Loco fall at the first Hordle

Locomotive put in a brave performance against Hordle Spurs in the second of the Ferndown clubs’ pre-season friendlies on Sunday as we scored four goals against a Bournemouth Sunday Premier League side… the only slight concern was that we conceded six!

Loco started with Kris in goal, and a defensive line up of Neil, Mat, Chris Hopkins and Dean Grice. In midfield we had Dave, Keith, Andy and Luke Mellor; and this left Rik and James Clease up front. Sam, Jimmy Redford, Webby and Cashmore were on the bench – with the latter reffing for the majority of the match.

The pitch at Hordle was quite a small one, so we didn’t really get the space to play the sweeping game that we know and love – however this didn’t stop us putting in a good performance, and indeed it was the away side that took the lead as Andy Smith headed home from a cross from the right after 5 minutes – 1-0 to Loco.

This goal set up 30 minutes of you score, we score. Hordle equalised, we scored a goal, Hordle score again, we score again… In amongst the goal frenzy, Mat Robinson went off and was replaced by Jimmy Redford.

So by half time it was 3-3, but it was a couple of good Loco goals that got us there, with Mellor and Rik Watkins both notching. Mellors goal was a stunning strike, after Watkins won the ball on the right, and squared the ball back to Luke on the edge of the box, who steered home a rasping drive past the flailing keeper – a good goal scored by a player who had an excellent half.

Riks goal again was classy. It was a solid strike after the ball was attempted to be cleared by the Hordle defence, and the cheeky striker was on hand to volley the ball into the back of the net.

The three conceded goals were all headers – not great goals to let in. Each and every one should have been prevented – however it does perhaps provide a blessing in disguise that we have learned to defend better in the air when the season starts.

The second half was not as good in terms of quality of football. Both sides lost the ball a lot, and the home team scored three goals compared to Loco’s one.

Sam came in on the left and Webby on the right. Chances were few and far between for Loco, but we did net through Keith, who headed in a Luke Mellor cross from the left, and truth be told he should have notched another, when he had a shot from close range, however it was blazed over the bar.

Hordle in the meantime has a couple of set pieces which resulted in headed goals, and then at the end of the game it was a lob from long distance from the right winger that outfoxed Kris in goal – making it 6-4.

It was a tough scoreline which didn’t really reflect the game itself. Loco could and should have won. There we bright sparks throughout the game from new midfielder Dave. Luke Mellor also looked lively, and Keith Jackson was an engine in the centre of the park. Rik Watkins too deserves a mention for his cracking goal, and superb skills throughout the game – a really hard working performance from the lad.

Final Score: Ferndown Locomotive 4 – 6 Hordle Spurs

Introducing the new Gladiators…

There has been a lot of hype this year regarding the return of the popular ITV show Gladiators, as it was revealed back in February that Sky One were going to resurrect the popular quiz show.

However, since the start of the new satelite-TV based series, it has been revealed that ratings have been poor, and programming bosses believe this is down to the current new crop of Gladiators that they have got on board.  They are simply not good enough, they lack any gravitas, are not memorable, and simialrly, the contestants have been getting the highest scores in the history of the programme.

In a unique move, Sky One have decided to use a new group of Gladiators hailing from Ferndown Locomotive.  The group, recently at some pre-season training at Durley Chine, were secretly (well, maybe not) pictured flexing their muscles, and this picture has been leaked to the locoboys.co.uk web-site.

Best wishes to the new set of Gladiators ahead of the new series…

Feel free to make any comments at the bottom of the page. They WILL be published…

Ali double secures derby win

Locomotive got pre-season underway last weekend with a convincing 2-1 victory over local side Ferndown Town on Saturday in a wet and windy fixture at Ferndown Sports Centre. It was Ali Carmichael that scored both goals either side of the half, ensuring that it was the Hayward Sunday League Division Three side who emerged victorious.

Ferndown Town, who play in the Dorset Saturday Premier League, are a strong outfit. They pass the ball well and break really quickly. Like Locomotive, they were suffering from having 5 or 6 players not available, however the quality in depth was obvious to see.

It was Town that took the lead early into the game, as some slack defending let in their striker who netted at the second attempt from close range - an assured finish. Loco took a long time to find their feet in this game, however as the half wore on, the side seemed to get more of the ball.

The Loco side comprised Matt Webb in goal, with Mat Robinson, Chris Hopkins, Neil Dall and Dan Carr at the back; with Sam, Mike Ypes, Dean Grice and Luke Mellor in the middle, with Ali and Rick up front. Sam went off for Mat after 30 mins, and Cash then deputised for Dean Grice.

It was at this point that Loco got one back, when Ali was put through on goal, and from the left apex of the penalty area, he calmly slotted home into the side of the net. A good equaliser for Loco.

In the second half, subs were swapped around again, and Loco really started to get a good grip of the game. We were battling with the wind slightly, but even still, we carved out a few good opportunities whilst not letting the opposition getting too near Webby’s goal.

We took the lead on 65 minutes when Rik played a through ball to Ali, who met the keeper and just dinked it past him as they met, ensuring the ball found the bottom left corner.

Other chances emerged through Rick, who shot wide, through Sam, who did the same after Mike played a ball square, and Ali was desperately looking for the hattrick, it just never quite came.

It was a good all round performance from Loco in difficult conditions, and things are looking promising in pre-season, with our fitness levels looking incredibly superior to last season.

Final Score: Ferndown Town 1 - 2 Ferndown Locomotive