14th March 2017 - Abbey Hey 1 v 1 AFC Darwen - A brace of midweek matches were planned due to the forthcoming Saturday being football free because of a gig I had put on featuring a fine range of noise making bastards. A fruitcake must have many flavours and with work, wildlife, cycling, CD reviews, reading, the time taken constructing a book, sorting discordant matters and lesser time-snatchers such as art and theatre visits my seconds on the clock are well used and, stretched. Enthusiasm is a wicked devil tha' knows! So to tonight's soccerised escapade, 2 teams at that stage of the season with little to play for which can sometimes lead to a pressure free encounter that really produces the goods. I suppose AFC Darwen had a greater desire for the points seeing they were just above the drop-zone but with a 9 point advantage and a game in hand we were hardly talking desperation stakes. So, I came, expected and got rewarded with a game as thus.
Period one and an initial equilibrium of to and fro football was broken by chaos in the Darwen box as the home side marauded and an outstretched toe poked the ball goalward only for the globe in question to rotate agonisingly wide. The first real chance that allowed Abbey Hey to gain an upper hand but the plucky Darwen dudes soon bounced back with their wriggling and elusive No 7 making an early impression. What came next though was a period of play that was scrappy with some lackadaisical defence work from The Hey and some toothless attacking by Darwen. The visitors did look to have more promise and seemed the likely team to break a tight deadlock but it was an untidy half of football to say the least. The Hey should have pinched the lead when their No 2 played his colleague in who was duly denied at the last but moments later the miss was made up for when Jack Tinning cracked forth a scorcher and beat the keeper with untold ease. 1 - 0 against the play but what a fine strike to break the stalemate. Despite this setback Darwen were making inroads back into the meat of the Hey's set-up whilst the home team seemed intent on sitting back and looking for that killer pass. Once again the No 7 of Darwen epitomised his teams work rate and desire and he made several good surges, one of which ended in a decent dig that forced the keeper into making a sturdy save.
As the night squawking gulls in the distance fussed in the dark the game eventually flat-lined with very little excitement arising. The game was far from a classic, the ref blew for half time and I did ponder whether or not there was greater thrill to be found in the Pope's jockstrap than at The Abbey Stadium tonight - ooh those sexy men of the cloth! I took time to rest my arse, had a Spearmint Chew and some Vimto and read a bit of 'Second Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow' by Jerome K. Jerome - observational scribblings to cultivate further ponderings. And back to the match.
I was looking for an ascension in quality and entertainment and an early Abbey Hey cross flew with arcing pace and hit the crossbar with all warning bells ringing. Darwen struck back and started to apply hefty pressure with one shot nearly making the top corner of the net but the goalie was alert and agile and stuck out a mitt to tip the sphere away. Impetus was with the visitors but Hey stood firm at the rear and continued to look to break with one such chance allowing their No 9 to attempt a lob on the keeper that unluckily missed the gaping net. Darwen though were now sharpening the point on their attacking knife and looking to plunge the blade into the heart of the resistant pack. Some good balls were flying in, but it was the coup de grace that was absent. A free kick from the roaming No 11 was flashed in and Hey's guardian of the mesh met the ball with sound resistance. Good on Darwen though for the efforts and good on Abbey Hey for their stubbornness. Hey still had chances and it was only down to last gasp toes and tackles that they failed to double their precarious lead. Another goal seemed imminent and it soon came after the guests at the ground found that killer pass, which saw the liner raise his flag for one player and lower it for the next which allowed Conor Gaul to step in and slide the ball home with controlled ease. The liners indecision was met with verbal onslaughts but it was a split second decision and proved that the officials are not robotic perfections who never make a faux pas. These things happen and despite anyone's thoughts it was a goal Darwen thoroughly deserved and it was now up to Abbey Hey to fight back. To their credit they did just that and we had a potentially intriguing finish to savour. Thermals were set to rise although they did so off the pitch as local arsonists had indulged in a burn-up and the ground was now falling victim to a toxic cloud. Cough, splutter, spit! As time progressed Hey were becoming frustrated, Darwen were found wanting up front and in truth the hosts could have nicked this at the death when a couple of crosses just fell short of that final touch to steal the honors. Up the other end and had No 9 chosen to pull the trigger early rather than dwell, dawdle and shoot late he may have found greater success rather than seeing his effort firmly blocked. As the pitch bordered on becoming a smoke-mare Darwen had one last punt from which a shot blazed just wide. It was the last blast before the closing shrill of the whistle - honours even and a better half than the first for sure. Man of the Match was a tough call but one 'erbert stood out due to his good movement, rapid weavings and neat close control. (Alex Ralph) of Darwen gets the nod tonight and it was a good performance in a game that was lacking any real grace.
FINAL THOUGHT - A midweek trip out to keep the footballing feathers fluffed up. Two teams in no man's land at the mo and as the season draws to a close that is where they will both end up. It is a tough league this though, some teams are on consistent fire but what I saw tonight reinforces my belief that these two squads have much to build on and, when fluent, can pose a threat to anyone. It is that final third though that separates the winners from the losers and every team needs a decisive cutting edge to their list of attributes. Defensively both squads work hard and seem to get the job done and in midfield a bit more composure is all that is needed and I reckon the future could be as rosy as Archbishop of Canterbury's cheeks when he was caught in a compromising position with Cleo Laine (so rumour has it) - ooh tha' never knows!
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