes before the scheduled kick off time of 7:30pm and were a little surprised that there were so few present at the NSL's showcase final. As kick off time approached though, the crowd had grown considerably. I have no idea of the official attendance and I'm not even going to hazard a guess!
The first hour of the game did little to raise any hopes that this would be a blood and guts, win at all costs affair, but the final 30 minutes were well worth the entry fee. H-T 0-0
Former Eastwood Town Academy player ASHLEY HARRISON opened the scoring on 61 for Boots, but the lead was cancelled out 12 minutes later when Billy Brooks fired a neat ball forward from the right-back position, picking out JACK MATTHEWS who took the ball under his control before slotting through the legs of Curtis McDonald in the Chemists' goal.
Rolls were pushing forward in the hope of keeping the momentum of equalising going, but with 11 minutes of regulation time remaining, they were guilty of pushing too hard. After an attack broke down, Boots fired the ball out of defence to Tian Walton who got the better of Rolls' keeper Jake Pearson and squared the ball to KEVIN WALKER - the no. 10 made no mistake from 15 yards.
On 85 it was all square again, Andy Start's cross from the right neatly slotted home by KANE MATTHEWS. F-T 2-2
What had began as a pleasant evening, weather-wise, now turned into a cold, damp one - just what was needed with another 30 minutes to play!
The decisive goal on the night came in the 103rd minute, Jack Allen finding room down the right before firing the ball in at the near post to where brother HARRY ALLEN was on hand to flick the ball home. F-T 2-3
The teams
The third team
Nice to be in the company of Richard Lane again, although the "Wanderer" and Kev spent a fair part of the game extracting the urine out of my match-notes from previous games.
More worrying for me though was that after the game I was unable to find Kev's car in the car-park. I was wandering around in some confusion until I heard Kev shout me. Now, I'm not one to be too serious too often, but this was a little unsettling to say the least. Hopefully it was just a one-off brain-freeze, but I am certainly going to be visiting my GP very soon...
