Halliwell fires Oriel home
A SPECTACULAR GOAL from Oriel's Glen Halliwell after just twelve seconds was the highlight of an impressive Oriel performance as they brushed aside a poor Wadham outfit in this Division 1 clash.
Halliwell caused havoc in the home side's defence as his skillful ball control and good movement allowed him to test the Wadham keeper, Kiran Stacey, all too often.
An excellent kick-off pass caught the Wadham defence napping, allowing Halliwell a punt from 25 yards. The resulting shot was more in hope than expectation, but, with perfect connection, the effort slammed into the top corner of Stacey's goal.
Halliwell's jubilation spurred the away team on and their delight was doubled just three minutes later when Rhodri Mugford rose above a crowded penalty area to head home.
Understandably shocked, Wadham nonetheless composed themselves and tried to battle their way back into the game. But a bumpy pitch and a biting wind running in Oriel's favour stunted their efforts.
Meanwhile, Oriel continued to exert pressure, and after a brief midfield battle, the game was effectively over when Dan Freyhan pounced from close range on the half hour.
Although not a top division clash, the vision and creativity in the middle third by both teams was creditable and helped to overcome problems with passing in the changeable weather.
Up front, Wadham offered little, but stalwart defending from Matt Wilson helped to check Oriel's attack.
A fourth Oriel goal seemed to be on the cards just before the interval as Nick Davies pounced upon a weak clearance to slam the ball past Stacey from 15 yards. However, the effort was ruled out for the rarely penalised offence of "distracting an opposing player".
Davies' good passing and fleeting runs down the flank featured prominently and it was a shame that he was unable to lay credit to a goal for his hard work.
With Wadham benefitting from the wind in the second period, the game became more even. An early corner fell to Jamie Gruffydd-Jones, who hit the bar on the half-volley from twelve yards.
However, Oriel counter-attacked sharply as a cross from Davies flashed across the Wadham goal - Halliwell just failing to make the connection. Play became concentrated down the flanks as the home side were forced into a low defensive line.
To their credit, Wadham continued to close down Oriel in the midfield and were almost rewarded for their efforts on 73 minutes when a hopeful shot narrowly missed the far post.
Wadham's persistence allowed some watchable football to develop but just a minute later, substitute Patrick Le-Bas completed the scoring with a tap in following Halliwell's drive.
WadhamCaptain Andrew Geake was able to express his delight about a "great performance and a very good clean sheet" that bodes well for the Hilary term campaign.
20th Jan 2005