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National Cup round 1
24th September 2009
Away vs St Nicolas Breakspear Catholic School
After a good journey to St Albans, excitement was high in the new look Bow squad as new comers John McMicheal and Immanuel Morris settled well. With Thomas Gogo carrying an injury and Jamie Burnett unavailable the team welcomed Mitu Miah and Lee Fenton respectively into the line up.
The game started with a bang from Bow, as within two minutes they were two up with Mohammed Dualeh scoring the first and Tyrone Auguste getting the second from the penalty spot. The game continued in the same vain for the next 20 minutes with Bow dominating play and creating a number of chances, Lee Fenton was just a spectator in goal. Bow were finally rewarded for their dominance with Mitu Miah firing a volley from the edge of the area into the bottom left hand corner from a weak clearance. 0-3 Bow.
That goal seemed to finally shake St Nicolas into life and they started to exert some pressure onto the Bow backline, chances started to come but Lee Fenton held firm, firstly making an excellent one on one save and then following up by smartly tipping one over the bar. However, ten minutes before halftime the pressure finally told as St Nicolas grabbed a scrappy goal. The game, now very open and end to end continued to bring goals with Mohammed adding his second and Bow’s forth with a powerful finish before, right on the stroke of halftime St Nicolas were given a penalty, slightly dubious but even so, powerfully converted.
Halftime 2-4
Bow made one change at halftime, with Oliver Cox replacing the injured Harry Wright. Straight away in the second half St Nicolas came out with a much higher tempo and aggressive attitude. They were up for the game!
Bow were under a lot of pressure now but with a resurgent backline they were looking much more solid. Bow were standing firm against a much more effective St Nicolas attack. As time progressed the game was becoming scrappy and Bow were struggling to get any control of the contest with Lee being called upon to make a number of smart stops. Finally the pressure told and St Nicolas scored a good goal and it was one they deserved., 3-4!
That goal called for a Bow changed, with 20 minutes remaining Mitu Miah was replaced by Thomas Gogo. Straight away Thomas started to get his foot on the ball and encouraged his teammates to pass the ball again, things improved but Bow were still under pressure. As the game continued Bow started to get right back into the contest with half chances for Mohammed, Oliver and a header from Kayn Bicknell. It remained 3-4 with the back four of Kayn, Jay, Tyrone and Darien holding firm with good assistance from the excellent Callum Kerr and highly effective Paul Reader in the Bow midfield.
Finally with 5 minutes remaining calm was restored, Thomas Gogo picked the ball up in his own half on the right, beat a number of players, ended up on the left hand side of the penalty box before cutting inside and curling a good finish top corner, 3-5 and the match to Bow! The last few minutes seen nothing more than some frustration from the St Nicolas players aimed mainly at Mohammed but the forward dealt with the situation very maturely and Bow finish the game with the win and their heads held high, well done boys!
Man of the Match: Callum Kerr – Remained calm and strong in his new position when others struggled in the first half!