Wivenhoe Town starting XI: Ben Gallant (GK); Liam Dadds; Lewis Blanchett; Tim Dennis; Winston Juby; Michael Schofield; Reece Keating; Ryan McGibbon; Tom Moore; Ben Connell; Luke Rogers.
Substitutes: Mitchell Yeo; Luke Payne; Jake Hearne; Dave Coe; Markell Greenidge
As the score line suggests this was something of a one sided game with Wivenhoe dominating possession and deservedly scoring a decent haul of goals. With the Dragons’ patient passing football, the match was reminiscent of Italy versus England in the European Championships, but this time the team playing the decent football gained their just reward in normal time. To be fair to FCC (Football Careers Centre, not FC Clacton) theirs’ was very much a scatch ‘eleven’ rather than a regular team, but having said that Wivenhoe’s starting eleven included two players who had never represented the club before and two more for whom this was their first game back having re-joined from other clubs.
Wivenhoe started very brightly indeed and FCC hardly got a kick as the Dragons passed the ball around neatly, but without really penetrating the final third of the field. It took nearly ten minutes for the first shot to arrive as Tom Moore sent a bobbling effort into the arms of the FCC ‘keeper. Wivenhoe were looking strong on the left flank where returning Lewis Blanchett and Tom Moore linked up particularly well. It was some good inter passing between Lewis and Ryan McGibbon that sent Luke Rogers into the left edge of the penalty area after 13 minutes, and his arching cross was met at the far post by Michael Schofield with a gently controlled volley into the opposite corner of the goal to put the Dragons 1-0 up.
FCC were not happy with crosses to the far post and Wivenhoe came close to a second goal on twenty minutes as Tom Moore’s cross fell to Reece Keating who sent an effort a foot wide of the post. Four minutes later and it was 2-0 to Wivenhoe however, as Luke Rogers brought down a long ball from Liam Dadds, made himself a yard of space on the right of the goal and shot into the far corner.
New signing Mitchell Yeo came on for Ben Connell just after the half hour after Ben blocked the ball using two of his own, which required him to sit down for a bit. Mitchell was soon in action with a shot from 18 yards past the post but generally, despite a lot of possession and winning three corners, Wivenhoe did not create a lot of scoring chances in the first half. Disappointingly, the half ended with FCC getting a goal back as Lewis Blanchett gave the ball away with a misdirected pass, Liam Dadds was out of position at right back, Tim Dennis missed a tackle and FCC’s number eleven ran through from a wide position to shoot past Ben Gallant.
For the start of the second half Luke Payne, Jake Hearne and Dave Coe replaced Ryan McGibbon, Tom Moore and Luke Rogers. Within three minutes of the re-start Lewis Blanchett was ‘sin binned’ for five minutes although no one was too sure why. Lewis had been tormenting the FCC number seven throughout the first half, not so much with his play as with his wit and repartee and it’s possible that the number seven, who was incidentally called Dave, had successfully pleaded with the referee to “make him stop”. Lewis’s temporary absence was possibly a good thing because inside two minutes the Dragons went 3-1 up as Mitchell Yeo hooked home a cross from close range after Reece Keating had flicked the ball on with his head.
Mitchell looked a useful acquisition as he turned on the edge of the box three minutes later and sent in a dipping shot that the ‘keeper spectacularly tipped over the cross bar. The resultant corner was cleared for Wivenhoe’s fifth corner of the game and from this Reece Keating scored the Dragons’ fourth goal with a clever diving header, which was clever because Reece was diving away from the goal.
With the game entering its final quarter Markell Greenidge appeared. Having arrived unusually late (ha ha) due to difficulty using public transport; and wearing one blue sock and one yellow sock in a conscious fashion statement, Markell replaced Lewis. The final goal of the game came about five minutes later as a raking long ball down the right flank was latched on to by Mitchell Yeo who finished brilliantly with a first time shot across the ‘keeper into the far side of the goal from about twelve yards.
For a first pre-season game this was an entertaining if one-sided match and the performance of all the new players was encouraging, particularly Mitchell Yeo who would seem to have a much needed eye for goal. Winston Juby did well at the back and whilst the back four’s defensive capabilities were not severely tested, they generally played the ball comfortably between themselves and the deep lying midfielders when in possession. It would however be naïve to read too much into this first result which was as much about having ‘a run out’ as anything else. The more useful test will come against other club sides beginning at Holland-On-Sea next Saturday.