Gloucester B 1-1 Wycombe by Hugh Jeffert
Gloucester’s B Squad took to the field in the quarter finals of the Shires Cup for the first time and seemed quite determined to create further history.
It was the visitors though that started the stronger, putting the Bs under pressure from the start. Wycombe seemed to camp themselves in the Gloucester half, but real efforts on goal were at a premium. It was Gloucester however who scraped out the first real chance, Sutherland picking up the ball following a clearance and running at the Wycombe defence, playing a neat through ball to Weatherley leaving him one-on-one, but his effort was tipped round the near post for a corner.
Wycombe responded well and came close when a throw-in from the left wasn't dealt with in the Gloucester box. Wright was waiting to shin the ball past Balkwill, but thankfully the hosts were saved by the post and the ball was cleared to safety.
Both teams soon failed to take further chances, with Wycombe having two shots from Baldwin each saved by Balkwill in similar fashion and the partnership of Sutherland and Weatherley combining again to give the latter two more one-on-ones. One saw the ball bobbling and hit wide and the other saw the keeper make himself big and stave off the effort for a corner. A miss that wouldn't be repeated again.
Straight from the second half kick off, Gloucester passed the ball backwards to the defence, through to the midfield and over to the left hand side. Sutherland picked up the ball and chipped through to Weatherley, the captain calmly slotting beyond the approaching keeper to give the Yellows the lead.
Again, Wycombe piled on the pressure, producing one of the saves of the season by Balkwill. A corner from Wycombe was eventually cleared by Mason, but the ball rolled out to Jones who smashed a shot from 25 yards that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. Balkwill, out of nowhere, leapt up and saved with his fingertips to push the ball just over the bar. This was quickly followed up with another near post save after yet another long throw caused the Gloucester team concerns.
Wycombe's pressure finally paid off when a corner was floated into the box and allowed to bounce around the area, Wright managing to toe poke the ball over the line to bring the score level.
Wycombe finished the game with a number of dangerous corners being placed into the Gloucester box, where most of the pressure was sucked up and dealt with by some stalwart defending. In the closing minutes the visitors went close once more, but Smith’s header was just too high.
Extra time produced very little in terms of goal action except for Sutherland who found himself running towards the Wycombe goalkeeper but dragged his shot just wide of the far post. This miss meant that nothing could separate the two teams (which I think was a fair representation of the game) and the tie would have to be resolved via penalties.
The kicking coach’s confidence was soon shaken after asking, "Before I nominate players, who is confident of taking a penalty?" to which, only Sutherland put his hand up. However, Collins, Pinkney, Knight and Weatherley sheepishly put themselves forwards and this is how it went:
1st Pens: Wycombe: GOAL - Gloucester: An 'unconfident' Collins smashes the ball into the top corner; 1-1.
2nd Pens: Wycombe: Balkwill saves down the middle - Gloucester: Knight brilliantly sends the keeper the wrong way; 1-2.
3rd Pens: Wycombe: GOAL - Gloucester: Pinkey calmly slots it to the right; 2-3.
4th Pens; Wycombe: Balkwill saves down to his left - Gloucester: Weatherley gives the keeper no chance to emphatically win 2-4 on penalties.
I have said throughout the year that if you continue to battle, you give yourself a chance. In this game, although the football wasn't always pretty, Gloucester continued to battle until the end. An unwell goalkeeper in Balkwill did not allow himself to be hindered and was pivotal in providing the win. As always, the defence of Sallis, Pinkney and Elliott was superb, led by Collins who read the game as easily as picking up an ABC book again. Knight and Williams put in a shift in the middle making sure they got in the way to break down many potential threats and Mason and Butcher worked tirelessly running back and forth to provide support for both defence and attack. It was again the somewhat fruitful partnership of Weatherley and Sutherland that carved the Wycombe defence open to create the much needed efforts at goal. That blend of grit, determination, skill and vision is what makes this team a pleasure to be a part of.
I personally would also like to thank the parents and family members who helped out on what was a very short-staffed morning. Not only did we have great support throughout the game, we had quite a number of volunteers asking to help, while having the stadium put away even before I came back out of the changing room with the boys was incredibly helpful too. Finally, with Fin Elliott not looking in trouble as linesman and Jo Knight as the glamorous assistant at the programme stand, I can't thank everyone enough.
It was the visitors though that started the stronger, putting the Bs under pressure from the start. Wycombe seemed to camp themselves in the Gloucester half, but real efforts on goal were at a premium. It was Gloucester however who scraped out the first real chance, Sutherland picking up the ball following a clearance and running at the Wycombe defence, playing a neat through ball to Weatherley leaving him one-on-one, but his effort was tipped round the near post for a corner.
Wycombe responded well and came close when a throw-in from the left wasn't dealt with in the Gloucester box. Wright was waiting to shin the ball past Balkwill, but thankfully the hosts were saved by the post and the ball was cleared to safety.
Both teams soon failed to take further chances, with Wycombe having two shots from Baldwin each saved by Balkwill in similar fashion and the partnership of Sutherland and Weatherley combining again to give the latter two more one-on-ones. One saw the ball bobbling and hit wide and the other saw the keeper make himself big and stave off the effort for a corner. A miss that wouldn't be repeated again.
Straight from the second half kick off, Gloucester passed the ball backwards to the defence, through to the midfield and over to the left hand side. Sutherland picked up the ball and chipped through to Weatherley, the captain calmly slotting beyond the approaching keeper to give the Yellows the lead.
Again, Wycombe piled on the pressure, producing one of the saves of the season by Balkwill. A corner from Wycombe was eventually cleared by Mason, but the ball rolled out to Jones who smashed a shot from 25 yards that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. Balkwill, out of nowhere, leapt up and saved with his fingertips to push the ball just over the bar. This was quickly followed up with another near post save after yet another long throw caused the Gloucester team concerns.
Wycombe's pressure finally paid off when a corner was floated into the box and allowed to bounce around the area, Wright managing to toe poke the ball over the line to bring the score level.
Wycombe finished the game with a number of dangerous corners being placed into the Gloucester box, where most of the pressure was sucked up and dealt with by some stalwart defending. In the closing minutes the visitors went close once more, but Smith’s header was just too high.
Extra time produced very little in terms of goal action except for Sutherland who found himself running towards the Wycombe goalkeeper but dragged his shot just wide of the far post. This miss meant that nothing could separate the two teams (which I think was a fair representation of the game) and the tie would have to be resolved via penalties.
The kicking coach’s confidence was soon shaken after asking, "Before I nominate players, who is confident of taking a penalty?" to which, only Sutherland put his hand up. However, Collins, Pinkney, Knight and Weatherley sheepishly put themselves forwards and this is how it went:
1st Pens: Wycombe: GOAL - Gloucester: An 'unconfident' Collins smashes the ball into the top corner; 1-1.
2nd Pens: Wycombe: Balkwill saves down the middle - Gloucester: Knight brilliantly sends the keeper the wrong way; 1-2.
3rd Pens: Wycombe: GOAL - Gloucester: Pinkey calmly slots it to the right; 2-3.
4th Pens; Wycombe: Balkwill saves down to his left - Gloucester: Weatherley gives the keeper no chance to emphatically win 2-4 on penalties.
I have said throughout the year that if you continue to battle, you give yourself a chance. In this game, although the football wasn't always pretty, Gloucester continued to battle until the end. An unwell goalkeeper in Balkwill did not allow himself to be hindered and was pivotal in providing the win. As always, the defence of Sallis, Pinkney and Elliott was superb, led by Collins who read the game as easily as picking up an ABC book again. Knight and Williams put in a shift in the middle making sure they got in the way to break down many potential threats and Mason and Butcher worked tirelessly running back and forth to provide support for both defence and attack. It was again the somewhat fruitful partnership of Weatherley and Sutherland that carved the Wycombe defence open to create the much needed efforts at goal. That blend of grit, determination, skill and vision is what makes this team a pleasure to be a part of.
I personally would also like to thank the parents and family members who helped out on what was a very short-staffed morning. Not only did we have great support throughout the game, we had quite a number of volunteers asking to help, while having the stadium put away even before I came back out of the changing room with the boys was incredibly helpful too. Finally, with Fin Elliott not looking in trouble as linesman and Jo Knight as the glamorous assistant at the programme stand, I can't thank everyone enough.
