Hawkings 8 FC Vernons 8

Stephen Hawkings Football Boots (5) 8 [Chris 3, Ric 2, Carl 3] FC Vernons (4) 8

Date: 290708. Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Chris Elliott, Ric Elliott, Stephen Woods, Andy Dignan, Carl Robinson

Hawkings should have won this game, even after falling a goal behind. Chris soon equalised and Ric gave Hawkings the lead, following up Stephen’s shot. When Carl scored directly from a free kick (with Iain’s decoy run taking out the defensive wall) to make it 3-1, a comfortable victory seemed assured, even when Vernons intercepted an Iain pass to score a second. Hawkings went off the boil at this point, and soon trailed 3-4, but late in the half Chris equalised before Carl restored the lead after Stephen played the ball to him through a defender’s legs.

Ric hit the post early in the second half, but Hawkings never looked comfortable after the break. Time after time, they were caught out with men unmarked in front of goal, and despite some fine saves by Craig, he was unable to keep out the equalising goal. This seemed to spur Hawkings on, and Carl restored the lead after Andy set him up, then Iain set Ric up for the seventh goal. Again, though, the weaknesses were at the back, and Vernons scored twice to make it 7-7.

Chris appeared to have won the game with an eighth goal, the ball going in off the underside of the bar, but luck was against them with the Vernons equaliser, Iain’s excellent clearance counting for nothing when the ball struck Andy and fell invitingly to a Vernons player.

Carpet Muchers 7 Deportivo le Cadley 5

Carpet Munchers FC (3)7 [Dan Arciniega, Rob Danson 2, Stephen Woods, Iain Wilson 2, Mike Hinde] Deportivo Cadley (1)5

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Dan Arciniega, Mike Hinde, Rob Danson, Stephen Woods

A superb victory, against a side who were technically superior, but every player produced a sterling performance for the team to secure an unexpected win. The defence, in particular, were outstanding, with anything they didn’t deal with capably kept out by Craig, and the speed up front was a constant worry to the Cadley defence.

Dan gave Munchers the lead with a close-range finish after Rob cut the ball back to him, and although Cadley soon levelled the scores, it was 2-1 to Munchers when Stephen played a quick free kick to Rob, who fired the ball past the ‘keeper. Craig’s quick distribution led to the third goal, another from Rob, and at half time it was 3-1 to Munchers.

The fourth goal arrived soon after the restart, when Mike and Dan combined to create the opening for Stephen to score, and after Iain had narrowly failed to finish off a through ball from Mike, he played a one-two with Stephen before slotting the ball past the ‘keeper. In defence, Iain was rock-solid as he blocked almost every Cadley attack, and Craig produced a string of fine saves to frustrate the opposition.

When Cadley did finally add a second goal, there was a fear for a moment that they might yet get back into the game, but the action for the next few minutes was at the other end. After the ‘keeper saved an effort from Dan, Mike made it 6-2 when he latched on to Iain’s through ball, and Iain added a seventh from another defence-splitting Stephen pass. With Rob running all over the pitch and collecting many of Craig’s attacking throws, Munchers were tearing the Cadley defence to pieces. Iain and Stephen created a chance for Rob, which was well saved, and Mike, Stephen and Dan all had chances to make it 8-2.

In the closing minutes, Cadley pulled a goal back to make it 7-3, but it could have been 8-3 moments later following the move of the match, with Iain setting Rob up for a shot that hit the bar. Craig turned a Cadley effort onto the post, and in the last minute two long-range blasts went in to make the final score 7-5, but nothing could take away the quality of the overall team performance – summed up best by the fact that every outfield player scored, and every player on the pitch was involved in creating at least one goal.

Hawkings 5 Chorley Wanderers 6

Stephen Hawkings Football Boots (1)5 [Chris Elliott 4, Ric Elliott] Chorley Wanderers (3)6

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Richard Elliott, Chris Elliott, Andy Dignan, Carl Robinson

Against well-organised but physical opponents, Hawkings were made to rue a poor start to each half as they lost to a goal in the dying seconds. From the kick-off, Craig was the busiest player on the pitch, but he could do little to prevent Wanderers taking a 3-0 lead in the first eight minutes. Hawkings’ first goal attempt, a fine shot from Iain, produced an excellent save from the accomplished Chorley ‘keeper, who also kept a long-range effort from Carl out. Hawkings eventually got on the score sheet when Chris finished well after Andy laid a pass on for him. Craig tipped a shot onto the bar as Hawkings dealt with the Chorley attack for the remainder of the half.

Chris was unlucky to strike the post with an excellent finish, and Chorley responded by taking a 4-1 lead – for the second time in the evening, they were first to the ball following a Craig save, putting the ball into an unguarded net. Craig almost set up a second goal for Chris with a throw that found him unmarked as it split the defence, but as he was about to tap the ball home, it ran away from him. Again, Hawkings suffered for this failure to score by conceding another goal themselves – both goals coming in the first four minutes of the half this time.

From this point on, Hawkings dominated the rest of the game, defending bravely and creating more and more openings as they attacked. Andy again set up Chris for the second goal, and after both ‘keepers made fine saves, Chris being denied for Hawkings, Chris added two further goals to make it 4-5 with ten minutes to go. Ric levelled the scores with a fine finish after Carl laid a free kick to him, and Carl was twice clattered to the ground as he looked set to score the winning goal. Iain also saw a shot saved, but completely against the run of play, Chorley scored the winning goal seconds from full time with an excellent strike into the corner.

Carpet Munchers 7 First Touch 8

Carpet Munchers FC (3)7 [Rob Danson 2, Andrew Dignan 3, Callum Faulds, Iain Wilson] First Touch (3)8

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Andrew Dignan, Rob Danson, Callum Faulds

An agonisingly close game, with only the post coming between Munchers and a deserved victory, with all five players putting in superb performances, cutting out every scoring attempt and closing down the opposition. In the early stages of the game, Munchers soaked up a lot of pressure but broke quickly, taking the lead when Rob followed up Callum’s shot. Iain set up the second with a perfect pass across the area to Andy, and Callum made it 3-0 with a long shot that went in off the post. At the other end, Craig was making some fine saves, but Touch gradually got into the game with two quick goals. Just before half time, Callum was desperately unlucky with a shot that hit the inside of the post and bounced into the ‘keeper’s arms, and Touch profited from this by levelling the scores just before the whistle.

Early in the second half, Craig did well to tip a shot onto the post, but Touch came back to take a 4-3 lead soon afterwards. Munchers were not disheartened, though, and scored the goal of the game when Callum’s Zidane-like backheel set up Andy. Iain then had a shot saved, but at the other end Craig had to make a superb save to keep the scores level. Touch retook the lead, but again Munchers equalised when Andy followed up another Callum effort.

First Touch scored again to make it 6-5, but Munchers deserved to be level when Callum hit the post again. Instead, it was Touch who scored to go 7-5 ahead, but after Iain had a shot saved, he scored after receiving a pass from Callam. It was ill fortune when Touch scored their eighth goal, the ball going first through Iain’s legs and then through an unsighted Craig’s.

The final five minutes was all-out attack from Munchers. The Touch keeper made several fine saves, some in a rather fortunate way with his legs, Rob scored a fine goal to reduce the arrears to one again, then hit the post. As they were going forwards, they left gaps at the back, and Touch hit the post after Craig forced the player wide, but it was Callum – again – who struck the post with the last shot of the game.

Hawkings 4 Smack My Pitch Up 15

Stephen Hawkings Football Boots (3)4 [Chris Elliott 3, Rick Elliott] Smack My Pitch Up (6)15

Squad –Iain Wilson, Richard Elliott, Chris Elliott, Andrew Dignan, Andrew Edwards

The score line failed to reflect the game, with a depleted Hawkings side a match for Smack for most of the time. After a poor beginning, in which Hawkings were 0-3 down almost right from the kick-off, they competed well until the final five minutes, when another half dozen goals were shipped. Chris Elliott scored the first Hawkings goal, and in the next few minutes Andy Edwards had a shot saved, Chris hit the post and Andy Dignan produced an excellent stop from the ‘keeper. Iain Wilson made a couple of good stops but could do nothing about the fourth goal, but two Chris Elliott efforts reduced the arrears to a single goal. Just before half time, Smack scored two more to change round 6-3 in front.

A superb move involving a pass from Chris and a blistering shot from Andy D deserved a fourth goal, but the first two goals of the half went to Smack. At 3-8, Andy E swopped places with Iain in goal, and his first save led to a move which ended with Ric Elliott hitting the post. Brother Chris followed suit just afterwards, before Ric finally netted to make the score 4-8. Hawkings were still pressing, but gaps were being found at the back, and late in the game the opposition began to find scoring easier, stretching the lead to 4-11.

The fortunes were against Hawkings, as evidenced when Chris brought another fine save out of the ‘keeper, who blocked his follow up shot and then managed to get down again as Iain first-timed a close-range effort goalwards – all three goal attempts had come in a five-second spell. In the last minute, Smack added a further four goals to give a false complexion to the final scoreline.

Carpet Munchers 9 All Stars 9

Carpet Munchers FC (2)9 [Mark Marsden 3, Callum Faulds 3, Rob Danson 2, Mike Hinde] All Stars (4)9

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Dan Arciniega, Mike Hinde, Mark Marsden, Rob Danson, Callam Fawlds

This was a great game, with Munchers coming back from 2-8 down to almost grab a win, but was marred by a couple of incidents and also some poor and inconsistent  refereeing.

In a very even beginning, Munchers had chances to take the lead, with Iain setting up chances and efforts from Callum, Mark, Mike and Dan being kept out by the ‘keeper, who made some fine saves throughout the match, but it was All Stars who took the lead directly from a free kick. Mark equalised for Munchers, and when All Stars scored again, Mark thought he’d equalised directly from the kick-off after Dan touched the ball to him, but the referee disallowed it because he said the ball hadn’t been passed backwards. All Stars scored again from a free kick to make it 3-1, but Callum reduced the arrears shortly before half time. Just before the interval, All Stars scored a fourth goal.

When All Stars made it 5-2 just after the restart, Munchers heads began to drop, and it was soon 8-2 to the opposition – had it not been for some fine saves from Craig, it would have been a lot more. Munchers began to fightback after this, with Mark, Rob and Callum scoring to make the score 5-8, and now it was All Stars who were rocking. Rob poked home a lucky sixth, as he was a foot inside the area when he touched the ball, Mark made it 7-8 and Callum equalised at the end of the forty minutes. The referee added a couple of minutes on, and in the first of them Mike put Munchers ahead when he blocked a clearance and the ball rebounded off him past the ‘keeper. In the dying seconds of the second added minute, the players stopped as Rob was kicked to the ground, expecting the whistle, but the referee ignored the claims and All Stars took advantage to level the scores.

Hawkings 7 Inter Not a Lot 1

Stephen Hawkings Football Boots (4)7 [Chris Elliott, Andrew Dignan 2, Stephen Woods 2, Iain Wilson 2] Inter Not A Lot (0)1

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Richard Elliott, Chris Elliott, Stephen Woods, Andrew Dignan

Just as in last season’s game, this was a very comfortable victory for Hawkings, which would have been by a much wider margin if not for some fine goalkeeping by the Inter custodian. Inter began with only four players, and were no match for Hawkings, who created chance after chance until Chris finally put them ahead. Andy made it 2-0, and Stephen added a third after Iain’s shot had been saved. The fifth Inter player arrived shortly afterwards, but it didn’t make a great deal of difference, as Stephen struck a shot that hit both posts before scoring a fine fourth goal to end the first half scoring.

Iain added a brace at the start of the second half, the second while Inter were again down to four men after a dismissal for a very late challenge as they began to play petulantly. Andrew fired in a shot that the ’keeper tipped onto the post, before Inter finally scored with an excellent shot that gave Craig no chance. It had been one of his quieter games in goal, though he dealt well with everything else fired at him and almost set up Ric for a goal with a long throw out. Ric was unlucky not to score when he again made space on the edge of the area, but it was Andy who scored the final goal of the evening, following up after Iain’s shot had been saved.

Carpet Munchers 12 WCFC 3

Carpet Munchers FC (4)12 [Callum Faulds 5, Iain Wilson 3, Rob Danson 4] WCFC (0)3

Squad – Craig Wilson, Iain Wilson, Dan Arciniega, Rob Danson, Callum Faulds

Even with only five players, and against a side with two substitutes, this was a comfortable victory for Munchers. Although half the goals scored could be put down to goalkeeping errors, Munchers had at least a dozen more goalscoring opportunities that they failed to take.

In the first half, Munchers scored four times without reply, Callum Faulds scoring twice, the first from Rob Danson’s pass, and Iain Wilson adding the other two from passes by Callum.

Early in the second half, Iain completed his hat trick after Dan Arciniega passed across the area to him, and although WC were unlucky to hit the post, Rob made it 6-0 with his first goal of the night. Craig Wilson made a fine diving save to tip a long shot onto the post and wide, but shortly afterwards WCFC finally scored a goal they deserved if only for never giving up.

Rob scored his second, Callum added another two, the second from another pass from Dan, and Rob made it 10-1. In the closing minutes, both sides added two more goals, Callum and Rob netting for Munchers.

Hawkings 2 No Fourteen Day Return 7

Stephen Hawkings Football Boots (1)2 [Stephen Woods, Chris Elliott] No Fourteen Day Return (3)7

Squad –Chris Elliott, Andy Dignan, Iain Wilson, Richard Elliott, Stephen Woods

Once again, a weakened Hawkings side had a disappointing result against a skilful but physical opposition. In the opening ten minutes, Hawkings had all of the play, yet couldn’t find the target with their shooting – the one weak spot in the opposition side was in goal, but Hawkings failed to exploit it throughout the game.

In their first real goal attempts, Return scored twice, whereas at the other end, Iain passed to Stephen, only for the shot to fly wide, then Iain played a ball through a defender’s legs, ran round him and fired in a shot that was saved. Chris came out of nets, Andrew taking his place, and immediately set up a goal for Stephen that the ‘keeper half stopped, and Chris looked set to equalise seconds later, only to be challenged strongly from behind.

Defensively, though, Hawkings were now weaker, and a third goal just before half time and another four in the second half made Chris’ late goal from Richard’s pass a mere consolation.