17th Nov 2007 - The super Hedge End march on and score for fun

After two games unbeaten the pressure was really on Hedge End, and playing Meon Valley, who were one of the top teams in the league, it didn't look like the run was going to continue.  Bernard and Keith decided to make a few chances to keep people on their toes.  Pete was moved into right midfield and Keith up front with Steve.  Tim ( Ben and Andy's mate ) turned up to make his debut. Josh and Matt were missing as they were away auditioning for pantomime roles in Snow white and the seven dwarfs, yes folks it's that time of year.  Keith, not realising it was his birthday, still dropped Dave to the bench, but it did prove in the end that he can only last 70 minutes.

Hedge End started very brightly and created a few chances.  There were pressuring Meon Valley and then disaster struck when Meon ran down the left wing, just into the penalty area and James took their player down.  Our heads didn't go down and within five minutes the ball was crossed into their area, Keith touched it on and Steve was there to apply a great finished passed their keeper.

Then Meon Valley pressed very hard and had a few great chances to score, but kept blasting the ball over or just wide, they even hit the cross bar from a few yards out.  Hedge End were managing to keep them at bay.  The first half was coming to an end when an inspired piece of managerial decision making happened as Keith took himself off and Dave came on and within minutes scored - Ali made a great run into the penalty area and their left back took him completely out.  Dave stepped up and slotted it in the bottom left.  The first half finished 2-1.

The second half started with Hedge End upping the pace.  They knew that to win it they would have to work a lot harder than Meon to keep their lead.  Early on in the half James lofted a fantastic ball over the defence and it fell to Dave to slot in.  Just after that Dave went on an amazing run beating half the Meon team only to produce a shot that his daughter, Melissa, would have been embarrassed with.  Hedge End thought that they could relax a little with a two goal lead but then they got another penalty when Tim tackled from behind and they scored from the resulting penalty.

After that there was a time of midfield battles and not many scoring chances until Hedge End got a corner and as it came in both James and the defender got to it and the defender blasted it into their net.  Although James would like to claim it as he was near to the ball.  The Solent Church League Division 2 goal panel will have to take a look but I have a feeling that it might be given as an own goal.

Hedge End continued to work really hard and Andy, Ali, Pete and Sunny were winning everything in midfield and at the back they just couldn't get passed Keith, James, Tim or Ben who were all playing with great pride for the club they love.  Meon Valley got another goal when some great play on the left allowed their striker to belt the ball passed Andy and there was nothing that the defence or Andy could have done,  it was a well worked goal. 

Sunny made sure that he beat that though and got goal of the game, almost the same as his goal against Eastleigh, when again he was just outside the area and he detonated the ball right off of the bar and into the net.  Even if Batman, Superman and Spiderman were in goal they wouldn't have been able to save his shot.

Meon did again get another goal back to make it 5-4 when they took it down the right and their striker had an open goal.  Right at the end Bernard played a wonderful ball down the right and Dave knocked it in to finish the game 6-4.  An excellent hat-trick from the birthday boy who promised to buy everyone a drink at Pete's leaving do ( editors note - I'm sure this was misquoted )

It would be hard to pick a man of the match for this game as the whole team put in a fantastic effort.  Andy was solid in goal, our defence chased everything and won most of the balls that came their way,  the midfield worked hard and protected the defence very well and the strikers worked very hard ( especially Steve ) when required to close down their defenders.  A special mention should also for Pete, who was great in midfield making the easy look easy, although the St John's Ambulance brigade were on red alert for the last 20 minutes.

With games against the teams close to us in the league and with them also picking up points over the weekend it's going to be an interesting few weeks in the Solent Church League Division 2.