Loco stun Tiegla in 4-1 g-rout

Ferndown Locomotive ended 2007 in style on Sunday with a convincing 4-1 win over fellow promotion contenders Tiegla Tiles at Ferndown Leisure Centre.Locomotive had a bit of a threadbare squad for this game, with numerous players out through injury and work commitments, however we pulled together 13 of the remainders – and gelled to put in a tremendous performance which kept us top of the league.

Loco began the game with Kris in goal, with Cash, Chris Hopkins and Matt Robinson at the back. Andy played just behind the midfield four of Sam, Ali, Kirk, and Rick – and this left Sean and James Clease up front. Chris Brown and Bolty were on the bench.

It took a while for Loco to get into the game in the first half, and we were chasing shadows a lot in the early stages with poor touches, Sam’s dodgy passes into the middle of the park, and a general lack of awareness. That said, the opposition didn’t really pose any threats either, so it was fair to say the majority of the early exchanges were spent in the middle third of the park.

The team in red and black (that’s Loco to the untrained reader), started to get a grip of the game half way through the first 45, and it was rewarded with a goal, when some persistent chasing by Sean saw him meet the goalie by the corner flag (with all the other 20 players on the pitch thinking it was rolling out of play). Sean hassled the keeper and managed to gain possession of the ball, and then a mis-placed clearance found Sean near the goal, and he stuck out a right boot to guide the ball past the keeper into the net from close range. 1-0 to Loco.

It should have been two only moments later, when Rick somehow found the back-lift to bring out a wonder strike from 30 yards, which hit the bar and came back into play, and James Clease managed to be in position for the simple head into goal… but it wasn’t to be as it went over the bar.

Tigela Tiles got back into the game on 35 minutes when they notched an equaliser, and it was merely a long ball over the top which caused some confusion between keeper and defender, and a Tiles striker got in between them and stuck out a foot to see the ball trickle into the net to make it level.

Half-time: Tiegla Tiles 1 -1 Ferndown Locomotive

The second half was much better from the away side, and this was the half where all our pre-season training and fitness work throughout the season came into fruitition.

We took the lead on 50 minutes when loco won a corner, which was swung in, and in amongst the resulting scramble in the box, Rick struck the ball into the net in off a Tiegla defender to make it 2-1.

Then ten minutes later we made it 3-1, when Loco had a really good spell of attack, and the ball found the feet of James Clease who was running away from goal, but he laid it back to Sam, who struck the ball left-footed from 15 yards into the top corner of the net to make it 3-1.

Then, it should have been four… as Sean Barker had the opportunity to convert from the spot after a Loco player was felled in the area, however his spot kick was saved and turned away from the Tiegla keeper, and Barker hung his head in shame. He did try to make up for it with an audacious lob from 25 yards from an extremely tight angle later on, however it went over the bar .

Chris Brown and James Bolt came onto the pitch later in the half, and performed really well for us, with Bolty getting in on the act a couple of times, nearly notching a goal himself. Ali and Kirk were having a great game in the middle of the park, and our defenders, as well as Andy (who was playing just in front of them), were being extremely strong, and rarely gave the ball away.

The fourth goal did come for Loco though, and it was Mr Smith who got it, single handedly ripping the Tiegla defence apart. As he approached goal, everyone willed him to shoot, however instead, he laid the ball to his right to James Bolt, who then pumped in a right footed cross on to the head of Andy, who got down and netted a diving header under the keeper, to make it 4-1.

Loco had other chances to net throughout the half, and really the score-line could have been more convincing, however we were more than pleased with the 4-1 win, which keeps Loco at the top of the league.

On a personal note, I was extremely proud to play in this game. Loco have had some memorable performances over the seasons I’ve played with this team, however I feel that this Sunday saw 13 players come together, and gel tremendously, with some really decent football at times, and a will to succeed and get the three points – so this was in one of my top five games I think. If we can continue this desire into 2008, and if we manage to go unbeaten in January – we WILL win the league. Players need to be available, need to be committed, and come April… you will most definitely be rewarded.

Well done lads.

Final Score: Tiegla Tiles 1 – 4 Ferndown Locomotive