Match Report 2001/2002Swans submerged by second half goal stormSaturday 13th October 2001 : Jewson Wessex LeagueLymington & New Milton 5, Swanage & Herston 0 |
Needing to get their stuttering league campaign back on
track before being diverted by more cup activity, this match ultimately proved
to be what Linnets player-manager Graham Kemp would have wanted. However, it
took a much improved second half performance by Lymington & New Milton to
see off a side that has struggled to find any sort of form in the Wessex league
so far this season.
The home side were frustrated in the first 45
minutes, partly due to some excellent goalkeeping by James in the visitor's
goal. They had chances to score, with Ross Drew hitting a post and Gareth
Keeping forcing James into a point-blank save from his close range header.
Then, Richard Glenister, Graham Kemp himself and Keeping again, all had efforts
which were denied by the Swans' 'keeper and the visitors must have felt some
sense of achievement by holding out until the interval with their goal still
intact.
Half-Time : L.&N.M. 0, Swanage 0
For a while
at the start of the second half, it must have seemed that Swanage might
maintain their tenuous hold on the game, offering little in attack burt working
hard to deny the Linnets the breakthrough they desperately needed.
This
all changed fifteen minutes into the half and, having just come on in place of
Chris Marwood, it was Matt Town who provided the key that unlocked the
visitor's defence, when he latched onto a through ball from Brett Phillips,
drew the 'keeper and slotted the ball home. Seeking to press home their
advantage, Lymington & New Milton forced the pace and within five minutes
had doubled their lead when a Brett Phillips corner was only half cleared by
the Swans' defence to Gareth Keeping who struck an excellent shot into
the roof of the net to record his fifth goal of the season.
Three
minutes later, a flicked header by Glenister found Matt Town, who
volleyed low into the net for his second and the Linnets' third of the
afternoon. Almost immediately after, Glenister was withdrawn and it was his
replacement, Scott Metcalf, who ran onto a long ball over the Swans'
defence by Kemp, and rounded the 'keeper to score number four despite vigorous
appeals for offside from the Swanage defence. Number five was a virtual rerun
of the previous goal with Scott Metcalf again the beneficiary of a
another through ball, this time from Drew, and once again the 'keeper was
beaten in a one-on-one situation.
All of which goal action was a relief
to player-manager Graham Kemp : "We had four or five chances to score before we
eventually did and while the game remained at 0-0, there was always a chance we
would get a bit nervy. Once we had taken the lead they had to open up a bit and
that's where we stated scoring all our goals. I think they came to play for a
draw but I really don't think they can have any complaints about the
result."
Lymington & New Milton : Kearn, Gazzard, Grace,
Kemp, Morris, B. Phillips, Keeping, Drew, Glenister [Metcalf 65], Marwood [Town
55], Bailey-Pearce [Paul Morrell 85].
Match reports on this site are based on those appearing in the New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times (except where separately credited) with additional material from my own resources where relevant.
Online with the Linnets © Paul Johns MMI