Isthmian League South Central Division
After an overexuberant birthday celebration the previous day, my football pick on the Saturday was always going to be local. I had a choice of three, all bus rides of under an hour from home, and unsurprisingly considering my fragile state I chose the nearest!
Binfield are a side very local to me but I hardly get a chance to catch up with them as their home ground is a nightmare to get to without a car, but today they were playing at the Racecourse Ground, home of Ascot United, after the dreadful run of weather we’ve been having recently leaving many grass pitches struggling to cope with the amount of rain they’ve had dumped on them.
Going into the game, the visitors were sitting in a playoff position 3rd just five points off leaders Leatherhead while the hosts were in 17th and just two points clear of the relegation spots. Kick-off was to be at 2.30pm and entry to the match was £10 for adults (£6 for concessions).
The match started at a furious pace. The visitors had a lovely flowing move on the left leading to a nice interchange between Marco Haigh and Sam Merson and a delicate cross towards the back post just behind Connor Barrett who attempted an overhead kick which went goalwards but Coleridge Fubler Jr in the Binfield goal managed to push away low down.
An inswinging corner from Barrett moments later was met by George Wells and his effort looked to have been cleared off the line with Binfield eventually clearing.
Binfield’s attack looked to be pacy and on a quick break the ball fell to Lamin Ceesay just inside the area but his snapshot flashed over the bar.
A long ball over the top bounced awkwardly just outside the area with the keeper coming out. The ball held up and Toby Thompson tried to head it back to Fubler but couldn’t get enough on it allowing Barrett to nip in and get a touch which hit Fubler in the face and Thompson was able to clear the loose ball.
Villa were still looking the more dangerous of the two sides and a glorious cross field pass from Wells dissected the Moles defence, picking out the run of Merson on the right side of the box. His early shot across Fubler rattling the bottom of the post and away to safety.
Binfield were now starting to get a foothold in the game and after a nice pass down the right flank found Kickie Dzimba in space. He fired the ball into the six yard box, it took a touch from a defender sending it goalwards but Tyla Dickinson in the Villa goal was alive to it and smothered well at the near post.
Back again came Hanworth, a nice run on the left from Josh Casey past two defenders then sliding the ball across to Wells just outside the box but he dragged his first time shot wide of the far post.
As the half progressed Binfield had more of the possession and from a free kick on the edge of the box, Kyle Daniel-Spray managed to beat the wall only to see his effort nestle in the arms of Dickinson.
The hosts were now pushing Villa back and after winning a succession of corners thought they’d scored the opening goal. Amari Fashanu finding space down the right and his cross found the head of Dzimba who guided the ball past Dickinson only to have the goal ruled out for offside.
Right at the end of the first 45 minutes a quick break from the visitors looked to have given Liam Ferdinand a goalscoring chance only for him to shoot into the arms of Fubler. An entertaining half finished goalless although I’m not quite sure how!
H-T: Binfield 0 Hanworth Villa 0
The second half began much the way it would continue, with both sides making unforced errors and struggling to make chances in the final third.
In the first real chance of the second period, a long throw into the box was headed away, falling to Wells whose snapshot flew over the bar.
The impetus had now gone out of the game with both sides cancelling each other out and chances at a premium. A little wrestling match between Nathaneal Boakye of Binfield and Kensley Maloney from Villa livened things up briefly as it sparked a bit of handbags from players on both sides but that was soon sorted out by the referee.
There followed a flurry of substitutions which made the game even more disjointed but there were two chances, one for each team, to take all three points. First, a driving run from Jack Timberlake won the visitors a free kick after he was taken down on the left edge of the box. Merson curled the ball in towards the far post where Guy Ansah-Palmer ghosted in but could only direct his header into the hands of Fubler.
With four minutes left on the clock Binfield could have nicked it. Dickinson came for a corner, missed it and managed to clatter his own player Ben Mulley in the six-yard box. The ball was headed goalwards while both lay prone on the ground only to be cleared off the line before the referee stopped the game to allow treatment.
F-T: Binfield 0 Hanworth Villa 0
Two completely different halves of football although probably the right result in the end. Both defences were solid and chances were few and far between especially in the second half.
All in all, a good day out, even if it waited to start raining until just before I needed to get to the bus stop! Just typical. Good to catch up with Stuart Cripps from Reading YMCA and Jordan Blake, the manager of Woodley United, both there to catch a game due to postponements.
All the very best to both sides for the remainder of the season.
Oh, and the other two fixtures I had looked at finished 2-0 and 10-0!