Black Boy vs Earley Gunners 2 - 5

Match Report

Gunners progress through to the next round of the cup with a 5-2 victory over Black Boy.
This was Gunners first competitive game for a month and Gunners looked a little sluggish early on in the game before settling down when Stuart Bye opened the scoring after being set up by Paul Clark.

Marcus Randles had to retire early from the game with an injury.

Gunners soon made it two when Paul Stout raced on to a long throw by Matt Rees and slotted the ball past the keeper from close range.

Gunners ended the first half comfortably when Stuart Bye added his second of the game after scoring from Matt Rees’s corner.

However, Gunners should have led by a bigger margin after squandering several chances to score.

In the second half Gunners continued where they left off when Paul Ali scored to give Gunners a 4-0 lead. However, Black Boy fought back and then added two quick goals. The first came from a corner when the opponent was not challenged and the second was a good left foot drive from the edge of the box.

Gunners looked nervous for ten minutes and were under a bit more pressure from the opposition and Andy Birch was required to make a good save from a well struck shot. However, Gunners nerves were settled when Paul Stout scored his second of the game direct from a free kick to give Gunners a three goal cushion.

Gunners ended up 5-2 winners. Man of the Match went to Lee Bonnici for an excellent game in left midfield.

Match Facts

MOM : L Bonnici

Goals : S Bye (2), P Stout (2), Pa Ali (1)

Team

Earley Gunners vs Purple Turtle 7 - 0

Match Report

Gunners were clear victors over close rivals Purple Turtle with a fine display of finishing.

Gunners had the benefit of the slope in the first half and came close early on when Paul Clark had a one on one chance with the keeper which went just wide. However, the opening goal a few moments later when Paul Clark set up Stuart Bye for the finish.

Paul Stout then added a second when a volleyed the ball into the net with a fierce shot from a loose ball of the corner. Purple Turtle made some progress going forward and had a series of corners which Gunners kept away.

Unfortunately, Julian Willis was injured whilst umping for the ball and had to be replaced in goal by Dave Owen.

This change of personnel did not stop Gunners up front and Stuart Bye added two more goals, the second of which occurred when he danced round several opponents (including two who collided with each other) before finishing from close range.

It was up to Gunners to keep the momentum going in the second half and the team responded well. Stuart Bye was the man of the moment with a further two goals and Matt Rees who has now discovered his scoring form added a further goal (his second in three games).

At the other end of the pitch, Gunners were relatively untroubled apart from the final ten minutes when Purple Turtle had more space to play football in midfield and Gunners had to make some hasty clearances to keep the opposition at bay.

The final result was a good 7-0 and a good performance from the team in all areas. Stuart Bye was "Man of the Match" for his five goal haul.

Match Facts

MOM : S Bye

Goals : S Bye (5), P Stout (1), M Rees (1)

Team

Pictures

Earley Gunners vs West End 3 - 3 (1 - 3 Pens)

Match Report

Gunners were knocked out of the Berks and Bucks Cup after a close game against West End. The game was played in extremely windy conditions which made it difficult for both sides to play any good football and Gunners were up against the wind and the slope in the first half.

West End looked the better of the two teams and took an early lead after a corner was not cleared and they finished from close range. Gunners seemed to struggle in the first half and were unable to play a great deal of football.

In the second half West End seemed to tie the game up with a quick two goal burst but Gunners hit back when Stuart Bye was brought down in the box and converted the subsequent penalty. Paul Clark then added two more goals after being set up by Dave Owen to tie the game at 3-3.
Gunners were now dominating the game and were unlucky not to have won the game when a goal was denied for offside. Neither side could add to the lead so the game went into extra time.
In the extra time period Gunners looked the side most likely to score but could not hit the target with a decent shot and time eventually ran out leading to penalties.

The West End keeper was the eventual hero saving a number of Gunners poorly taken penalties with Phil Byrne being the only player to score from the spot (and then only just) whilst West End notched 3 of their 4 penalties. West End’s confidence at the death was enough to earn them progression into the next round. Gunners "Man of the Match" was Paul Clark for leading the teams fightback from 3-0 down to 3-3.

Match Facts

MOM : P Clark

Goals : P Clark (2), D Owen (1)

Team

Pictures