Easton welcomed Wymondham Reserves to The College on yet another glorious afternoon in sunny Norwich but left only with a suntan and no points or sandwiches!!
Eddie Jack was forced to make more changes to the starting 11 but you would never have known it as Easton romp to a 6-1 win against a spirited WFC. With Charlie replacing Tretty, Tim replacing Nick and Aggy replacing Pete almost every department saw a change. Eddie was also pleased to see Beanie back from a brief spell of injury, Wheeler back from a brief spell of employment and a couple of ex-players Jordie and Gav who briefly offered their (unused) services, although Jordie was the only one who was briefly considered.
Charlie,Tim,Rix,Keogh,Matt,Aris,Joffy,Norm,Rafa,Aggy and Stu.
Subs:Eddie,Beanie and Wheeler.
The biggest smile of the day came just seconds before kick off as Keogh turned to me and while pointing at the 6’4” striker said “He’s yours!!”, deciding to pick the much smaller of the strikers for himself. Obviously this was very funny but the icing on the cake was when after 10 minutes Keogh realised the Man-Mountain was less than pedestrian and informed me that he will be marking him for the rest of the afternoon!!!!
The game kicked off with Easton having the advantage of the wind and were also using their superior passing game to open W up and it wasn’t too long before they were in front thanks to a goal from Norm which on most other days would have stolen the goal-of-the-month award..
More great passing from Aris, Stu and Rafa presented Aggy with a great chance and with the keeper to beat smashed the ball into the roof of the net 2-0.
Aggy soon scored his second and Easton’s third, the manner in which is unknown to your writer, I was swapping cookery tips with the MM. I believe it went something like this-the play started with the excellent Charlie and after 5 minutes of Easton possession the ball fell to Peter Keogh. PK then fell over the ball twice before twisting so violently he nearly broke both of his own legs. While he was trying to figure out where his legs were he accidently kicked the ball against his own shins and the resulting accident fell to Aggy who finished with aplomb. More or less. 3-0
HT 3-0
EJ & CF=”More of the same, please!!”
Good work from TW at RB found Norm, Joffy, Rafa then Stu who in turn set up Aggy who fired home his third and registered Easton’s first hatrick of the season 4-0.
WFC scored from an unmarked header at their first corner. No fingers were pointed but a jumbled up cryptic clue was passed to me in the bar, the note simply read “ARSI”. When I figure out the culprit I shall let you know!! 4-1
Wheeler and EJ on for Rafa and Aggy, Beanie on for Norm.
More strong play from Joffy set up Wheeler with time and space on the halfway line and 10 seconds later the ball was in the back of the W net. I can’t tell you how good the goal was and do it justice other than to say Wheeler literally walked around 6 W players before (again literally) walking the ball into the net. Goal of the season??? 5-1.
He then did it again to prove it wasn’t a fluke. 6-1. I know.
A very tall and spirited W were ripped to pieces by an Easton side who still only scored 30-40% of their chances. Obviously any side would be happy with a 6-1 win but more important than the scoreline are the partnerships that have formed around the pitch. I’m talking Matt/Keogh, Matt/Aggy, Tim/Rafa, Joffy/Norm and maybe Aggy/Stu. These partnerships complement the others that are currently working well within the team and I’m sure you’ll agree that it makes a massive difference knowing your position and partner before you even get to the ground. Players know their partner(s) (Stu Ambrose for me in my late teens) and will go the extra mile to support them and not let them down.
Our midfield has evolved into a reliable, ball winning machine with pace and gile down both sides. Even more importantly these attributes are consistant and repeatable.
Special Mentions.
Stu H: For his selfless running and for taking hit after hit then still getting up to terrorise the W defence with exceptional pace, creating space for everyone else. If any opposition think he’s fast on a Saturday you should try catching him on a Tuesday evening. Torres quick. V rapid.
Charlie: Who filled Tretty’s gloves very well and although he had next to nothing to do still proved he will be pushing Tretty in the near future.
The Ref: Controlled the game with normal everyday common sense throughout the 90mins and after as we chatted over a pint. Superb.
Keogh: Who takes (and gives) a lot of stick from almost everyone except me!! But in reality is a great motivator and is one of the best defenders in the division. Joking aside I’d much rather play with him in the team than against him and I’m still trying to teach him how to pass the ball but that’s an on-going project.
Aggy: MOM and hatrick hero. I must have been the only one preying you’d have a stinker!! But unfortunately the complete opposite happened as you tore W a new one with constant chasing, clever running and clinical GOALS.
Next Saturday we take to the A47 for the trip to Blofield. With Pete, Beanie,Nick,Wheeler and Doyle all banging on the manager’s door hopefully EJ and CF will have a very strong squad to choose from.