Purple Turtle vs Earley Gunners 1 - 1

Match Report

Gunners were unlucky not to earn all three points after conceding a last minute goal against Purple Turtle.

Purple Turtle started the better of the teams and forced had more possession in the first fifteen minutes of the game with a series of corners which Gunners just managed to defend against. Iain Peer (a last minute goal keeping replacement) claimed the ball well on a number of occasions.

However, Gunners then took more control of the game and began to look more dangerous on the break.

Gunners took the lead in the first half when Dave Owen played a long ball along the right wing which Steve Tranter picked up, accelerated past his opponent drove into the box and fired the ball home from close range.

Peter Ali was unlucky not to score when his header hit he bar. Gunners were 1-0 up at half time.
In the second half, the game was fairly even with both teams having some possession but failing to really create clear cut chances.

However, as the game progressed Gunners created a couple of good chances, the most notable of which saw Matt Rees hit the cross bar from close range whilst Marcus Randles also shot wide from close range.

Steve Tranter picked up an injury and had to go off and then a Purple Turtle player injured himself when he attempted to tackle Jon Hall near the corner flag, fell and hit the corner flag which gave him a bloody nose. He had to retire from play leaving Purple Turtle down to 10 men for the last 15 minutes.

Gunners looked a bit edgy in possession and started to play too many long balls forward. It looked as though Gunners would hold out when Purple Turtle scored from a corner in the last minute. There was an even later scare when they earned a corner after this but Gunners defended the ball well.

The last few seconds ran out leaving the score 1-1.

It was a reasonable performance from Gunners although if we had taken our chances then the game could have been won mid-way through the second half.

Iain Peer had a good game in goal although Dave Owen was Gunners "Man of the Match" for a good game in midfield

Match Facts

MOM : D Owen

Goal : S Tranter (1)

Team

Pictures

Earley Gunners vs DC Steamers 1 - 1

Match Report

Gunners and DC Steamers shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw.

DC Steamers had the better of the first half and took the lead when a cross was knocked back to a player at the edge of the area who drilled the ball home.

Gunners, were poor in the first half and were second best to the ball. DC Steamers worked hard and put Gunners under pressure when in possession which worked well as Gunners failed to pass and move the ball around.

The half time score was 1-0 to DC Steamers.

There was an early incident in the second half when the game kicked off with Andy Birch still walking towards his goal from the half-way line, thankfully the opposition did not have a shot on target (although Andy could have made a bit more of an effort!)

In the second half Gunners made some early changes and were much better. Gunners created several chances to score, the closest of which came from Marcus Randles whose spin and volley cannoned of the bar.

Matt Rees then had a goal disallowed for offside and Paul Stout had a header disallowed for offside which looked marginal.

DC Steamers literally ran out of steam in the second half and could only create a couple of chances.

With ten minutes to go Iain Peer levelled for Gunners when he drilled the ball home from close range. However, Gunners could not find a second and the final score was 1-1.

Gunners "Man of the Match" was Iain Peer.

Match Facts

MOM : I Peer

Goal : I Peer (1)

Team
Pictures

Earley Gunners vs Earley Retreat 7 - 0

Match Report

Gunners were comfortable victors over local rivals Earley Retreat.

Despite an average performance in the first half Gunners took a 2-0 lead through Matt Rees and Marcus Randles.

Earley Retreat were limited to long aerial balls which were well defended by Paul Ali although they did manage to open the defence on one occasion where Paul Ali was booked for fouling an opponent.

Gunners had a couple of other chances to score but could not find the net. Earley Retreat did force a couple of corners and head a header which went wide of the post.

The half time score was 2-0 to Gunners and a half where Gunners had not played particularly well.

The second half saw Gunners score a third through Matt Rees after a pass from Carl Littlechild.
Lee Gallagher was then booked for hacking down the Earley Retreat forward who was breaking at pace. However, Lee made amends when he added Gunners fourth with a close range header from Jon Halls cross.

The game was now very comfortable and Gunners had the majority of possession. Earley Retreat were restricted to a couple of chances none of which were on target. In fact, the Gunners keeper did not have a save to make all game.

Jon Hall added a fifth goal before Paul Stout scored a free kick to make it six.
Gunners then picked up two needless bookings. The Earley Reteat right back kicked out at Jon Hall and Paul Marten ran to confront the player who then took offence at Paul. This situation did not settle down and after a few minutes a minor foul caused players to become involved again, this resulted in the Earley Retreat player, Paul Marten and Paul Stout (we're still not sure why?) all being booked.

Paul Marten then moved into a more forward position for the last part of the game and was rewarded with goal after he finished from a knock down by Peter Ali.

The final score was a comfortable 7-0 win and despite the game generally being played in a fair manner, Gunners managed to pick up four bookings!

Match Facts

Goals : M Rees (2), P Marten (1), M Randles (1), L Gallagher (1), J Hall (1), P Stout (1)

Team

Pictures