DEA Bedford Masters 2

by: Steve Morgan
 
Far from simply just having a toot on my trumpet, I'm really quite tempted to bring along a thirty-eight piece brass ensemble this week - although even I have to admit I didn't really do much other than score a couple of totally ace goals. Won't stop me milking it though.
 
Serves you right for letting me do the write-ups.
 
Anyway.........
 
It didn't seem particularly lucky at the time, but I'm sure we're all glad we didn't end up playing in the slushy mess that threw itself at Bedford on Sunday afternoon. It was still more than a bit parky out though and the looming battleship grey clouds reminded at least one of us of the autumnal delights of dear old Blighty.
 
The game was a mostly even affair from the start and North Reading were obviously well organised, with a couple of controlling midfielders who perhaps lacked raw speed (Hello! This is an over forty league!), but who certainly more than made up for it with ball control, vision and distribution. Reading's goalkeeper was a towering colossus whose confident handling removed most of Bedford's early corner threats with claims extending even beyond the six yard box. Is he allowed to do that?!
 
However, if the vistors did have a weakness, it appeared to be down the flanks and, after a few ultimately unsuccessful forays, the ball fell to John Speaker on the right edge of the penalty area and he whipped a hard, low and flat cross into the six yard box to the near post. Steve Morgan's diving header was instinctive, but he took the gamble that he could beat any unseen sweeper's foot to the ball and was able to drill the ball low into the corner of the net. If there was any active thinking going on, it might have been along the lines of, "Well, I can't see out of the damn thing anyway, so if I get a kick in the left eye, what's the downside?" He's totally ace, that Steve Morgan.
 
Sportsman's Field has never been considered a potential surface for PGA tour events and, within five minutes of the first goal, a long Reading clearance was allowed to bounce just to the left about six yards out from the home team's penalty area. The uneven bounce deflected the ball up to Joe Parrinello's hand and it seemed a harsh decision by the referee to award a direct freekick.
 
Stand-in 'keeper Dave Crespo did everything right in terms of both his and the defensive wall's positioning, but Reading's stand-out midfield player swerved the ball with the outside of his right foot around the wall off the top of the far post into the top corner of the goal. Nothing much you can do in those situations but applaud the skill involved. Oh, and maybe sulk.
 
The rest of the first half was mostly in Reading's half of midfield, but there were no clearcut chances for either side.
 
The second half also began as a mostly midfield affair, but there were a couple of nice long range efforts from Scott Vaughan and Jimmy McCall that might well have beaten lesser opposition.
 
Bedford's defence of Joe, John, Mitch and Sean did a great job of keeping the ball away from Dave's goal, but after an hour they were forced into conceding a second free kick in a broadly similar position to that of Reading's first strike.
 
This time, the kick was taken by a different player with the inside of their right foot towards the near post, where it fortunately pinged back out after hitting the join of the crossbar and upright.
 
Sometimes the woodwork is your friend, but this didn't prove to be the case with about ten minutes remaining. Whilst Mitch was involved in a curious WWF tussle on the right side of the field (did you at least get his number, Mitch?!), John Morrim's attempted clearance unfortunately ricocheted back off a second defender into the path of a Reading forward. Dave Crespo advanced and covered the near side, but the ball struck the base of the post only to rebound off Dave's back and squirm into the open net. 2-1 to Reading: Hell and buggerations - we need a hero!
 
It seemed as if the game was going to slip away, but Bedford reverted to playing to the flanks, with the right side seeming to be the most promising. The Reading left fullback in particular was being, how shall we put it, a little industrial in his challenges and a clumsy lunge on Bassem gave Bedford a freekick at virtually the same location as Reading's first goal. Jim McCall's direct effort was tipped over the bar, but danger was still present from the remnants of the ensuing corner. With the ball on the left side, Jimmy backheaded a nearpost cross on into the six yard box. For once, the Reading goalkeeper did not come out immediately and unmarked Steve Morgan used his right foot to flick the ball out of the air into the goal with the defence looking at each other to assign blame. Have I mentioned Steve Morgan is ace yet?
 
Before the restart, Bassem managed to talk himself into a yellow with some choice celebratory remarks to Reading's left back (made me laugh, anyway!) and, although Jimmy mcCall did have one final attempt on goal blocked from a tight angle, the game played out with the honours shared.
 
So, in conclusion, Steve Morgan is flipping ace. And he will continue to be so until someone else writes a match report, eh?!