Nose stuff Pembroke
Football Premier Division
Brasenose......................3
Pembroke......................1
What a difference a year can make. Almost exactly twelve months before this Premier Division fixture between Brasenose and bottom of the table Pembroke the two sides met not for the first time at Brasenose Grounds but in the tier below, out of which both were eventually promoted. The result that day was 7-1 to Pembroke, and they went on to be champions while ‘Nose just about stole the last spot in the crucial top three.
Revenge was had in February, but Wednesday’s match was still fuelled by more than a little desire for revenge from Brasenose against the team that had so embarassed them well within the memory of most of the squad. Unsurprisingly both squads have struggled at this level, though it was the hosts who first found their feet with impressive wins over Magdalen and away at Jesus, collecting five goal hauls in each.
Pembroke, on the other hand, find themselves firmly planted at the foot of the table and have shown little sign of a turnaround. Both sides were looking for much needed points, but despite an otherwise uninspiring first half of play, it was again Brasenose who stormed back late in the match to claim a convincing 3-1 victory. The ball was skipping across the muddy turf from the offset, proving a nuisance at best in the early going for both squads.
Pembroke managed to trap Brasenose inside their last third on several occasions, but failed to produce any scoring chances. A series of dangerous corners could not be reached by the Pembroke blue, bouncing harmlessly across the goalmouth and out of harm’s way. Although their attack struggled to find chances, the Pembroke defence noticeably gained strength as the half progressed.
Their fullbacks continually surged upfield to frustrate the lethargic Brasenose forwards, leaving them little room to operate, much less shoot. Reward came in the 36th minute, Pembroke’s Adam Taylor finding himself on the receiving end of a series of brilliant passes deep in Brasenose territory, and he beat the keeper to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Pembroke continued their strong play in the second half, but as the ten-minute mark approached, it became clear that the Pembroke squad had very little gas left in the tank. The away side’s captain later lamented his team’s lack of ‘fitness,’ and the effects were certainly noticed. The otherwise dominant defensive line of the visitor’s backfield began to find themselves constantly chasing gold jerseys back towards their goal.
Brasenose came up empty on several clear chances before Tim Archer finally capitalized on a Richardson cross to even the score at one. Just moments later, it appeared Brasenose forward James Wilson had given the home team the one goal lead, only to see it disallowed on a tight offside call. It would be of no consequence in the end, however, as Pembroke were essentially deflated for the remainder of the match.
A long cross deep in to their territory in the 70th minute found Wilson, who would not be denied this time and headed in the second. An already anemic Pembroke attack became increasingly frustrated by their opposition’s indolence all over the field, and could not muster any attempt at a strike downfield. With minutes to go in the contest, the formidable James Wilson put the match away to double his tally on the day off a stellar dish by Oli Garthwaite.
Wilson tried to return the favour just seconds later, finessing a tremendous pass through to Garthwaite for a shot that trickled just past the left post. With the Pembroke players hanging their heads, Brasenose were offered chance after chance to score a fourth of the afternoon, only to be denied by a determined Pembroke keeper with several fantastic saves. Wilson found himself in perfect position for the hat-trick late in the contest but was stopped twice at point-blank range.
Brasenose’s James Wilson was man of the match according to Captain Simon Richardson, who was pleased with his team’s evolution from first half sloth to second half dynamism. Beyond the collapse of the Pembroke back-line, Richardson could not pinpoint any specific motivation for his squad, only to grin at the miraculous turnaround they performed.
Pembroke in the meantime look to have an almost impossible task to stay up this season, and will need to start picking up points soon or will be as good as relegated by Christmas.
17th Nov 2005