1st XI

Abbey Rangers 1-5 AFC Cubo

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Date: Sat 9th Feb 2013

Starting line-up: Gareth Stewart, Andy Strickland, Rob Sadler, Joe Darlington, Richard Gough, Mark Bradley, Ian Clarke, Ben McGeown, Jake Flower, Paul Every, Mike Cain

Subs: Jonny Patterson, Ryan Shedwick, Oli Watkins

Cubo returned to Addlestone Moor for the replay of the opening game of the season which was abandoned after 60 minutes due to torrential rain with Cubo leading 2-1 at the time.  The fortunes of the two teams have differed starkly since then with Rangers enjoying a strong first half of the season whilst Cubo have struggled to match last seasons form, leaving them languishing in the lower echelons of the league.

For perhaps the first time this season Cubo gaffer Oli Watkins was able to enjoy the enjoy the benefit of consistent squad availability with only Gaz Stewart and Mike Cain returning to the starting line-up from last weeks impressive win against Oxted.  The home side on the other hand were missing some key players in the middle of the park and up front, a factor which would have a large bearing on the game.

Cubo started the brighter of the two sides and aggressive pressing by the frontmen was immediately making life difficult for the Rangers backline who were forced into rushing clearances.  With Joey D and Goughy dominant at the back Cubo were able to get the ball down and get Sadler and Andy forward to good effect.  The full-backs ability to link up with ‘Nick’ Flower and Every in front of them was a feature of the early stages of the game, particularly down the left where the Rangers right back was having a torrid time of it.  Cubo’s positive start was almost rewarded when Clarkey picked out Mike Cain in the inside right channel but his attempted lob never looked like going in.  The Club Veet expert soon made amends, when Bradders released Every down the right, who in turn delivered a peach of a cross to the near post where Mike finished nicely on the volley.  The score was soon doubled when more pressure from the strikers saw Mike Cain gifted the ball in the Rangers area and when his attempted pass to Flower came back to him he made no mistake, crashing his shot past the keeper to make it 2-0.  With the game drifting away from Rangers, the home side’s manager made some changes to tighten up the middle of the park where the mobility of the Cubo engine room was winning the day against the greater physicality of the home side and Rangers immediately looked the better for it.  With less space to play in Cubo were guilty of giving the ball away too cheaply, bringing pressure on to themselves and lending encouragement to the home Rangers.  Luckily the Cubo backline were able to dominate a relatively toothless Rangers attack, no doubt missing the poise and threat posed by their absentees.  Despite this rough patch Cubo still looked the more likely scorers, though a snap shot from distance by Flower was the closest they came before the half time whistle.

Rangers were looking for a vastly improved performance in the 2nd half but got off to the worst start possible by conceding early on. Mike Cain was once again involved.  His cheeky cross took a deflection before taking an age to fall to Bradders in the box who showed great composure to guide a volley across the keeper and into the far corner.  The goal took the wind out of the home sides sails and with Cubo’s midfield seemingly first to every ball more goals were on the cards.  Chances came and went with Cain and Clarkey both culpable on more than one occasion.  Cubo’s wastefulness came back to bite them when they conceded with 15 mins to go.  A rare break by Rangers was poorly defended down the left hand side and the ball was worked across the box to the Rangers left winger who slotted past Gaz to make it 3-1.  Given Cubo’s poor form this season, and history of throwing away decent leads, this might have been cause for some concern but before these fears even had a chance to crystallise the lead was back to 3 goals.  A neat interchange of passes on the edge of the Rangers box between Bradders, McGeown and Cain gave the in-form striker enough time to have a touch and fire a finish on the turn into the bottom corner.  The gloss on the finish was provided with a few minutes to go when an in-swinging corner from Mike Cain was headed past his own keeper by the big number 5.  An unfortunate end to the game for Rangers’ most impressive player on the day.

An impressive and much needed result for the Baby Blue Army who for the first time displayed the kind of clinical finishing that has so often been lacking from their play.  Gaffer Watkins will be hoping that the recent improvement in availability continues into next week’s fixture against top of the table Horsley.  Cubo have enjoyed 3 good tussles with the league leaders since their promotion to the SEIL, yet it is Horsley who have come away with 3 points on each occasion, a record that the Baby Blue Army will be determined to put right this Saturday.

Scorers: Mike Cain (3), Bradley, OG

Man of the Match: Mike Cain

Horsley 3-0 AFC Cubo

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An opposition view of last weekend’s game. As they have described, 3-0 was not a true reflection of the game but that means little.

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/horsleyfc/news/1st-win-v-afc-cubo-734534.html

Onward and upward with a cup distraction this week, and with the 2s and 3s in action as well.

Crescent Rovers 0-1 AFC Cubo

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Date: Saturday 22nd September, 2012

Venue: Wallington Sports and Social Club, Croydon, KO 3:00pm

Starting line up: BVDL, Joey Darlington, Chris Grayson, Oli Watkins, Hung Nyguen, Jonny Patterson, Chris Gray, Mark Bradley (C), Paul Every, Mike Cain, Ryan Shedwick

Subs: Ian Clarke, Ben McGeown, Richard Gough

Cubo 1st XI notched their first win of the season away against Crescent Rovers, in doing so the Cuban’s broke a run of seven league games without a victory, dating back to last seasons 3-2 success over Virginia Water. This was also our first clean sheet since beating Weston Green Sports 2-0 way back in early March.

Chances fell to both sides in the first half, BDVL made a phenomenal save to his right from close range, his strong hand pushing the ball round the post when a goal seemed inevitable. Mike Cain looked as dangerous as ever in the first 30 minutes and was unlucky to hit the bar with a well-timed lob.

However, Mike’s afternoon was to end much earlier than expected following a ‘tackle’ that would not have looked out of place in a UFC ring. Moments before the referee failed to stop play for an obvious Cubo foul, so a Crescent defender, who was no doubt feeling aggrieved by the lack of a whistle, took matters into his own hands and poleaxed Mike on the edge of their box. Happily two trips to the hospital have since concluded that he has suffered no long lasting damage, although the doctors have advised him to ditch the ridiculous deep v t-shirts that he persists with wearing.

Ian Clarke broke the deadlock on the 72nd minute, arriving late into the box to side foot home Ryan Shedwick’s low cross following a mazy run by the winger. Clarkey could actually have scored minutes earlier when he found space from a corner to crash a header onto the underside of the bar; such a goal would clearly have been preposterous, thankfully the ball did not cross the line.

Further odd refereeing helped Cubo towards the end of the match, the ref deciding to waive play on after BVDL had dashed out of his box to smash a Crescent player who was clean through on goal. A borderline yellow or red, and a definite foul, was instead given as a Cubo throw! The Crescent bench were understandably disappointed with the decision.

Final Score: Crescent Rovers 0-1 AFC Cubo

Scorer: I. Clarke

So, a win at last for the boys in blue (and white) – one best summed up by Ian Holloway:

“To put it in gentleman’s terms if you’ve been out for a night and you’re looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they’re good looking and some weeks they’re not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She wasn’t the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let’s have a coffee”

Man of the Match: Mark Bradley. The stand in skipper was a calming authority over the new look midfield and forward line.

Battersea Ironsides 3-1 AFC Cubo

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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

AFC Cubo 0-2 Horsley

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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

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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 3-2 Virginia Water FC

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Date: Saturday 10th March, 2012

Starting Line-up: Neil Clark,  Bobby Sadler, Jonny Patterson, Hung, Oli Watkins, Goughy, Ben McGeown, Tom Hooper, Chris Gray, Andrew Noble, Jacko

Subs: Daunter, Sabby, Ryan Shedwick

A combination of the rugby club using the pitch to train on and the ever diligent Barn Elms ground staff meant that pitch 7 was in a dire state, making the prospect of a free-flowing game highly unlikely.  Virginia Waters came into this game with a much-changed line-up to that which suffered a heavy defeat in the opening day fixture between these two sides and the improvement was visible from the off.

With the surface already making it difficult to get the ball under control, the energetic pressing of the Waters midfield was doing a great job of forcing Cubo to give possession away cheaply.  Despite their shaky start Cubo found themselves infront after 15 minutes when Jacko was released down the left-hand channel before beating his man and finish across the keeper from the tightest of angles.  1-0 Cubo.

Undeterred by this Waters continued to look dangerous and it was no surprise when they equalised.  A diagonal ball into the box caused confusion in the defence and the ball dropped to the Waters striker who had a simple tap-in.  1-1.  With frustration mounting in the Cubo ranks at some of the wayward passing Waters pressed home their advantage.  A free kick on the right hand touchline was clipped into the six yard box where the onrushing midfielder showed good desire to beat Pogo to the ball (much like Pistol Pete did so often in the 1’s vs 2’s pre-season friendly) and power past Clarkey.  2-1 Virginia Waters.

A disjointed first half display by the Baby Blue Army should really have been punished further when a Cubo corner broke to Waters who found themselves with a 4 on 2 breakaway.  Luckily for Cubo the opportunity was wasted and they came in at half time only a goal down.

The half time break appeared to revitalise Cubo who started the second half with far greater purpose.  Aided by attacking the half of the pitch which hadn’t been rucked to oblivion by egg-chasing chubsters, Cubo looked more assured in possession and scored from virtually their first attack.   Having led the line impressively for the first half Andrew Noble carried the ball into the Waters box, powering past two challenges before slipping the ball to Jacko who just beat the keeper to the punch to toe-poke his finish in at the near post.  2-2.

With the momentum behind them Cubo pressed on for the winner, with Bobby Sadler enjoying some swashbuckling runs into the opposition half from his right wing back position.  The home side were finally rewarded when with 5 minutes to go Chrissy Gray’s overhit free kick caught the Waters keeper off guard, who could only watch as the ball sailed over his head, clipping the bar on its way into the back of the net.  3-2 Cubo.  There was still time for Waters to almost nick a point when a well struck free kick flew just wide of the post but the angriest man in football Neil Clark appeared to have it well covered in the Cubo goal.

A hard earned 3 points for Cubo against a vastly improved Virginia Waters.  The energy of the Waters side made life very difficult for Cubo who had to wait until the playing surface improved in the second half before they were able to exert any kind of sustained pressure.  A fair result on the balance of play and one which keeps Cubo’s hopes of a 3rd place finish alive.

Goals: Jacko (2), Chrissy Gray

Man of the Match: Jacko

Match Report: Benny Mac

Weston Green Sports 0-2 AFC Cubo

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Date: Saturday 3rd March 2012, 3pm KO

Venue: Weston Green Sports Ground

Starting Line-up: Gary Stewart, Oli Watkins (c), Goughy, Joe Darlington, Hung Nguyen, Jonny Patterson, Tom Hooper, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Chris Gray, Paul Every

Subs: Jacko, Bobby Sadler, Mark Bradley

Cubo’s long-standing relationship with Weston dates back to their time together in Division Two of the Surrey South Eastern Combination.  During this time they have been lucky enough to see the development of Weston from a slightly narky team with a ridiculous manager into the mentally unhinged side with a ridiculous manger that they are today.  The first fixture between these sides in the 2011/12 season ended 1-1, though the real highlight was the performance of the referee.  Having shamelessly penalised Weston for most of the fouls they committed, which included two yellows for their star striker (one for a deliberate stamp), he then had the arrogance to take offence at a sustained volley of abuse from the Weston manager, sending him off as well.  Outrageous behaviour.  Whilst Weston went home with only a point that day, they can be proud of having bossed the disciplinary stakes, ending the game having collected 3 red cards and 5 yellows.   If this was Scottish football, technically they would have won the game.

Cubo were able to name a strong line-up with skipper Watkins, Joey D and Goughy forming a formidable back three, supported out-wide by the athleticism of Hung and the random chat tekkers of J-Pat.  Following an impressive performance last week, midfield schemer Tom ‘Hoops’ Hooper retained his place in midfield alongside a panda-eyed Benny Mac.  The long term absence of Northy and Billy has left Cubo without a natural ‘’Ooohh, that’s a bit late…’’ player in the middle of the park but the return of yellow card magnet Ryan Shedwick to the starting line-up after a 4 month lay-off goes a long way to filling this gap.  With Simon Daunter busy hurling his not inconsiderable bulk down the slopes somewhere in the Alps, and Noble busy playing with kids in Oxfordshire, Cubo looked to the slightly less physically imposing pairing of Chrissy Gray and Paul Every for the goals to secure another 3 points at WGS.

As with all fixtures between these sides the pace from the off was frenetic.  The early morning rain had not done enough to soften the bobbly nature of the pitch and this made passing, particularly in the centre of the pitch difficult.  A combination of Weston’s aggressive pressing of the ball and the untrustworthy surface meant that Cubo were struggling to move the ball around with any confidence and were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply through the first half.  Whilst they were withouth their two main goal threats, S. Wright and M. Nash, Weston had managed to call upon a couple of decent replacements, and the number 10 in particular looked like a handful whenever the ball reached his feet.  The first chance of the game fell to the home team when Cubo failed to clear their lines and a diagonal ball into the box was toe poked wide by the Weston midfielder who will be disappointed not to have scored.

Any football Cubo did play was coming down their left hand side where Pogo, Ryan and Every were combining to good effect, though in truth Cubo were struggling to get men up in support of their front pairing and Weston’s defence were relatively comfortable.  Cubo’s first chance fell to Ryan on the edge of the box but he was unable to keep his volley down, instead choosing to launch the ball back towards Barn Elms where it has been added to the Cubo stash.  Next up came a chance for Paul Every, who with the ball falling to him on his left boot in the box was unable to keep his effort down.  A tense first half for both teams with little football on display.

Half Time: Weston Green Sports 0-0 AFC Cubo

A slow start to the second half by Cubo saw Weston immediately win a corner and the first ten minutes were marked by the home side being on the front foot.  They should have taken the lead shortly afterwards when a Cubo corner (which Hoops took off of Goughy’s head when he looked in a prime position to score…) was cleared hopefully forward releasing the Weston number 10.  Beating Joey D in a foot race he cut inside the box only to see his effort blocked by a great save by Gary Stewart.  The danger wasn’t over though with the rebound falling to the supporting Weston midfielder, who could only watch as his first time effort rose just enough to clip the bar of the empty goal.  A big let off for Cubo.

With Ryan showing signs of tiring following a long spell out Jacko was introduced to the fold and had an almost immediate impact.  With another man to play off the shoulder of the suspect Weston defence, and Chrissy moved back to a more familiar role Cubo immediately looked more threatening and had the lead within 5 minutes.  Nice interchange between Chris and Jacko saw the big lad secure a lucky bounce off a challenge before opeing up his body and curling a sumptuous finish into the top (ish) corner.  With their noses in front it was Cubo who now looked like the more dangerous side.

The introduction of Bradders and Sadler added some steel in the middle of the pitch and some energy out wide but despite this and some stout defending from Watkins, Gough and Darlo, luck still had a part to play in keeping the home side at bay.  A corner was only partially cleared before being whipped back in to the far post where a Weston header was tipped onto the underside of the bar by Australia bound keeper Gary Stewart.  The keepers return to form following a difficult start to life in the Surrey Elite has been a real boon for the Baby Blue Army and he will be sorely missed in the coming weeks.  However this was no backs to the wall job, Cubo continued to look dangerous and able to play quite a bit of football in the Weston half.  Firstly, a break down the left saw Ben McGeown flash a ball across the face of the goal which was crying out to be finished before Chrissy Gray popped up with a superb winner.  Picking the ball up on the right touchline, he nut-megged his marker from about 3 yards away before carrying the ball into the area, dancing round another defender and finishing beneath the onrushing keeper to put the game to bed.  2-0 Cubo.

With less than 10 minutes to go Weston knew they were beaten and despite a couple of hopeful punts into the box which ping-ponged around a bit, Gaz was never forced into a save.  In the closing minutes, the Weston centre half managed to get himself sent off for a second booking, ensuring that even in defeat Weston will never be bettered in the collection of bookings.

Despite Weston fielding a slightly weakened line-up this was a superb win for the Cubans, who will no doubt take extra pleasure in the result given the historic rivalry between these two clubs.  Two wins in two weeks against sides in and around them in the league has given Cubo an excellent chance of securing 3rd place, maintaining the momentum over the next couple of weeks will be key.

Final Score: Weston Green Sports 0-2 AFC Cubo

Goals: Jacko, Chrissy Gray

MOTM: Ben McGeown

Match Report: Benny Mac