League

Herne Bay
Spectators: 8402 (Terracing: 6302, Seating: 1932, VIP seats: 168) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Brian Ellison kicked off to start the match. The audience was convinced that Orson Woodier's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Ray Duggan was relentless in the 3rd minute of the game. In the 7th minute, Orson Woodier got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Skadoosh !'s attentive Antony Ellison managed to snatch the ball when Keith Trotter made a throw-in in the 8th minute of the game. The crowd rose to their feet as Antony Ellison kicked a wonderful shot that went in to the left of a diving Esad Vidić. That made the score 1-0 in the 9 minute of play. When Pete Meadowcroft fell near the penalty area in the 12th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Birstall Bombers's protests and gave Pete Meadowcroft a yellow card for diving instead. If Orson Woodier had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 21st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Paulinho de Sena recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 23rd minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Ray Duggan took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Orson Woodier, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 28 minutes into the game, Brian Ellison was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Skadoosh !'s manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Birstall Bombers the free kick. A collision led to Skadoosh ! getting a freekick after 28 minutes play. Brian Ellison hit a great ball. Ray Duggan showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Orson Woodier in the 32nd minute of the match. Ray Duggan made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Orson Woodier in the 40th minute of play. Paulinho de Sena took the ball and in the 42 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Ray Duggan. Ray Duggan dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-1. After a rather tough play, Birstall Bombers's Stan Carr got a free kick in the 45th minute. After some fancy dribbling in the 46th minute, Blair Pallister managed to get in a good position for a shot. Skadoosh !'s supporters rose to their feet, but Blair Pallister was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Esad Vidić breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. If Paulinho de Sena had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 47th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. The first half was very even, with the score at 1-1 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Orson Woodier was the one to do the kick off. Basil Hardcastle hit a great freekick 51 minutes into the match. Esad Vidić took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Brian Ellison, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Stan Carr during the 55th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. After 55 played minutes Birstall Bombers got a freekick which was hit by Stan Carr. In the 67th minute Charles Beadle suffered a thigh injury and had to be helped off the field. A collision led to Birstall Bombers getting a freekick after 68 minutes play. Stan Carr hit a great ball. After 71 minutes, Blair Pallister mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Skadoosh ! and the Birstall Bombers players grew even worse after the yellow card. Blair Pallister hit a great freekick 71 minutes into the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Brian Ellison in the 75th minute of play forced Birstall Bombers's goalkeeper Esad Vidić to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ray Duggan showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Paulinho de Sena, who was totally free with the ball in the 77th minute. Keith Trotter kicked well hit freekick during the 79th minute of the match. Paulinho de Sena's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Ray Duggan read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 87th minute of play. Paulinho de Sena blasted a shot towards the goal in the 89th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Ray Duggan having to make a save. In the 91st minute Paulinho de Sena shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Ray Duggan saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Jon Husband fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 92nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Ray Duggan having to interfere. In the 97th minute, Brian Ellison made a precise shot to the right of Esad Vidić. Birstall Bombers's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-1. The home crowd let out a huge roar when the referee blew for the end of the game. Skadoosh ! were victorious despite being under pressure from Birstall Bombers for much of the match.