Surrey Elite Intermediate League

AFC Cubo 4-2 Abbey Rangers

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Date: Sat 30th March 2013

Venue: Addlestone Moor

Line-up: Gaz Stewart, Rob Sadler, Andy Strickland, Hung Nguyen, Richard Gough, Mark Bradley, Ben McGeown, Jonny Patterson, Jake Flower, Greg Tett, Ryan Shedwick

Subs: Sabby Sabahatin, Eddy Jackson

Cubo made the now familiar trip down to Addlestone Moor to fulfil their home fixture against Abbey Rangers, who had kindly offered to host the game after Barnes had been unable to accommodate a 3pm ko.  Injury and Easter weekend absences meant that Eddy Jackson, Greg Tett and Sabby were brought back into the fold, though the side retained a familiar feel to the one that turned out against Yateley 3 weeks previously.

With the normally excellent surface showing signs of wear and tear it was clear that Cubo would have to adapt the passing game that has served them well during previous visits to Abbey.  Choosing to kick with the wind in the first half the intention was clearly to get the ball forward early and force the game to be played in Abbey’s half.  The wind was making it difficult for Abbey to clear their lines, and coupled with some aggressive pressing by the front-line Cubo were able to regain possession in some dangerous areas in the Abbey third.  The first clear chance fell to Shedders who did well to get on the end of a Jake Flower cross from the left only to see his effort pushed wide of the post by an excellent save by the Rangers keeper.  Greg Tett then popped up in acres of space in the inside left channel but could not generate enough power in his finish to trouble the keeper who gratefully picked up the gift-wrapped back pass.  The tricky Scot was not to be denied though and when released in the same area lifted a finish over the on-rushing keeper to make it 1-0 Cubo.  A well-deserved lead for the Cubans after a positive start.

Whilst the rejigged front-line appeared to be clicking the same could not be said of the rejigged backline.  Abbey’s decision to push their big number 5 higher up the pitch onto Cubo’s centre halves was creating holes in the man for man system and led to the equalising goal.  The Abbey number 7 was given too much time in the middle of the park to clip a seemingly innocuous straight ball behind the Cubo defence and after failing to clear their lines the ball dropped twice to the Abbey striker who made no mistake to level the scores.  Cubo continued to have the better of the contest following the goal and were soon back in front when a clumsy challenge by the Abbey defender on Jonny Patterson in the box allowed the referee to award a penalty.  Going against many lesser players’ (Henry, etc..) beliefs, J-Pat picked himself up from the turf to side-foot an unstoppable strike into the top corner.  2-1 Cubo at half time.

Despite having the wind against them Cubo made a good start to the second half but were undone when a sloppy pass in the middle of the park gave the Abbey winger a clear run on goal and his shot deflected off Goughy to loop over a stranded Gaz Stewart.  2-2.  Eddy Jackson and Sabby were introduced at this point to add some fresh impetus to the side who once again appeared to be their worst enemies when it comes to conceding.  The goal buoyed Abbey who, with the wind behind them, were able to keep Cubo penned in their half for long periods and a succession of corners and long throws rained in on Gaz Stewart’s box.  However, as against Yateley, the Baby Blue backline were able to weather this storm through a combination of luck and stout defending.  The next goal would clearly be crucial in deciding the fate of the game and it came under slightly controversial circumstances.  A corner ‘whipped’ into the near post was controlled by Flower with what appeared to be his hand before he and Sabby were unceremoniously dumped to the turf by a pair of robust challenges.  The referee had seen enough and blew up to award Cubo their second spot kick of the game.  Abbey were understandably angry that the handball had not been awarded prior to the foul being given but the referee would not be swayed.  This gave J-Pat a chance to put Cubo back in the lead, which he duly did, coolly sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 3-2 Cubo.

With the gusting wind was making it difficult to clear their lines with any conviction the dribbling ability of Ryan and the newly introduced Sabby meant that Cubo had a real threat when they could get the ball forward.  Jake Flower had a great opportunity to put the game to bed when he latched onto a through and had the trigger pulled only to see the ball taken away from him at the last second by a superb recovery challenge by the Abbey centre half.  Unfortunately for the defender in question the respite this granted Rangers did not last long as with a couple of minutes to Jake Flower again raced clear of the high defensive line and this time was able to flick a precise finish past the keeper to make it 4-2 Cubo.

Abbey could well have scored in the limited time remaining as lackadaisical defending by Cubo saw the ball flash across the box twice, both begging to be tapped in, before the referee blew up for full-time.

The cold and blustery conditions probably contributed to an error count that was significantly higher than would normally be expected in games between these two sides and Cubo probably played the conditions slightly better than their opponents.  Not a vintage performance in that respect but the front line looked dangerous throughout and the defence stood up to another aerial bombardment in the second half.  Stand-out individual performances came from Gaz Stewart, Jonny Patterson and Jake Flower who provided the spine of a performance that was good enough to secure 3 points on the day.

Goals: Greg Tett, Jonny Patterson (2), Jake Flower

Man of the Match: Jonny Patterson

AFC Cubo 1-0 Yateley Green

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Venue: Barn Elms

Date: Saturday 2nd March 2013

Starting Line-up: Gareth Stewart, Oli Watkins, Richard Gough, Hung Nguyen, Eddy Jackson, Rob Sadler, Joe Darlington, Jonny Patterson, Ben McGeown, Ryan Shedwick, Mike Cain

Sub: Andy Strickland

For the second time in 3 weeks Cubo hosted the incumbent league leaders, albeit at the slightly less luxurious surroundings of Barn Elms following the luxury of decent changing rooms and fully operational showers enjoyed at Alleyn’s a fortnight previously.  Unlike Horsley, with whom Cubo were fairly well-acquianted Yateley Green arrived as something of an unknown package though their position in the league suggested they would be a decent outfit.

As has been the case more often than not this season, gaffer Watkins was forced into making several changes from last weeks side (maybe no bad thing given the poor performance), with the annual selection crisis that is known as ‘ski season’ hitting the club hard.  On the morning of the game things did not look good.  Andy Strickland’s return flight had been delayed and he wasn’t to arrive until half time, his replacement, Jacko, hadn’t been seen since Friday afternoon and rumours of a 4.30am text to the gaffer pulling out of the game were beginning to circulate on various social media outlets.  Fortunately Jacko roused himself heroically from his late night exertions to start on the left, though this still left Cubo without a linesman and thanks must go the Yateley sub who filled this role for the first half.  With the number of changes Watkins was forced to name an untried midfield with Joey D and J-Patt stepping in to fill the berths usually occupied by Clarkey and Bradders.

The first half was a cagey affair with both teams working hard to earn a foothold in the game. The decision to move Joey D into midfield was looking like an inspired one as the rangy Evertonian was doing a passable impression of Patrick Viera in his pomp, dominating the aerial battle and putting in some telling challenges.  It looked like he may even break the deadlock (which would have made it an improbable 3 goals this season…) when Mike Cain broke down the right and squared across the box but some superb defensive work by the Yateley midfielder saw the ball taken off of Darlo’s toe just as he pulled the trigger.  Yateley’s biggest appeared to be the long throw into the box but Gaz Stewart was in confident form coming to claim anything delivered into a dangerous position there was not much joy to be had on this front.  Cubo were having the better of the battle around the park and forced a series of corners which were causing Yateley real problems.  Cubo will feel they should have scored from at least one of the excellent deliveries that Mikey was putting in to the box but all they had to show for it was a Goughy header cleared off of the line.  At the other end Yateley reminded the home side of the threat they posed when some intervention by the tree behind the goal caused confusion in the box and only a great save by Gaz Stewart and some desperate blocks prevented the away side from going ahead.

The second half continued in much the same fashion with both sides scrapping for possession without every using it with enough quality to build any pressure on the opposition goal.  Yateley’s biggest threat continued to be the long throw into the box and they almost scored from this when Cubo failed to clear their lines and a great strike by the Yateley striker looked destined for the top corner before cannoning to safety off of the underside of the bar.  This let off for Cubo was to prove even more decisive as it was the home side who took the lead shortly afterwards.  Another dangerous Mike Cain corner was headed goalwards by Goughy, and when his header was cleared off the line, Rob Sadler was the first to react and his shot was deflected in via Ryan Shedwick.  1-0 Cubo.

Having taken the lead Cubo should have looked to exert greater control on the game, especially with Yateley chasing the game and leaving gaps at the back.  However, due to an allergy to holding on to the ball the backline, led by Watkins with able support from Hung, Goughy and Gaz were forced into defending countless deliveries into the box from throw-ins and free kicks.  The amount of long throws into the box must have reached a count of 15 as the attacks rained in on Gaz’s goal.  However through a combination of sterling defending, some wasteful finishing by Yateley and a slice of luck Cubo held firm.  When the ball did stick in the Yateley half there was clearly chances to be had and Mike looked like he was going to seal the win when he worked a shooting opportunity on to his favoured foot in the box but unfortunately the tell tale signs of his recent ‘roid abuse were clear to see as the ball exploded off of his foot, landing somewhere outside the M25.

A few more tense minutes of defending had to be endured before the Baby Blue Army could celebrate their best home win of the season.  A tough and scrappy game against a well-organised Yateley side who will feel that with the amount of pressure they were able to exert on the Cubo backline they really should have come away with something.  However, credit must go to the backline and Gaz Stewart in nets who really stood up to the challenge of the aerial bombardment, no doubt aided by the harsh lesson they received at the hands of the masters of the long throw the week before.  A solid all-round performance for Cubo, and just reward for the improvement in the past few weeks which has been a far better reflection of the Cubo of previous years.

Man of the Match: Joe Darlington – picked in an unfamiliar central midfield role the soon to be married Germanic Brummie was a strong presence throughout and did a great job anchoring the midfield, even almost scored a goal he could genuinely put his name to!

Battersea Ironsides 3-2 AFC Cubo

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Date: Saturday 23rd Feb 2013

Starting Line-up: Gareth Stewart, Hung Nguyen, Jonny Patterson, Oli Watkins, Richard Gough, Jacko, Ben McGeown, Ian Clarke, Andy Strickland, Jake Flower, Mike Cain

Subs: Rob Sadler

Cubo’s recent run of good form came to an abrupt end at the hands of local rivals Battersea Ironsides.   The corresponding fixture between these two sides at Barn Elms saw Battersea emerge as 2-0 winners with the baby blue army unable to cope with their opponent’s renowned set-piece prowess.  Unfortunately knowing what is coming does not necessarily mean you’ll be able to prevent it from taking place, and it was to be the case here.  A solid start by Oli Watkins’ men playing uphill and against the wind was undermined when a long throw into the box was met by Battersea’s biggest aerial threat and Gaz could only watch as the ball looped over him and into the net.  1-0 Battersea.

Despite falling foul of the exact threat that had been highlighted in the changing room Cubo responded well and levelled the scores before half time.  A searching pass from the half way line by Jacko released in-form Mikey Cain whose shot across the keeper was parried to the on-rushing Jake Flower who was left with a simple tap-in.   With Gareth Stewart coming from his line to deal with much of the aerial bombardment Cubo had good reason to feel optimistic going into the second half where they would have the advantage of playing with the slope.  In accordance with the decision was made to push a man forward in anticipation of exerting more pressure on the Ironsides backline.  However, this change in fortunes did not materialise as a combination of profligacy in possession and aggressive pressing by the home side prevented Cubo from building any pressure.

If Cubo needed any reminding of the threat that Battersea pose, relentlessly, it came shortly after half-time when a cheap free-kick was conceded 40 yards from goal.  A teasing delivery yet again saw the Battersea midfielder rise highest to head his, and Battersea’s, second of the game.  Having worked so hard to get back in the game playing against the elements in the first half, to go behind again whilst playing with them was a real body blow.

Perhaps still reeling from the second goal, Cubo found themselves yet again undone by a set-piece.  Another cheap free-kick 40 yards from goal was only partially cleared before being smashed in to the roof of the net from 10 yards by the Ironsides striker, a great finish.  Finding themselves two goals down and playing poorly, the only bright spot for Cubo was that they had 20 minutes to get back into the game.  Unfortunately it did not look it was going to be their day.  First another parried Mike Cain strike (….and Mike, to clarify, a parried shot does not count as an ‘assist’) was blazed over the empty goal by Clarkey when it looked easier to score, before Jacko fired against the bar from a tight angle.

With the clock ticking down Jacko found space down the right and his lob over the keeper was poked over the line by Jake Flower (making a cumulative total of a yard for both goals) to make it 3-2 with 2 minutes to go.    Unfortunately this wasn’t long enough to create a meaningful chance and Battersea were able to celebrate securing the double over the Baby Blue Army.

A disappointing result for Cubo given their recent form but if truth be told they never really looked like putting in a performance to match those of recent weeks.  Sloppy passing in midfield had much to do with it but credit must go to Battersea who worked hard across the pitch to prevent Cubo building any kind of rhythm and remain arguably the most potent side in the division from a set-piece situation.

Man of the Match: Gareth Stewart

Goal: J. Flower (2)

AFC Cubo 4-4 Horsley FC

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A match report courtesy of the table topping Horsley of last weekend’s pulsating 4-4 draw can be read on their website. Describing it as more of a cup tie is the perfect summary.

It’s also worth noting they label us ‘one of the top 3 sides in the league’ when we have everyone available. Let’s take the belief and ability shown into the final part of the season, and finish on a positive note with all 3 sides.

Match Report here

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

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