The latest annual AFC Cubo and Cubo Netball summer party is nearly upon us. Please see the poster below and get involved for what will be another great night in support of the Bobby Moore Fund.
Author: thomhoops
AFC Cubo 2nd XI Wimbledon Trophy Winners 2011/12
AFC Cubo 2nd XI 3-1 London Lionhearts
Date: Saturday 12th May, 10.30am KO
Venue: Banstead FC
Starting XI: Neil Clark, Stevie T, Pally, Alan Clarke, Jim McGeown, Salty (C), Trev Moody, Pete Hill, Andy Burt, Steve Keegan, Tim Jones.
Subs: Chris Grayson, JPatt, Matt Turner, Ryan Shedwick, Paul Every.
AFC Cubo took part in the Wimbledon Trophy final on Saturday morning, in a predictably competitive game against London Lionhearts. Player/Manager Mike Thomas, in probably his last match for the Baby Blue Army, was able to name a very strong side as well as a bench consisting of 5 players. With a number of spectators from the club watching, as well as friends and family, there was very much a carnival mood. Such joy was evident as Benny Mac polished off a bottle of water (!), Oli confidently dispatching not one but two (!!) cups of tea, Sadler tucking into a banana (!!!) and Bradders, coach for the day, sporting a rather flashy canvas rucksack.
Cubo started the match very brightly with Player of the Season Alan Clarke winning a couple of early headers and setting the tone for another assured display. On the left hand side Andy Burt was able to showcase his excellent delivery, while PeteHill™, man of the match in the last final Cubo contested, was showing signs he is truly a big game player.
The versatile Stevie T, operating at right back, his 32nd different role of his Cubo career, was showing typical composure and with Salty and Alexandr Trev-Hleb mixing up combinations of blood and thunder effort, sideways passing, and Zoolander 90° turns things looked good.
The first real chance of the match saw unpredictable marksman Steve Keegan just being adjudged offside before controlling and finishing from Burt’s delivery, but in fairness the PROPER linesman did appear to get the decision right. Full of confidence the boy from Boro pulled off a truly remarkable piece of skill a few minutes later, scooping the ball over the head of the Lionhearts left back before clipping a teasing cross to the back stick where Jones was just unable to guide his header on target. Magical stuff leading to #KeeganIsBoxOffice trending in the UK on Twitter within seconds.
Tim Jones was holding the ball up extremely well, drifting into the left channel and offering the likes of Jim an easy ball into feet, and with Cubo able to get men forward it seemed an opening Baby Blue coloured goal was likely. However Lionhearts were able to offer a threat on the counter and would have been disappointed not to work “Cu-bo-2s, Num-ber-1 Cubo2sCubo2s Num-ber-1”, Neil Clark, wastefully missing the target from a brace of presentable opportunities.
Fashion watch – Hoops and Clare Galloway opting for double denim, Clarkey Snr with a strong beard, MTM and Northy wearing some natty chocolate slacks, Ben, Denno and Oli repping strong merch, Sadler looking like an extra from an Ordinary Boys video circa summer 2004, Nobes – hench, Jonesy – frail and John Glenn sporting the forlorn expression of a man who’d drunk too much red wine the previous evening.
Half Time: AFC Cubo 0-0 London Lionhearts
After a tactical switch saw Hill and Burt swap wings for the 2nd half, in an attempt to expose the potential weak link that was the Lions right back, Cubo were delighted to take the lead after 50 minutes. The Lionhearts keeper had not appeared at all comfortable with crosses in the first half, and these Vampire-like tendencies were his undoing as the deadlock was broken. After flapping at a Burt free kick from the right, a brief scramble saw Tim Jones roll the ball into the unguarded net.
Cubo tails were up, but it was Lionhearts that got back into the game and were able to equalise. Clark made a top draw save in a one-on-one situation, and then was again required to get down low to his left as Lionhearts rushed through the heart of the Cubo defences. At the 3rd time of asking Lionhearts #7 was able to spring the offside trap and surge from his central midfield berth. He coolly rounded the fine haired custodian of the Cubo net to tie things up at 1-1.
The first change for Cubo saw Chris Grayson replace Jim at LB, before Paul Every was introduced to take advantage of the increasingly stretched play, replacing the impressive Keegs. With his very first touch the Plymouthian Poacher, a moniker he has unlikely to have ever been referred as nor ever again, forced a fine save from the Lionhearts keeper. This led to another Burt set-piece, and subsequently….this.
Alan Clarke with a typically forceful ‘arrive’ at the back post, a firm downward header and Cubo back on top. 2-1.
Rather than go into their shells, Cubo went hunting for a 3rd that would kill the game off. Every continued to threaten while Burt unleashed an absolute thunderbolt from 25 yards which crashed agonisingly off the underside of the bar and onto, not over, the goal line. Banstead didn’t appear to have goal-line technology, instead opting to restock their burger van, but following a glowing review from MTM concerning the beef, and a trustworthy assistant, this appeared to be the right allocation of funds.
Jonny Patterson’s introduction for Jones saw Ryan and Turns unluckily miss out on some action, but any signs of disappointment were forgotten when Burt swung in a cross from the left which nestled into the top corner. Did he mean it? I would say judge for yourself from the following footage but sadly Northy’s previously exemplary camera work went awry during the build up.
Final Score: AFC Cubo 2nd XI 3-1 London Lionhearts
A great display by Cubo, which featured big performances across the midfield, excellent contributions from the hard working forwards and a defence that was rarely breached. When it was, Clarky made everything he was required to do look very easy indeed.
The Wimbledon Trophy is a great way to sign off an up and down season, but with some new players bedded in, the 2s will hope to have a eal crack at promotion in 2012/13.
Scorers: Tim Jones, Alan Clarke, Andy Burt.
Man of the Match: Satal Thethy – combined his usual determination and fitness with some deft touches and excelled in the closing stages as the heat took its toll on lesser mortals.
Match Report: Hoops
3s Promotion
This season the 3rd XI secured Promotion to Division 1 of the Wimbledon District League after an excellent season in finishing runners up to Kiwi FC. Here for your enjoyment are some photographs from the celebratory night out in an unusually classy London venue.
AFC Cubo’s Best Dance Crews
Like a team grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck after about an hour, the real magic here happens from 1 minute onwards.
FC Porto of London 2-7 AFC Cubo 3rd XI
Date: Saturday 14th April
Starting XI: Hulk, JG, Joe, Oli, Jez, Lucas, Jeph, Bradders, Jordan, Tett, Paul.
Subs: Field, Saddlebags, Smith.
In typical 3s style the 1245 meet at Wimbledon common extensions was interpreted as anywhere in the 1.15-145 bracket, but still well ahead of all-italian (Editor: or Portuguese?) Porto – with Cubo needing 3 points to give the best chance of promotion with fingers crossed that other results favoured. The pre game mood was upbeat – a few reliable names drafted in and Jeph on time courtesy of JG transport.
Turner’s team talk demanded an urgent start – something lacking from recent performances – and that’s exactly what he got. Having won back possession post-ko, some tidy possession across the back culminated with Jeph picking up the ball on the half-way line and from there ghosting past 3/4 men before pulling the trigger on the edge of the box. an impressive one-handed stop led to the game’s first corner….. Lucas whipped in and that man Jeph was there to direct a bullet into the top bin. 1-0.
It wasn’t long before another attack created an almost identical goal – Lucas from a corner to Jeph with a textbook header down; cleverly judging the bounce over the man on the line – again top corner, 2-0, 5 mins played.
Cubo’s best football came from the left through this passage of the game…. JG and Jords linking up well and the midfield playing simple short balls to hold possession and work openings. It was from the left channel goal three came; stretching the Porto left back Jords won a throw, Bradders arrowed a ball into the box, lobbing all in place but for the house-wifes favourite at the back stick (GTett)…. a technically immense volley; 3-0.
Special mention at this point to Paul; relatively isolated up top, but created room for himself to play and strong in possession. Goal 4 was a more direct ball involving that very man… Bradders into Tett and from the right this time a beautifully flighted and weighted ball playing Paul in to neatly finish with a headed lob over the onrushing keeper. 4-0 and half time….. little for Tuner to recap on other than to keep heads and remind on recent complacency… 45 mins to secure an important victory.
Goal 5 came almost immediately…. Jez taking a quick throw down the right, Jords’ flick onto Cubo’s Mr Right (GTett) who had an easy job to finish at the near post. 5-0 and game over. Two Cubo changes at this point; Oli off with an injury post a very assured display, for Tim Field… and a couple of minutes later London’s night owl Edd Smith for Jords in what proved to be a 30 min display that will live long in the memory for two of the least threatening efforts on goal ever seen in football. From here the teams shared goals on the run into the final whistle….. Cubo conceding 2 goals to momentary lacks in concentration and Paul and Jeph adding to their tallies in quality performances.
A fine display from start to finish.
Final Score: FC Porto of London 2-7 AFC Cubo 3rd XI
Goals: Jeph 3, Paul 2, Tett 2
Match Report: Greg Tett
Battersea Ironsides 3-1 AFC Cubo
Date: Saturday 31st March 2012
Starting Line-up: Neil Clark, Oli Watkins, Ed Jackson, Bobby Sadler, Jonny Patterson, Ryan Shedwick, Mark Bradley, Lucas Pickett, Paul Every, Sabby
Sub: Ian Clarke
The absence of various members of the squad as we enter Stag Do season meant that Cubo put out arguably their smallest side of the season, against the side probably most geared up to exploit this failing. The first game between these two sides was a hard-fought affair with some desperate defending by Cubo in the second half securing a 2-1 win that had given them hope of securing 3rd spot in the league. Results over the past two weeks had meant this was no longer in Cubo’s hands but a win against their local rivals would give them some hope of still achieving this goal. Skipper Oli Watkins won the toss and in accordance with a pre-match vote choose to play against the slope in the first half.
With the blustery wind eventually settling behind the home side, the Baby Blue Army would have to be at their best defensively to confound the elements and a side well-stocked with aerial prowess. Battersea’s game plan was clear from the off with the ball being punted long for their forwards to contest in the hope of winning field position. With big throwers available on both sides of the pitch, any throw-in less than 35 yards from the touchline was treated as a corner with the big centre-halves trundling up from the back. Whilst crude, the tactic proved immediately effective when a long throw from the left was nodded home by the Battersea centre mid (or the ‘that boy with the trampoline on his forehead’ as Ryan referred to him as). 1-0 Battersea.
Cubo were trying to play football but the wind and hard ground meant that the ball was rarely on the deck long enough to do this. The home side continued to bombard the Cubo box and it was no surprise when they added a second. A well-delivered corner from the left was emphatically headed home by the Battersea centre-half to give his team a two goal lead. 2-0 Battersea. A shell-shocked Cubo looked like they might be on the end of a hiding if the game continued in this vein. Fortunately for them this wasn’t the case and as the half progressed they gradually began to assert themselves on the game. With the returning Mark Bradley to the fore Cubo upped the tempo on their opponents, realising that preventing the Battersea defence settling would be key to getting back in the game.
The first glimpse of goal for Cubo came when Sabby was released in the left hand channel but the burly front man dragged his effort with his weaker foot wide of the goal. Cubo’s best chance of the half came following a goal mouth scramble which saw the ball fall at Every’s feet in the box but his goal bound effort was well blocked.
Half Time: Battersea Ironsides 2-0 AFC Cubo
Having weathered a storm in the first half Cubo had the elements on their side in the second half and immediately had their hosts on the back foot. The first effort of the half saw the Battersea keeper beat away a rasping volley from the edge of the box from Bradders that the midfielder did well to keep on target. The Battersea backline had looked solid in the first half when given the time to get organised but with Cubo upping the tempo and moving the ball with far greater effectiveness gaps were beginning to emerge. Some neat work in the box then saw Watkins blast a good chance wide before Cubo got the goal they deserved. Ryan had been getting some joy down the right hand side throughout the first half and another neat interchange allowed Every to work the ball across goal, making its way through a crowd of players and leaving Pogo with a simple tap in from a yard out.
With the momentum behind them and only a goal needed, the odds on Cubo getting an equiliser seemed staked in their favour. On top of this the pace of the game appeared to be taking its toll on the Battersea midfield who were no where near the dominant force they had been in the first half. Cubo continued to dominate but a combination of sturdy defending by the home side and a slight lack of quality in the final third from Cubo meant that the home keeper remained relatively untested. With Cubo pushing for an equaliser they were always going to expose themselves on the counter. First Jacko was caught dallying on the ball as the last man, allowing the Battersea striker a clean run on goal. Luckily for Cubo he scuffed his attempted finish miles wide when he really should have scored. Second time round the away side were not so lucky. When the same striker nicked the ball off Clarkey to give himself a clean run on goal again, he decided against trusting his shooting boots and squared to his supporting team-mate who slotted home into an empty net. 3-1 Battersea.
Final Score: Battersea Ironsides 3-1 AFC Cubo
Scorer: Jonny Patterson
Man of the Match: Paul Every
Whilst not quite as gut-wrenching as last week’s result against Horsley this will still go down as a vert disappointing result for Cubo. A slow start and inability to deal with the aerial bombardment they faced in the first half gave them a mountain to climb in the second. Despite an impressive second half performance where Cubo showed a determination to play football that almost brought them back into the game. With a bit more cutting edge in the final third you feel that they would have come away with at least a point from the game.
Match Report: Benny Mac
Charity Summer Party
Saturday the 14th of July – Save the date!
The 3rd annual Cubo Charity Summer party is coming, and it promises to be another great night, fundraising for the Bobby Moore Fund which does amazing and crucial work in raising money for research into bowel cancer.
The venue is TBC but tickets will be very fairly priced at around £25. This will ensure you can enjoy music, dancing, an auction featuring a number of fantastic items as well as an opportunity to get your gladrags on.
AFC Cubo 0-2 Horsley
Date: Saturday 24th March 2012
Starting Line-Up: Neil Clark, Thom Hooper, Jonny Patterson, Oli Watkins (c), Joe Darlington, Richard Gough, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Chris Gray, Andrew Noble, Mike Cain
Subs: Bobby Sadler, Ed Jackson
Cubo’s run-in from hell began with a visit from Horsley, arguably the most impressive side they have faced this season. Horsley ran out 2-0 winners in the first fixture between these sides, a high quality game where the home side showed a footballing ability that few teams have matched this season. In spite of this, the Baby Blue Army had been more than competitive in that game and with Horsley missing some key players coupled with the motivational speech dished out midweek by avid Cubo fan Kriss Akabusi there was plenty of cause to be confident.
With the pre-game talk centred on not giving away cheap goals, Cubo duly proceeded to concede a sloppy goal in the first minute. A long ball over the top saw the Horsley striker use dubious legal means to get the better of Joey D, and with the referee waving away Cubo’s protests for a foul the ball was pulled back to the supporting Horsley midfield who angled his shot across Clarkey and in off the far post. 1-0 Horsley. A shocker of a start for Cubo.
With an uphill battle ahead of them Cubo soon found their rhythm and enjoyed a lot of territorial dominance for the rest of the half with Nobes, Chrissy and Mikey dropping deep to receive the ball with good effect. Having worked some good positions in the Horsley box without getting a shot off, the first chance of the half fell to Chris Gray who found space on the edge of the box after side stepping a challenge, before blazing his effort over the bar. Noble then saw an outrageous 40 yard strike fly high and wide (always back yourself) before following up this sighter with a fiercely struck curling effort which appeared to be destined for the top corner until the keeper scrambled across just in time to turn it over the bar. Mike Cain was looking dangerous whenever the ball reached him and he had an effort parried away by the keeper having dribbled his way into the box. With Hoops getting forward to good effect down the right the home side forced a series of corners which Horsley defended well. Cubo were playing some of their best football of the season, unfortunately they could not get the goal which their efforts deserved.
Half Time: AFC Cubo 0-1 Horsley
A confident Cubo emerged for the second sure that they would be able to get back into the game, a belief that was helped by Horsley removing their top scorer within 10 minutes of the restart. Whilst the momentum continued to be with Cubo there was less quality to their work with passes going astray and the ball being shunted long too often, playing into the hands of the aerially dominant Horsley centre half. Horsley are clearly a well-drilled unit, setting up shop to defend their one goal lead, the discipline and compactness of their defensive shape was proving too much for Cubo to break down. Despite this Cubo still created enough chances to get back into the game. Pogo saw a header pushed over the bar, before Mike Cain put the ball in the back of the net only to be pulled back for a Cubo free kick – the ref having stopped playing advantage before allowing the passage of play to run its course – and a big shout for handball in the box was turned down.
With Cubo pressing forward there was always a danger of being caught on the break and only a superb block by skipper Oli Watkins prevented the Horsley striker being given a clear run on goal. The big moment of the half however came with about 10 minutes to go. Horsley for once failed to clear yet another Cubo corner and from the ensuing scramble the ball crossed the line not once, but twice. Given the angle the referee was reliant on his linesman to help him make the decision the linesman kept his flag down. A remarkable decision given the fact that the ball crossed the line by over a yard on the second occasion. A tough one to take for Cubo, particularly given how hard they had worked all game, and one that took the stuffing out of them somewhat.
With time ticking away Neil Clark made an excellent one on one save to give Cubo hope of rescuing a point. The home side were able to create one more chance with the ball breaking to Sadler in the box but his rising drive fizzed just over the bar. With the final minute approaching Horsley won a free kick on the edge of the box, which their sub struck low and hard beneath the wall and past Clarkey’s despairing dive.
Final Score: AFC Cubo 0-2 Horsley
A massively disappointing result for Cubo, who will feel doubly disappointed not to have secured 3 points despite playing some of their best football of the season. The failure to score belies some of the excellent attacking football played at times, with the frontline looking dangerous whenever they received the ball into feet. The two goals and the odd long throw aside, the Cubo backline looked comfortable throughout, though the nature of the goals conceded recently will be of concern. Credit must go to Horsley who came to Barn Elms without much of the attacking talent which had caused Cubo so many problems earlier in the season. The away side maintained a compact shape throughout and were clinical in taking the chances that came their way. Cubo’s quest for 3rd is now out of their hands and they go into next week’s penultimate fixture of the season against Battersea Ironsides knowing that a win is a must if they are to finish above their local rivals in the table.
Apologies to Mr. Akabusi.
Man of the Match: Andrew Noble
Match Report: Benny Mac
AFC Cubo 2-2 Ripley Village
Date: Sat 17th March 2012
Starting Line-up: Neil Clark, Oli Watkins (c), Richard Goughardinho, Joe Darlington, Jonny Patterson, Hung, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Chris Gray, Mike Cain, Andrew Noble
Subs: Tom Hooper, Paul Every, James McGeown
Gaffer Benny Mac was again able to select a very strong squad, even after the late withdrawal of talismanic frontman Simon Daunter with a shoulder injury, with sunbed Guru Mikey Cain replacing him to make his full debut for the 1’s. The last fixture between these two sides was a topsy turvy affair with the lead exchanging hands before Ripley snatched a last minute winner in a 3-3 thriller. With blond bombshell and chief peacemaker Michael North absent from the squad it was hoped that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the ugly scenes that marred the end of that game. The biggest shock of the day came upon seeing that the pitch had not been used for training by Barnes RFC and in fact had even been rolled! This unprecedented act of goodwill put Cubo in a good frame of mind for the 90 minutes ahead, safe in the knowledge that they would actually be able to play some football this week.
Ripley’s side appeared to be a more mature line-up this time round and it was clear from the off that they would be playing to their strengths by hitting their industrious front two early at every opportunity. The tactic almost paid immediate dividends when a contested header on the edge of the box dropped to the Ripley skipper with yards of space just inside the area. Fortunately for Cubo his powerful strike was straight at Clarky who dealt with it comfortably but it was an early warning sign. The first 20 minutes of the game followed this pattern with Cubo pegged back in their own half having to defend long ball after long ball. Despite the impressive Richard Gough winning countless headers, the Ripley front two were making sure that no header Cubo did win was won cleanly. With the Ripley midfield dominating the second ball there was very little respite for the Cubo backline. On the odd occasions that Cubo managed to get the ball forward there were encouraging signs that the quality of Mike Cain, Chris Gray and Noble would cause the Ripley backline problems. First some great pressure by Mike and Nobes saw them rob the ball from the centre half before Mike’s effort was brilliantly pushed round the post by the Ripley keeper. Minutes later, more pressure on the backline forced another error that put Mike through on goal but he was denied a debut goal by some superb work from the recovering defender who got back just in time to clear his lob.
Despite these chances Ripley were still dominating and the goal when it came was no surprise. A long throw into the box was flicked on to the back post where the Ripley striker popped up to head past Clarkey and give Ripley a deserved lead. 1-0 Ripley. As the half progressed more space was appearing around the pitch and with the midfield doing a better job of contesting the second ball Cubo were beginning to play with greater fluency. With Pogo getting forward down the left and the front line seeing more quality ball into feet there was plenty of cause to be optimistic at half time despite being a goal down. Cubo continued the second half where they had left off in the first, utilising the width of the pitch to get Pogo and Hung on the ball as often as possible. It was from this source that Cubo found themselves level five minutes into the half. Popping up out on the right Pogo clipped in an inviting cross which was met by a bullet header into the top corner by goal-shy player/manager Benny Mac. 1-1.
With the momentum behind them, a pumped up Cubo then made it two goals in two minutes. With Pogo again getting forward down the right his low cross was expertly guided home on the volley (outside of his leg peg if you’re asking) by the reborn goal-scoring midfielder Benny Mac. This boy is some player, my word. 2-1 Cubo. Ripley appeared shell-shocked, having seen their lead evaporate in the space of two minutes and it looked as if Cubo would go on to the win the game comfortably. However, with the home side dropping steadily deeper and failing to hold on to the ball Ripley gradually reasserted themselves and Cubo soon found themselves desperately defending balls into their box. Only some strong performances from Goughy, Joey D and skipper Watkins were keeping Ripley at bay. At the other end the front line, now featuring Every off of the bench, continued to create chances when the ball reached them. Mikey Cain will be disappointed not to have hit the net when Noble’s pull back from the left found him in a great position in the box. Unfortunately the sushi-munching Flavio from Manchester was unable to keep his effort down.
With the pressure building on Clarky’s goal Cubo again conceded a goal which they will feel they should have defended better. Another long throw was allowed to bounce in the box before making its way through to the Ripley striker all alone at the back post. He made no mistake with his finish, drilling his effort below the advancing Clarkey to level the game. 2-2. With time running out Cubo still found time to create chances to win the game, the best of which saw Every square the ball in the box to the supporting Hooper but the midfielder side-footed over from the penalty spot.
Final Score: AFC Cubo 2-2 Ripley Village
Goals: Benny Mac (2)
Man of the Match: Benny Mac
A disappointing result for the Baby Blue Army who, having got their noses in front really should have gone on to win the game having had the chances to do so. Despite the dropped points Cubo played some good football at times and with the defence putting in excellent performances under difficult circumstances there is plenty to be positive about going in to a very tough final three fixtures. Credit should also go to Ripley who came to Barn Elms with a clear game-plan which made life very difficult for the home side. Completely dominating the opening period of the game they showed great resilience to come back having gone 2-1 down.
Match Report: Benny Mac
AFC Cubo 