After four consecutive games away from home, including sunny Staines, the arse end of Dorking and a trip to see the Wallies of Wallington, Wanderers were back at fortress Holloway Hill for some much needed home comforts. We were buoyed by the fact that we had a multitude of players to choose from, only two of the squad were unable to play and that meant a selection headache for the gaffer, who was in charge of his last game for a while ahead of his upcoming nuptials the following week and honeymoon after (Don’t be too jealous, I’ll send you pictures from the beach so you can pretend to be warm on a Sunday morning!).
Tommo started with 9 of the 10 that had played so magnificently the week before. The team lined up with our new ‘keeper Wayne in goal, a back four of Tim/The Bear/Cafu at right back, Jay and Ben at centre half and Jack again at left back. The midfield three were Allen who was charged with being the Wanderers metronome once again (think Joe Allen in his Swansea days), Yaya and Matt who came in to the team along with Will occupying the left of the front three. Pernas was on the right and Oli, after a great performance leading the line the week before, starting up top. That left a bench of Boxall, Tom May, Ant, Foxy and Tommo which as you can see tells you the strength in depth Wanderers have this year, all five on any other day could have started the game.
Now, a Wanderers warm up is not really something worth noting as normally it just consists of as many players as possible getting their goal scoring eye in and smashing balls at the ‘keeper. On this occasion we were treated to an appearance from our illustrious captain Martin Pernas. A real boost for those involved to see our leader turn up at 9.40, hopefully this is the start of a new Pernas.
The pre match chat was just about hard work, if we work hard we will win games, we have the ability all over the pitch and looking at the sea of red in our huddle it was plain to see that if you didn’t put the effort in then there was someone more than capable on the bench that could do the job. Other words of wisdom were exchanged on how we could go about winning the game against a team we had beaten 7-1 on the opening day of the season, but then up stepped Oli… After treating us to an “I’m getting old and I want to look back and say I’ve given all I can” speech the previous week the tall striker gave us some more words of wisdom with a very fitting Remembrance Day themed speech. I can’t remember it verbatim but it went along the lines of “those men gave their lives for us all, so all we ask is that you put the effort in on a Sunday morning for 90 minutes”.
The inspiring speech was followed by a well deserved and well respected minutes silence with all the players and the referee standing round the centre circle.
The teams lined up and the whistle blew to commence this Sunday morning battle between Wanderers and Woodham Victoria. Wanderers, as had been the case in the first game of the season, were knocking the ball around confidently with all players getting an early touch on the ball going from side to side with short and sharp passing. Allen was very much dictating the pace of the game with Matt, Yaya, Oli and the two wingers Will and Pernas getting on the ball often and out playing their opposite numbers. As with most of my match reports, there are some blank patches but I don’t think that an awful lot of chances were created in the first 15 minutes as we retained possession well.
We were playing very well without penetrating too much and with the quality we had on the bench Tommo decided to make some changes. Allen asked Oscar, our Spanish ref for the day, how long had been played and the response was ‘an hour left’. Very confusing given that it seemed like only 10-15 minutes had been played… Nevertheless off came, Jack for Ant, Will for Foxy and Tom May for Ben, all three substitutes looking and feeling a little bemused at being hauled off so early in the game. As it turns out only about 10 minutes had elapsed and the subs had every right to be aggrieved at not being given enough of a chance to impress in the game. I do have to apologise for this to those that came off, I wasn’t planning on taking you off that early, I am definitely blaming the ref for that one and his awful lack of time keeping!
We kept pushing trying to find the opening goal and after some nice interplay the breakthrough came. Yaya, Matt and Allen combined to put the ever reliable top scorer from the last two seasons through and he rifled his unstoppable shot left footed in to the top corner. A fully deserved lead and it seemed like more of the same was to come but it didn’t. Well not yet anyway.
More pressure led to a succession of Wanderers corners from either side and although the corners were being put in to the correct area’s they weren’t being attacked and our opponents in the white and green hooped kits were let off the hook time after time. Then the sucker punch….. five minutes from half time Woodham managed to get a little possession of their own and played a hopeful ball over the top which their striker, who had been forced in to running doggies for much of the game, latched on too and put the ball passed the helpless Wayne who had been a spectator for much of the first half.
The half time whistle blew shortly after and time for us to regroup after an impressive but not penetrative performance. That was the message at the interval, our play was good but if we were to score more goals then we needed to take a few more risks and try testing out the goalkeeper.
The start of the second followed the start of the game with lots of Wanderers possession, everyone getting on the ball and trying to create chances. Boxall, who had come on during the first half was becoming more influential on the game, as he regularly picked up the ball, cut inside and started attacks.
The tide was turning and the possession was starting to turn in to goals. Allen collected the ball on the half way line and was allowed time and space to run forward, perhaps they had heard that the diminutive midfield general with testicles the size of footballs had not scored in senior competitive football before this season! Our own version of Claude Makelele kept on going and was allowed to get to the edge of the box before he unleashed hell putting laces to leather and striking the ball straight through the ‘keeper. We were back in front and the floodgates were about to open.
The third came soon after and I think we have an early contender for goal of the season…. The ball was played in from the right to Yaya who was on the edge of the box, the ball bounced up and the midfielder lobbed the ball over the centre half ala Paul Gascoigne Vs. Colin Hendry in Euro ’96, juggled the ball in the air a couple more times before smashing the right footed volley in to the goal, the keeper completely helpless.
Yaya was not done there, Wanderers fourth and his third came from a cross swung in by Will and met by the head of our ginger bearded superstar. A hat trick from our talisman but not any old hat trick, a perfect one and well deserved.
A few more Wanderers changed saw the player/manager come on to the pitch for the last 25 minutes. Oli had run his guts off for most of the game but was left unrewarded but it was another great display of unselfish forward play. Tommo was quickly on the score sheet, much to Oli’s dismay I’m sure, when the two centre backs decided that they were Messrs’ Puyol and Pique and thought it wise to play the ball out from the back, Tommo pressed the tall centre back with the ridiculous top knot (how those things are ‘fashionable’ I will never know) who underplayed a ball back to his keeper, the striker nipped in ahead of the on rushing keeper and slotted the ball in to the net.
Five goals to the good and still more to come! Another great team goal resulted in Tommo getting his second of the game; a ball was put in by Allen to Yaya on the edge of the box who delicately back heeled the ball in to the path of the soon to be hitched gaffer who slotted the ball in to the bottom right hand corner.
As we almost always do, we kept pushing and pushing and created more chances, Tommo could and probably should have had a quick fire hat trick but it wasn’t to be, firstly thwarted by the keeper who had the easiest of saves as the shot was straight in to his arms and then by the post after Will had made a great run down the left and squared the ball inside the box.

Will was to get his rewards for all his great work down the left with a goal of his own and the Wanderers seventh. After another great run down the flank the winger was put through by the ever influential Yaya, he took the ball in to the box and shot low towards the keepers near post. The Woodham stopper seemed to have leave of his senses and angles and inexplicably allowed the ball to nestle in the corner, I can only think that he thought the ball was travelling out for a goal kick but in truth it was only ever destined for the goal.
With that the final whistle blew shortly after and the mighty Wanderers had walked off with three points and seven goals to their name, exactly the same as the opening game of the season and a much needed boost ahead of our upcoming home games against tough opposition.
It really was another great Wanderers performance and apologies if your name has not been mentioned in this report, everyone was excellent and did the jobs they were asked to do, especially with so many changes being made. The defence remained solid through out and snuffed out any real danger, which having played there, is made all the more easy having a keeper behind you who talks to you all game and gives you the confidence to be able to play with no fear.
The midfield controlled the game perfectly, even when Matt came off and Boxall slotted in it was like they had played there all game together and a big shout out to Oli as well who, as well as providing exceptional team talks, is more than willing to do the dirty work and keep the pressure on the opposition defence, unfortunately in this case with no goals as a reward.
We move on to next week and back to the Champions League style cup competition against Woodham Victoria’s reserve team.
As I’ve mentioned a few times I’m not here for the next few weeks so I will leave you in the more than capable hands of Tim, Allen and Yaya until my return in December. Good luck for the next few weeks, let’s keep these performances up, team spirit going and try to go unbeaten from now until Christmas and give ourselves the best possible chance to win this league!