Combined Counties Division One
After a short bus ride from Windsor to Ascot which ran perfectly on time and without incident (for a change!), I arrived at the Racecourse Ground for my second game of the day, the Combined Counties Division One match up between two teams vying for a play-off place. Going into the match Berks County were sitting in fifth place with this being their final game of the season, and Woodley a point and two places behind but with four left to play.
Entry was £7.50 for adults and came with a free mini programme and after a good chat with Steve on the gate and being given a Berks County badge, I headed in to get some food (the Racecourse does really good food with plenty of options available). I decided on dirty fries for £5 and while I was waiting ran into the legend that is photographer Charlee Bradbury. After a good chat she was then called into action doing Berks County’s social media and taking photos of the warm ups.
Chips eaten despite the hardening cheese taking out the wooden fork half way through, I made my way to the stand to wait a short time for the kick off. The teams came out with Berks County wearing their usual claret tops with sky blue shorts while Woodley were in their change kit of yellow shirts and royal blue shorts.
The game started at a ferocious pace with the away side forcing the pace in the first ten minutes. The closest they came to opening the scoring was after the defence allowed a lofted pass to bounce. Connor Suckling took advantage of the indecision, nipping in to get an effort away but with no power in the shot Harvey Rackley-Hayes was able to save low down to his left. The resulting corner was headed onto the bar and the rebound cleared.
The momentum changed after the opening ten minutes as Berks County came into the game. Poor marking from a Charlie Craske free kick on the right corner of the area gave Harry Lee a free header and he happily dispatched the ball past Charlie Prall in the Woodley goal. 1-0
The visitors looked dangerous on the break and after a nice turn on the edge of the area Dontae Hamblin tried a speculative curler towards the far post but his effort went wide of the upright.
There was a naughty off the ball incident which left Woodley’s Dylan Clark on the floor but no action was taken as it seemed the official and assistant both missed it.
The hosts went looking for a second, Ikhon Ward found himself in space just inside the box but sent his effort high over the bar with the ball ending up on the racetrack. A goal wasn’t long coming though, Shaquille Johnson picked up the ball on the left and drifted past two defenders without a challenge and fired a shot which took a wicked deflection leaving Prall wrongfooted and unable to stop the ball going in. 2-0
The game was getting a little feisty with some heavy challenges going in and Kaylum Barlow was sin-binned on the half hour presumably for saying something out of place to the official.
Approaching half time Woodley gave the ball away cheaply in midfield with Kevin Debarros the beneficiary. He played a lovely ball inside the full back which Johnson initially thought had been cut out but carried on running as it came to him. He pulled the ball into the near post from the byline and Ward got in front of the defender to touch it into the net. 3-0
Just before the break the visitors gave theirselves a glimmer of hope. A nice piece of trickery in the area from Hamblin led to a rash challenge with the referee pointing to the spot. Clark took responsibility and fired the ball into the bottom left corner. 3-1
H-T: Berks County 3 Woodley United 1
Woodley again started brightly at the start of the second period but without really troubling Rackley-Hayes in the home goal. Similar to the first half, after the hosts had weathered the storm, they started to take control.
A searching ball from Joshua Dunkley on the right picked out the run of Max Wyld, he cut the ball back to Johnson whose shot was well saved at his near post by the legs of Prall.
Next Lawson Jones made a good run down the left and tried to beat the keeper to his right but a strong hand from Prall managed to parry the ball away from danger.
The pressure was building and Prall was called into action again as the visitors’ defence was carved open by the pace of Berks County. A quick break down the right flank found Johnson in space, he crossed low into the box, Jones dummied the ball, Ward hit a first time shot but Prall was in the right place again to save with his legs.
At the other end Barlow hit a cracking shot from distance which whistled just past the post.
Another swift break down the left flank saw Ward feed Wyld on the edge of the area but he dragged his effort wide. In the 64th minute Berks County finally took one of their chances, another searching run from Ward played the ball across the box and picking out the run of Johnson who slid in at the far post to knock it past the diving Prall. 4-1
It took just three minutes for County to get a fifth, the Woodley defence couldn’t cope with another quick break from Ward and he was clipped inside the box, Ward stayed on his feet and managed to get a shot away which was saved by the keeper. The referee then brought it back to the foul in the area and pointed to the spot. Lee stepped up and calmly found the bottom right corner past Prall despite the keeper guessing correctly. 5-1
Woodley reduced the deficit three minutes after with Clark again the scorer. He made a good run down the right before cutting back inside and placed his shot low past Rackley-Hayes. 5-2
The eighth goal of the game came with 20 minutes still remaining. A corner was swung into the box with Lee again finding himself unmarked and he duly finished again to complete his hattrick. 6-2
The visitors came close to pulling one back after a corner fell to Suckling in the box, his first time shot was on target but Rackley-Hayes made a very good save low down.
The hosts were still hunting for more goals in the final minutes, from a corner captain George Gould was the latest not to be picked up from a set piece and his header was blocked by Prall, the rebound falling to Debarros whose first time shot cannoned off the crossbar.
There was time for one final chance for the home side, Isaac Okello doing well under pressure with his back to goal finding full back Isaac Leader 25 yards out and his effort was tipped around the post by the Woodley custodian.
F-T: Berks County 6 Woodley United 2
A cracking way to finish off the season for Berks County and lord knows what the scoreline would have been without the saves of Charlie Prall in the Woodley goal. It was a case of a bad day at the office for the visitors and they’ll have to tighten up all over the pitch if they’re going to get the results needed in their last three to force their way into the play-offs. All the best to them in these games.
A double header completed, ten goals in the two games and plenty of incidents! Always a pleasure to return to Berks County and no doubt we’ll see each other again next season.
Click here to see Charlee Bradbury’s photos from the game.