Earley Gunners vs Whitley Tavern 1 - 5

Match Report

Gunners were second best to Whitley Tavern who earned a clear victory which keeps them on course for the league title.

Gunners started the game under pressure and conceded a goal from a corner which was not cleared and then headed in from close range and Whitley soon added a second from another set piece.

The team struggled to play any real passing football and failed to get any sort of grip on the game.

Whitley added a further goal from another set piece to give them a comfortable lead at half time.
In the second half, Gunners started to defend more resolutely but could not create much offensive pressure. The Gunners midfield looked tired compared to their opponents who looked more lively.

Whitley added a further goal when a shot travelled through a mass of bodies into the goal from another set piece.

Paul Marten then made a memorable substitute appearance after turning up late, he came on, fouled an opponent and was booked and then had to go off with an injury from the same incident.. total appearance time less than 5 minutes!

Whitley added a further goal to seal the win, but Gunners did create some late pressure and could have scored when Iain Peer was awarded a penalty but he put this wide of the post.
However, Gunners did get onto the score sheet when Peter Ali finished from a tight angle after making a late appearance.

The final score was an easy 5 - 1 win to Whitley.

Gunners failed to get a grip of the game and the passing and ball control was well below standard on the day, the team also failed to defend any crosses into the box which gave Whitley some easy opportunities to score.

Gunners "Man of the Match" was Paul Stout for being one of the few players to give a 100% effort.

Match Facts

MOM : P Stout

Goal : Pe Ali (1)

Team

Earley Gunners vs Woodley Thatchers 2 - 0

Match Report

Gunners avenged their earlier defeat by beating Woodley Thatchers 2-0. Thatchers started the stronger of the teams and it took Gunners a good 10 to 15 minutes before the team got settled in the game.

Thatchers were unlucky when they hit the cross bar earlier on but Gunners soon started to create chances of their own and both Dave Owen and Iain Peer came close to scoring and Paul Clark also had a shot saved by the keeper.

Iain Peer opened the scoring when he latched onto a poor back pass and slotted the ball home from close range.

Iain also picked up a booking for kicking a ball away after being frustrated by another offside decision from the Woodley linesman. The half time score was 1 - 0 to Gunners.

In the second half Gunners were the stronger side and created more chances although they were nlucky when a lot of off side decisions were given against the team.

Woodley tried to get the equaliser but did not create many meaningful chances against a resolute Gunners defence.

It took Gunners a while before they added to the lead and this came from Iain Peer again after a through ball from Paul Clark.

With a two goal lead, Woodley Thatchers heads appeared to drop and Gunners played out the last part of the game comfortably to earn all three points. Gunners "Man of the Match" was Matt Rees.

Match Facts

MOM : M Rees

Goals : I Peer (2)

Team
Pictures

Earley Gunners vs Good Companions 1 - 1

Match Report

Gunners earned a draw in a disappointing performance against Good Companions.
The windy conditions did not make the game easy to play in and as a result the ball spent most of the time in the air, to be fair Gunners never really settled into the match and failed to play any football for the entire game.

Gunners had a couple of early have chances the closest of which came when Dave Owen headed onto the bar, at the other end Goodies did have some attacks put failed to create many shots on goal.

The defence looked reasonably solid in the first half but the team really failed to get control of the ball and pass it around which hampered any offensive opportunities. The half time score was 0 - 0.

In the second half Goodies were the stronger side and took the lead when a cross came in from their right wing and the Goodies player rose unopposed to head in from close range.

The opposition could have doubled the lead when they had a couple of half chances in the box, but the Gunners defence managed to get the ball clear.

However Stuart Bye levelled the scores after a tactical switch saw him move up front to give Gunners a point. Gunners "Man of the Match" was also Stuart Bye.

Match Facts

MOM : S Bye

Goal : S Bye (1)

Team