Awesome Archibald Sinks Hapless Holcombe

After a disappointing loss at Folkestone the previous weekend, the 2s were determined not to let poor finishing deprive them of 3 points for a second week running, and as it would transpire, they were not left wanting. 2nd XI debuts were handed to Rikesh Patel and Dominic Lester, whilst newcomer Marley Jones saw his first outing for Blackheath.

Blackheath started the game well and with the back four transferring confidently and South African Tanner Bottomley marshalling the midfield, they soon found themselves in front. A typical pacy run from veteran Richard Archibald found Jake Lamplough 5 yards from goal, he in turn squared the ball to Captain Prem Marwaha who slotted into an open goal. This was no less than Blackheath deserved, and their high press forced Holcombe into a long-ball game which was deal with well by centre-backs Irvine Turner and Rikesh Patel. Further forward, Andrew Slack and Rob Henderson provided great attacking threat from midfield and a number of times their crosses into the D whistled past the post, begging for a tap-in. Some delightful skill from Archie won the first short corner of the game; James Clarke stepped up, but his effort was deflected wide. Soon though, the Holcombe defence was to be breached again. Lamplough showed great skill to link up with Marwaha, who beat one defender and lifted the ball over the on-rushing keeper to Archie, who calmly fired past the defender on the line. The half time whistle sounded shortly after, and the 2s were looking dangerous.

The message at the break was entirely positive. The pace of the youngsters in the team was beginning to take it's toll on a more mature Holcombe side, and Blackheath knew they would be able to capitalise as the game wore on.

With the experienced Nathan Bullens organising the defence from in goal, Henry Baines and James Clarke were able to attack from full back and press Holcombe further back into their half in the opening exchanges of the second period. This allowed Bottomley, Chris Fowler and Joe Allen to pick the ball up in high positions and led to a golden opportunity for the young South African. Picking the ball up on the edge of the D, Bottomley beat a player and found himself with 5 yards of space, but could only fire over the bar with the goal at his mercy. This was not to prove costly however, as less than 5 minutes later Archie essentially put the game to bed, latching on to a cross to make it 3-0. A period of scrappy play followed from Blackheath, but Marley Jones' tenacious work in the middle of the park left Holcombe with little time to dwell on the ball. His reward for his hard work was a broken stick, as he was clattered into mid-swing just outside the D. At this point the weariness of Holcombe really started to show, and the brilliant Dom Lester found himself in space on the left again and again. Following a rare Holcombe attack, Baines played the pass-of-the-game to tireless forward Chris Fowler, who somehow let the ball slip under his stick with only the keeper to beat. There were yet more chances for Blackheath late on as Fowler's blistering reverse-stick effort hit the side board and Joe Allen hit the post from a tight angle, before Archie sealed the victory with his hat-trick goal. Lamplough was again involved, firing a pin-point pass to the far post for the veteran forward to wrong foot the keeper with a clever finish. 4-0 and with 1 minute left on the clock, Blackheath looked as though they were heading for their first clean sheet of the season. However, after a cheap turn-over in midfield a Holcombe forward went on a mazy run before slotting past Bullens. A small blemish on an otherwise excellent display, but the 2s were ecstatic at the final whistle.

Final Score: Blackheath 2nd XI 4-1 Holcombe 4th XI

MOTM:
James Clarke - Solid in defence and midfield throughout

DOTD: (Joint)
Chris Fowler - for missing the ball whilst one-on-one
Henry Baines - for smashing his phone screen in the changing rooms before the game