RUSTINGTON 3-3 WESTFIELD
SATURDAY SAW THE WESTIES GO WEST TO VISIT HIGH FLYING RUSTINGTON, ALREADY HAVE RUSTINGTON TAKEN POINTS OFF THE BIG BOYS AND WE KNEW THIS WOULD BE A REAL TEST.
THE GAME STARTED BRIGHTLY IN LOVELY CONDITIONS WITH THE WESTIES ON THE FRONT FOOT AND DESERVIDLY TOOK THE LEAD IN THE 4TH MINUTE, A LONG FREEKICK FORWARD FROM MANAGER COME PLAYER JACK STAPLEY WAS NODDED GOALWARDS BY JAKE ADAMS, AND SEEMINLY FROM AN OFFSIDE POSITION REGAN SMITH SNUCK IN AND TAPPED THE BALL HOME FOR HIS SECOND OF THE SEASON, BY THE TIME THE HEALTHY AWAY SUPPORT HAD STOPPED CELEBRATING IT WAS 1-1, A FREEKICK GIVEN AWAY BY SKIPPER MARTYN DURRANT ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE WAS WIPPED IN AND GOAL MACHINE KIRKHAM GOT A RUN ON HIS DEFENDER AND GUIDED A BRILLIANT HEADER PAST THE DISPAIRING DIVE OF KEEPER HARRY STAPLEY AND INTO THE FAR CORNER. NEXT CAME ALOT OF POSSESSION FOR THE WESTIES AND THEY WENT ON TO CREATE TWO GUILT EDGE CHANCES UNFORTUNATLY BOTH WERE SQAUNDERED FIRSTLY CALLUM SMITH RACED THREW ONE ON ONE WITH THE KEEPER IN TRYING TO ROUND THE ON RUSHING KEEPER HE GOT A HAND ON THE BALL AND DIVERTED IT AWAY FROM DANGER, THEN CAME SOME FANTASTIC WORK DOWN THE LEFT FROM GRINDLE AND MCMINGAL, THE BALL WAS SQUARED TO REGAN 6 YARDS OUT AND AN OPEN GOAL BUT HE GOT UNDER THE BALL AND SCREWED HIS SHOT INTO THE CRICKET SQUARE BEHIND THE GOAL, REGANS EFFORT ON GOAL WAS ONLY EQUALLED BY HIS RATHER PAINFUL RENDITION OF THE ADELE SONG HELLO ON THE WAY HOME, NOT A PRETTY WATCH IF YOU EVER SEE THE VIDEO. STILL WITH PLENTY OF POSSESSION AND RUSTINGTON LOOKING DANGEROUS ON THE BREAK, THE WESTIES RETOOK THE LEAD THROUGH SCOTSMAN ALLAN MCMINGAL BREAKING FORWARD LIKE PEDRO MENDES IN HIS RANGERS DAY HE RECEIVED THE BALL FROM CALLUM SMITH ON THE EDGE OF THE AREA AND DELIVERED A STRIKE KENNY MILLER WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF INTO THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE GOAL CUE WILD CELEBRATIONS FROM THE HARDY SOULS WHO HAD TRAVELLED FROM EAST TO WEST BEHIND THE AWAY DUGOUT. ALL THE HARD WORK OF THE WESTIES FIRST HALF WAS TO AGAIN BE UNDONE BY KIRKHAM AS IN THE 40TH MINUTE, MCGURK MISCUED A FORWARD PASS AND THE CONSTANT THORN IN THE WESTIES SIDE DARWIN PLAYED A HOPEFUL BALL FORWARD TO THE LETHAL KIRKHAM WHO SPUN AND DELIVERED A FANTASTIC STRIKE INTO THE TOP CORNER FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA.
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HALF TIME
RUSTINGTON 2 - 2 WESTFIELD
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THE MESSAGE TO THE SIDE WAS TO KEEP GRINDING IT OUT AND CUT THE SILLY MISTAKES AT THE BACK WE WOULD COME AWAY WITH 3 POINTS, THIS SEEMED TO HAVE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS AS RUSTINGTON TOOK THE LEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CONTROVERSIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, A FREEKICK TAKEN ON THE RIGHT BY DARWIN WAS MISSED BY EVERYONE WHO WENT FOR IT BEFORE BOUNCING AROUND THE BOX AND BEING TUCKED HOME BY JORDAN CURTIS, THE WESTIES THOUGHT THEY HAD BEEN SAVED THE EMBARRASMENT OF THEIR POOR DEFENDING AS THE FLAG WAS UP FOR OFFSIDE AGAINST RUSTINGTONS BIG NUMBER 16 "ORIGINALLY WENT FOR THE HEADER" ONLY FOR THE REFEREE TO OVERULE THE LINESMAN AND AWARD THE GOAL, MUCH TO THE BEMUSEMENT OF THE LINESMANS AND WESTFIELD MANAGEMENT TEAM, THE WESTIES WOULD HAVE TO DIG DEEP NOW AND SHOW THERE METAL BUT IT WAS THROWN INTO DISSARAY AS ASHER GRINDLE RECEIVED HIS MARCHING ORDERS FOR AN OFF THE BALL INCIDENT. BACKS TO THE WALL WESTFIELD STILL TRIED TO PUSH FORWARD, MAKING ALL THREE SUBS WITH ZAK HURST, SLAV STOYANOV AND JOE PAGE REPLACING DOM MCGURK, KINGSLEY PARSON AND AL MCMINIGAL AND A FORMATION OF 3-4-2, CALLUM SMITH STEPPED UP TO THE PLAYE AND WON THE BALL IN MIDFIELD BEFORE BURSTING PAST A COUPLE OF PLAYERS AND SMASHING HIS STRIKE FROM 20 YARDS UNDER THE RUSTINGTON KEEPER CUE CELEBRATIONS EMULATING MAN CITY'S FIRST TITLE WIN, THIS BEING SAID IF IT WASNT FOR THE BRILLIANT REACTIONS OF KEEPER HARRY STAPLEY IN THE LAST MINUTE OF THE GAME THE WESTIES COULD EASILY SNATCHED A DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF A DRAW, THE GOAL HUNGRY KIRHAM RACED THROUGH FROM A FLICK ON BY TUCKER BUT HIS ANGLE WAS TIGHTENED BY THE ENRUSHING STAPLEY AND HE SHOT WIDE, STAPLEY RECIEVED A WACK ON THE KNEE FOR HIS TROUBLES AND THE WESTIES HAD TO FINSIH THE LAST 58 SECONDS WITH 9 MEN AND ADAMS IN GOAL BUT THEY WITHELD ANY FURTHER ATTACKS AS ALL THE EXCITEMENT FIZZLED OUT.
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FULL TIME
RUSTINGTON 3-3 WESTFIELD
REGAN SMITH 4
ALLAN MCMINIGAL 30
CALLUM SMITH 84
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1. HARRY STAPLEY
2. SAM WINTER
3. MARTYN DURRANT (C)
4. DOMINIC MCGURK ***
5. KINGSLEY PARSONS **
16. JACK STAPLEY
7. JAKE ADAMS
8. ALLAN MCMINIGAL *
9. CALLUM SMITH
10. ASHER GRINDLE
11. REGAN SMITH
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SUBS USED
SLAV STOYANOV *
JOE PAGE **
ZAK HURST ***
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OVERALL A DRAW WAS A FAIR RESULT ALTHOUGH THE YELLOWS WILL PONDER THE MISSED CHANCES IN THE FIRST HALF AND A RATHER LAPSE DISPLAY AT THE BACK, AFTER ENDURING A SPECTATOR " NOT CONNECTED WITH RUSTINGTON IN ANY WAY FOR THE RECORD " TRYING TO ASSUALT SOME THE WESTIES AND THEN RETURNING WITH A KNIFE A RATHER EVENTFUL DAY WAS CONCLUDED WITH THE TRADTIONAL INITIATION SONGS ON THE WAY HOME AND RETURNING BACK EAST TO THE NEWS THE NUTCASE WAS IN AN ARMED STAND OFF WITH POLICE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT WEEKEND AT HOME TO BOSHAM
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** AS A CLUB WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK RUSTINGTON FOR THERE HOSPITALITY AND FANTASTIC WORK WITH THE SITUATION AFTER THE GAME THESE LITTLE THINGS MAKE ALL THE WORK WORTHWHILE, A BRILLIANT CLUB WHO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING TO THE PARISH IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
