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Sat 15 Oct 2016
1st TeamEpsom & Ewell
G Moore (0'), C Conner (0')
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1st Team v Epsom & Ewell
Steve Goldfinch15 Oct 2016 - 15:00
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Match report
Following the team’s remarkable 8-0 victory over Chertsey Town, and with the club welcoming newly-appointed coach Colin Murphy who joined Danny Vincent in the home dugout, North Greenford notched up their second league win on the bounce in an enthralling, entertaining contest against Epsom & Ewell at Berkeley Fields. On this occasion though the victory was by the narrowest of margins with United’s last-gasp winner scored in the first minute of stoppage time.
Not surprisingly, after their mid-week performance, Greenford began confidently, moving the ball with speed and fluency, and taking the game to their visitors. During the opening twenty minutes the Blues forwards created a string of chances, with Sandro Costa, Daniel Vincent, Alfie Cain and George Moore all coming close with efforts on the Salts goal.
The closest of these was a goal-bound strike by Moore on twenty minutes which needed a brilliant left-handed save by Salts keeper Michael Eacott to prevent the Blues taking the lead. Shortly after this Epsom had their best moment in the half – against the run of play – when Daryl Cooper-Smith fired home a Matt Ferdinando free-kick from 12 yards only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Then, in virtually the next move of the game – another flowing Greenford attack – United finally broke the deadlock. Costa reached a long pass played into the left channel and did well to pull the ball back from the byline to centre forward Jamal Velinor. In a difficult position Velinor laid the ball back to Moore who produced another powerful drive which this time found the back of the visitors net via a slight deflection.
Greenford had further chances to extend their lead before the interval with efforts from Cain and Vincent but, by this point, the Salts were coping better with the United threat and, though they could count themselves fortunate to be trailling by just a single goal at half time, knew they still had everything to play for after the break.
At the same time Greenford would have been aware that they would be tested in all aspects of their play and in all areas of the park by their opponents during the second period. The Salts had won their last two away games, including an impressive 4-2 victory over Hanworth Villa, and had clearly not performed to their best in the first half.
It has to be said that, given the commitment the players showed and how hard they worked throughout the game, they came through that test with flying colours. Indeed, the Blues came close to extending their lead early in the half when Velinor had a great chance on the end of a lovely cross but could not direct his header goalwards, and an excellent on-target Cain strike from 25 yards brought out another top-drawer finger-tip save from Eaton.
Epsom levelled the score on sixty-four minutes, following a foul on Jason Nwachukwu on the edge of the United area. Another well delivered Ferdinando free kick was headed back across goal by Alex McKay, and then headed home by Cooper-Smith amidst claims of offside by the home contingent.
Apart from penalty shouts from both teams, with the Salts claiming spot-kicks for alleged fouls on Reisse Griffin and Nwachykwu, and the Blues for what appeared a clear-cut foul on Costa at the other end on 73 minutes, a draw appeared the most likely result as full-time approached.
That was until, as the contest entered stoppage time, a ball was played out to Vincent on the right. Vincent’s pinpoint cross found substitute Charlie Conner unmarked inside the Salts area, and Conner made no mistake with a close range header that gave Eacott no chance.
It has to be said that, on the overall balance of play, Greenford deserved their win and three more much-needed points to begin moving the club away from the lower rungs of the CCL Premier Division table.
NGU Team: James Harry, Guy Ansah-Palmer, Carl Bower, Nikolas Muller, Matt Travis, Anthony Rowlands (captain), George Moore, Daniel Vincent, Jamal Velinor (Ralford Thorpe 80), Alfie Cain, Sandro Costa (Charlie Conner 84)
Not surprisingly, after their mid-week performance, Greenford began confidently, moving the ball with speed and fluency, and taking the game to their visitors. During the opening twenty minutes the Blues forwards created a string of chances, with Sandro Costa, Daniel Vincent, Alfie Cain and George Moore all coming close with efforts on the Salts goal.
The closest of these was a goal-bound strike by Moore on twenty minutes which needed a brilliant left-handed save by Salts keeper Michael Eacott to prevent the Blues taking the lead. Shortly after this Epsom had their best moment in the half – against the run of play – when Daryl Cooper-Smith fired home a Matt Ferdinando free-kick from 12 yards only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Then, in virtually the next move of the game – another flowing Greenford attack – United finally broke the deadlock. Costa reached a long pass played into the left channel and did well to pull the ball back from the byline to centre forward Jamal Velinor. In a difficult position Velinor laid the ball back to Moore who produced another powerful drive which this time found the back of the visitors net via a slight deflection.
Greenford had further chances to extend their lead before the interval with efforts from Cain and Vincent but, by this point, the Salts were coping better with the United threat and, though they could count themselves fortunate to be trailling by just a single goal at half time, knew they still had everything to play for after the break.
At the same time Greenford would have been aware that they would be tested in all aspects of their play and in all areas of the park by their opponents during the second period. The Salts had won their last two away games, including an impressive 4-2 victory over Hanworth Villa, and had clearly not performed to their best in the first half.
It has to be said that, given the commitment the players showed and how hard they worked throughout the game, they came through that test with flying colours. Indeed, the Blues came close to extending their lead early in the half when Velinor had a great chance on the end of a lovely cross but could not direct his header goalwards, and an excellent on-target Cain strike from 25 yards brought out another top-drawer finger-tip save from Eaton.
Epsom levelled the score on sixty-four minutes, following a foul on Jason Nwachukwu on the edge of the United area. Another well delivered Ferdinando free kick was headed back across goal by Alex McKay, and then headed home by Cooper-Smith amidst claims of offside by the home contingent.
Apart from penalty shouts from both teams, with the Salts claiming spot-kicks for alleged fouls on Reisse Griffin and Nwachykwu, and the Blues for what appeared a clear-cut foul on Costa at the other end on 73 minutes, a draw appeared the most likely result as full-time approached.
That was until, as the contest entered stoppage time, a ball was played out to Vincent on the right. Vincent’s pinpoint cross found substitute Charlie Conner unmarked inside the Salts area, and Conner made no mistake with a close range header that gave Eacott no chance.
It has to be said that, on the overall balance of play, Greenford deserved their win and three more much-needed points to begin moving the club away from the lower rungs of the CCL Premier Division table.
NGU Team: James Harry, Guy Ansah-Palmer, Carl Bower, Nikolas Muller, Matt Travis, Anthony Rowlands (captain), George Moore, Daniel Vincent, Jamal Velinor (Ralford Thorpe 80), Alfie Cain, Sandro Costa (Charlie Conner 84)
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