Mazars churn out 4-1 win

On Sunday, Loco took to the smaller (and very boggy) pitch at Heathlands to take on Mazars. Despite taking the lead through Rob Mawdsley, we fell to a 4-1 defeat.Loco lined up with Mike in goal, with Luke, Lee, Cash and Stu across the back. In midfield was Ali, Sam, Andy Savage and Andy Smith - and this left Rob and Bomber up front, making a welcome return for the Loco. Chris and Kyle were on the bench.

The game started well for Loco. In difficult conditions were managed to start quite positively, so much so, within five minutes of the fixture we took the lead, with Rob Mawdsley netting the goal, after some great work from Bomber up front.

Indeed, Bomber and Andy were proving a handful throughout the match, both of them getting some early shots on goal. Elsewhere on the pitch, Ali was particularly strong again in the middle of the park, and the Loco defence was very water-tight.

The lead for the away side lasted for about ten minutes before it was lost, when a quick break away from the home side resulted in a good through ball being played to their on-running striker, who met Mike and slipped it to his right into the left side of the net to make it level. Ferndown were playing with the wind in the first 45, so it was a shame we didn’t make more of this advantage. Although the pitch was cutting up nearly everywhere, we somehow managed to stick to our guns, and despite the talented opposition, we weren’t over-roared, and could have even taken the lead - however the chances didn’t quite fall for us, and we ended up leaving the field level.

Mazars 1 - 1 Ferndown Locomotive

The second half was incredibly decisive, especially the first 20 minutes of the half, where we conceded three quick goals. A near post header, a break away and shot on goal, and then another well executed finish - all three strikes were very good, however once again, they could have been prevented.

Rather than completely capitulating last the week before, Loco seemed to galvanise on 70 minutes, when Chris and kyle were introduced - and we had a great spell of possession, including some corners and a few shots on goal. The confidence really flowed through the team, and it was a good way to finish a game, despite the scoreline.

With the final score being 4-1, there were many dejected Loco players walking off the pitch, however one thing I’ve come to realise for every good time with this club, there is a bad time - this is the bad time!

There’s plenty that will be done between now and the start of next season to rebuild and get the squad we need to take us onwards and upwards. However, getting these niggles sorted now will help us be a very decent outfit next season, where we can really push for a strong league finish.

Final Score: Mazars 4 - 1 Ferndown Locomotive

Savage nets in Bransgore shock

Loco capitulated against village side Bransgore on Sunday, as they tonked us 7-1, maintaining their mid-table league form, Andy Savage netting for Loco.Ferndown Locomotive were once again thread-bare for this fixture, with many key players out. We started with Mike in goal, with Stu at right back. Simon Candy and Cash were among the central defenders, and Luke Mellor was at right back. Across the midfield we had Andy Smith, Sam Davis, Andy Savage and Dan Smith, and this left Dave Hutchins and Ali Carmichael up front. Will was a very injured linesman, so he took a place on the substitutes bench.

The away side started reasonably well in this fixture, however from the off it was looking to be a very difficult fixture on a pitch which was extremely boggy in places. Bransgore were a strong outfit, and a good footballing side - the only shame was that they couldn’t win the fixture professionally, unfortunately resorting to ridiculous insults every two minutes. It got a tad boring after a while, but being village folk, this Sunday was probably the highlight of the community - so, we can let them off.

On the pitch, Loco really didn’t get much luck - we had a few counter attacks, and even a few wayward shots, including Andy Savage and Ali Carmichael having decent efforts on goal, however they didn’t find the net. Sam on the left managed to have one decent run, Andy on the right was getting heavily involved, mixing well with Dave on the right touchline - but unfortunately it was having no effect, due to the home side being very strong in all areas of the pitch.

One of their definite strengths was counter-attacking - and they did this on several times, with Mike Brannan and the Loco defence coming to the rescue to keep the scoreline goalless.

The half finished with a couple of very subdued teams walking off the pitch, however, for the average villager, the bore-draw that they witnessed in the first 45 was nothing compared to what they would see moments later.

Half-time: AFC Bransgore 0 - 0 Ferndown Locomotive

The second half started well for Loco, as we managed to get a bit more of the ball in the first ten minutes, and Luke’s hangover was being proudly shaken off with some classic touches on the left touchline. Indeed, it was his involvement that led to Loco taking the lead, when a ball was played through to the feet of Ali, who looked up and saw Savage making a diagonal run into the box. Ali flicked the ball into his path, and Andy, from a tight angle, lobbed the keeper to nicely see the ball settle in the top-right hand corner of the goal. A great start.

Loco kept the scores level for another ten minutes, surviving a few close shaves at the back - but the capitulation started on 60 minutes, in what was the beginning of a very tawdry thirty minutes in the history of Ferndown Locomotive.

Firstly, we conceded a free-kick in our own half, and the resulting set-piece saw a good right footed cross go straight onto the head of the grateful Bransgore striker, who nodded in past Mike in goal - who could do little about it.

Then five minutes later it became two, when the home side got a corner, and it wasn’t cleared, and their midfield turned to fire in a right footed strike into the right side of the net - a really good solid strike.

So, with 20 minutes remaining, Loco needed to claw their way back, and although we managed to get one whole shot in during this period, it couldn’t match the five shots that the home side had, all of which, by any stretch of the imagination were pot-shots… but all of which went in the back of the net. Tpical. Some of them were really good goals too.

Most of them however resulted from errors… Sam lost the ball in the middle of the park, Stu lost his footing on the dodgy ground, Cash too got done by their pacy striker - it was just one of those extremely farcial games that everything we touched turned into shit. I even had a shower after the game and my skin came off due to the water temperature being 1000 degrees.

So, forgetting that result, it is time for Loco to move on. Initial thoughts in 2007 seemed to suggest that with the squad we’ve got, we can really push for a strong finish - however it looks like it’s going to have to be a couple of months of consolidation - building on our strengths that we have found during the season.

Even during the first of Loco’s two promotional seasons, we somehow lost one of the fixtures 8-3 at New Milton, which many of the Loco old-timers, including our Aussie friend Rob Frank, will remember fondly. So, matches like this, although they’re awful and gutting, sometimes just have to be put down to “the way it goes”.

Needless to say, on Sunday, go our way it didn’t.

Final Score: AFC Bransgore 7 (Seven) - 1 Ferndown Locomotive

Ali double doesn’t stop Lectus

Ali Carmichael scored his third goal in two games on Sunday as Loco put in a brave performance against title contenders Lectus, but the result wasn’t to be…Locomotive were desperately unlucky not emerge with any points on Sunday on a horrendous surface at home to Lectus, which was muddier than a pissing down Glastonbury.

The home side began the game with a 4-5-1 formation, featuring Mike in goal. Across the back we had Dan, Cash, Will, and Luke (Stu was out due “cutting his finger” – honestly…). In midfield was Sam, Andy Smith, Andy Savage, Chris Brown, and Keith – leaving Ali Carmichael as a solitary player up front. On the bench we had Lee, and Matt – who was a welcome addition (brought along by Keith).

Well, the first twenty minutes was awesome. For a crap pitch we played some stunning football, and it was pretty justified when Loco took the lead, and it was a piece of individual brilliance from Ali that did it, who found himself some space on the left side of the penalty area after dodging a defensive challenge, and he looked up to see the keeper off the line – only to fire a beautiful crafted chip into the top of the net via the crossbar. A great start, and an accomplished finish, which Ali couldn’t help to tell everyone, by shouting “f**king brilliant”. 1-0 Loco.

The striker was nearly on score-sheet five minutes later, when the ball emerged on to the left wing where Chris Brown crossed to the far post where Ali could only get the angle to head over the bar.

It was fair to say that Loco were dominating possession, and with Andy Savage and Keith Jackson doing the business in the middle of the pitch, we really weren’t letting Lectus have any opportunities at all. The defensive four stood firm throughout, and with Sam and Andy trying to give some width every so often – the game often went in the home teams’ favour. Indeed, Sam had a couple of runs down the left side of the pitch, both resulting in corners after good saves from the Lectus goalkeeper.

Other good chances came about for Loco with Andy Smith managing to fire some shots in on goal after cutting in from the left, however we couldn’t score any more goals – which was a shame considering what occurred in the last 5 minutes of the half, when a defensive lapse let a Lectus striker in on goal, and he managed to coolly slot home past an otherwise unbeatable Mike Brannan.

Half-time: Ferndown Locomotive 1 – 1 Lectus

In the second half, the pitch got worse, and at times it was incredibly difficult to keep our feet – but even still, we just about coped. Lectus on the other hand, lost their rag, and at one point there was a flash-point between one of their players and the ref, and this only resulted in the midfielder being shown the red card.

So, with Loco having a man advantage, many would think that the game would get easier, however it was completely the opposite, and Lectus really started to play some good football. Running the game, the away midfielders were producing some quality chances for their strikers, but Mike Brannan was on hand with some excellent stops.

However, no-one could stop the inevitable – and on 65 minutes Loco conceded, when a move on the right hand side ended up in a decent cross, which was then planted into the net at the far post to make it 2-1. Bugger.

But, never fear, when you’ve got Ali up front – things happen, and within literally 30 seconds we were level, as Ali capitalised on a defensive lapse, and then spotted the Lectus keeper off his line, and he lobbed the ball over the goalie from about 30 yards to make it 2-2!

On 75 minutes though, Lectus regained the eventual decisive advantage, with a goal that was similar to their second, and this made it 3-2 - which very saddening really, considering this game was definitely a winnable one, whether or not they had ten men.

Although we huffed and puffed in the last moments of the game, including having a number of corners, and bringing on Lee and Matt – we never managed to score that much coveted equaliser, and we strolled off the pitch losing our first game 2007. There were some positive signs throughout the game though, and if these are taken on into the remainder of the season, Loco will undoubtedly secure a mid-table finish.

Final Score: Ferndown Locomotive 2 – 3 Lectus

Ali grabs last gasp winner

Loco continued 2007 in positive shape on Sunday with a 3-2 win against league strugglers Fernside Sports at King George, with Ali Carmichael grabbing the last minute winner.Loco began the game without the mighty Sean in goal, who has been living it up in Australia with Loco reject Rob Frank and family. Therefore Mike deputised in goal, with a defence in front of him consisting of Stu, Cash, Will and Luke. In midfield Loco boasted Sam, Ali, Andy Savage, and Chris Brown; leaving Simon Candy and Rob Mawdsley up front. Dave was Loco’s only substitute for this game.

The first half was a very mixed performance from the home side, however under the guidance of Cash, we managed to improve as the half progressed. Much of the game was being played down the boggy left side of the pitch, and although not many chances developed, Loco were fully in control, and didn’t look likely to concede, especially with Cash and Will being rocks at the back.

Simon was proving useful up-front, with some silky turns and good movement on the ball, however, even with his presence at the top of the pitch, Loco didn’t manage to make any in-roads.

We did manage to get some shots in though, with Rob having a good chance when getting put through, however he could only put his shot into the keeper, and similarly Andy Savage had a few long range efforts which went slightly astray.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Ali and Cash were managing to get on the ball frequently, and were constantly harassing the Fernside defence, and although the former managed to get a shot away, the team in red didn’t manage to score a goal.

So it became all the more disappointing that Locomotive went off the pitch 1-0 down, as, ten minutes from time, Fernside managed to break quickly and notch a goal against the run of play. We certainly felt annoyed at conceding a goal, however this isn’t to say that the away side were being over-roared in the game either, as they weren’t – but it was one of those first halves which really should have been one of those bore-draw 0-0 scorelines.

Half-time: Ferndown Locomotive 0 – 1 Fernside Sports

The second half saw a much improved Loco take to the pitch and claw things back within five minutes. The chance developed when we were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area when Rob was felled, and it was decided (after Cash’s recent out-step in-step debacle) that Simon would take the kick – and his firm low shot managed to creep into the goal via the odd deflection – but they all count. Loco were level.

Then, a few dodgy (and non-dodgy) off-side decisions later, Ferndown made it 2-1. It came after Sam went on a run from the right wing and cut inside, only to lose it… but the ball then ended up in amongst the Loco midfield, who then managed to dispatch it to the feet of Rob, who broke the off-side trap, to collect the ball, turn, and drill the ball low into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 2-1. Great goal.

So with this, the game should have been killed off. Loco looked completely re-invigorated and it seemed like we would go on to get many more, however a momentary lapse in concentration let Fernside go on the attack down the right wing, where their striker managed to cut in, and fire a low shot across goal and into the bottom left hand side of the hand past a diving Mike Brannan.

Dave replaced Luke later in the half, and Dave really managed to put together some great link up play. Elsewhere on the pitch, Savage, Ali, and Stu saw plenty of the ball, and Will and Cash were strong at the back – however, for all the possession we had in the final ten minutes, it wasn’t looking likely that we would get the winner, especially with Will seemingly getting injured every 5 minutes.

So with 30 seconds left on the clock, Loco simply mullered the ball forward, and after a bit of a pinball in the middle, the ball ended up at the feet of Rob, who, from the left apex of the penalty area, touched the ball inside to open up a shot on his right foot, and he curled an effort towards the far post, but the Fernside keeper parried…

…but then, out of nowhere, strode Ali Carmichael – who managed to prevent the ball going out of play, and instead he wrapped his foot around the ball to fire a low shot under the Fernside keeper into the net, much to the delight of everyone on the pitch, especially Sam, who shamefully planted a smacker on the Loco secretary’s cheek.

The whistle blew moments after, and although it wasn’t a classic Loco performance, it was a win, and one which was definitely required, Well done lads, it wasn’t pretty – but we stuck in.

Final Score: Ferndown Locomotive 3 – 2 Fernside Sports