Lineup: Hutchinson, Laing, Wensley, de la Haye, Seymour, Shaw, Tierney (Brooks), Peel, Chadwick, Tulip (Golding), Guttridge

Goals: Peel, Guttridge (2)

After thrashing West End Village 13-0, the Baby Blue Army had only scored one goal in 3 games throughout December, but had also only conceded 2 and lost 1 game in that time – meaning they remained solid but lost pace with new table toppers Chessington at the end of 2018.

They kicked off the new year by welcoming Merrow to the Aspire, a team they’d encountered in the barren December run and who were clearly a different outfit this season. Tulip was able to name a strong team and squad with Tierney slotting into the centre midfield alongside Shaw, and Wensley and de la Haye sticking together at CB with Torr off doing holidays again.

The game began with Merrow immediately causing Cubo problems with the energetic number 9 and 7 swapping position constantly and the pacy no.9 in particular looking very dangerous. Two early one on one’s were missed and then saved well by Hutchinson. Cubo were solid but unable to get any attacking flow going barring a couple of early dribbles for Tulip and Chadwick.  A combative opening 20 exploded into life after great work from Chadwick along the right side found the forward on the edge of the box, controlling a bouncing ball well to play a sharp sideways pass to the onrushing Peel who controlled just inside the 18 yard box, set himself well and slotted home left footed into the bottom corner for the opening goal. The goal whilst slightly against the run of play, demonstrated the attacking prowess of the home side, 1-0 Cubo.

Almost immediately the game looked to have swung back towards Merrow. After a ball became loose in Cubo’s box, both the Merrow striker and full back Seymour set off to be first to the stationary ball, and the already-committed Seymour got there 2nd with his lunge bringing the striker down for a clear penalty. Fortunately for the Cubans, the spot kick cleared the bar and almost cleared the Southfields cage, which stopped the ball from clearing South West London. Merrow followed up with a couple more set pieces which didn’t trouble Hutchinson.

Soon after, Cubo found themselves 2-0 up after getting a free kick right on the edge of the box, but wide enough to give resident set-piece maestro Peel a puzzle on whether to shoot or cross in. The no.10 opted for the latter (understandable given recent assist) and swung in an inch-perfect cross on to the head of Guttridge to put Cubo into a very impressive 2-0 lead, and despite shouts from the Merrow manager that the impressive centre half was ‘bullying’ the Cubo forwards, the scoreline said otherwise. Half-time chat focused on getting better organisation off the ball to track the erratic running of the Merrow forwards, but a key focus was also to allow the away team to play out from the back, given they had shown no danger of penetrating the Cubo shape, and then press as a team.

Within 10 minutes of the half, that exact tactic paid off beautifully as Cubo waited for the Merrow CB’s to play out, before immediately harrying and pressuring the midfielders as a team. Shaw dispossessed the centre mid, Peel then expertly back-heeled the ball to Guttridge and the striker grabbed his second of the game by running through and slotting home for 3-0. A fantastic team goal that came from excellent shared communication. With Merrow continuing to threaten, Cubo remained resolute and focused on defensive shape, being led in the middle by the absolutely superb Tom Shaw who wasn’t beaten in a duel all game and remained right on the limit with the referee in a good way. Cuba’s back line were showing no signs of being breached in the 2nd half with Laing and Seymour shutting down the flanks and Wensley and de la Haye winning the aerial battle. Tulip was able to bring on 2 impressive subs in Brooks and Golding who steadied the tempo and ran their arse off respectively, closing the game off. There was still one moment of magic left though, as Hutchinson pulled off the save of the season in flying to his right to stop a bullet free kick from the edge of the box.

Final score and a brilliant start for Cubo to 2019, proving they can soak up pressure, and a return to goalscoring form is a welcome boost for the team going into their biggest game of the season next week away to league leaders Battersea.

MoM: Mentions to Peel for his goal and 2 assists, and Laing for continuing his good form at right back. But Tom Shaw was simply an unstoppable force all game – it’s always a good sign when he struggles to walk after the 90 is up, and rumour is he cannot be killed using conventional weapons.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Laing, de la Haye, Wensley, Frost, Shaw, Peel (Tierney), Cross, Guttridge (Tulip), Perkins (Torr), Chadwick

After the disappointing loss to Chessington a week earlier, Cubo looked to respond and end 2018 on a high! Up against them this weekend was another extremely tough test, with a top of the table clash against Westside.

The weather forecast promised heavy winds and torrential rain and that is exactly what we got from the first minute. As expected, the game began in a cagey manner, with both teams trying to work each other out initially. It was clear to see that Westside wanted to play the ball from their goalkeeper to their defence before quickly getting the ball into their forwards feet, this presented Cubo with several opportunities of intercepting the ball and beginning a number of attacks. Unfortunately, this only resulted in half chances, with Peel firing just over the bar from 30 yards, Cross firing straight into the goalkeeper’s hands and plenty of second balls / rebounds falling agonisingly short of any Cubo attacker. Westside also began to grow in to the half, looking to spread the ball out wide to both of their nippy wingers, but unfortunately for them, every time they were able to beat the fullback, the final delivery / shot did not threaten the Cubo goal. The first half therefore came to an end with the score unchanged

As the second half got going, it was clear to see that the non-stop rain was making it’s mark on the pitch, with it becoming very boggy. Both teams did their best to carry on playing football in the only way they both know how, with the ball being played quickly on the deck, but it became increasingly difficult as each minute passed by. Despite the conditions, there were several stand out moments during the final 45 minutes, with Cubo’s best chances regularly coming from the right hand side with good interplay between Laing and Chadwick, one of which resulted in the ball falling to Cross on the edge of the box and after a good first touch he was unable to keep the ball down and saw his shot firing just over the bar. Westside had a phase of constant pressure in the final third of the game and a couple of key moments meant that Cubo came away with something from the game – the first being an unbelievable save from Hutchinson after the ball was played across the Cubo six yard box and the Westside forward looking certain to score when sliding in at the back post, and the second being in the final minutes, when the tall Westside centre half got up at a corner and headed the ball towards the goal, luckily for Cubo de la Haye was able to block it on the line and Cubo were able to clear after the resulting goal mouth scramble.

The referee blew the final whistle on this top of the table clash with the both goalkeepers walking off with clean sheets. The draw was probably a fair reflection of a very tight game between two very good teams, which was not helped by the weather conditions. Cubo can be very happy with how the first half of their season has gone and should be looking to press on in 2019 and aim to be in the mix for the title come March/April.

MoM – Jack Hutchinson. A couple of exceptional saves in the second half that allowed Cubo to walk away with a point – to keep his concentration throughout the game, when the majority was stood freezing in torrential rain, made them even better!

Lineup: Hutchinson, Davies, Wensley, de la Haye, Laing (Frost), Connolly, Peel, Shaw (Cross), Tulip (Perkins), Guttridge, Chadwick

Cubo welcomed their official bogey team Chessington KC to the Aspire for the 6th time in 2 seasons, looking to finally get a win against the team who have knocked them out of the cup twice and a team who are clearly now rivals for the title. With Torr away viewing elephants, Tulip had a wealth of strong players to choose from, and on what was club legend Elliot Connolly’s final game for the club, the trendy mancunian took the arm band and lined up alongside Shaw in central midfield.

As with any game between these two sides, the game was incredibly tough across the pitch with both teams showcasing attacking prowess and defensive organisation. The game itself hit an early flashpoint following a strong tackle from Shaw on the opposing central midfielder, who definitely came off worse in what was in many of the home side’s view a fair challenge. Following some handbags the game restarted and it was Cubo, and in particular Tulip who had two good early chances to put the Cubans ahead. Both times he beat his man on the edge of the box, but both times he shot either wide or over. Shaw then found himself in the book following what seemed another fair but firm challenge, the referee deciding this time he would book the midfielder, which felt very harsh and basically shut down Cubo’s combativeness in central midfielder with the Yorkshireman having to tread carefully from then on.

With Laing shutting down the dangerous Marcel on the left wing, the game was clearly going to be defined by one or two key moments or one or two incidents. 

An increasingly erratic refereeing performance got even more confusing when Chessington’s forward chased down a high-bouncing ball against the onrushing Hutchinson, who comfortably claimed the ball first before being roundhouse kicked in the shoulder by the striker. With the keeper down receiving treatment for a huge gash in his shoulder, the handbags started up again and with the striker Sterne admitting guilt (though clearly not deliberate), the referee decided to not even book the forward to the amazement of the Cubo team. Despite the game being played in a tense, but positive manner, the referee indicated that he would happily keep blowing his whistle to break up the play and a number of confusing decisions followed including a needles booking for Wensley.

The 2nd half continued in the same vein, end-to-end with no clear cut chances for either side. But around the 70 minute mark, a Chessington counter attack following what looked like a foul on Tulip resulted in that man Sterne smashing the ball past Hutchinson from 6 yards – 1-0 Chessington and a potentially huge moment in the season took the wind out of Cubo’s sails. The introductions of Perkins, Cross and Frost added some much needed impetus for Cubo who began attacking again. But the game was all but over as a contest when Davies put in another tough tackle and received a straight red.

A 1-0 win for Chessington saw Cubo’s foothold at the top of the league become dislodged but the home team felt genuinely hard done by and also extremely pissed off at an unnecessarily erratic refereeing performance. 

MoM: There was no question it was a Guinness to down for Elliot Connolly, who actually had a typically solid game in midfield. The pint though was to honour 4 and a half superb years at the club. After winning player of the season in his first year, Connolly has had spells as the club captain but could always be relied on to dictate the tempo of a game, play the right pass and remain completely unflustered by everything that went on around him. The club are very sad to see him go and wish him all the best in his new life in New Zealand, a part of the world where Cubo often lose good players who get whipped.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Laing, de la Haye, Torr (Cooper), Davies (Tierney), Seymour, Peel, Cross, Guttridge, Perkins, Chadwick (Tulip)

Goals: Torr

Following the unbelievable 13-0 win against West End Village a week earlier, Cubo were in good spirits as they travelled across Surrey as league leaders to face Merrow.

With several new faces in their squad from the previous year, Cubo knew that they would be in for a tough away test and all the talk in the changing room prior to kick-off was around starting quickly and taking the game to the opposition. Unfortunately, as the game got underway, it was Merrow who started the brighter, with the Cubo defence being put under pressure from a combination of good wide play and pace in behind.

With 10 minutes on the clock, Cubo had not been able to get started and struggled to put together a sequence of 3 passes or more. It got worse soon after, with a scuffed clearance from Torr finding the Merrow central midfielder who was able to play a ball over the top of the back four, forcing Hutchinson to leave his box and attempt to clear the ball before the Merrow attacker could latch on to it. Unfortunately for Hutchinson and Cubo, the clearance cannoned back off the forward and luckily fell at his feet, leaving an empty net and Merrow deservedly ahead.

The remainder of the half followed in a similar manner, with the majority of possession being gifted straight back to Merrow at every opportunity, which resulted in several good chances being passed up by the home team. Towards the end of the half, Cubo did manage to hold off the Merrow pressure, with Seymour tirelessly working in the middle of the pitch and the forwards being to produce some of the football that had been on display throughout the first half of the season – one move in particular deserves a mention, with Cross and Peel moving the ball quickly in the centre of park, allowing Peel to find some space and play a pinpoint cross field ball over to Perkins on the right hand side, who was then able to lay it off to Laing to put the ball onto Guttridge’s head and agonisingly over the bar. Other than that there was little to report in the way of Cubo chances and the team were glad to come in at half time only the one goal down.

Every player knew that they could up their game and that they had to if they wanted to get anything from the match. The second half began as the first ended, with the the ball on the edge of the Cubo box and a resulting Merrow free-kick. Luckily, the reaction that was required followed soon after and Cubo started to get some luck out wide and particularly down the right-hand side, with Perkins, Chadwick & Guttridge all regularly interchanging and giving the Merrow defence their first real test of the afternoon. Unlike the first half, the game became an evenly matched contest, with several half chances falling to both teams – including one for Perkins from a Peel cross.

With an hour gone, a freekick was awarded after a clumsy challenge on the edge of the Merrow box on Torr. After a brief discussion between Peel & Cross over who should take it, Peel stepped up and put it whiskers over the bar, followed by his claim “if the goal was full size, that would have gone in!”. As time ticked by, it felt as if Cubo needed something to happen soon if they were to come away with at least a point and their reply followed soon after, with a deep free-kick on the right flank being swung over towards the back post by Peel and on to the laces of Torr / the Merrow defender, with the volley beating the goalkeeper and ending up in the roof of the net….1-1, game on!

Now back in the game and with a quarter of the game to go, Cubo believed they could nick the three points and brought on fresh legs in Tierney and Cooper. Chances feel to both teams as the game moved into its’ final minutes, with Cross firing at the Merrow goalkeeper for Cubo and de la Haye & Hutchinson marshalling the Cubo team when defending several free-kicks and corners. The final few minutes saw Tulip bring himself on to see if he could stretch his (dead) legs and create something, but unfortunately there was not enough time and the referee brought the game to an end with the teams all square – a point that the Cubo team can’t be too disappointed with against a strong and organised Merrow team.

A big month lies ahead, travelling to Ripley next followed by two vital games against Chessington & Westside, two teams who will also be fighting for the title come the end of the season.

MoM – Harry Peel. Constantly wanting & getting on the ball, creating chances from both open play and his dangerous set pieces. It was probably a good thing that the goal “wasn’t full size”, otherwise we wouldn’t have heard the end of it.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Seymour, Wensley, Torr (Laing), Frost, Peel, Connolly, Cross (Davies), Guttridge, Chadwick, Tulip (Perkins)

Goals: Guttridge 4, Cross 3, Peel 3, Perkins 2, Chadwick 1

As the autumn sun began to set behind the hallowed turf of Southfields academy, AFC Cubo took to the 3G knowing that a big win could propel them into top spot. They were to face a relatively unknown entity in West End Village, a newly promoted side who had been struggling for form sitting 2nd from bottom.

Cubo looked threatening and dominant from the get-go with Tulip, Chadwick, Peel and Guttridge picking apart a shaky and fragile looking back line. With 15 minutes gone a sweeping Cubo move gave Chadwick the chance to put them ahead. His shot went agonisingly wide, but the West End goalkeeper was late and dangerous, clattering into Chadwick, potentially causing some serious harm. Luckily, Chadwick hobbled away with only a dead leg and the referee, correctly, pointed to the spot. Tulip stepped up but fired wide for the first time in a Cubo shirt and the game remained 0-0.

Just 5 minutes later however, Matt Cross latched onto a searching ball from the back and drove towards goal. He finished well, slotting past the Goalkeeper to put Cubo in front. 3 minutes later it was 2. A smart move from the boys in blue culminated in a tidy, Chadwick finish.

With 10 minutes to half time a moment of controversy. Peel with a delicious lob from 18 yards out beat the keeper and defender on the line. The ball dropped in and Peel wheeled away to celebrate his 2nd of the season. Or so it seemed. The desperate West End goalkeeper claimed the ball had gone behind and not into the goal. This was due to a hole in the bottom of the net which was where the ball gone through after it had landed IN the goal. With the West End linesman confidently confirming the ball had NOT gone in, the referee had no other choice but disallow the goal. Luckily the decision would pale into insignificance.

A third came moments later, Jordan Guttridge getting in on the act with another good finish after leaving the hapless keeper on the deck. Cross added a 4th smashing the ball into the corner from a difficult angle. Peel scored the 5th with lovely volley and Guttridge the 6th with a gorgeous curling effort from just inside the penalty area.

A magnificent half for Cubo, pressing the ball in the attacking 3rd, playing confidently from the back and winning everything in the midfield. Perkins came on for the injured Tulip at half time and the mentality was to keep going and put an emphatic result on the board.

Cubo would surely have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas in the second half but no such respite was given to the dumbstruck opposition. A 7th from Guttridge, completing his hatrick, another pearler from Peel and Matt Cross rounding off his impressive hatrick with another fine piece of finishing.

Perkins took the Cubans into double figures following a mazy run and finish. Peel then grabbed HIS hatrick with a sumptuous volley past the forlorn goalkeeper and Guttridge grabbed his 4th after latching onto a fumble. Perkins finished off the mauling connecting with the ball and nearly the post with a header after a terrific delivery from Peel.

A scintillating attacking display from the home team with the most frightening fact being that it so could easily have been more. A special mention to Hutchinson and the solid back line too for keeping a well deserved 2nd clean sheet of the season. Controversy followed after the game as both old and current chairmen argued over whether or not this was a record result, all that matters though is that it was a result the rest of the league will have their eyes on – what a day!

AFC Cubo travel to Merrow this Saturday looking to solidify their place at the top of SEIFL as we move into the Christmas period.

MoM: Tough one when the result has been so emphatic and three hat tricks were scored, but Cross wins it for sparking the goalfest and being the driving force throughout.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Seymour, Wensley, Torr, Davies (Frost), Shaw, Tierney (Connolly), Cross, Guttridge, Chadwick, Tulip

Goals: Tierney, Tulip (2)

Cubo made it 3 wins in a row on a very, very wet November afternoon, welcoming ex-Combined Counties Worcester Park to the Aspire centre. The lads were met with warm, sunny conditions on arrival for dugout duty, but it wasn’t long before the storm clouds gathered just in time for the warm up, and things only got worse from there.

Managers Torr and Tulip were able to name another strong squad and lineup, with Connolly taking a well-earned rest and the impressing Seymour slotting back in to the defence. Facing an unknown quantity in WP, pre-match chat was all about playing it safe and scoping out the opposition before using the width early in attack. By the time kick-off arrived, the monsoon had also started and both teams had to contain with a relentless downpour in the early exchanges. WP’s strengths were clearly in energetic youth and it was the pacy right winger who gave Davies an early scare with one sprint. Gradually though, the Cubans grew into the game with Cross and Chadwick showing great ability in driving at their man.

Cubo were finding space and chances began to come. First Tulip had a goalbound volley cannon off a back-peddling defender, and Guttridge had two close efforts from set pieces, Chadwick, Cross and Tierney were all threatening. It was the no. 9 Guttridge though who played a lovely 1-2 with Chadwick on the right before driving into the edge of the box and playing a crisp cross along the corridor of uncertainty in the penalty box to find Tierney, who scrambled the ball off about 3 body parts into the net to make it 1-0 Cubo. Soon after, Guttridge found himself clean through on goal, setting himself well and looking to arc the ball nicely round the keeper, but the striker saw his effort go centimetres wide. Tierney then went clean through and round the keeper only to sky the ball out of the Southfields cage.

With conditions now horrendous and the all-weather pitch struggling to cope with the surface water which was trapping the ball, players were becoming weighed down by the excess water and boots starting to weigh twice as much. WP found themselves level when the central midfielder, picking the ball up 30 yards out, drove a hard low shot straight at Hutchinson who adopted the classic cricket fielder position to gather the shot, but with the ball skidding all over the keeper saw the ball bounce off his gloves and into the goal. 1-1 and WP’s first effort on target saw them level. Half time came and the referee gathered both managers to ask if they were comfortable for the game to continue, and given the competitive nature of the first half it was only right to keep going following the wringing of soaking shirts.

The 2nd half was a lot more balanced with the rain relenting a little but ponds remaining on one side of the pitch. WP were threatening more and more from corners but Cubo were still getting the lions share of the attacking joy, with Tulip cutting inside and drilling a low shot which was saved by the keeper, only for Chadwick’s follow up to be offside. With Shaw snuffing out all danger from midfield and the defence, led by Torr and Wensley well, remaining resolute, Cubo remained relatively solid as the half went on. Connolly replaced Tierney (who had ran his arse off) and immediately began shifting the ball out to the wingers early, but it was a brilliant counter attack that took the Cubans back in front. Running after the ball following a cleared corner, Cross proceeded to run the length of the pitch chased by 4 WP players who couldn’t keep up with him, before he cut inside and drilled the ball across to Tulip who controlled and finished through the keeper’s legs. 2-1 Cubo and a goal that was all down to Matt Cross.

Cubo withstood a bit more pressure and introduced Frost who offered some natural width at left back to keep the ball in dangerous attacking areas. But it was Chadwick – a menace to WP’s left side all day – who once again drove at the full back and smashed a fizzing cross into the box which evaded all defenders except Tulip who again controlled and slotted home to grab his 9th of the season and close the game out.  There was still time for WP’s 2nd shot on target as their forward drove through and looked to have slotted home into the bottom corner, only for Hutchinson to redeem himself with a brilliant low save to keep the game in check as full time came.

Another great win in mental weather to mark two professional performances in two weeks, but credit to Worcester Park who are a good young side that will only improve. The lads were all buzzing to keep the run going as we get into the tricky winter months, but every man played a key role yet again.

Special shout out to the Southfields social club who let the lads in for post-match beers.

MoM – Chadwick just edged Cross with both playing key attacking roles. The marauding wide man deserved it after leaving his opposite numbers with nightmares to contend with for the rest of the weekend

 

 

Lineup: Touaita, Laing, Wensley, Torr, Davies, Shaw, Connolly (Tierney), Peel, Guttridge, Perkins (Chadwick), Tulip (Frost)

Goals: Tulip (2), Guttridge

With the rest of the league in cup action this weekend, Cubo had a chance to take advantage of their game in hand and rise to joint top of the Surrey Elite table with their local rivals Battersea. In order to do so, the Cubans had to travel over to Teddington (with the commute busy than usual because of some inferior sporting event going ahead at Twickenham) to take on previous league champions NPL.

This season, the NPL pitch lived up to Tulip’s billing and everyone was eager to get the game underway. The game got off to a slow but steady start from the Cubans, with plenty of the ball and little threat from the NPL side. The first chance fell to Cubo, coming from a partnership between two of the clubs longest standing players and a move that has been replicated on hundreds of occasions over the years, with Tulip standing the full back up on the left hand side before performing a couple of step overs to beat his man and sliding the ball across the six yard box for Perkins to tap into the NPL net. Unfortunately, on this occasion the linesman put a halt to the early Cubo celebrations with his flag raised aloft for a very tight offside call.

The left-hand side continued to bring joy to Cubo, however to little reward, with Tulip again beating his man on the outside and forcing a good save from the NPL keeper (although Guttridge is still moaning that the ball wasn’t squared to him) and Perkins having a penalty shout turned down for what looked to be a clear penalty. In a game like this, it is vital to make sure you take your chances when on top, otherwise the opposition have a chance to grow into the game and that is exactly what happened, with the busy NPL midfield starting to see more of the ball and create a few half chances. Luckily for Cubo, their back four and Tom Shaw, the pitbull in the middle of midfield, ensured that these chances were kept at a minimum and the NPL trio had little time to pick out the passes.

With around ten minutes of the first half remaining, a key 5 minutes for the game played out…with a ball over the top of the Cubo centre-backs making its way to the NPL right winger, who with acres of space looked destined to score. This was until out of nowhere, Cubo’s left back Davies, on his return from suspension, somehow got back and with an outstretched leg got a toe to the ball as the forward looked to pull the trigger, putting the ball out for a corner. The next attack saw Cubo down the other end and resulted in several corners coming their way, of which the second fell to Laing on the 18-yard box, who was able to get the ball under control and attempt a ball back out wide, only for his heels to be clipped and the referee awarding a penalty. Tulip stepped up and coolly tucked the ball away into the corner, putting himself as the clubs outright top scorer this season (which is no surprise seeing as that was his 3^rd penalty so far). The half time whistle shortly followed, with Cubo confident that they move up a couple of gears and extend the 1 nil lead in the second half.

The second half began with NPL looking for a quick response, pushing their wingers higher and pumping balls long, which were proving difficult for Cubo to cope with as the sun began to set, hindering visibility somewhat. The first chance of the half fell to NPL, with a ball down the left allowing their forward in behind the Cubo defence and round Touatia in goal before squaring the ball across the empty net – luckily the Cubo defence had not given up and Torr was able to clear the ball on the line and Cubo narrowly escaped. For the next ten minutes, Cubo uncharacteristically struggled to keep hold of the ball and Tierney was brought on to add some energy and composure, of which he provided superbly.

The next goal was always going to be important and with Cubo having scored from four set pieces the week before and the long throw of Shaw in their armoury, a throw in from the edge of the NPL box allowed Cubo to put themselves two up and in control. Shaw’s throw was aimed towards Torr at the front post, whose challenge meant that the NPL defender could only head the ball back towards his own net, where Guttridge rose like a salmon above the NPL keeper to supply the final touch into the net. It felt like Cubo were now in total control, Peel was finding more and more space through the middle and any NPL charge was easily dealt with. That was until, a rare NPL entry into our box resulted in their forward being taken down and a penalty awarded. This was a big moment in the game, with 25 minutes left 2-1 would make it a nervy finish to the game, but Touatia came to the rescue and stood strong to save the penalty with his legs – a huge relief for the Cubo defence who were desperate for their first clean sheet of the season!

More energy was injected by Cubo, with Chadwick replacing Perkins on the right, which resulted in some nice interplay down that flank between himself, Laing and Guttridge. As NPL began to push more men up the field, Peel came into his own, picking up the ball and splitting the NPL defence with some exquisite passes, one of which provided the assist for the final Cubo goal – weighted perfectly with the outside of his right boot, the ball bamboozled the centre back and put Tulip through one on one, and after giving the goalkeeper the eyes, sent him the wrong way and the ball into the bottom left hand corner.

With twenty minutes remaining, Tulip sacrificed himself and his potential hat-trick by brining on Frost to sure the left flank. The game management from this Cubo team in the final quarter of the game was outstanding, keeping the ball and frustrating the tiring NPL team. With the game all but won, the key for the Cubans was to ensure they went away with a clean sheet as well as the three points, and this was guaranteed following some nervy moments in the final few minutes, with Wensley tracking back and blocking a close range effort and Touatia coping well with some tricky in-swinging corners.

All in all, this was an excellent performance from Cubo, with patience, quality and game management each on display as and when required. A big couple of months lie ahead, but with Cubo now only being held back from the summit of the league by goal difference, it is in their own hands and they should be confident of staying at the top moving forward through the season.

MoM – Tom Shaw. Epitomised the Cubo performance, with energy, aggression and leadership. Tom put a halt any NPL counter attack with his perfectly timed tackles and provided the base from which the Cubo attacks began.

 

Lineup: Hutchinson, Torr, Wensley (Dickens), de la Haye, Seymour, Shaw, Cross (Brooks), Peel, Guttridge, Perkins, Tulip (Male)

Goals: Torr (2), Tulip, Perkins

Cubo welcomed last season’s Championship runners up to the Aspire on a noticeably colder October afternoon. After each side enjoyed close 2-1 successes at home in the corresponding fixture last season, and with both teams locked on 17 points – the expectation was that we were in for another close encounter.

A few absentees in defence saw previous 1’s Captain and recently married Ralph Wensley slot into centre half alongside de la Haye for his first game of the season, with manager Torr moving to right back and Seymour completing a new look defence at left back.

Pre-match chat was all about getting back to winning ways, not panicking as a team and individually getting back to the level seen in September. The first 5 minutes however were all Holloway, with the central midfield threats finding pockets of space and testing the Cubo goal with a few long range efforts. Gradually Cubo began to find their rhythm however, finding passes along the back line and affording Tulip and Perkins a few occasions to test their full back out. It was Matt Cross who sparked what was to be a dominant first half – collecting the ball in central midfield, Cubo’s no.7 drove forward with strength taking 3 Holloway players with him, before unleashing a powerful deflected shot just outside of the post. Moments later, Perkins threaded a fantastic ball through to Tulip after a typically mazy run, and the winger controlled and blasted a shot at the side netting. 0-0 but all Cubo who were enjoying wave after wave of attack.

Midway through the first half, Cubo were awarded a free kick on the attacking left side after some good persistence from Tulip and Peel. Peel stepped up and delivered a beautifully whipped ball to the back post and following loud shouts of ‘MARCUS’ – the manager planted a bullet header in the goal to put Cubo 1-0 up. After taking inspiration from Harry Maguire’s legacy in the World Cup, the titanium-headed Cuban had already notched his 3rd goal of the season. After another set of chances, it wasn’t long before Cubo had their 2nd – Tulip received the ball out wide left and following the usual stepover, sent a cross into the box for Guttridge which was nervously cutout back into the same wide position, and with neither Holloway defender reacting quickly Tulip was able to scoop the ball in between both players and draw a clear cut penalty. Cubo’s co-manager stepped up and calmly slotted home to put the baby blue army into a well-deserved 2-0 lead. An excellent, disciplined performance to a man and one of the best 45’s seen from the club in a long time with Holloway barely getting into the Cubo half.

Half time had been all about not panicking and continuing to play with assurance. However, it wasn’t long before Holloway were back in the game, following a long ball forward, a quick game of head tennis resulted in a loose bouncing ball at the edge of the box, and Holloway’s right winger drilled a brilliant volley past the outstretched hand of Hutchinson to make it 2-1. With the bit between their teeth the game had now taken a different vibe, and Cubo were now in a defensive mindset. Frustratingly for the Cubans the equalising goal was soon to follow, and once again it was a well-executed volley from Holloway’s midfielder, who banged one in from 20 yards over the head off Hutchinson – and what felt like the first two shots on target had resulted in a square game.

This season’s Cubo are made of strong character though, and despite Holloway being in the ascendancy the home team were quick to get back on top with the marauding runs of the wingers and advanced midfielders causing problems. Something had to give and eventually it did, as another pearler of a corner from Peel found the head of Perkins who bravely got in front of an inevitable smash from the keeper to put Cubo 3-2 up. Plans to get on top just like the 1st half were quickly dashed however when Holloway’s right back found free space to swivel superbly in the box and plant a header over Hutchinson. Yet again the scores were level and the game had turned into an absolute cracker.

Both teams continued to push and it was ultimately the home team whose attacking prowess from set pieces made the difference. Yet again it was Peel (following a brilliant save from the goalkeeper to stop one curling free kick from the no.10) – whose deliveries had been different class all day – crossing in another outswinging corner and there was only one steel-encrusted cranium that the ball was going to find. Torr’s header smashed into the goal, 2 goals for him, 3 assists for Peel and the game all but won. Some excellent last minute defending and added energy from Cubo’s subs brought the points home, and a batshit crazy 2nd half ended with Cubo finding themselves in 3rd place in the league, 3 points off the leaders. A superb performance full of character against a very good Holloway team who will be right up there whenever the return fixture falls.

MoM – Torr. Cubo’s tungsten-headed leader just shaded the votes this week, defending well, attacking well and scoring well. Peel was just behind, selflessly providing 3 assists even though he may lose a top scorer bet with the manager, and allowing the club to forget about his terrible kit-washing skills.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Laing, Torr (Frost), de la Haye, Davies, Connolly, Cross (Seymour), Peel, Chadwick (Golding), Perkins, Tulip

Goals: Chadwick

After reaching the semi-final of the league cup in the 2017/18 season, the Cubans were hoping for another solid run with a chance of some silverware this year. And it was a replay of said semi-final fixture that would kick off this year’s campaign, as perennial bogey team Chessington welcomed the baby blue army to the Kingston Uni pitches on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon.

Cubo were able to name a very strong team and on a flat but compact pitch, but both teams started fairly cagily, with the stand out player in the early stages being Chessington’s pacy forward Marcel, who was stretching both the full backs and midfield with his dribbling on the ball. Cubo were struggling to get a foothold in the game with KC picking up the pockets of space in midfield and warding off any threats from Cubo’s wingers.

It was Cubo though who, against the run of play, found the opening goal as some intricate passing from defence to midfield found Matt Cross who played a brilliant first time angled pass from the halfway line down towards the onrushing Tulip. KC’s full back was unable to read the pass and Tulip found himself 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper, but instead of going for goal he played the ball across for the supporting Chadwick who took one touch and slotted home. 1-0 Cubo and a chance to settle into the game.

That chance wasn’t properly afforded to the Cubans though, as a simple through ball to KC’s onrushing striker saw Laing, Torr and de la Haye all get caught up with the forward to successfully clear the ball. To the away team’s bewilderment however, the referee pointed to the spot, and despite protestations from every player the penalty was given. It was KC’s danger man Marcel who stuck an unstoppable penalty into the side netting, and the game moved to half time as a fairly scrappy 1-1.

Despite half time intentions to do the simple things well, Cubo simply couldn’t get a foothold in the game and found themselves 2nd best in too many areas. Despite this, clear cut chances for both teams were at a premium, and it wasn’t until KC’s winger found himself with space outside of the box to stick a looping long ranger over Hutchinson’s head and off the bar to make it 2-1. A great goal albeit a placement in the goal the player didn’t look to mean…. The game ticked on in a scrappy manner until a KC corner was headed goalwards and stopped superbly by the outstretched upper arm of….Rob Davies. Not deliberate as the full back clearly tried to move his shoulder in front of the ball but failed, so the inevitable red card followed and Cubo’s job was made even harder. Marcel stepped up again and fired into the same place, however the ref called for another penalty to be taken given another KC player had practically ran to the penalty spot as well. Marcel stepped up and…. fired 5 yards wide!

Smelling blood, Cubo then went into all-out attack mode with 10-men, peppering the KC backline as the game switched to an end-to-end attack. But it wasn’t to be, and this year’s cup campaign was over at the first hurdle. Good luck to Chessington who are a very strong and solid outfit across the pitch, we’ll get you eventually.

Lineup: Hutchinson, Seymour, Laing, de la Haye, Davies, Connolly, Shaw, Tierney (Brooks), Chadwick, Perkins, Golding (Dickens)

Goals: De La Haye, Davies                                                                    

After a disappointing defeat the previous week, Cubo were looking to bounce back to winning ways against a somewhat recognisable Staines Lammas side. League new boys after dropping down a division, they had acquired plenty of talent since merging with Lalelham FC this year, historically a Cubo “bogey team”.

An unseasonable, mid-October scorcher greeted the players as they took to the hard, bobbly pitch at Lalelham Recreation Ground. Cubo started well with a couple of buccaneering runs from Chadwick on the right hand side and Golding down the left, an unfamiliar position for the seasoned full back.

Midfield maestro Connolly begun to control the game after 15 minutes of frantic action, linking up with Perkins and Tierney well and creating some good opportunities in the final third. However, Cubo’s final ball was lacking in quality with Perkins spurning a long range effort wide and Davies trying his hand from 30 yards on 2 occasions with both efforts certainly not troubling the Staines goalkeeper.

The break-through came 5 minutes before the half and it was the impressive Staines No. 9 who came up with the goods. The striker latched onto a speculative ball down the right channel showing pace and composure to finish and send Staines in 1 up at half-time. On reflection in the dressing room, Cubo had not clicked out of 2^nd gear and were ambling along in the contest. They had played some good football but the lack of cutting edge was evident which had to change in the 2^nd half.

The shift in intensity was obvious with the Cubo front 3 pressing high and applying pressure to an awkward looking back three. This pressure told after 15 minutes of the 2^nd half when a beautifully flighted Connolly corner was headed down and in by Tim de la Haye with precision and power, 1-1.

Cubo begun to exert their authority on the game with Perkins and Chadwick creating some excellent chances but there continued to be stalemate until 10 minutes before the end. Again, it was Staines who took the lead with another ball down the line which their substitute winger gladly picked up and drove towards goal. His shot was saved brilliantly by Hutchinson but there was the Staines star No. 9 again, to tap home and give his side underserved lead.

Cubo begun to panic, crestfallen at the fact they could come away with not even a point to show from their strong 2^nd half performance. However, it was Matt Laing who brought order the chaos around him. He calmly brought the ball down on the right hand side and floated an inviting cross toward the back post where Rob Davies had ghosted in, unmarked, to plant a beautiful header over the Staines Keeper and into the corner of the net.

The points were shared and Cubo, although disappointed not to win, escaped a damaging defeat. With results elsewhere being favourable, a break from the league and a trip to Chessington in the cup next week may be just the tonic for this slight dip in form.

MoM: Davies – mr dependable has been exactly that all season after switching to the unfamiliar left-back position, but he’s been superb, and deserves MoM for popping up with the equaliser (a header, from full back, would you believe it)