Apart from Harry Cornick, Jalal and Mark Molesley, sporting
a funnier haircut than fellow drinker Alex (just), I was very much in the dark.
Come to think of it, why on earth was Molesley even there?
I was still hopeful of a good game and the signs were
promising as we were treated to the South of England’s hula hoop champion
practising for a forthcoming competition before running the line….
We then marvelled at the technology that AFCB brought with
them – a camcorder on a huge pole. Surely an ideal job / position to sit for
McQuoid ? I’d have paid my £6 entrance fee just to sit and watch him be of use
for a change J
Hoisted on his own petard
The game started poorly for Poole as Hutchings was forced
into a smart save to his left after a defensive mix-up had the ball drop to
AFCB’s number 9 and he arrowed a shot just inside the post.
Things got worse 3 minutes later as an innocuous AFCB cross
from the left was met firmly and positively by the head of Lamin. You’d hope he’d
plant it into row Z (ok the burger bar) but instead it flashed into the top
left corner of the goal. Even if Hutchings was expecting it, he wouldn’t have
saved that: 0-1
That seemed to wake Poole up and they came back strongly
with shots from Preston and Devlin bringing good saves from Jalal.
Jalal’s “distribution” (a quote for AFCB fans) however,
seemed to have not improved and a typically poor clearance on 15 minutes had
the ball pumped back up to Cann along the deck and a brilliant lay off sent
Brooks through who calmly hit the ball with the out-step of his boot, beating
Jalal but unfortunately not the post.
Brooks, who has been overshadowed by Devlin recently, then
stepped up to show what a player Poole has and that the midfield is by no means
a 1 man show.
He was everywhere – tackling hard and spraying passes that
gave Devlin and Cann glimpses of the goal and both shot well only to be denied
by the AFCB shot stopper.
He even got in on the act himself on 19 minutes with a
lightning turn and shot bring yet another good save from Jalal.
Cornick was AFCB’s main outlet on the right and it was his
cross on 29 minutes that put through No 10 and a howling miss saw the ball
drift limply wide.
It would have been rough justice on Poole as they were
carving out by far the better chances with Brooks running the show and it was
on 35 minutes that they finally made their pressure pay.
A poor defensive pass had Cann snaffle the ball and send
through a defence splitting ball to Preston who, cucumber cool, slotted the
ball past Jalal into the bottom right corner: 1-1
The rest of the half was difficult for me to see as my eyes
were stinging from the smell of the insect repellent the people on my left
started to apply to themselves – strangely reminiscent of the spray we used on
the dog to ward off any amorous advances from other dogs – whatever works I
guess.
My mood was not improved as I winced through AFCB’s no 10
attempting to chest the ball, miss-timing it horribly and taking it straight in
the throat. That had to smart
Not as much, however, as it was to see Poole go into half
time 1-2 down, though, as a good ball through to the No 9 had him chipping the
ball over the keeper and following it up to put it in at close range.
In fairness – it was a very well taken goal
Thomas came on for Hutchings in the second half and he was
soon picking the ball out of the net.
It was on 53 minutes that Cornick bamboozled his way down
the right and cross found its way to No 10 and although Thomas made a great
save initially, the ball rebounded back and he was able to slot the ball home
at the second time of asking.
Lots of subs were then exchanged but without the usual
tannoy announcements quite frankly it could have been Lord Lucan and Elvis
coming on – I’d not a clue. Wearing shirts with no numbers didn’t help much
either.
Trouble was , I never got to see the Poole player’s backs
much in the second half as AFCB’s no 9 started to make AFCB tick at a faster
pace and Poole were very much on the back foot
Manny (I heard someone shouting his name) did have one
chance, sliding in to meet a corner (just wide) but apart from that, a long
range shot from Cann and a chest and overhead shot from Brooks (something for
the cameras) the action was very much at the other end, with Thomas proving
himself a worthy opponent
Final score 1-3
Summary – Poole were the better side in the first half and
Jalal kept AFCB in it with a string of fine saves. The second AFCB goal on half
time was the sucker punch that knocked the wind out of the home side and they
were never to recover. The second half was almost all AFCB with their superior
fitness proving the deciding factor
Man of the Match – Brooks – A masterful display in the
middle with a mixture of aggression and attacking play, creating chances for
others and himself and was unlucky not to notch himself when he hit the post
Not the hardest warm up......
What time's the bus again?
Action shot
