Match ReportEarley Gunners secured their first league win of the season after winning a scrappy game against Shinfield Lions Res.Dave Owen had a good first half playing as the lone frontman and held the ball up well. Kenny Bunce also looked lively breaking down the left.The first half saw few real opportunities for either side and the teams went in 0-0 at half time and the first goal was going to be vital in the second half.In the second half Gunners took the lead after Paul Marten played the ball back to Kenny Bunce whose flighted shot from the edge of the box came in off the post.Nick Burrows was involved in the action when he took exception to one of the Shinfield players who made yet another late flick at someones heels and tempers flared for a moment before things were calmed down as quickly as they had started.Shinfield had a great chance to level the scores when they were through on goal but Paul Ali made a saving challenge in the box to prevent a shot although he managed to injure himself in the process and had to come off.Kenny was then involved at the other end of the field when he gave away a penalty and Shinfield levelled the scores.However with twenty minutes to go, Leigh Holdway set up Gareth who scored the winner.
Gunners had a few late chances to make the game comfortable but the Shinfield keeper made a couple of good close range in succession.Shinfield had some late pressure but Gunners held out for the win.Match Facts:Goals : K Bunce (1), G Akers (1)Team
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Match ReportEarley Gunners faced Good Companions in their first league game of the season.
Gunners were given a scare early on when Goodies had two attempts cleared off the Gunners line by Paul Marten and Nick Burrows.However it was Gunners who took the lead when a long ball by Kenny Bunce was flicked on by Iain Peer and Richard Taylor volleyed the ball home from close range.Good Companions equalised before Dave Owen scored when he received a pass from Richard Taylor and managed to score from the edge of the box.Good Companions fought back and equalised again with a header from a corner.The half time score was 2-2.Gunners went 3-2 down in the first few minutes when Dave Owen was adjudged to have handled in the box and Goodies scored the penalty.Gunners did rally for a few minutes but really failed to create any decent chances.Good Companions then added a further goal when they scored a header from a cross and then Gunners suffered a further blow when Neil was injured after the Gunners subs had been used and had to come off leaving the team with 10 men.Good Companions then played some neat football against a ragged looking Gunners midfield and defence and eventually added a fifth goal.The final result was a 5-2 defeat and a comfortable second half for Good Companions.Match Facts:Goals: D Owen (1), R Taylor (1)Team
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Match ReportEarley Gunners strolled to a comfortable win with a 7-1victory over Bracknell League side Wokingham CC. Nick had an early chance to score when he had a free header on goal but he couldn't quite connect with the ball!Gunners started well and took a two goal lead through Iain Peer. The first was set up by Nick Burrows who played a through ball to Iain who finished well from inside the box.Neil Rumbold then set up Iains second goal when he played him through on goal and Iain finished with a delicate chip over the keeper. The Gunners defence was only really troubled in the last ten minutes of the first half when Julian Willis was required to make a good save.
In the second half, Gunners added several more goals. Dave Owen was influential in setting these up with Iain Peer grabbing another 3 and the other goals coming from Leigh Holdway and Neil Rumbold.The worst miss of the game when Iain played a lovely ball to Neil who had an open goal but he side footed his shot onto the post but luckily this fell into Iain's path who finished from close range.Nick also had a good chance to score when he had a clear shot from inside the box but this went over the bar. Wokingham pulled back a late consolation goal but Gunners had already put the game beyond their reach."Men of the Match" went to Iain Peer for a great 5 goal haul and Leigh Holdway for a good game in midfield.Match Facts:MOM : I Peer/L HoldwayGoals: I Peer (5), N Rumbold (1), L Holdway (1)Team
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Gunners seasons started poorly with a 3-1 defeat to Earley HG res and a very poor display despite a good game by Sean Kearns but Gunners soon bounced back the next week with a narrow win against Arborfield Res with Nick Burrows the pick of Gunners players.
Gunners were then involved in an 11 goal thriller with Good Companions and just edged them out 6-5 thanks to Paul Clark who was Gunners most influential player winning the "Man of the Match" award.
Gunners then faced league rivals Woodley Roofing and suffered a 4-2 defeat despite a good game by Paul Ali in defence. This game saw the switch to a 4-5-1 formation which Gunners would employ for the majority of the season with Bill Maslin occupying the lone striker spot up front.
Gunners then edged out AFC Earley 3-2 thanks to Leigh Holdway who had an excellent game for Gunners and was named "Man of the Match" despite only coming on as a substitute.
The team then said goodbye to Sean Kearns who left for job reasons although he would make the occasional appearance towards the end of the season for Gunners. However, Gunners didn’t appear to miss him as they managed to keep their first clean sheet of the season with a 2-0 win in the Cup against GM Buses in the very next game! Paul Marten picked up the "Man of the Match" award for his role as centre-back.
Back in the league a 4 goal display by leading marksman Bill Maslin earned Gunners a 5-1 win and Bill "Man of the Match" award against Purple Turtle. However, Gunners then crashed out of the Cup losing narrowly 3-2 to Henley Res despite a good performance from Nick Burrows.
Gunners then faced a strong looking Earley HG Res side which did not have a first team game and the majority of the recognisable players from the first game of the season occupying one of 11 places on the subs bench. However, a combative display for Gunners led by "Man of the Match" Paul Ali helped earn Gunners a 2-1 win.
The return fixture against title rivals Woodley roofing was vital having lost the earlier league game and Gunners earned a 2-2 draw which kept them in with a chance of the league title although Woodley had the more favourable position. Julian Willis was Gunners "Man of the Match" .
Gunners then faced West End in the league and Bill Maslin scored the quickest goal of the season after about 5 seconds which helped Gunners on the way to a convincing 5-1 win. Gareth Akers was the pick of the Gunners players.
Despite a good performance from Leon Spyrou, Gunners lost narrowly to Good Companions 1-0 but bounced back with a real smash and grab 1-0 away win to Woodley Saints. Gunners keeper Julian Willis was influential making a number of superb saves to help Gunners to the win.
Gunners kept the pressure up at the top of the table with a convincing 5-1 away to Ruscombe thanks to 2 goals and a "Man of the Match" display by Paul Ali.
Despite an awful performance against West End , Gunners picked up 3 points and but then dropped a couple of points with a 2-2 draw against Arborfield Reserves. Nick Burrows was Gunners best performer on the day.
Due to a fixture backlog, Gunners then had several games to play in a short space of time. During an evening fixture, Woodley Saints pushed Gunners out of second spot with a 3-1 away win and Gunners chance of finishing in the top 2 took a further knock when they were held 2-2 at home to Earley HG Res who equalised with less than a minute to go in the game.
Gunners were then due to face Loxwood Reserves in a double header. This involved the teams playing 2, 1 hour games of 30 minutes each way straight after each other.
Loxwood Reserves came well prepared with a full complement of players (nearly two teams) whilst Gunners could only muster a squad of 14 players. Gunners won the first game 3-1 and were down and out losing 2-0 with a lethargic looking second game. With not a lot of time left on the lock Gunners were staring defeat in the face until Jon Monksmith popped up with a goal and Paul Clark equalised with virtually the last kick of the game. Paul Marten had a solid game in defence and Gunners earned a point to keep them in contention for Runners Up spot in the league with the league title out of Gunners hands.
Gunners final game of the season saw Gunners face Purple Turtle away and the team needed to secure three points to earn Runners Up spot in the league.
Dave Owen inspired a convincing 6-1 win and Gunners secured the points they needed to come 2nd place and promotion in their first season in the Reading Sunday League.
With the departure of several key players from previous seasons and the introduction of several new faces, it was going to be a tough season and Gunners did well to earn a second place finish. Gunners had also faced a number of absences between games due to poor weather and pitch conditions and the withdrawal of their training facilities had also had an affect on the teams fitness. Despite this small setbacks, Gunners had done enough during the season and taken points off their main competitors to secure their second spot finish which meant Gunners had now been promoted or elevated three seasons in a row which was a good achievement.
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