1st XI

Ripley Village 3-3 AFC Cubo

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Date: Sat 8th October 2011

Starting Line-up: Tommy Stewart, Rob Sadler, Mark Sutton, Sweepie T, Oli Watkins, Richard Gough, Michael North, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Andrew Noble, Chris Gray

Subs: Tom Hooper, Ian ‘Ooooh, I’ve hurt my ribs…’ Clarke

A lack of availability throughout the club meant that Cubo were only able to name a 2 man bench that included the still injured Clarkey who has yet to recover from the non-existent challenge that he suffered against Bletchingley.  Luckily the slightly overcast conditions were more player friendly than last week’s dalliance with the tropics.  Cubo were once again able to sample the benefits of promotion with a lovely clubhouse on the village green (Surrey Village of the Year 2007, sure) and a pitch in good nick (if a little hard for a man giving a debut run out to a new pair of Puma Kings).

Despite numbers being short Cubo were able to name a strong line up with Chris Gray (RIP for the next 6 weeks) returning up front and club chairman Stevie T replacing Cubo’s resident mayonnaise connoisseur Edward Jackson.   Ripley Village had enjoyed a good start to the season, though consecutive defeats in recent weeks had undermined this somewhat and they started the day a point ahead of the Baby Blue Army.

Unlike recent weeks Cubo started the game relatively brightly, knocking the ball around well albeit without troubling the Ripley backline.  Ripley were clearly keen to hit their skilful frontman early and the wide pitch meant there was plenty of space in the channels for them to do exactly this.  The first goal of the game came from a combination of shocking defending from Cubo and adroit footwork from the Ripley forward.  Managing to evade 3 weak challenges on the edge of the area he composed himself to slot past Tommy in the Cubo goal.  1-0 Ripley.  A disappointing goal to concede for a Cubo side that has prided itself on its defensive strength.

They could be thankful to Gaz Stewart for not going further behind when he made a fine save to tip over a strike destined for the top corner.  Despite this Cubo could be encouraged by the start they had made, gradually building pressure on Ripley and it was no surprise when they scores were levelled.  A quick free kick found Ryan on the edge of the box and his flick released Noble in the box.   His initial effort was palmed away by the keeper but Ryan was quickest to react, squaring to Northy who side-footed home off the post.  1-1.

With the goal they felt they deserved Cubo pushed on and Northy almost added a second before half time, only to see his long range effort fizz wide of the post.  With the tide of the game clearly in favour of the Baby Blue Army they somehow found themselves a goal down again.  The Ripley striker was allowed to get to the by-line far too easily and his cross to the back post was headed back across goal and onto Sadler’s out-stretched hand.  The referee had little option but to give the penalty, though the yellow card he dished out was a bit harsh given that Sadler had no idea where the ball was or any option of getting out of the way of it.  Unfortunately Tommy Stewart was unable to repeat his heroics against Reigate, and, despite guessing the right way, was beaten for the second time of the afternoon.  2-1 Ripley Village.

Following a spirited half time talk Cubo started the second half with far greater urgency and soon found themselves level again.  With the ball breaking to Noble 30 yards from goal he released Ryan in the inside right channel and the chirpy Northerner cut inside his man before firing in at the keepers near post.  2-2.  More pressure from Cubo then saw Northy meet a long throw from Noble and push a volley past the keeper from the six yard line.  3-2 Cubo.  Cubo’s lead was no more than their energetic start deserved but taking the lead appeared to have a negative effect as they began to sit deeper and the earlier urgency was replaced by anxiety.

The balance of the game shifted back in favour of the home side who began to dominate possession.  With the home side pressing for an equiliser there were always going to be chances on the break for Cubo and Ben McG should have put the game to bed when Sutton pulled the ball back to him 8 yards out but he blazed wide.   Northy too, suffering a bout of hat-trick fever, found himself on the end of a cross in the Ripley box but was unable to keep his effort down.  Cubo continued to invite pressure allowing the home side a lot of possession on the edge of the Cubo box which led to a succession of dangerous corners which were defended with a mixture of committed headers, luck and glaring misses from Ripley.

Unfortunately for Cubo they were unable to ride their luck and Ripley eventually made them pay when an outswinging corner that was powerfully headed home to make it 3-3 with minutes to go.   Some over the top celebrations from the Ripley centre mid sparked some ugly scenes that marred what was an otherwise sportingly contested fixture.  The game looked like it might have one more twist when Noble latched on on to a loose ball inside the Ripley half, cleverly beat his man and bore down on goal.  Unfortunately his finish was pushed away to safety by the Ripley keeper to leave scores tied at full time.

A see-sawing game that Cubo will felt that they could and should have won had it not been for some poor defending and an inability to kill the game off at 3-2.  In spite of this it was important to stop the rot following two defeats on the spin and the greater attacking threat displayed will be encouraging following some toothless displays recently.

Final Score: Ripley Village 3-3 AFC Cubo

Scorers: Northy 2, Ryan

Man of the Match: Northy

Match Report: Benny Mac

AFC Cubo 1-2 Reigate Priory

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Date: Saturday 24th September, 3pm KO

Starting Line-up: Gareth Stewart, Rob Sadler, James McGeown, Ed Jackson, Oli Watkins, Hung Nguyen, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Michael Neal, Andrew Noble, Paul Every

Subs: Mark Sutton, Jonathan Patterson

Following last week’s clinical dismantling of Farnborough North End Cubo came into their fixture with Reigate Priory full of confidence, particularly given their opponents patchy start to the season. The absence of Northy, Clarky and long term absentee Billy meant that Ryan Shedwick was given his first start in the centre of the par, whilst James McG retained his place on the left wing.

The excitement generated by playing on the new pitch and posing for player profile pics belied a definite lack of energy in the Cubo camp in the warm up.  In spite of this they found themselves a goal up within minutes of kick off.  A strong header from Jim McG was helped on by Ben McG, releasing Every who cooly composed himself before slotting past the R-Priory keeper.  1-0 Cubo.  A fantastic start for the home side which they were unable to kick on from.  A series of casual errors by Cubo allowed R-Priory back into the game, with the long grass on the right hand side of the pitch resulting in players losing control of the ball on numerous occasions.

R-Priory’s use of a lone striker caused a re-jig of Cubo’s shape, something they struggled initially to implement with various free-runners feeding off the scraps of their useful frontman.  At the other end another long ball almost undid R-Priory but MTM was unable to capitalise, flashing his strike just wide of the far post.  Cubo continued to create good chances, particularly down the left side where Jim McG’s marauding runs were causing the away side problems.  A few goalmouth scrambles aside Cubo were unable to work the keeper and paid the price for their wastefulness in front of goal when R-Priory equilised with their first foray into the Cubo box.  A long throw from the left was met by the Priory right winger who rose unchallenged to head past Gaz and into the bottom corner.  1-1.

Spurred on by the goal and the amount of space on the ball that Cubo were granting them Priory were looking the more threatening side and had a great opportunity to extend their lead just before half time when the referee awarded them a penalty.  A dumbstruck Cubo could only blame themselves for their failure to clear the ball on at least three occasions in the run up to the decision. The Priory right back stepped up and struck his penalty  down the centre of the goal, and despite having launched himself to his right Gaz somehow extended an arm and a boot back to clear the ball to safety.  A massive let off for Cubo and a big confidence booster for Gaz who has been going through a tough patch so far this season.  Coming in at half time it was clear that Cubo needed an injection of urgency to wrestle back control of the game.

Having picked up a knock goalscorer Paul Every was replaced by Sutton who slotted straight in up front.  The 2nd half followed a similar pattern to the first with Cubo getting the ball in good areas before being let down by sloppy play and an over-eagerness to hit the ball long.  The introduction of J-Patt at left wing back almost paid immediate dividends when he beat his man before releasing Sadler with a wonderful cross field pass.  Sadler drilled a cross across the face of goal where MTM was unable to adjust his body to direct the ball goalwards and could only watch in despair as his effort looped high and wide.  Cubo’s cause was further hampered when burly front man Noble was on the receiving end of some tough challenges that culminated in him being helped from the pitch.  With no further substitutes available he was forced back into action but was clearly struggling badly.

A snatched effort from Mark Sutton that was pushed away by the keeper was the only time that the Priory defence looked unnerved and as the half wore on Cubo gradually ran out of ideas.  Despite being given space to play time and again Cubo resorted to pumping aimless long balls up to the front three, which the Priory backline were more than capable of dealing with, subtlety and composure in the final third were notable for their absence.  Cubo’s frustration at their inability to prize up the Priory backline was beginning to be reflected in their defending which was at times ragged and careless.  A cheap free-kick almost saw Priory take the lead when the ball appeared destined for the top corner, only for Gaz to acrobatically (show-boat) tip it over the bar.  As good a save as he has made in Cubo colours.  The warning signs were there for Cubo but they weren’t heeded and another cheap free kick released the Priory centre forward into the box and his centre was turned in by the unmarked left winger to make it 2-1 with 15 minutes to go.

Cubo continued to press but were unable to create any clear cut opportunities and in fairness Priory defended their lead fairly comfortably, only another Gaz save from a one on one prevented them from extending their lead.

As the referee blew his whistle the sense of frustration was palpable.  Despite Gaz preventing 3 goals with some super keeping this was a game Cubo felt they could have won.  A lack of subtlety and thought in their attacking play coupled with a lack of concentration when defending cost the Baby Blue Army dearly.   Priory will no doubt take great satisfaction from the nature of this win with their defensive organisation proving too much for Cubo to break down.  Special mention should also go to Priory for the great spirit in which they played the game (going out of their way to congratulate Gaz on his saves from the penalty and free kick, not something the man himself would have been seen doing!).

Final Score: AFC Cubo 1-2 Reigate Priory

Scorer: Paul Every

Man of the Match: Gaz ‘Tommy’ Stewart

Match Report: Benny Mac

Farnborough North End 0-5 AFC Cubo

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Date: Saturday 17th September 2011, 3pm KO

Starting Line-up: Tommy Stewart, Rob Sadler, Jim McGeown, Jacko, Oli Watkins, Hung, Ben McG, Michael North, MTM, Noble, Every

Subs: Chris Gray, Ryan Shedwick

Cubo embarked on their biggest away trip of the season with a casual jaunt down to Hampshire to take on bottom of the table Farnborough North End.  A traumatic journey for 5 of the squad through parts of South West London that they’ll never want to see again (East Sheen) meant that they were unable to enjoy the 20mins of poncing round in front of the mirror in the new kit that they had been looking forward to all week.  Their day only looked like getting worse when a pre-match downpour soaked all and sundry, ruining the immaculate look they had sported before leaving the dressing room.

Besides the aesthetic damage done by the rain it also contributed to a nervy opening period in the game, with both sets of players slipping round on the newly drenched surface.  The ball was proving difficult to control and Cubo were struggling to put together more than a couple of passes before giving it away.  Despite this it was clear that there would be plenty of space outwide to be exploited by Sadler and Jim McG, making his first start of the season in the absence of Pogo (sleazing) and Sutton (boozing).

The first goal of the game came from the most unlikely of sources when Hung first won a fine tackle in his own half before advancing up the pitch, playing a one two with Noble and chipping the keeper with the outside of his left boot.  An outrageous way to score your first ever goal for the Baby Blue Army, though rumours that he meant to cross the ball refuse to die down.

The goal served to galvanise Cubo who began to move the ball with increasing confidence across their back three allowing Jim and Sadler were able to get forward into the FNE half creating some good crossing opportunities.   The second goal followed shortly afterwards when Jim’s through ball sprung the FNE offside trap, releasing Every who saw the ball ricochet into the net following his challenge on the keeper.  2-0 Cubo.  The goal appeared to completely dishearten FNE with recriminations flying around their backline, no doubt the product of the tough start to the season that they have had.

Cubo were swarming all over the FNE defence now and only some sloppy play in the final third prevented a third from being added.  The best chance of the period fell to Noble when the big FNE centre half was adjudged to have handled in his own area when blocking a shot on goal, giving the man with the self-proclaimed ‘Best Shoulders in Cubo’ a chance to add to this seasons tally from the spot.  Whether he was distracted by the referee asking him to replace the ball on the spot, the slight divot in front of the ball or the tightness of the shirt around his tensed (naturally) biceps, something clearly affected him as he slammed the ball against the cross bar and away to safety.

Cubo emerged from half time determined to turn the screw on FNE and made it three nil 5 mins into the second period when a free kick into the box by Jacko was headed into his own net by the FNE defender under pressure from Jim McG.

With the game pretty much safe Chris Gray and Ryan were introduced to the mix and the impact was immediate when Noble drifted into the area and slipped a pass to Chris Gray who drilled a finish under the keeper to make it 4-0 with his first touch of the ball.  Cubo were now knocking the ball around with aplomb by this stage and only a questionable linesmans flag prevented Noble from getting on the score-sheet following a sweeping passing move.  Noble’s troubles in front of goal continued when the ball was pulled back to him at the near post but he was unable to convert seeing his effort fly high and wide.  Tommy Stewart in the Cubo goal had had a very quiet afternoon, only being forced into a save from a back post header which he confidently chested away.

With the clock ticking down Cubo were able to add a fifth when token Northerner Ryan carried the ball into the area, sold his man a dummy, before firing a deflected effort past the stranded FNE keeper.  A first goal for the club and a worrying sign of things to come – centre mids who can beat players and score goals is not what this side has been built on.

Final Score: Farnborough North End 0-5 AFC Cubo

Goals: Nguyen, Every, Own Goal, Gray, Shedwick

Man of the Match: Hung – early contender for goal of the season and another impressive display of all action athleticism from the veteran defender.

Match Report: Benny Mac

AFC Cubo 1-1 Bletchingley

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Date: Saturday 10th September 2011

Starting line-up: Gaz Stewart, Ed Jackson, Oli Watkins, Hung, Clarkey, Ben McG, Rob Sadler, Pogo, MTM, Noble, Sutton

Subs: Northy, Paul Every, Ryan Shedwick

Let’s get this out of the way straight off the bat. The girl Noble was strolling down to the pitch with was fucking amazing….slim, great rack, pretty face….shame she’s engaged to a rugby boy.

Cubo’s opponents had made a poor start to the season losing three of their first four fixtures, including a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Tooting Bec, so the boys in baby blue were confident of picking up 3 points, a confidence helped by the sight of a number of Bletchingley players puffing away on fags before the game. The late arrival of star centre half Oli Watkins and the ref did not prevent Cubo making a positive start to the game with Ben McG latching onto a poor goal kick before releasing Sutton down the right and his low cross only narrowly evaded MTM at the back post. Despite hailing from the ‘charming village of Bletchingley’ (www.bletchingley.org.uk) there wasn’t anything particularly charming about their football side….

Cubo took the lead when Clarkey latched on to a loose ball in the box before crossing for MTM to head home. 1-0 Cubo. With the wind behind them Cubo continued to create the better chances with first Oli putting a simple header (particularly for a man who bases 90% of his ‘footballing talent’ on his aerial ability) wide from a Mark Sutton corner before Sutts himself miscontrolled when clean through on goal. Cubo were managing to create chances without producing the kind of fluid football that they have shown themselves capable of this season and whilst Bletchingley did not look threatening it was beginning to look like their niggly antics were affecting Cubo’s game. Unable to move the ball as well as they have been, an element of frustration crept into the Cubo game, with the lack of a second goal contributing to an increasingly nervy display from the home side. Bletchingley seemed to sense this and began to play with a growing confidence, their tricky left winger beginning to see more of the ball in the Cubo half.

A series of Bletchingley corners were well defended by Cubo with Gaz claiming some good crosses but this good defensive work was undone by a complete freak of a goal. A punt upfield by the Bletch keeper was taken by a gust of wind and with the bounce surprising Gaz, looped into the net. 1-1. The lack of a second goal had come back to haunt Cubo and they now faced 30 mins of football against a pumped up opposition with the wind behind them. Every and Northy were introduced to add a bit of urgency to proceedings and whilst Cubo were still unable to find their rhythm they continued to create good chances with Clarkey and MTM forcing the Bletch keeper into two fine stops. The increased urgency from the home side was not unfortunately coupled with an increase in quality in the final third, Ben McG’s poor touch when running clean through from a fine Noble crossfield pass was symptomatic of Cubo’s day at the office.

An extremely disappointed Cubo side left the pitch feeling dejected, despite the point, knowing that given the chances they created this should really have been 3 points in the bag. Bletchingley have struggled this season and it is not difficult to see why given the opportunities they presented to Cubo, however they did a great job of unsettling Cubo from their natural rhythm and could well have nicked it in the second half had it not been for some excellent defensive work by Hung Nguyen to thwart a two on one situation in his own half. Attention now moves on to next week’s fixture against bottom of the table Farnborough North End where all involved will be hoping for a far more clinical display.

Final Score: AFC Cubo 1 Bletchingley 1

Man of the Match: Hung Nguyen / Andrew Noble

Goal: MTM

Match Report: Benny Mac

AFC Cubo 3-0 Oxted & District

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Date: Saturday 3rd September 2011

Starting Line-up: Gaz Stewart, Jacko, Goughy, Hung, Sadler, J-Pat, Clarkey, B.McGeown, Noble, Sutton, MTM (c)

Subs: Bradley, Denno, J. McGeown

The official unveiling of Cubo’s new home pitch was put on the back burner due to issues with the staff at Barnes being grade A clowns. Luckily team DIY merchant MTM was on hand with the necessary rope and poles to get the pitch in order before the oppo turned up.

Some missing faces were compensated by the return of Goughy and Sutton to the starting line up and it was the combination of these two that created the first goal of the game. Oxted failure to clear their lines saw the ball fall to Sutton in the box who teed up Goughy for an exquisite side footed finish high into the far corner which gave the statued keeper no chance. The goal was just reward for the positive start made by Cubo who immediately appeared to have a physical edge over their opponents. Despite the restrictions imposed by the small pitch Cubo were still able to find space, particularly in the centre of the park where Oxted’s presence was inexplicably vacuous. Cubo added a second when Sutton, employed as a more orthodox winger, beat his man on the outside before delivering a pinpoint centre which was volleyed home with aplomb by MTM.

Cubo were dominating Oxted all over the park and made it 3-0 shortly afterwards with Sutton again providing the assist. A knockdown from Noble fell to Sutton whose shot on the turn was parried by the keeper into the path of the onrushing Clarkey, who was left with a simple finish into the unguarded net.

Much like Monday’s game against Abbey Rangers Cubo were unable to sustain an impressive first half performance and despite little being on offer from Oxted by way of attacking threat Cubo allowed their opponents a foothold in the game. An inability to hold onto the ball meant that the boys in baby blue were inviting pressure on themselves and it was Oxted who benefitted from the increasingly scraggy nature of the game, albeit without forcing Gaz Stewart into a save. The best chance of the half fell to Jim McGeown who saw his half volley drift wide of the keeper’s right hand post. The rest of the half was played out goalless to give Cubo a second clean sheet in a row and more importantly a second win of the season.

Final Score: AFC Cubo 3-0 Oxted & District

A good performance from Cubo albeit against opposition whose depleted side meant they rarely looked like threatening Cubo.

Man of the Match: Ben McGeown

Scorers: Gough, MTM, Clarke.

Match Report: Benny Mac

Abbey Rangers 0-0 AFC Cubo

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Date: Monday 29th August 2011

Starting line-up: Neil Clark, Sadler, Patterson, Jackson, Watkins (c), Hung
Nguyen, Ben McGeown, Ian Clarke, Chris Gray, MTM, Noble

Subs: Northy, Bradley, James McGeown

One of the implications of last years promotion is the guarantee of a game every
bank holiday Monday, something that will test squad availability given the jet-set life-styles of certain members of the club. Luckily for the gaffer a strong squad was available to pick from with Clarkey no.1 and Clarky no.2 coming into the starting eleven.

In contrast to Saturday Cubo made a bright start, with the quality of the surface
allowing them to move the ball around with confidence, allowing Sadler and J-
Pat to get in advanced positions in the Abbey Rangers half. Cubo were getting
particular joy down the right side but time after time the delivery into the box
failed to beat the first man allowing the aging Abbey Rangers backline to clear.
Some well worked moves created some good shooting opportunities but Cubo
were unable to fully test, their best effort an attempted lob from Clarkey which
was comfortably saved by Abbey Rangers stand in keeper. A couple of corners
aside the hosts had shown very little going forward and Clarky had yet to make a
save of note.

Cubo continued to press at the beginning of the second half but without the
fluency in possession that they had shown in the first half, and their failure
to score in the opening period was beginning to look like it might be costly as
Abbey Rangers grew into the game. The home side were centimetres from
taking the lead when an in-swinging free kick looked destined for the far corner
until Northy somehow managed to flick the ball onto the post and away. Whilst
Cubo could consider themselves lucky not to be a goal down from this it was
soon the hosts turn to be counting their lucky stars. First a header from Jim McG, arriving late at the back post, was cleared off the line and then with 5 minutes to go Chris Gray somehow put the ball wide from 6 yards out with only a defender on the line. To be fair to Chris, a man raised on the striking exploits of Dion Dublin and Noel Whelan is hardly going to have seen much decent finishing in his formative years.

Final Score: Abbey Rangers 0-0 AFC Cubo

Overall a decent point for Cubo following Saturday’s disappointing performance
and should draw confidence from the first half in particular where they played
some excellent football.

Man of the Match: Rob Sadler / Jacko (joint winners)

Scorers:

Report: Benny Mac

Coulsdon Town 3-0 AFC Cubo

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Venue: Coulsdon Town

Date: Saturday 27th August 2011

Starting Line-up: Gareth Stewart, Rob Sadler, Mark Sutton, Eddy Jackson, Oli Watkins (c), Hung, Michael North, Ben McGeown, Chris Gray, Andrew Noble, Paul Every

Subs: MTM, Ian Clarke

Following last week’s rout of Virginia Water, Cubo came into this game full of confidence.  Despite a couple of absences Cubo were able to name a strong line up with Mark Sutton and Rob Sadler coming into the starting eleven.  The pre-game atmosphere was helped by Coulsdon Town kindly blasting out the Best of Magaluf  2002 , TOP TUNES, TOP LADS.

Unfortunately Cubo were unable to take the tempo of the Balearic beats out onto the pitch with them and from the opening exchanges it was Coulsdon who looked the more interested. From the off it was clear that Coulsdon were a well-drilled side with a Bolton-esque gameplan of working off their big man up top in the hope that one of the many willing runners from midfield would get in behind the Cubo backline.  This strategy was causing a slow starting Cubo all sorts of problems and it was no surprise when after a series of corners the home side took the lead.  An inswinging corner from the left was palmed away by Gaz only to be fired back into the box where the big Coulsdon number 10 directed a finish into the corner.  1-0 Coulsdon.  Cubo were looking tentative in the challenge, allowing Coulsdon to dominate the second ball and keep the pressure on the Cubo goal.

A second goal came before half time when some effective blocking prevented Gaz Stewart from claiming a corner in the six yard box and the resultant scramble saw the ball slammed home to make it 2-0 Coulsdon.  A combination of aggressive pressing by Coulsdon and the long grass was preventing Cubo from moving the ball with any kind of fluency and attacks from the boys in baby blue were few and far between.  The one real chance that Cubo did create came when a cross from the left made its way to Rob Sadler at the back post who saw his effort flash just the wrong side of the post with the keeper beaten.

A lively half time team talk appeared to galvanise Cubo and the first ten minutes of the second half saw a marked improvement in the performance, with a more aggressive pressing game forcing errors from Coulsdon.  However the good start was undone when Cubo, not for the first time, failed to clear their lines effectively and Ben McG’s clearance was deflected to the Coulsdon left winger who finished past Gaz to make it 3-0.

Despite the scoreline Cubo continued to put the work in, making Coulsdon work hard for the remaining 20 minutes.  With the home side easing off Cubo were able to find a bit more space at the back to carry the ball forward and only a couple of last ditch interventions from the Coulsdon backline prevented MTM a clear run on goal.

The game finished 3-0 to Coulsdon.  A disappointing result which was probably as much a result of a slightly sluggish performance from Cubo as it was about the strength of their opponents.  Coulsdon implemented an effective gameplan, clearly the side more up for it in the opening 45 minutes they will no doubt be in the shake-up at the end of the season  However Cubo should take some comfort from an improved 2ndperiod which they will can feel disappointed not have come away with anything to show for their endeavours.

Man of the Match: Oli Watkins

Scorers:

Report: Benny Mac

Virginia Water FC 1-6 AFC Cubo

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Venue: Virginia Water

Date: Saturday 20th August 2011

Starting Line-up: Gareth Stewart; Eddy Jackson, Goughy, Oli Watkins (c); Pogo, Hung, Northy, Ben McG; Chris Gray, Paul Every, Noble

Subs: MTM, Robs Sadler, Mark Sutton

Following last year’s title winning exploits Cubo finally made their bow in the much vaunted Surrey Elite League against Virginia Water.  The step up in that Cubo have made was clear from the set up alone, clubhouse, bar and raised pitch, a big departure from the glamour of Raynes Park.

Despite the absence of skipper Paul Lilwall (who’s knee injury has coincided with renewed speculation about a move to the German leagues) and Billy (still looking for his ‘bottle’ according to incumbent ‘hard man’ Oli Watkins) Cubo were able to name a very settled line-up.  Virginia Water on the other hand were having to deal with numerous changes with 8 new players swelling their ranks.

This lack of familiarity was clear to see from the very first minute when Oli Watkins lofted a ball into the right hand channel, over the head of the dawdling VWFC full back to release Noble whose squared pass was converted by a sliding Chrissy Gray.  1-0 Cubo after only 17 seconds (club record???).  A superb start for the boys in baby blue was followed by quarter of an hour of nip and tuck football, with very little space available to allow either side to build a decent attack.  Despite this Cubo were able to breach the VWFC backline again after just 17 minutes when the VWFC  left back was again found wanting, allowing Every to get in behind and get a shot off which the keeper could only parry to the onrushing Noble who slotted home to make it 2-0.

Cubo added a third shortly afterwards.  Northy winning another header from a goal kick which fell to Noble who ran through on goal and saw his shot pushed away by the keeper into the path of the grateful Paul Every who side-footed past the defender on the line.  3-0 Cubo.  VWFC’s defence were struggling to cope with the mobility of Cubo’s front three whose movement  when Cubo had possession was superb.  Even when VWFC received possession there was no respite as their back four were hounded into either giving the ball away or pumping aimless long balls to the Cubo backline where Watkins and Goughy were completely dominating the VWFC front two.

With the game opening up Cubo continued to cut throughVWFC at will with McGeown and Every both missing great opportunities, the latter following great link up play with Pogo and Noble.  Luckily for Gaffer Ben McG he was able to atone for his earlier miss before the half time whistle when Chris G released Every, again in the right hand channel, whose perfectly weighted cross made it almost impossible for the gaffer to do anything but score.  4-0 Cubo.  Cubo continued to pile on the pressure and added a fifth before half time when a corner from the right hand side made it all the way across to Pogo hanging out on the left wing.  His cross found Noble, lurking on the edge of the six yard box and he made no mistake, half-volleying home into the roof of the net.

Coming out for the second half it appeared Cubo were in no mood to let VWFC off lightly as a sixth goal was added after only a few minutes.  A long throw from Noble out on the left was powerfully headed home by an unmarked Northy to make it 6-0 Cubo.

Despite the half time exhortations to maintain the intensity of the first half, given the scoreline it wasunderstandable that there was a slight drop in the work-rate of the first period.  The introduction of MTM, Sadler and Sutton off the bench went some way to lifting this with MTM going close when his deflected effort threatened to loop over the keeper before he was able to scramble back to make the save.  Sutton, on for the impressive Pogo (whose professionalism extended to walking away from an all day session at the cricket the day before to make sure he was in peak condition for the game…), was making an immediate impact using his pace to great effect.  On more than one occasion he was the victim of rough treatment from VWFC having skinned his opposite number (one effort being reminiscent of Claudia Cannigga against Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup).

With the game opening up Cubo were playing some confident football, shifting the ball round the pitch with ease.  However there was also an element of sloppiness creeping in and VWFC should have had a penalty when Ben McG left a foot dangling which the VWFC winger threw himself over.  Had it not been the enthusiasm with which he threw himself on the deck then the referee would have been left with very little choice but to award the pen, instead he decided, remarkably to play on.

With full time approaching Cubo looked set to greet the 2011/12 with a clean sheet, unfortunately a rare error from Gaz Stewart, having just made a superb finger tip save, gifted VWFC a consolation goal, a looping cross slipping between his grasp and into the net.

Whilst VWFC were a fairly poor outfit this was still a very encouraging start to the season for Cubo.  Last season the backline, rightfully, received many of the plaudits but on Saturday it was the front three’s mobility and work-rate which really caught the eye.  Special mentions also go to Northy who put in another dominate performance in the centre of the park and Jacko whose emergence has gone a long way to compensating for the absence of Cubo’s ‘Fabulous’ skipper.

MOTM: Andrew Noble

Scorers: Gray, Noble (2), Every, B. McGeown, North

Report: Benny Mac