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McCarthy
Industries continued their winning run against a
much improved Parkour FC, as manager Scott
McCarthy only fielded 10 men, and somewhat
underestimated his opponents. Doug Lane took up
a position between the sticks, while the 3
across the back consisted of Morgan, Ian Simpson
and Kieran Elliott. Ben Walmsley came in for his
first appearance since July, while brother Tom
partnered captain Robert Jones in the center of
midfield. Kevin Ticehurst, who was suspended for
a breach of discipline a month ago, was given
another chance on the left, while a makeshift
frontline of Bert Lloyd and Scott McCarthy was
named, following the late pull-outs of both
attackers Dan Collin and Peter Chapman.
Parkour,
inspired by the debuts of Adam Pattison and Dan
Strange, began the match well, but as Mac
Industries gained control of the the midfield
the game began to swing to the away side. With
the new look front two gelling quickly, it was
soon the Hamsters who gained the lead, Bert
Lloyd opening the scoring. The senior player
showed that, despite spending the majority of
his career as a midfielder, he has an eye as a
poacher , as Lloyd nipped in on a poor back pass
to slot the ball past the keeper. He nearly
added a second moments later, but his powerful
shot flew over the bar. It was a sign of things
to come, as the Hamsters began to boss the game.
Linking up well with McCarthy, Lloyd continued
to look dangerous, and a superb cross field ball
from Ticehurst found Ben Walmsley, who roasted
his marker before sending in a delightful cross.
The ball fell to Lloyd, and he carefully
caressed it past the keeper to make it 2-0 and
the Hamsters were cruising. However, just before
half time it looked like McCarthy's decision to
play with 10 might backfire, as the team began
to tire. With Parkour pressing, a succession of
set pieces saw them grab one back, as Doug Lane
could only punch away the delivery from a
corner, leaving him stranded with an open goal
for Parkour to score into, as Mac Industries
took a 2-1 lead into half time
With
the Hamsters knowing they would go down to 8
with the early departure of Lane and Jones,
McCarthy decided to adjust the team to create
chances. Bert Lloyd took over in goal, with a
new-look back 4 of Morgan, Jones, Lane and
Elliott. In midfield, Ian Simpson joined Tom
Walmsley in an attempt to become more creative,
while the wide men remained the same, leaving
McCarthy to play as a lone striker. The changes
looked to have backfired, as Parkour got in on
goal, as their attacker went one-on-one with
defender Robert Jones. Jones, playing on a bone
dry pitch, managed to slip over, leaving the
attacker to slot the ball past Lloyd and make it
2-2. However, the lead was short lived, as the
player manager, taking on the burden of playing
in attack on his own, lead by example to put his
side 3-2 up. Picking up the ball, he powered
past two men, before placing a shot in off the
post. The delight he felt on his first goal of
the season was evident, as he sprinted away to
celebrate with a Shefki Kuqi dive, only to wind
himself in the process. The Hamsters soon
extended their lead to 4-2, and it was McCarthy
who notched his second of the game. Having
looked dangerous from set pieces all day, it was
another superb delivery from Tom Walmsley, which
Ian Simpson won. His header was blocked on the
line, and it was left for McCarthy to volley
home through a crowd of players and make it 4-2.
While the Hamsters should of taken control, they
remained poor defensively, and conceded again as
Parkour made it 4-3. Tom Walmsley finally gave
the loyal Hamsters fans who had made the long
trip something to cheer about though, as he
showed a glimmer of the potential that he has,
embarking on a mazy run in which he beat 5
players before firing home to make it 5-3.
Attempting to do the feat again, he lost the
ball though, and it allowed Parkour to break and
make it 5-4. While the fans got value for money,
it remained a frustrating game for the Hamsters,
who hadn't banked upon players with the ability
of Pattison and and Strange being included in
the Parkour line up
With
Ben Walmsley having his best game in a Hamsters
shirt wide on the right, it was a game in which
the fringe players pressed their claims for a
more permanent place in the side. While
Ticehurst had been neglecting his defensive
duties, coming forward he gave the Hamsters a
new dimension on the left. The former Portslade
Dolphins man finally got his first goal of the
season. Another superb delivery from the right
from Ben Walmsley saw McCarthy attempt an
audacious overhead kick, which he surprisingly
managed to connect with, although the effort was
blocked. With the ball falling to Ticehurst, the
wide man played a delicate chip to beat the
keeper and see the ball dip under the bar, much
to his delight. However, the defensive side of
the game let the Hamsters down again, as they conceded
to make it 6-5. Doug Lane, who had for some
reason pushed forward, then managed to spring
the offside trap and beat the keeper to make it
7-5, before him and Jones departed from the
game, leaving Mac Industries with only 8 men.
Parkour took advantage of their 3 extra players,
and made it 7-6, leaving a nervous last 5
minutes. However, the Hamsters hung on valiantly
and took another victory to extend their winning
run to 5 games
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