Goldhanger Arglye were this weeks visiters to the Recreation Ground, home of the mighty Clems on a warm, bright and sunny morning for the second league game of the 2015 season. Following last weeks impressive win at arch rivals Broomfield the spirit in the Clems camp was high with growing optimism that the side might well be equipt for life at the upper echelans of Sunday league football this year.
Goldhanger were without a fixture on the opening day and therefore were something of an unknown quantity going into the game. Boreham had a healthier looking squad than the previous week but were missing the jet setting Walker who was again away on international duty, and Jamaican sprint legend Parks who had been living it up with Britain's gay comuntiy down in Brighton, claiming he hadn't slept since Thursday (enough said), and was therefore deemed unfit for a place on the bench by Dale.
Troy 'the boy' Hawthorne and last weeks stand in keeper 'Chop Souey' Louis Howe were the other absentees from the side who had performed so well the week before.
Coming in was last season's top goal scorer John Rush, who seemed in defiant mood, dismissing suggestions that the long summer had taken it's toll on his fitness. Tom Wright was back in alongside Clems Captain Jaap Stammers at centre half, with last weeks MOM and utility player manager extraordinaire Adam Dale behind them in goal. Coleman switched sides to right fullback with Jay Dale also coming straight in at left back.
Darren Ince was moved further forward down the right hand side with Rob West continuing down the left flank. John Wright returned to his his more famillier midfield birth following last weeks collosal performance at the heart of the back four. Along side him, was the pocket dinamo Henry Brown for his first appearance of the season. Aaron 'Dicky' Gothard played in a more advanced position after his all important strike at Mill Lane last time out, and Rush had the chance to make the hotly contested No.9 postion his own after five months without a game.
So would four changes to the starting XI upset the Clems rythm from the previous game? Dale hoped not and the pre match team talk was all about strong squads, fighting for places and keeping the same intensity shown first time out, every single week. Unfortunately form the word go, his Boreham boys just didn't get settled and struggled to grow into the game individually or collectively. The first fifteen minutes of the encounter were something of a turgid and scrappy affair with the away team also offering less than what might be expected of a premier division team. Although it looked s though the Clems had more about them in terms of pace and quality all over the park, Goldhanger were a strong physical side, sitting deep and giving very little away.
The positives for the home side were West on the left wing constantly looking to expose his marker with direct running and skillful quick feet. Unfortunately others were struggling to find their feet around him and it was a good job Satmmers was putting in a real skippers shift in at the back using all his strength and know how to hold together a creaking back four and keep the visiters at bay in the first half. John Wright was looking his cool composed self as per usual, keeping his head as all around him were losing theirs. Brown, usually so reliable on the ball was giving it away far too cheaply, Rush and Ince were having little impact going forward and the decision making and team cohesion was just missing a beat somehow, quite frustratingly for all involved. On one occasion however, Gothard, looking a little fresher this week burst forward with one of his twisty dynamic runs, the defender desperatly brought him down right on the precipice of the penalty area. A free kick was awarded and Tom Wright stepped up. He struck his pacey curling shot beautifully only to see it spank the topside of the horizontal before bouncing up and over.
An average Goldhanger side were having more of the half chances and once or twice Boreham escaped unscathed when on another day they may have found themselves behind at the break and with it all to do.
Happily and somewhat fortunately.for the Clems, Gothard and West combined with the half way break looming large, to end the stalemate. Following a fine clearance upfield from GK Dale, who's distribution was impecible all day, West played a ball inside to 'Dicky' who ran straight for goal twisting and turning, keeping his head to go round the keeper and beat the two last ditch defenders on the line with a well directed finish to put the Clems ahead right on the stroke of half time.
It is always a good time to score and lifted the mood somewhat, but the team still knew what was coming and applied the earplugs pre-empting the hairdryer treatment from the passionate gaffer during the interval.
The second half started in much the same way although there were one or two signs that Boreham were starting to get over the slight colour clash and managing to pass to a dark orange Clems shirt rather than the hideous amber of their opponents. Rush, as bullish as ever in the tackle was unfortunately the victim of a late challenge when he was caught on the toe ten minutes into the second period. Joughin replaced him and took a place over on the left with the lively looking West moving inside to his favoured centre forward position.
Gothard provided the highlight of the morning on 65 minutes when he picked the ball up just inside his own half. He ran majestically at goal weaving his way through the midfield before combining with West again, playing a quick sharp one-two at close quarters on the edge of the opposition area, Dicky drove into the box, opened his body up and struck a scintilating inch perfect curler in off the far post from eighteen yards. 2 nil and now Boreham could turn the screw on their inferior opposition for the last twenty minutes of the match.
Dale had one big moment in goal before his team killed the game off at the other end with a fine double save, first dealing well with a nasty bobbly bouncing shot, and then reacting like the farmers cat on a field mouse bravely diving onto the ball at the feet of the advancing forward to keep the score at 2-0.
Boreham then wrapped up the points with a peach of a driven cross from unanimous choice for MOM Gothard, to the far post where Brown was waiting to beat the defender to the ball and stab home from an acute angle despite a last ditch attempt to keep it out on the line by a now demoralised Goldhanger player who smashed it into the the roof of the net from behind the goal line.
Three nil it was and surley now six glorious looking points from six to start the season with.
One lapse with ten minutes to go did allow the visiters to get on the scoresheet, but it was little more than a consolation in the end for a well beaten Goldhanger side. Gosling replaced the replacement Joughin as Boreham saw out the final minutes without any more drama to win 3-1.
So now the Clems good early season form has taken them to the top of the premier division, but improvements will surely be needed next week for the trip to Pope & Smith League and Essex Premier Cup Champions, Priory Sports. The league's dominant force, and the best team in Essex last year, Priory will almost certainly be the toughest test this season, although they were held to a Desmond 2-2 last week at Dean Ingas leaving them trailing the Clems by 5 points with a game in hand at this early stage.
Obviously the league table means very little at this point but it certainly looks good to see Boreham up there at the very top of it all. A big test next week? Yes, but what an opportunity to take the biggest scalp in the Clems' short history and lay down a marker, announcing our arrival as the next force to be reconned with around here.
Until next week my beautiful Clementines.
