Favourites through to quarters
21st November 2008 23:44 | by Tom WherryLady Margaret Hall 1st 3-0 Lincoln College 1st
With LMH having won 5 of their six matches this season, including a 2-0 win over Lincoln in the league, they certainly entered into this cuppers clash as favourites. LMH captain Simon Lewis was unavailable after getting injured during an epic battle with Balliol earlier in the week, and so with Dom Rae absent attending a careers function, LMH took on an even more Chunderous nature than usual. Welcoming Joe Wellington and Jim Allchin into the side meant that the front six all heralded from that talismanic tower block named after the fine Lucy Sutherland.
The LMH side sounded chirpy at kick off, but their football was woeful. An extremely poor 20 minuted of football ensued, with neither side managing to string more that one pass together. Lincloln started to come into the game with some good distribution throughout from Matt Flood and Alex Biggs. The game was meandering along without note, and desperately needed a goal.
A long boot from goalkeeper Joe De Capite proved to be just the ticket, and after it was predictibly flicked on off the the swede of Tom Wherry, fellow pickler Rob Eckersley was on hand to decisively scuff the ball into the net. This prompted abnormally muted celebrations from the LMH players, who didn't appear to be feeling football or crazy, or indeed, chocolate mad.
The goal at least sparked some life into the LMH front players, who realised that goals were on offer. More productive play followed, some improved passing creating a few half chances. Barman Jim Allchin was having some luck down the left, and delivered an excellent ball in to Ryan McCrickerd who used all his skills to trap the ball, fall over and started hugging the leg of a bemused Lincoln defender, prompting visions of said player holding on to his Mother's leg to prevent her from leaving him alone at preschool. The second goal came with a move of high quality which wouldn't have been out of place on the green pastures of Iffley, but a boggy Marston would have to do.
Wherry picked up the ball on the half-way line and played in Allchin down the left channel, who dribbled towards the bi-line before producing an accurate centre towards the onrushing McCrickerd who finished with aplomb. The Blues midfielder added to his mid-week goal with a well timed half volley using the relatively unknown prod technique to the delight of Sutherland's in house worms adviser, Joe Wellington. When half time came LMH were looking very comfortable.
The second period turned out to be something of a non-event. The LMH back line were looking supremely confident, Matt Henshall was dominant in the air, and Will Partridge cleared excellently at the sign of any danger. In addition, a man of the match display by Joe Wellington, who won header after header, challenge after challenge and was the bargiest of all of all bargers allowed the more creative LMH players freedom to enjoy themselves.
Enjoy themselves they did, but productive it was not. The Lady Margaret Hall attackers had plenty of the ball, and looked to enjoy themselves. After Eckersley's ingenious control using just his Adam's Apple, other players experiments with back headers (Wherry), long barriers (Allchin) and human bollarding (McCrickerd) seemed to be more popular than actually trying to get the ball in the back of the net. Eventually a third did follow, McCrickerd went on a mazy, direct run passing several Lincoln defenders as thought they weren't there. He finished from just inside the box, curling the ball accurately into the right side netting.
The match all but over as a contest, LMH enjoyed time on the ball but couldn't add to the scoresheet. A successful tie for the home side, they were overall just very happy to see themselves progress to the quarter finals, especially without club top-scorer Ben 'flasher' Smith who said afterwards in the bar “Did you see the spurs match last weekend?”.
