Traveling away 2 days before Christmas with a much depleted squad was bad enough but manager Cheesman’s job was made a whole lot worse when Callum Vickery phoned him 1st thing to say he’d come down with a virus overnight. Cheese’ spent the whole journey to Stockwood shuffling and reshuffling his pack and was delighted when new boy Raphael Waugh declared himself fit to start and Mike Rowcliffe announced that he’d be able to get away from work in time to play all 2nd half
This game was never going to finish nil nil with chances being presented for both sides early on. Wrington Redhill started the brighter of the 2 teams and should have gone in front after 5 minutes when Jake Horton’s pinpoint cross was met at the far post by Raphael Waugh making a lively debut, but his header was off target. Soon afterwards Wanderers could have gone in front when hesitation in the visitors defence allowed Aiden Taynon to nip in but his effort was just wide. Jake Horton put the visitors 1 up after 20 minutes when the ball ran to him after goalkeeper Callum Frankum had parried Waugh’s fierce shot. Wanderers levelled after 34 minutes when some neat passing led to an opening for Tayton who crashed a shot past Matt Hill in goal for the visitors. A disputed penalty 4 minutes before the break saw Hill save Tayton’s spot kick only for Harry Donache to fire home the rebound to put the home team 1 up at the interval.
Seven minutes after the restart Stockwood were 3 -1 up when Jake Cox got on the end of a long pass from Frankum to round 2 defenders before slotting home past Hill. Wrington Redhill were back in the game soon after when an over-struck pass from Horton bobbled over the keepers foot as he tried to clear it and somehow trundled into the net. They then deservedly equalised 10 minutes from time when skipper Leigh White dinked the ball over the flat-footed Wanderers defence for Shaq O’Connor to rifle in from close range. Having got back from 3 – 1 down the travelling fans thought manager Cheeseman would shut up shop and be happy with a point until they heard him screaming ‘come on, keep pushing, we can win this’. Special thanks must go to Mark Brown for filling in at right back for his 1st full game of the season and to Paul Faulkner who did very well in his unfamiliar role at left back for the whole of the 2nd half. Special mention also for assistant manager Nick Faiers who’s been telling everyone for weeks ‘Raphael will be there on Saturday’. He was like a child on Christmas morning when he eventually turned up.
Team
Goalkeeper Matt Hill
Defence Mark Brown, Chris Holland, Chris Bradley, Umar Nyanzi
Midfield. Harry Quigley, Leigh White, Mike Faiers, Michak O’Connor
Strikers, Raphael Waugh, Jake Horton.
subs. Paul Faulkner (for Umar Nyanzi) Mike Rowcliffe (for Harry Quigley)
Bill Gough man of the match:- Leigh White