KINGS AFC 2 - 6 PUTNOE UNITED

Saturday 2nd September 2006

Line-up: Brodier, Fordham, Loosemore, Wilson, Crane (Richardson), Farmer, Paul Hatton (c), Evans, Tomlin (Barber), Dwight (Ali), Morgan

Half time score: 1-1

Goalscorers: Evans (2)

Booked: None

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Kings AFC headed into this fixture after a perfect start to their maiden season, having dispatched Sandy A and Marsh Leys by heavy scorelines. Confidence was high in the camp after those convincing victories but the squad was depleted by injury, suspension, and the worrying trend of clubs sniffing around their big names.

The game saw yet another different man between the sticks in the name of Daniel Brodier who is also known as a handy outfield player. The defence remained strong with Fordham on the right, Wilson and Crane in the centre and Mark Loosemore in for his debut at left back. Dan Dwight started on the right hand side of midfield with Tomlin on the left and James Farmer was accompanied in the centre by the surprise inclusion of influential captain Paul Hatton who was expected to be missing from today’s fixture. Richie Evans reverted to a familiar role, ploughing a lone furrow up front with Morgan tucked in behind.

The weather was expected to play a big part in proceedings with the gales gradually picking up to near hurricane levels but with the wind behind Kings in the first half they started more confidently than their counterparts. Chances were few and far between in the opening encounters with the incident of most note being the brutal studding of Wilson in the back after he had rolled over in a heap making a last ditch challenge on the Putnoe forward who was gradually becoming more and more ‘hungry’. It was clear that this was to be a far more physical contest than the previous two fixtures.

It was not long before we saw Loosemore make a crunching tackle on a Putnoe forward who was one on one with the keeper and a dead cert to score. It was typical Loosemore and something the fans will be looking forward to seeing on a more regular basis this season. Loosemore has returned to Bedford looking in good shape having being running marathon lengths during the summer months. He also seems to have somehow increased his muscle mass and indeed appeared as though he was going to burst out of his Kings jersey. At one point a fan ran away thinking the young left back was the incredible hulk.

Twenty minutes into the game saw a mix up in the Putnoe defence and the dangerous Evans took full advantage, showing great pace bursting through two defenders to prod the ball over the keeper who was in no-mans-land. The ball appeared to take a few deflections on its way into the empty net but nobody will begrudge a first of the campaign for Evans.

There were few more incidents of note in the first half. Farmer was distributing the ball well in the centre of midfield and always seemed calm and collected on the ball. Evans was looking sharp up front but ultimately lacked adequate supply to make more of an impact but the defence looked shaky, having to deal with awkward high balls swirling around in the strong winds, and credit must go to the Putnoe midfield and attack for their aggressive, skilful play. Hatton was his usual self, battling the midfield areas and foraging forward when the opportunity presented itself. He was lucky to escape serious injury when challenging for a 50-50 ball which saw his ankle shake to its core but in typical Hatton fashion got up and carried on when obviously in pain. Another vicious tackle, this time on Morgan, saw the referee warn the Putnoe boys about their behaviour but it did little to quell their enthusiasm for a battle.

A further injury took place in a high challenge on Crane who had a nasty clash of heads, but also damaged his right thigh, an injury which was later going to see him have to leave the field.

The boys of Putnoe were gradually growing in confidence and creating a few chances against the wind. It was a few minutes before the half time mark when the starved Putnoe forward took advantage of indecisiveness in the Kings back line only to be thwarted by the on-rushing Brodier who bravely saved at the feet of the forward who callously put the boot in and gave the poor keeper a bloody nose. With Brodier laid out the ball was tapped into an empty net from the edge of the area for the equaliser. It was a blow for the Kings’ boys who had held onto their lead reasonably comfortably for much of the half. Brodier was bloodied from battle with stud marks not only on his face but deep into his left thigh but nevertheless continued courageously.

At half time manager Wilson proceeded to speak about the need for a greater commitment to the cause. He made no changes and the second half was to be the worst half of football in Kings AFC’s short history.

The wind had picked up during the half time break and this inevitably had a massive influence on the second half performance by the Kings boys. The midfield battle was being lost and the ball was rarely out of the Kings half for the first 25 minutes. With the ball travelling all over the shop the Kings defence was all at sea and conceded two early and soft goals, the ball was continually being pumped into the area. Brodier continued to make some fine saves but was fighting a losing battle as the game was slipping away and a result sailing further into the abyss.

Two more goals followed that were well taken and there was little that could be done given the failing conditions and the quality of the opposition. Kings were 5-1 down and a beaten team. With Putnoe well and truly in control of the contest their football was good and they were clearly the better team. A sixth quickly followed and was not much different from the previous five – a combination of terrible conditions, poor defending and good finishing. The goal was to be the last of the goals for Putnoe.

With the game into its final stages Kings staged what was to be a mini fight back. Richie Evans scrambled home a ball that was that was been handled like a hot potato in the penalty area for 6-2. With manager Wilson now in midfield the side had more energy and created some late chances that should have been taken to make the score more respectable. Morgan came close following good work down the left flank and one last scramble in the penalty area following a corner eventually led to the ball been cleared to safety.

The final whistle blew and the Kings players walked of in a state of shock that the season could get off to such an inconsistent start.

An improvement must be made and the perfect place to start will be next Saturday’s fixture against Blue Chip FC. The game will be of importance to a number of Kings’ players and it will surely prove to be an emotional day for all.

Kings AFC Press Team

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