Colchester United FCACP Elite, Match Reports
ACP Elite (Thurstable) Vs Sir George Monoux
September 23rd 2009
The game started with high anticipation of a classic cup thriller with both teams up to the task of the opposition. Thurstable were the quickest out of the blocks with some free flowing passing movements down the flanks and through the middle using the two centre mids, Ben Houlding and Lee Monk.
Thurstable continued to threaten the goal with the two strikers Billy Wales and Tom Holdstock nearly latching on to some through balls played from midfield and even the defence. The closest any player came to a goal was from a clever free kick as Lee Monk cleverly footed the defensive wall and played the ball to Danny Johnson who saw his shot dip just over the bar.
As the half drew on Monoux gradually began to settle into their game showing some quick feet and signs of confidence as their passing began to find feet, however did not test Ben Elmer for the entire first half.
The second half began in contrast to the first as Monoux showed more signs of desire to win as they were first to react to every stray pass and won every 50/50 challenge. Despite some trickery from the opposition, Ben Elmer and some solid defending from the back four, particularly from Stuart Little and Danny Johnson, managed to hold off the oncoming pressure for most of the second half. However the deadlock was broken as Monoux managed to beat the offside trap with the goal scorer rounding the keeper before slotting the ball into the empty net. This seemed to be the kick that Thurstable needed as they started to show the promising signs first witnessed in the first half, as the free flowing passes became apparent again with the game opening up more and more allowing plenty of space. Monoux still threatened to grab another goal if not for some excellent tackling from Tom Clark and brilliant last ditch tackles from Lee Monk.
The equaliser finally came as Ben Houlding caught the defence by surprise as he burst through and played Tom Holdstock a through ball down the side of the 18 yard box, where he slid the ball into the feet of Billy Wales who finished the ball expertly. Cue the comeback.
With ever growing self belief and confidence, Thurstable continued to press on for that goal that would surely by the winner. However the party was almost spoilt as Monoux took advantage of some sloppy defending before beating the keeper which would have won the game if not for a goal line clearance by Zach Surguy.
The winning goal came from clever through ball which allowed the Thurstable attach to match the Monoux defence for numbers before Billy Wales cheeky lob over the keeper rounded off the counter attack. A tense finish was always on the cards as the Monoux frustration highlighted by sending off, effectively killing the game off, as Thurstable held out string and advancing into the next round.
Final Score: Thurstable 2 – Sir George Monoux 1
Match report by Zach Surguy.
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