Time for Old Boys to Step A-Side
The Blues came into this friendly fixture looking, in the words of captain Arran Yentob, "to get into the habit of winning". This was achieved with room to spare, although they will be disappointed not to go on from a good first half display that saw them score twice and create numerous chances. Nevertheless, the most important thing was to build on Wednesday's performance, with Monday's crucial BUSA clash in Nottingham to come. But credit should go to the Old Boys, as they were highly competitive in the second half despite being considerably less fit, and should consider themselves unlucky not to come away without at least a goal to show for their efforts.
The early exchanges set the tone for the first half: territorially dominant blues play, marshalled authoritatively in central midfield by Akkaya and Battarbee, resulted in a number of early chances. It was a mistake by the visiting keeper that presented the first from a poor clearance, although he redeemed himself with a good save. The Blues were not long to be denied, however, and with ten minutes gone took the lead.
Akkaya spread the play down the right to the edge of the box, where Aylott's driven cross was met by Walpole. The keeper pulled off a good stop, but Lowe had a simple job of tucking in the rebound. The remainder of the half saw the Blues camped in the visitors' half and it was not long before the lead was doubled. Aylott picked off a wayward pass in the middle of the field and immediately fired a quick pass into the run of Walpole, who shrugged off a challenge before finishing coolly past the onrushing keeper. Indeed, the first action for Blues keeper Hill was in the 22nd minute, when he collected a firm drive from the edge of the area in the Old Boys' first meaningful excursion into Blues territory. This pattern was threatened, however, when the advancing Old Boys striker blocked Hill's clearance; but just as he seemed certain to score, he tumbled under Hill's desperate recovery. The referee waved away the pleas of the Old Boys and the Blues swiftly resumed their attacks. Walpole hit the bar after good play from Lowe and Aylott, while Elliot had a goal controversially adjudged offside.
It seemed that as the Old boys tired in the second half the game would be won at a canter, but the period after the break saw the visitors' best spell of the game. First a long ball picked out the Old Boys striker, who was forced wide by Hill as he rounded him, enabling the defence to get back and snuff out the chance, but moments later an inviting cross from the right saw a header blazed inches over, with Hill stranded.
The Blues had lost their initial momentum and the game developed into a far more even contest, perhaps as the Blues' minds turned to Monday. With Lowe and Attaya influential, however, the Blues always looked threatening, and in the dying minutes of the match a breakaway of four on three, as the Old Boys lack of fitness told, saw Lowe combining well with substitute Durnford to set up fellow substitute Armstrong for a simple finish.
It turned out to be, in Yentob's words, an "uninspiring win", with the warning that "standards will certainly have to be improved if we are to continue our unbeaten run into the New Year."
12th Feb 2004