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Match Reports Men's 2nd Team 2007–08 05/04/2008 A disappointing end to the season which before Christmas promised so much. Witham, whose win took them to the top of the table, played an effective passing game which created goal scoring opportunities. After 10 minutes they had a free hit on the edge of the “D” which was deflected into the corner of the goal. This stung the visitors into action and immediately from the pushback they worked it down the right hand side to Adam Ottley whose cross to the far post found Gary Woodhall for a simple tap in. This was a just reward for Woodhall who particularly in the first half was all over the pitch trying to stamp his authority on the game. Unfortunately 10 minutes later Witham cleverly won a short corner and the injector of the ball managed to get his stick to the ball to put Witham ahead again. Harlow worked hard in the second half but struggled to get shots on goal and conceded goals at regular intervals. The first from a penalty which Mike Armsworth managed to get his glove to. The second one he should have saved when a reverse stick shot went through his legs and the third one was when he was left stranded on a one on one. Woodhall won man of the match for what he says will be his last game for the second team. Side – Armsworth, Johnson, Harvey, Adams Cox, Woodhall, Light, Plumridge,, Hagger, Ottley, Maxfield. 15/03/2008 The score line does not reflect the amount of possession that Harlow had in this game but they could easily not come away with three points. Steve Jones, back from three weeks away from hockey, with his organisation and skill was a steadying influence at the back. However it was from the Walden's first attack after eight minutes that a forward got the ball into the “D” and volleyed it past a stationary keeper. Craig Cholerton was finding plenty of space down the left hand side and his pace was causing problems for the home defence. After fifteen minutes he picked up the ball and worked it across to Ben Light who immediately released Ben Hagger. He drove towards the goal and passed to Steve Maxfield who pushed it under the keeper. This situation only lasted ten minutes before the home side's direct passes down the wings caused problems and although Mike Armsworth made the initial save on the line, the forward lifted it over his prone body. The lead only lasted a few minutes before Light working down the right hand side slipped the ball to Maxfield to get his second goal. Harlow are always fast out of the blocks after the half time break and this game was no exception. Within a minute the ball was squared across the “D” for Gary Woodall whose shot was illegally stopped on the line. He elected to take the penalty but it was saved by the keeper. Harlow wondered if this was an expensive miss when a few minutes later a Walden forward found himself unmarked at the top of the “D” and clinically put the ball away. Harlow continued to chase the game and from a short corner that Maxfield stopped, Light struck it past the keeper. Into the last five minutes and Light picked up the ball, slipped it to Woodhall and his pass enabled a diving Cholerton to get his 200th goal for Harlow. The visitors breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle blew for a well deserved victory. Cholerton was voted Man of the Match though it was a good team effort all round.Cholerton was voted Man of the Match though it was a good team effort all round. Side – Armsworth, Jones, Harvey, Adams Cox, Light, Johnson, Bull, Hagger, Cholerton, Maxfield, sub Woodhall. 08/03/2008 First team demands meant that there were further changes to the side from last week with Dean Grace & Kyle Plumridge coming into the team. The tone of the game was set in the first minute when a defensive mistake by Harlow resulted in a short corner. The first half of the game was very scrappy and the home side were not passing the ball around and losing possession very easily. After 20 minutes a poorly hit 16 yard hit out went to an opposition forward and what should have been a routine save beat keeper Mike Armsworth for the first goal. The right hand side of the team were working well with Dean Grace, playing out of position at right midfield, linking well with Ben Hagger and Martin Cox. The team justifiably got the “hair dryer treatment” at half time. It paid off as within 30 seconds Grace picked up the ball on the half way line released Hagger whose diagonal pass found Ben Light wide on the edge of the “D”. With not much space to aim for, his cleanly hit shot easily beat the keeper. However the joy did not last long as Southend at penalty corner after the initial save was made managed to scramble the ball home to take the lead again. Man of the match Light continued to make openings but the game was petering out for a defeat for Harlow. However, Plumridge, won the ball in his half and in frustration went on a run beating several players before ending up in the opposition “D” where he won and lost the ball before slotting it home from a couple of yards. A mediocre day for the second team only improved by a superb hot tea cooked by captain Steve Maxfield. Side – Armsworth, Plumridge, Harvey, Adams, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Grace, Maxfield, Hagger. 01/03/2008 Owing to non availability of defensive players meant Harlow had to change their formation for this game. They went for an attacking formation with three up front, three in midfield and Keith Johnson playing in front of a three man defensive unit. Wapping were on the defensive from the off and had conceded a number of short corners in the opening minutes. However slack marking at the back meant from their first attack after 5 minutes that a home forward managed to scramble the ball home from a few feet. Harlow continued to attack with the speedy Craig Chorleton and Justin Hayward giving the home fullbacks a hard time. With the midfield supporting well it only had to be matter of time before Harlow scored and it eventually came in the 20th minute when Ben Light won the ball on the halfway line and worked it out to Ben Hagger whose diagonal pass found Chorleton who beat his man and scored a well deserved equaliser. The half time instructions were more of the same. Hard as they tried the winning goal never materialised and over 15 short corners showed the amount of possession that Harlow had. The visitors defence came away with a lot of credit with young Michael Adams playing with a maturity beyond his years and with Kim Harvey and Martin Cox keeping their wingers quiet the home side rarely got into the “D”. The overwhelming vote for Man of the Match went to Keith Johnson, who although playing out of position, managed to organise the side defensively and broke up many attacks himself on the 25 yard line. Even when Wapping played two down the middle in the later stages of the second half the Harlow goal was rarely threatened. If the second team continue to play for each other as they did in this game then they should finish the season with some more wins. Side – Armsworth, Harvey, Adams Cox, Johnston, Woodhall, Light, Hagger, Chorleton, Maxfield, Hayward. 23/02/2008 Harlow had high hopes of another three points against lowly Brentwood after last week's victory. However they did not get the fundamentals right and paid the price. The defence had a torrid time with defenders coming off their man and also failing to clear the ball out of the “D”. Elsewhere on the pitch, gone was the crisp passing that took opposition defenders out of the game the previous week. Harlow started brightly and had four short corners without a reply. Then the visitors attacked and won a long corner. Harlow intercepted the cross and fed Steve Maxfield on his own 25 yard line. He beat his man and eventually passed to Craig Chorleton who from the narrowest of angles on the edge of the “D” reversed struck the ball past a startled keeper. A contender for the goal of the season. This stung Brentwood into action who immediately won a short corner and scored whilst Harlow's defence were still organising themselves. At half time the instructions were to get out of the blocks quickly. This Harlow did and Maxfield scored immediately with a shot under a diving keeper. The lead did not last long before Brentwood scored close in at the near post from a poorly positioned keeper. The game swung back and forth with Maxfield scoring his second from a short corner. However the visitors scored twice more – one from a short corner and another scrambled in after an initial save. After a disappointing game Harlow's hopes of promotion are fading. Side – Armsworth, Broughtwood, Harvey, Adams, Cox, Light, Johnston, Grace, Hagger, Chorleton, Maxfield. Sub Woodhall 16/02/2008 Harlow stopped their run of defeats with a well deserved win over Clacton. However although getting 3 points was important it was the way that they played that was more important. They played as a team without any dissent to the umpires. Availability of players meant several changes and captain Steve Maxfield started off with a more attacking 3-3-4 formation. This meant that Craig Chorleton and Ben Hagger had plenty of space on the wings and used it intelligently. With James Smith and Ben Light getting well forward Clacton were pinned in their half for long periods. From an early short corner Steve Maxfield shot through the fullback to put Harlow in front. He could have had a second a few minutes later but managed to put his shot wide with the goal wide open. The home goal keeper managed to make a number of good saves to keep the home side in the game. The instructions at half time were to attack from the start and put Clacton under pressure which they did very successfully and after 5 minutes from a goal mouth scramble Steve Maxfield got his second with a shot under the diving keeper. Harlow's defence continued to play well with Dean Grace nullifying the threat of the centre forward very successfully. With 10 minutes to go, with their only significant, attack the Clacton forward from the edge of the “D” lobbed a stranded Mike Armsworth and his shot hit the bar and spun into the goal. Clacton's Man of the Match went deservedly to their keeper. Harlow's vote went to Ben Hagger but overall it was an excellent team effort. Side – Armsworth, Broughtwood, Packham, Grace Cox, Light, Johnston, Smith, Chorleton, Maxfield, Hagger. Sub Harvey 09/02/2008 Another Saturday, another game and yet another defeat. Harlow's tale of woe continues on what started out as a very promising season. In the first 5 minutes a shot from Upminster was deflected into the net by a defender. 5 minutes later a poor defensive clearance to a forward a few feet away who pushed the ball home for the second goal. The situation then got worse when from their first short corner the ball was partially stopped by the goal keepers stick as it went into the goal. From their next short corner a clean strike netted their fourth goal. In the second half Harlow had to keep their shape and try to salvage some pride from their performance. They did neither and also collected 2 yellow cards. Three more goals were conceded – all from short corners. Martin Cox scored a consolation goal – his first for the Seconds. Having conceded 15 points in the last 5 games Harlow are only 8 points behind the leaders. A season of what could have been Side – Armsworth, Hastler, Packham, Harvey, Adams, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Ottley, Cox. 02/02/2008 Harlow's hopes of promotion suffered another setback when they suffered their fourth consecutive defeat and some of this was down to five positional and personnel changes in the side. Only the midfield were unchanged and it showed in their performance. Ben Light and Ben Hagger each played wide and created scoring opportunities as well as defending. Gary Woodhall roamed more freely than normal distributing the ball well and Keith Johnson played his normal Claude Makelele role breaking up attacks before they became dangerous. The game started well when from the first short corner Light struck the ball just inside the post. However Saffron Walden struck back from their first short corner when a soft shot bounced off Mike Armsworth's pads and was put away by a forward. This was the first goal conceded from her short corner by Harlow's defence since mid November. They then immediately got another from a short corner. It then got worse with the home side getting their third from open play. In the second half Harlow had a lot of possession and short corners but could not get shots on target to put the Walden defence under pressure. It was from one of these short corners that man of the Match Ben Light beat two players and scored his second. The only good thing about the day was that the other league results went in Harlow's favour. Side – Armsworth, Gracie, Packham, Harvey, Adams, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, , Cox, Hastler. 26/01/2008 This was a game where Harlow should have got a point rather than suffer their third consecutive defeat. The match started brightly enough when in the first 5 minutes Gary Woodall had a one on one with the keeper and was unlucky not to have scored after the keeper's initial save. The match was very much a midfield struggle with Ben Light finding space down the left for attacking forays and Keith Johnston anchoring the midfield in spite of his shoulder injury. Rob Chandler playing his first game for the second team this year used his pace to break through into the opposition “D”. Harlow's defence looked sound with an excellent debut from young Michael Adams who kept his forward quiet for the game. Harlow turned round for the second half of the match all square which was perhaps a fair reflection of the play so far. However it all changed inside ten minutes when Waltham Forest scored two almost identical goals – a square ball across the front of the goal and a tap in from a couple of yards. However Harlow fought back and Chandler went down the right wing, dribbled past a couple of players and fired in a shot which the keeper saved but Light put the rebound in for a goal. Harlow continued to press forward more and from a long corner with all the home players in the opposition half the ball came out to four Waltham forwards all unmarked and the inevitable goal was conceded. Harlow then lost their shape and any chance of a point. Side – Armsworth, Hastler, Packham, Adam, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Ottley, Chandler. Sub Harvey 19/01/2008 Harlow started the second half of the season with their second consecutive defeat against a middle of the table side. The day did not start well as the visitors arrived late because of traffic problems and it did not get any better once the game began. Soon after the start of the game Adam Ottley broke through the visitors defence but before he get his shot in, the home goal keeper smothered the ball. This was the first of many good saves the keeper made during the game. After 10 minutes Wapping pinged a ball from the 25 yard line into the D where the Wapping winger was standing unmarked. He drew the goal keeper and a quick one two and the ball was in the back of the net. The rest of the game the game followed a pattern with the Harlow midfield and defence restricting the home side forwards to few opportunities to increase their lead. At the other end in spite of numerous shots on goal and short corners the Wapping goal keeper stopped everything. With 5 minutes to go as Harlow put the ball in the net the umpire blew for a short corner and that was effectively the end of the game. Side – Armsworth, Hastler, Packham, Harvey, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Chorleton,Ottley. Sub Morley 08/12/2007 Same team, same line up, the only difference was the result – Harlow 2s only lost for the second time this season. One could see why Witham were third in the division – they were a well organised side with no obvious weaknesses. They immediately they put the home side under the cosh and within 10 minutes from a free hit driven into the “D” a visitor's stick deflected it into the goal. Harlow rarely got into the opposition 25 but from a rare excursion Ben Light ,who was having another good offensive game, managed to get into the Witham “D”. His well struck shot hit a defenders stick and gently looped over the flat footed keeper. As the half went on Harlow saw slightly more of the ball as Ben Hagger was making good tackles at the back and then taking off on mazy runs to set up the attack. As the half came to a finish a Witham forward dribbled the ball along the goal line and tempted Mike Armsworth off his post to cut the ball back for the centre forward to hit into an open goal. In the second half Harlow played into the heavy rain and this seemed to inspire them as the game was much more even. The midfield were more dominant and the back four of Packham, Morley, Bull and Cox were in fine form and did not concede a short corner until the last 10 minutes of the game. Harlow had more than one good chance to score the equaliser but could not hit the target With10 minutes to go Witham were awarded a free hit just outside the “D” which became a penalty corner after a defender's dissent. The shot from the attacker hit Ron Morely's foot and the goal from the resultant penalty meant the chance of Harlow salvaging a point had gone. Man of the match was given to Ben Hagger again for another excellent game. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Bull, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Ottley, Hastler. 01/12/2007 Harlow came up against a very poor Maldon side and in reality should have scored more than they did. At half time they were 3 – 0 up and in no danger of losing the game. In the second half Harlow passed the ball more instead of trying to dribble past their man and created more opportunities which yielded another 5 goals. Ben Light had his best game for the 2s this season and was given the Man of the Match. The game was spoilt by more bad discipline from the visitors with Adam Ottley and Martin Cox being yellow carded. Scorers – Hagger (2), Hastler(2), Ottley(2), Light & Packham Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Bull, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Ottley, Hastler. 24/11/2007 Captain Shaun Hastler changed the formation for this match by playing himself up front with a five man midfield and the normal defensive formation. Saffron Walden were not as strong as their league position indicated but caused Harlow problems early on as they out numbered them down the right hand side. It was not totally unexpected when a visitor's forward was left unmarked at the top of the “D” and the ball was eventually scrambled over for a goal. The home side were having trouble getting the ball into the opposition 25 and it was with some relief when young Ben Light picked the ball up in the “D” and squared the ball for Hastler to sweep home from close range. At half time Harlow reverted to two up front with Adam Ottley back in his normal position. Harlow were more in the game with Ottley giving the home side an outlet and was unlucky with a couple of good strikes at goal. Midway through the half Gary Woodhall took a free hit into a crowded area and Ottley diverted it into the goal. The game became more open as the visitors looked for the equaliser and there were chances at each end but Harlow thought the three points were safe when Ottley dribbled into the area and squared the ball for Hastler to put it in the net with a few minutes remaining only to have the goal disallowed. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Bull, Cox, Light, Woodhall, Johnston, Hagger, Ottley, Hastler. Sub Mace 10/11/2007 5 minutes after the start of the game Harlow were thinking that if they could get a point from this match they would have done well. This was by far the strongest team Harlow have played this season. Their midfield was solid and moved the ball around with great affect. The first 15 minutes were frenetic with the home side making some crucial tackles and stops to keep the score level. Then Craig Chorleton picked up a loose ball on the half way line and accelerated past three players, drew the goal keeper and slotted the ball home. Harlow began to have a belief that they might be able to get something from this game and from their second short corner Adam Ottley forced Wapping's diving keeper to make a stick save and Gary Woodhall reversed sticked the ball home from a couple of feet. Unfortunately the two goal gap was reduced when from one of their many penalty corners the visitors managed to drive the ball inside the post. The second half was another absorbing game of hockey. Harlow although again on the defensive were able to take the pressure off by releasing the speedy Ottley, Chorleton and Ben Hagger into the opposition's 25 yard area. Harlow continued to concede penalty corners one of which Pete Ball had to deflect over the crossbar. With Harlow counting down the minutes they got only their 4th short corner which Ottley dribbled into the “D” and from the ensuring melee a diving Shaun Hastler pushed it over the line. Man of the match is now becoming academic as Harlow 2's are playing very much as a team rather than individuals. Apart from people already mentioned Martin Cox kept his winger quiet and even managed some attacking forays and Keith Johnson snuffled out a lot of attacks in midfield. However the captain's vote went to one of the senior men of the side – Ron Morley. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Bull, Cox, Woodhall, Hastler, Johnston, Hagger, Chorleton, Ottley. Sub Light. 03/11/2007 The seconds might have had a week off but they had another win which takes them to the top of the league. There were a couple of enforced changes with Ron Morley returning as sweeper and Shaun Hastler moving to left back. From the start quick movements and passing had Brentwood under the cosh. Within 5 minutes a diagonal run into the “D” from James Smith and an unselfish square pass gave Craig Chorleton an easy shot to put away. Within a few minutes a defensive mistake on the 25 gave Ben Hagger an opportunity to run at the defence and he slotted the ball away. The goal of the game was scored by Adam Ottley who dived full length to reverse stick the ball into the roof of the net. 15 minutes gone and Harlow were 3 – 0 to the good. Like the previous week the midfield were solid and the defence had very little to do. Although the home goalkeeper made a number of good saves Harlow had taken their foot off the accelerator and the rest of the half remained scoreless. At the start of the second half Harlow upped the pace of the game and had a number of shots on goal to no avail. However the home side were coming more into the game and putting the defence under pressure. A poor clearance from Harlow saw a firm shot come off the goalies stick for a consolation goal. This caused Harlow to work even harder and eventually Chorleton got his second with a goal from a couple of feet. I would have given the man of the match to any of the forwards or midfield though I would have thought James Smith shaded it. However the captain gave it to Mike Armsworth who did not touch the ball until well into the second half and only had a few stops to make. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Hastler, Bull, Cox, Woodhall, Smith, Johnston, Hagger, Chorleton, Ottley. Sub Light. 20/10/2007 This victory was built on a very solid midfield of Gary Woodall, James Smith, Keith Johnston, and Ben Hagger which gave the front two of Adam Ottley and Craig Chorleton plenty of opportunity to run at the home side's defence. Chorleton was in superb form – creating opportunities for other players and getting shots on goal for himself. Within 10 minutes Chorleton and Hagger had bagged a goal each. Harlow only had two more shots on target which yielded another goal for Chorleton. The second half continued in the same vein with Chorleton scoring another two goals and Ben Hagger, the quiet man of the side, drawing the goalkeeper and slotting the ball inside the post. At the other end of the pitch the new pairing of Pete Bull and Shaun Hastler broke up the spasmodic attacks though goalkeeper Mike Armsworth had to make a good stick save. A badly defended short corner gave away a penalty flick which was converted for Upminster's only goal of the game Side – Armsworth, Hastler, Packham, Bull, Cox, Woodall, Smith, Johnston, Hagger, Chorleton, Ottley. Sub Kirk. 13/10/2007 Although the visitors were bottom of the league their youth and quick running immediately put Harlow on the back foot. The home side when they were defending were coming off their men and creating opportunities for Saffron Walden. Before Harlow had had a shot at goal the visitors had had four short corners and two goals disallowed. Harlow, missing the steadying influence of Keith Johnston, gradually got themselves back into the game. With five minutes of the first half remaining they won a short corner and although the keeper made the initial save James Smith slotted the ball away from close range. Immediately after the restart Shaun Hastler won the ball in his half and took a long run into the “D” and slipped it left to Adam Otley who squared it for Ben Hagger to make a simple tap in. Harlow were defensively better in the second half though Saffron Walden were still creating problems. After fifteen minutes Ron Morley and Hastler broke up an attack and sprayed the ball to Martin Cox who pinged it to Smith. His path found Ottley who then scored a goal with a brilliant reverse stick shot. His celebrations were cut short by being yellow carded for another bout of foul language. Man of the match went to Stuart Kirk for his defensive midfield role. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Hastler, Cox, Woodall, Smith, Kirk, Hagger, Chorleton, Ottley, Hastler. 29/09/2007 If the 2s play like this for the rest of the season then it will be a very successful one. Harlow changed their formation to a 3 – 5 –2 to try to negate a very strong Wapping side. In the first five minutes the visitors had a very good chance of a goal but it was pushed away for a long corner and that set the tone for the match as Harlow struggled to get it into the opposition half. After 15 minutes Craig Chorleton picked up a loose clearance on the half way line, accelerated through the two central defenders and sprinted diagonally into the “D” from left to right. He drew the last defender and unselfishly squared the ball back for Adam Ottley to slot home from a couple of feet. Ben Light who had stepped up for this game and had contained their left sided attacks went off injured after 20 minutes and was replaced by Reece Mace. The midfield worked tirelessly and were grateful when the half time whistle came. The second half continued like the first half and Wapping, though having most of the possession, rarely got into the Harlow “D” due to a well marshalled defence of whom Martyn Cox was outstanding. However Harlow conceded short corners at regular intervals and it was from one of these midway through the second half that they rifled a shot just inside the left hand post. Harlow heads went down for a couple of minutes before they won only their second penalty corner of the game. Adam Ottley mishit the shot that trickled through the defender's legs to give him his second goal of the game Harlow were under intense pressure for the rest of the game and as the final whistle blew conceded a short corner. The shot was deflected away by Ron Morley for a well deserved victory. Man of the match, which could have been any of a number of people, went to Ben Hagger. Dick of the match was awarded to Ron Morley for his only mistake of the game – a mishit clearance hit that rolled to an opposition forward on the edge of the D. Side – Armsworth, Morley, Packham, Williams, Chorleton, Woodall, Johnston, Hagger, Light (sub Mace), Ottley, Hastler. |