What a frustrating afternoon! Second in the league away at the team fourth from bottom who have 6 suspended, and the result is a dreadful game of football ending in a 1-1 draw. Wealdstone started very well, with Wingate clawing their way back into the game to earn a draw, and may be disappointed having not taken all 3 points.
It took only 9 minutes for Wealdstone to take the lead, with Richard Jolly scoring only his second goal since the turn of the year, beating one of the Wingate defenders to a long ball over the top, to drill home in the far corner. Wealdstone were well in command and it looked like they would be sailing towards a comfortable win. Despite their early superiority, for some reason Wealdstone took their foot off the pedal, and to be fair to Wingate they exploited Wealdstones drop in intensity very well, and deservedly equalised through some very poor defending after 35 minutes. After failing to clear their lines several times, Wealdstone payed the price when the ball found its way into the bottom corner. Wealdstone responded quickly and should have scored before half time, but Jolly could only head inches wide when he should have done better.
As the second half wore on, it was visible that the fact Wealdstone were playing their third game in five days was taking its toll. Chances were kept to a minimum and the lack of urgency can only be explained by pure tiredness. If anyone deserved to win the game it would have been Wingate, who attacked with pace and intensity, and may be disappointed to not take all three points. Wealdstone had the possession but did next to nothing with it, and whenever Wingate attacked they always seemed to have a man over, and missed 2 glorious chances to take the lead but were unable to do so. In the end it was a frustrating afternoon for players and fans alike, after such a wonderful start, however with Lowestoft drawing away at Leiston, no ground has been lost on them. All in all a very good day for Shitehawk!...Sorry, Whitehawk.
So onto Harrow Borough on Monday. Derby day! And what a massive game it is for both sides. Harrow are still not safe from relegation, although it would be a surprise to see them go down given their current position in the league, 16th place 6 points clear of relegation. Wealdstone are still just about chasing the title, however the more realistic aim is to finish as high up in the play-offs as possible. With this being the Stones 4th game in 6 days, it will probably be a very tight encounter, with Borough being more than up for it. At the start of the week I said that 9/10 points out of a possible 12 would be a good return, so if Wealdstone can beat their local rivals on Monday then I think it will be a very successful end to a testing week.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Friday, 29 March 2013
Wingate & Finchley v Wealdstone
Today I'm heading into London for yet another Wealdstone away day! Wingate & Finchley. Wingate are the only team to win at Wealdstone this season, and the only team to win at Wealdstone in nearly 18 months. New years day this year. What a terrible performance! 3-0 down just after half time and didn't even look like scoring. However 2 late goals from Richard Jolly and Nathan Webb gave Wealdstone hope, and Jolly should have equalised in the dying seconds but could only blaze over. The Stones will surely be out for revenge today.
This brings me onto the topic of Thurrock v Wingate a few weeks ago. 5 red cards. That is the sort of thing that is amazing when playing FIFA, let alone real life! I don't know the details, but 5 red cards in the second half for one team is rather spectacular. I believe this also means that 6 Wingate players are suspended for the clash with Wealdstone, meaning it should...SHOULD be a comfortable Wealdstone win. However, it is Wealdstone after all...
This brings me onto the topic of Thurrock v Wingate a few weeks ago. 5 red cards. That is the sort of thing that is amazing when playing FIFA, let alone real life! I don't know the details, but 5 red cards in the second half for one team is rather spectacular. I believe this also means that 6 Wingate players are suspended for the clash with Wealdstone, meaning it should...SHOULD be a comfortable Wealdstone win. However, it is Wealdstone after all...
Wealdstone 2-1 Concord Rangers
In the many years that I have been a Wealdstone supporter, this was one of the most remarkable games I have ever been too. Wealdstone, 3rd in the table with 1 home defeat since November 2011, against Concord Rangers, 2nd in the table, who had been in blistering form since an erratic start to the season. With only 2 points separating the sides, and Wealdstone with a game in hand, there was always going to be a lively atmosphere at the Vale.
The first half was largely uneventful, apart from Concord Rangers front man Leon McKenzie being sent off for an apparent attempted head-butt, both sides created little, restricting each other to one or two clear cut chances. But the second half was something quite special! Full credit to Concord, completely out-played 11 man Wealdstone for most of the game, and deservedly took the lead on 71 minutes through Eastwood's header from a free kick, however Wealdstone keeper Jonathan North maybe should have done better, being caught flapping in no mans land. Wealdstone were slow to respond, creating very little when going forwards until the 88th minute. Stones left back Lee Chappell chased a seemingly lost cause but somehow managed to win a corner, which he delivered himself to the back post where Esmond James was on hand to smash home, sending the Wealdstone contingent absolutely mad. At this point every Wealdstone fan in the ground would have taken the 1-1, but the players saw differently, and straight from the kick off Wealdstone were straight back at the Concord defence. It looked like the heated match would end all square until the 94th minute, when a lofted cross-field ball found Tom Pett just inside the area, who coolly took the ball down on his chest under pressure from a Concord defender, before calmly lofting the ball past the keeper into the far corner. As you can imagine, the home fans went absolutely berserk, sparking a small pitch invasion which was quickly cleared to the credit of the Wealdstone stewards.
Upon the full-time whistle, emotions boiled over. The Concord team and management, understandably distraught at the final result after they had performed so magnificently, reacted badly to some taunting and abuse from the passionate Wealdstone contingent. In the ensuing melee, another Concord player was sent off, before appearing to try and aggressively force his way to the match referee. The details are still unclear however there were accusations that some of the Wealdstone fans were spitting at Concord players as they left the pitch. From what I saw, it was a case of a team who had performed so admirably away at a team who have a remarkable home record, and who had come so close to winning with 10 men to be shot down in the dying minutes, then being subjected to taunting and abuse while walking off. In that case, their reactions, although unacceptable, is understandable. However the allegations of spitting and even one report of racism are definitely something to cause concern. From my experience as a Wealdstone supporter, the club is one of the most passionate in the whole of the non-league pyramid, and emotions do boil over and people say things in the heat of the moment. However racism and spitting is something that is completely unacceptable, and achieves nothing but a bad reputation and landing the club in trouble, whether that be through fines or anything like that. I have personally not once come across any spitting or racism in my time as a Wealdstone fan, so if these allegations from Concord are true, then it can only be a minority section of the Wealdstone contingent, who cannot be described as fans or supporters.
After such a thrilling encounter between two very good footballing sides, the unsavoury scenes in the end did put a very slight dampener on my evening. But the football itself is exactly why I support Wealdstone and why I feel non-league football is so under-rated. Both teams showed so much passion and so much heart, and at the end of the day I feel the best team lost. I cannot credit Concord enough, they were brilliant, but it just goes to show that Wealdstone will never give in, having earned 19 points this season from being in a losing position. It is very possible that this will not be the last time these sides meet this season, as they may meet in the play offs in the coming weeks, which I am sure will be a mouth watering contest. To the Concord players, staff and supporters, congratulations on a brilliant performance and good luck for the rest of the season. No hard feelings from me, and I would prefer to avoid you in the play offs! As for Wealdstone, an absolutely monumental victory, seeing them move to second in the table. Its off to Wingate and Finchley this weekend, where 3 points is a must.
The first half was largely uneventful, apart from Concord Rangers front man Leon McKenzie being sent off for an apparent attempted head-butt, both sides created little, restricting each other to one or two clear cut chances. But the second half was something quite special! Full credit to Concord, completely out-played 11 man Wealdstone for most of the game, and deservedly took the lead on 71 minutes through Eastwood's header from a free kick, however Wealdstone keeper Jonathan North maybe should have done better, being caught flapping in no mans land. Wealdstone were slow to respond, creating very little when going forwards until the 88th minute. Stones left back Lee Chappell chased a seemingly lost cause but somehow managed to win a corner, which he delivered himself to the back post where Esmond James was on hand to smash home, sending the Wealdstone contingent absolutely mad. At this point every Wealdstone fan in the ground would have taken the 1-1, but the players saw differently, and straight from the kick off Wealdstone were straight back at the Concord defence. It looked like the heated match would end all square until the 94th minute, when a lofted cross-field ball found Tom Pett just inside the area, who coolly took the ball down on his chest under pressure from a Concord defender, before calmly lofting the ball past the keeper into the far corner. As you can imagine, the home fans went absolutely berserk, sparking a small pitch invasion which was quickly cleared to the credit of the Wealdstone stewards.
Upon the full-time whistle, emotions boiled over. The Concord team and management, understandably distraught at the final result after they had performed so magnificently, reacted badly to some taunting and abuse from the passionate Wealdstone contingent. In the ensuing melee, another Concord player was sent off, before appearing to try and aggressively force his way to the match referee. The details are still unclear however there were accusations that some of the Wealdstone fans were spitting at Concord players as they left the pitch. From what I saw, it was a case of a team who had performed so admirably away at a team who have a remarkable home record, and who had come so close to winning with 10 men to be shot down in the dying minutes, then being subjected to taunting and abuse while walking off. In that case, their reactions, although unacceptable, is understandable. However the allegations of spitting and even one report of racism are definitely something to cause concern. From my experience as a Wealdstone supporter, the club is one of the most passionate in the whole of the non-league pyramid, and emotions do boil over and people say things in the heat of the moment. However racism and spitting is something that is completely unacceptable, and achieves nothing but a bad reputation and landing the club in trouble, whether that be through fines or anything like that. I have personally not once come across any spitting or racism in my time as a Wealdstone fan, so if these allegations from Concord are true, then it can only be a minority section of the Wealdstone contingent, who cannot be described as fans or supporters.
After such a thrilling encounter between two very good footballing sides, the unsavoury scenes in the end did put a very slight dampener on my evening. But the football itself is exactly why I support Wealdstone and why I feel non-league football is so under-rated. Both teams showed so much passion and so much heart, and at the end of the day I feel the best team lost. I cannot credit Concord enough, they were brilliant, but it just goes to show that Wealdstone will never give in, having earned 19 points this season from being in a losing position. It is very possible that this will not be the last time these sides meet this season, as they may meet in the play offs in the coming weeks, which I am sure will be a mouth watering contest. To the Concord players, staff and supporters, congratulations on a brilliant performance and good luck for the rest of the season. No hard feelings from me, and I would prefer to avoid you in the play offs! As for Wealdstone, an absolutely monumental victory, seeing them move to second in the table. Its off to Wingate and Finchley this weekend, where 3 points is a must.
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