EastGrinsteadColts

East Grinstead Colts vs. Horsham Sparrows: 21/4/07

The Colts had their first double header of the season when they faced Horsham Sparrows with 6 points up for grabs. Each match would be 40 minutes long with a half time interval. The first of 2 games got under way and both teams were clearly playing for maximum points. Horsham had a few shots on target but all were stopped by Tang. The Colts then broke with a through ball to Leslie who poked it into the bottom corner from range making the score 1-0 early on. The Colts had taken an early lead but Horsham were running through the midfield with ease creating plenty of chances but all stopped by superb defending by the back four. The game became more balanced as the game went on with the forwards having chances but good keeping prevented another goal. The first half ended and the second half got back under way. The game still remained balanced with the Colts still having hatfuls of chances but still not managing to put them away. Then with minutes left the ball bounced out side of the Horsham Sparrows penalty area and was met by the keepers arm but wasn’t called, he then kicked the ball long resulting in a Horsham goal making the score 1-1, the final score. Both teams had 1 point form the first match but the next match was already under way with the Colts desperate to continue their good run of form with another win, which would take them ahead of their opponents in the league. The Colts went all out for the win and they got closer to their target when Trabucatti slotted the ball across the face of the goal into the bottom corner giving the Colts the lead by one goal. The game was still even though with Horsham having plenty of chances denied by Mullins. Then Leslie got on the end of a through ball and poked it into the net akin it 2-0 and giving him his 19th goal of the season, a club record. The game started to tip more in the favour of the Colts attacking wise but they were still under constant attack from Horsham’s attacking force. Then the Colts won a corner which was tapped to Trabucatti who then smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner from an almost impossible angle. The game finished with the score at 3-0 with the Colts taking 4 points and Horsham taking just the one.

East Grinstead vs. Ewhurst Juniors: 10/3/07

The Colts faced Ewhurst seeking revenge for the away match catastrophe with their new signing Wilson Tang in goal. Ewhurst kicked off but immediate lost possession to the Colts who stormed forward. They stayed put in Ewhurst’s half having attempt after attempt but not managing to find the end product. Ewhurst finally broke out of their half and won a throw in near the Colts goal. The ball was launched into the area and poor marking let the ball bounce to a opposing forward who smashed it into the net. A nightmare defensive error had cost them dear but they weren’t deterred and continued to attack. They were getting joy down both sides but still no one could put the ball in the back of the net. Nyaka won the ball wide on the right hand side and beat the defender he knocked the ball into the area and it crept into the bottom corner in a stroke of luck. The game had levelled at 1-1 but it was clear there were more goals to come. Sure enough more chances came for both teams but it was Fields-Jewell who broke through and delicately lobbed the ball over the keeper into the top corner to give the Colts the lead. Half time came with the Colts still leading and with the team playing well and debutant Tang having a good game. The game resumed but it was much more balanced with both teams having spells of dominance. Ewhurst were attacking and their central midfielder received the ball far outside the area. He lofted the ball into the area but a case of bad fortune for the Colts saw the ball dip under the cross bar to bring it level at 2-2. Both teams battled on for the all important 3 points with Leslie notably having good chances but he was unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Then the Colts won a promising free kick outside the area on the right wing. It was whipped in by Goodsell and was glanced goal-ward by Watts. The keeper dived but couldn’t stop it going in so the Colts had taken the lead at 3-2 with Watts’ effort. To their credit though Ewhurst fought back but couldn’t quite breach the back four. Then Hall got wide down the left and whipped in the ball to Nyaka who bundled it into the back of the net. The score was 4-2 with only a few minutes left. In the dying minutes Ewhurst broke forward and crossed the ball in, it was turned onto the bar but fell down in the path of an oncoming striker who put the ball in the net making the final score 4-3.

East Grinstead Colts vs. Upper Beeding: 17/2/07

After a long spell of bad weather the Colts finally had their first home game since the 25th of November last year. They faced Upper Beeding in what promised to be an enthralling meet. Earlier in the season the Colts played one of their best games of the season when they drew 1-1 away from home. The game kicked off and both teams started off well having attacking spells. The Colts midfield looked strong creating chance after chance for the attack only to be thwarted by the opposition’s goalkeeper. Upper Beeding had chances as well but good keeping by Mullins prevented them going behind. Then a hospital ball put Ray in danger as he collided awkwardly hurting his ankle. A makeshift back four of Williams, Watts, Malins and Dick made a formidable team stopping anyone getting through and even when they did excellent charging out by Mullins prohibited any shots on target. The back four were put to the test when an opposing striker broke into the area turning Dick and Malins only to be stopped at the last by a sliding tackle from Watts. Seconds before the half time whistle Nyaka whipped in a ball from the right hand side to Trabucatti who lunged in with a defender to turn the ball into the net, the Colts took the lead and led 1-0 into half time. When the second half got under way the Colts continued with the tempo that had given them their lead in the first half but Upper Beeding started to get a foot hold in the game. The Colts still held firm at the back but were getting exposed to a lot of pressure and Upper Beeding looked threatening. Then an opposing striker broke into the box and was tackled, what appeared to be unfairly. The Colts feared the worse but the penalty wasn’t given instead a free kick was given for simulation. The Colts attacked and it prevailed when Leslie broke through and cool as you like placed the ball into the bottom corner. The Colts finally got the 2 goal cushion they desperately wanted. The game looked over until Leslie broke through in similar circumstances but this time the keeper dived the right way and held the ball well. The last few minutes where tense but eventually the final whistle sounded and the Colts secured only their second victory of the season.

East Grinstead vs. Brockham Badgers: 6/1/07

3 times the Colts have faced Brockham and every time it had ended 1-1 so an even game was expected. The game started at a high tempo, Brockham attacked down the right wing and a cross across the edge of the 6 yard box was missed by Birchnall and seized by an oncoming attacker who put it into the back of the net. The Colts weren’t dispirited though and quickly attacked Brockham’s goal and watched as top scorer Leslie smashed the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-1 within minutes. The pitch condition was rapidly decreasing causing all sorts of problems for the defence as the ball stuck around the goal mouth. The Colts attacked constantly but Brockham played counter attackingly. They won a corner and as the ball dropped to the floor it stayed put limbs were hacking at the ball from all directions until Mullins cleared it but it was stopped on the edge of the area, the ball was whipped across the goal and then back to a Brockham forward who poked it in despite Birchnall’s effort to keep it out. The game was equal despite the score and a couple of dubious decisions from the linesman. Half time came with the score at 2-1 but the Colts were far from beaten. The game got back under way and the boggy goal mouth was causing all kinds of defensive problems for both teams. A cross from the right wing landed perfectly on Leslie’s head who glanced it into the goal net expertly. The score was 2-2 and the Colts had evened out the score line again. But again a goal from Brockham pulled the home team ahead. The game was still even and when the Colts won a corner they knew it would cause all sorts of problems for Brockham and when it was knocked in it did but the ball was forced out onto the edge of the area where it was met by stand in captain Birchnall who drilled it goal wards and to his delight watched it all the way into the back of the net. The score was again level at 3-3 and the Colts were full of confidence. The Colts played route one football to counter act the poor pitch condition and it worked a charm as Leslie completed his hat-trick to put the Colts ahead 4-3. There was still very little between the two teams but the Colts defence was struggling with the poor conditions around the goal mouth which allowed Brockham to get a goal to again level the score at 4-4. With the pitch getting worse by the second and both defences were suffering when a Brockham player played a simple pass back it stopped in the mud, Trabucatti and the keeper both charged towards the ball but the keeper got there first and put his foot through it, but it cannoned into Trabucatti and bounced into the net. The Colts were 5-4 up and looking impressive. But as always Brockham levelled as the shot beat Mullins. At 5-5 the game was delicately balanced and both teams looked strong. Brockham won a corner and sent it in quickly but was cleared well by Watts, but it fell to a Brockham defender far away from the goal, who knocked it long into the box. Trabucatti jumped up to head the ball clear but he couldn’t reach and it deflected off his head slightly and hit Mullins’ foot and rolled through his legs into the net. The Colts had gone from 5-4 up to loosing 6-5. With minutes remaining Brockham scored again to give them a 7-5 win that didn’t reflect the game at all. Again it was a case of close, but not close enough.

East Grinstead vs. Ockley Acorns: 25/11/06

So far this season the Colts have picked up 2 points and are 8th out of 10 teams. One of the teams below them is Ockley Acorns so when kick off arrived and they only had 10 men the Colts were fairly confident it would be a walk over. The game kicked off and the boggy pitch slowed down the ball which didn’t help the Colts’ passing game. The game was surprisingly even until Ockley’s number 9 broke through to give the visitors a 1 goal lead. The Colts were surprised but still played on. Few chances came for the Colts and the usual quick effective passing was no where to be seen. Then the opposing number 9 slipped through again and once more punished the Colts with a precision finish. The Colts were shocked, what was supposed to be a walk over had turned into a nightmare. The wind was picking up and Mallins, who was playing on the right wing, was getting the better of the left back but nothing came from the chances. The pitch prevented any fancy football so both teams had to play hard and hope for the best. After a quiet 10 or so minutes Ockley again pressed forward and a screamer from way outside the box floated over Mullins’ head and into the net. 3-0 was not the kind of position the Colts wanted to be in. The first half was rapidly coming to an end and the Colts just wanted the punishment to stop but it wasn’t their day as another amazingly accurate long range effort flew into the top corner. The whistle went for half time and a shell shocked Colts team trudged off the pitch. Before they knew it the second half was under way. But this time the Colts looked determined not laid back. All over the place the Colts were winning the ball and when Leslie broke through he looked certain to score. He shot but it ricocheted off the keeper, fortunately for him though it bounced back into his path for him to get his 8th goal of the season. Immediately the Colts looked a different side. Chances wouldn’t stop coming. A lofted ball into the box was met by a strong header by Fields-Jewell, the last person you’d to be good in the air, who powered it into the bottom corner. All of a sudden the Colts were straight back in it. Ockley hardly got into the Colts half and looked no threat what so ever. The Colts continued to press forward and were winning throw-ins, free kicks and corners all the time. Then from one of the corners the ball didn’t bounce due to the waterlogged goal mouth, in a typical goal mouth scramble Leslie managed to poke in a 3rd Colts goal making it 4-3. The Colts were still trailing by one goal and time was against them. Ray was pushed into the midfield and made an impact straight away. Relentless attacking from the Colts forced the keeper further out until the point he was stranded on the edge of the area. He made a save and was on the ground when the ball rolled to the feet of Ray outside the area. He drilled the ball into the back of the net levelling the score line at 4-4. With about 7 minutes to go the Colts decided to go for one final push to get all 3 points. When Watts played a clever ball through to Leslie with no defenders in front of him they looked certain to win but an Ockley defender lunged in from behind and brought Leslie to the ground. The player got yellow carded and the Colts won a free kick on the edge of the area. Bull took it and drilled it in but it was stopped by the wall. The ball went out for a corner and was taken quickly. The ball bounced around the area for a while and the rolled out to Bull who drove it into the bottom corner. The Colts took the lead in the last few minutes! The Colts played out the last few minutes and celebrated their first league victory of the season!

East Grinstead vs Ashington Cougars: 18/11/06

The last time the 2 sides met the game ended 3-3. Smith, who has now left the club, got a hatrick and kept Ashington from promotion. But since the departure of Smith Bull and Trabucatti have both arrived, so no one could predict the outcome of the game. Birchnall made his first league start in goal and Trabucatti made his league debut. The game got under way and the Colts passed the ball around when they got it and managed some attacks early on. Ashington were starting to get more of the ball and looking a real threat, and when the ball was played through and Birchnall couldn’t stop it with a single hand Ashington broke the deadlock and made it 1-0. Chances continued to come for the Colts and Ashington but neither could finish. Birchnall made some excellent saves and stops to keep it at 1-0. The Colts got the ball on the left side and a neat 1-2 between Watts and Leslie got Watts through. He crossed it into the feet of Trabucatti who spun with it and whipped it into the bottom corner but had it disallowed for a push on the defender. Still the game was stuck at 1-0, had it not been for some excellent heading by Ray and covering by Williams and Mallins the Colts could’ve been further behind. All of a sudden Trabucatti received the ball on the half way line and ran towards the goal, he kicked it goal-ward and looked up only to see it flash past the post. Then a high ball into the box was met by an Ashington head that flew past the keeper and defenders to 3 offside players, one of them tapped it in and to the horror of the Colts players the goal stood, making it 2-0. With minutes left to go in the fist half Trabucatti got the ball on the edge of the area and precisely chipped it over the keeper, giving him his first goal and the Colts the chance to get back into the game at 2-1. Half time came and went; the players came back on as Ashington kicked off. The ball went straight forward and through a mass of defenders to an Ashington striker who placed the ball into the net. The Colts were in shock, they had just got back into the game to see it go out of reach again. To their credit though the Colts continued to try and it looked like a certain goal when Leslie got the ball in front of goal, keeper on the floor. He kicked it with his left foot and somehow the keeper managed to spring across his goal and turns it past the post. A few substitutions were made Watts came on with Fields-Jewell. Within about a minute Watts got the ball on the edge of the area and burst in only to be brought down hard by the defender. The Colts were awarded a penalty and despite Watts’ plea Bull took it. He struck it hard and saw it strike the under side of the crossbar and somehow didn’t go in. The Colts were mesmerized, the game only had about 10 more minutes to go and Ashington scored a 4th goal, destroying any remaining hopes of a comeback. The game ended 4-1, an unfair reflection of the game, but that’s how the season has been so far, playing well, making chances and still loosing unfairly.

East Grinstead vs. Heron Olympic: 4/11/06

After a 7-0 victory in their last game the Colts were full of confidence and expecting a result. The game started and the Colts passed the ball well and were unlucky when their quick number 12 broke through and slotted it past Mullins. The Colts continued to pass it and play well and consequently attacked well. It was no surprise when the ball was knocked into a gaping net by in form striker Jack Leslie. The Colts had levelled and were playing strong. Unfortunately the number 12 managed to break through the defence, latch onto the loose ball and put it in the net again. But still the Colts were unfazed and midfield work from Bull and Goodsell managed to set up many chances. The number 12 was the main danger man but with the Colts dominating the forward play he couldn’t get in again. Then the chance came and Bull broke through and was 1 on 1 with the keeper at a tight angle, unselfishly he played the ball square to Leslie who tucked away his second of the game, making it 2-2. The defence held strong despite shaky moments. Then the Colts got loads forward and several shots hit the keeper and rebounded out, finally it fell to Leslie dead in front of the goal but he couldn’t keep the shot down and sent it high over the bar. Leslie was still positive and managed to break through again, 1 on 1 with the keeper with not a defender in sight he tried to slot it past the keeper but an outstretched leg prevented him getting his hat-trick. The half time whistle went and the Colts went in level at 2-2. The second half got under way and the opposition’s number 12 broke through again and inevitably scored taking it to 3-2. Chances continued to come, notably when Williams penetrated down the right hand side hitting the post with a rocket shot. But it was a game of missed chances, Williams broke through, eager to score and shot against the keeper, not seeing Leslie, Watts and Hall all unmarked in the middle. Heads started to drop and the Colts started hitting the ball anywhere rather than trying to pass to feet. Heron took advantage of the situation and scored another 2 goals with 15 minutes to go. The Colts started to pass the ball and got some success through Nyaka on the right wing, but it was too little to late. The game finished 5-2, an unfair reflection of the game but chances were missed at vital moments which could have made a very different story.

East Grinstead vs Upper Beeding: 7/10/06

The Colts travelled the long distance to Upper Beeding and after some problems with the pitch the game got under way. Adam Bull started on his Colts debut and didn’t fail to live up to his reputation. But Upper Beeding still managed to control the game excellently for the first 10 minutes and were close to scoring on several occasions had it not been for some brilliant tackles from Goodsell and Williams. The Colts managed to edge their way back into the game but Upper Beeding were tough and opponents and weren’t easily broken down. Some amazing skill down the right wing by Nyaka caused them all kinds of trouble but the opposition held firm. The Colts defended well and attacked even better with Bull and Watts playing the ball into the final third of the pitch well. Beeding struggled to get back into the game and the Colts looked well in control until a Beeding striker produced an exquisite volley which ending up in the top corner of the net, putting the Colts, undeservingly, 1-0 down. But to their credit they continued to play good football and were extremely unlucky not to get a goal. But just as half time approached, Bull managed to hit the ball across the goal and into the bottom corner, with precision and power, levelling the game at 1-1. Half time came and went and the Colts resumed their excellent form and were denied a clear penalty when Fields-Jewell was pushed to the ground in the box. The clock ticked on and the Colts threatened once more, winning a free kick from range, Bull struck the ball superbly and it flew through the air, but was turned away by the crossbar! The game started to level out with neither team managing to get a real grip on the game and with only a few minutes left on the clock Beeding managed to break through but David Goodsell stood his ground and made a vital tackle preventing a Beeding goal. The game ended 1-1 and the Colts are now looking forward to their cup games next week.

East Grinstead vs Copthorne: 23/9/06

The Colts faced a strengthened Copthorne side with only 12 players available. They started with 3 across the back but were quickly beaten when the ball wasn’t cleared properly allowing the Copthorne striker his first goal. The Colts were dispirited, and it showed, players failed to mark tightly and before they knew it they were 3-0 down. The Colts managed to keep their heads up and kept the game at 3-0 until half time and were unlucky not to score when Fields-Jewell broke through but was stopped by a charging keeper. The Colts kept the score line the same with some great defending from Ray and the injured Birchnall. Dick and McLaren-Rowe managed to keep the wingers out of play, but Copthorne still managed to bag another goal. The midfield and attack managed to apply more pressure but no one could provide the end product. Just when the Colts looked like they could still salvage something from the game Copthorne got a penalty. The kick was superb but Mullins went the right way and was incredibly unlucky not to save it. Copthorne continued to get chances, and a delicate lob which was just out of Mullins grasp, who managed to get his fingertips on it, managed to dip into the net despite Birchnall’s attempt to save it. Copthorne were now cruising to a 6-0 win, but the Colts continued to work, and Leslie managed to get one on one with the keeper, but was denied by a good save from the keeper. Not long after, Sikhusele managed to get the ball on the right wing, he beat one player and whipped in a great cross which Watts managed to control and poke into the net. The Colts had grabbed a goal and in the remaining 8 minutes played brilliant football and got close on several occasions. The game ended 6-1 but the Colts are looking forward to completing the signing of midfielders, Seb and Adam.

Piczo