Cheam Mens 3rd XI 2006/7

Match report by Rich

Report: Cheam dreams were realised today, on a clincher of a final day in League 8! Cheam thirds, who - like their opposition - only joined the league this season, found themselves only 2 points ahead of their second place rivals at the push-back and needing to avoid defeat to take the championship.
Cheam started promisingly, passing the ball around well and having some chances that were either brilliantly saved by their goalie, or went just wide. Unfortunately, Sanderstead took the lead with a shock goal from a quickly taken free hit outside our D, which stung the sole of Krish's feet before sliding into the goal.

Cheam fought back and finally made the equaliser, with some good work on the right by Craig and the perfect cross to be slapped in by Matt. Relieved to be on equal terms with the oppo at half-time, Cheam continued their great play in the second half, while Sanderstead produced very little and tended to shoot wide.
All nerves were calmed when Cheam finally took the lead with a bye-line goal from Rich, lifted between goalie and inside post from a ridiculous angle.

There was no coming back for Sanderstead, and the champagne (well, something fizzy anyway) was soon flowing in the Club House. Well done guys on a great team effort all season. Bring on League 7!

Match report by David Heller

Report: With the pressure on, needing to keep on winning, the 3s are really coming up with the goods. This was an excellent performance against a tough and resilient Sanderstead team who have lots of experience in the next league up. Cheam were out of the blocks quickly, already 1 up thanks to an Angus effort before Massood even arrived! The goal followed a mazy dribble around several players by Angus before tucking the ball away. Craig's shot with the ball already moving at pace brought smiles to the Cheam faces and a healthy 2-0 scoreline. Sanderstead got one back and Cheam were suddenly under some pressure for the first time but the defence kept Krish really well protected so there weren't too many scares. The Rock lived up to his name too, sitting in front of the back line as extra protection but also setting off attacks. The main problem for Cheam was trying to go too long but when the forward line dropped back to a more reachable distance! , suddenly the whole team was together again and ripped Sanderstead apart. Firstly Angus knocked in his second of the day. Donkey produced an excellent save from the keeper while Simon saw a couple of chances to run through the defence, only to be up-ended by the keeper both times. The second occassion had the visitors for the next match screaming for a flick as the keeper was so late in the tackle. But Simon got his revenge, going round the full back to the line and pulling back an excellent cross for The Rock to score Cheam's final goal. With Sanderstead 5s winning too the title decider is on. Cheam must avoid defeat to win the league so be there - 1pm Saturday 24th March to cheer the boys on.

Match report by David Heller

Report: The 3s had a reputation for hating grass but went into this rain affected match with 2 draws and a big win in their favour on the surface this season. Then two of our youngsters chose this game to come-of-age on grass and we welcomed back Massood - net result, another really good win. Simon and Julio terrorised Kenley all afternoon and the score could have been much bigger with a little luck. Not that Krish could doze off in the first half but he coped comfortably with anything that Kenley threw at him. The Cheam opener came when everyone missed a diagonal ball across the D except Donkey who finished well. Another clinical piece of finishing by Donkey took Cheam in at the break two up. By now the right wing tearaways were running riot and the second half saw Kenley desperately try and shore up that side, leaving Neil with some space to run at them down the left. The Rock smacked in the third from the edge of the D before Simon diverted! in the fourth from a short corner. Kenley's grass was in very good shape considering the rain but some of the Kenley nerves were a little frayed by the end and there was a green card in each half for them, including their keeper, apprantley for 'sarcasm'! The next three games are likely to be the hardest of the season and the 3s go into them 2 points ahead of Sanderstead 5s

Match report by David Heller

Report: Oh dear! In fairness the last couple of weeks had not been all that impressive but this was as bad a performance as the 3rds could muster. Frankly, I don't remember all that much of the detail and that's probably a good thing. Cheam were fortunate on at least 2 occassions not to have flicks awarded against a foot on the line, the first because of an earlier infringement and the second because.......... no idea! Reigate were an entirely different side to the one we'd played earlier in the season and they made Cheam pay all afternoon, even though the most dramatic moment came when Tom missed the ball. David came in behind him to clear up the danger but Tom had other ideas, took an almighty swing to clear the ball and connect soundly with David's head on the follow through. Shouting and blood followed but Pat applied his medical skills to patch up the wounded old man. The rest is a blur.

Donkey of the Day: No official vote for Donkey of the Day. Should really be shared between Tom for injuring his own player and David (who took homself off to the hospital he works at for 9 stitches) who should have known better than to get that close. On the basis that it was probably the quickest David had moved all season my nominee (not that I'm biased) is Tom!

Match report by Rich

Report: This forgetable match, had more in common with a day in the trenches than a hockey match, being played on a field which wouldn't have looked out of place at the Somme in 1916 and with both teams not really going anywhere! Problems were exacerbated for Cheam by the difficulty in pulling together a coherent team and then, rather like a group of Pals turning up to the front line for the first time, discovering themselves to be ill-prepared for trench warfare with their astro shoes on.

Anyway, battle commenced, much mud was overturned, people ended up toes over t*ts, the enemy kept slugging the ball up to our end after every attack so we had to retreat and regroup before the next offensive, and eventually the whistle blew for unconditional surrender. As one member of the oppo was heard to say, "Grass is a great leveler". Well, yes.

Cheam did have a smattering of chances: Angus firing narrowly wide with a Howitzer shell; Rich weaving through the barbed wire, only to fire a dud with his final shot with only the onrushing goalie to beat; a few short corners that are best forgotten. However, Croydon did have their chances too, also firing wide and generally being kind to Krish in goal. The final result was probably fair, but not good enough for Cheam as they let their lead slip to 3 points at the top of the division. With six games left, there is bound to be a backlash against the next oppo, as Cheam seek to bury the last two deadlocks and return to winning ways. Beware Reigate! You have been warned.

Match report by Julio

Report: Cold, yet sunny. these were the conditions in which cheam had to face our bogie team. Horley 2s. Earlier in the season we travelled to their home ground to face them on grass. A frustrating draw came out of this fixture.

On home soil, we thought we had the advantage, as we were top of the league and playing on astro, so more predictable conditions. the game started brightly, with an attack on goal ending in craig netting a great goal. However, the team lacked some of the regular starters, with Angus, Masood, Coxy and Aj out for this match and we missed them all greatly. Due to this and a lack of support from the midfield, Horley got a goal back before half time.

In the second half, there were a few promising attacks and short corners, but without our regular center forward, we could not find the back of the net. A great job from sparky to keep the scores level, as they had many attacks near to full time, and showing us his amaizing goal keeping skills, he kept them all out.

Thank you to Athers for umpiring and I think that we all hope to see a better performance next week.

Match report by Angus

Report: We started with a player down as Cheam men 2nds (who where playing opposite) nicked one we had to let the opposition provide 2 umpires, no problem as we raced off to a three goal lead within minutes. A short corner hit to Angus who took it past one player before striking through the keepers legs, the second came soon after from another short corner, another strike to corner was deflected to Rich at such a tight angle but he still managed to get a hit off smashing to far left corner. The 3rd goal came from Angus who received the ball near the top of the D to score with a placed hit to the bottom left. However with the only attack of the game Woking scored with a one-on-one with the keeper the attacker slotted calmly, yet Cheam came back in the shape of Gillo who ran non stop through the game and was rewarded with a goal in each half. Julio added to the tally capitalising on a defending error scoring one of the easiest goals of his long career.

The trouble broke out in the 2nd half with Angus making a tackle on a Woking defender only to find his stick had been caught in the defenders sock, a tangle ensued with the defender on the floor who quickly got up to confront a chuckling Angus, two shoves later and Julio diving in to help Angus, the defender ended with a Yellow card and the umpire compromised with a Green to Angus. Angus then responded through actions scoring the last goal from another great Rich cross deflecting the ball in. Overall the score difference could have been much larger but a good team effort for morale and goal difference.

Muppet of the Day: Sparky for not touching the ball throughout the game, not even from the back of the net after the goal. Nice!

Match report by Alex

Report: Another week, another win. This time against a side who beat us 3-0 in the away game. Early Cheam dominance proved fruitless, as did a plethora of short corners, and as the first half wore on, we became frustrated, and allowed the pressure to build. The Cheam defence is no stranger to pressure, and succeeded in limiting the W&W chances to a mere few. Half-time was again the catalyst, and like so often in recent weeks, we took control of the game in the second half. Relentless pressure on the oppo's D eventually saw Simon convert at the far post. Now, with a lead to defend, we applied ourselves just as Liverpool had done earlier in the day (sorry Tom) and did not let our attacking relent. Eventually, the desperate goal line defending by the oppo saw them concede a penalty stroke, and after the kind of delay that would make an English footballer bottle it, Julio tucked it away in the corner like a German! 2-0. Game over. The game does have an epilogue: Sanderstead 5s again failed to win, and now we have a three point gap at the top!

Match report by Angus

Report: First league game after christmas, we beat this team before on home ground and we were hoping for the same result. On a wet and windy day the attacks weren't going anywere quick. the action picked up when we got our first short corner of the match, with the ball coming to Angus, the ball was struck sweetly but managed to hit the defenders stick (who was standing on the post) out of his hands. Fustrated we carried on attacking, and were soon rewarded, Angus collected the ball just inside the attacking D, with the defender standing off him he managed to turn and strike hit the back board. However soon after with our defence still celebrating it seemed they managed to get one back. But then we came back, another sweet shot from Angus heading for the top corner before the keeper blocked landed nicely for simon to sweep home his 3 goal of the season. once again the 2nd half resulted in no goals though we came close, better finishing is needed and ! stamina!

Match report by Angus

Report: Another team a league above us but we didn't show any respect, we beat them like we beat alot of other teams. Julio scored on the end of a great run by gary on the left, sweeping the ball acoss the D julio got on the end lifting the ball in the top corner. They scored soon after, second half we all came out attacking but to no avail. The last short corner of the match the ball was pushed out, Angus let Tom to take the hit who smashed it into the bottom left corner, a great goal after a brilliant performance from the little man!

Match report by Rich

Report: Cheam began the game strongly and went into a well-earned lead, when a short corner struck by Angus rebounded off the goalie's pads and was snapped up by Rich. Our good passing and movement then degraded into a "let's see how many of the oppo I can beat on my own" system which gave the initiative back to Addiscombe and, soon, an equaliser.

Cheam pressure in the second half finally brought a deserved goal, with Rich claiming his second by shaking off a defender on the edge of the D and cracking home a shot between goalie and post.

A third goal, late on, via Gary's stick, the goalie's pad, and a post, sealed the victory for Cheam. But for Addiscombe's excellent goalie this could have been a more convincing win. However, let's remember to keep the ball working and using our excellent team to the full!!

Match report by Angus

Report: Another Sanderstead side, this time their 5th. This side hadn’t lost in the league, only drawing twice, drawing conveniently against their 4th side. We came to their pitch, Donkey and Roger making a guest appearance with Alex KP back from suspension. With a 14 strong squad we lacked a vital player, a goal keeper. Oli, back from Spain happily filled in the gap.

Sanderstead started the 1st half, straight away they attacked. A quick winger skipped past our defence crossing in for a sweeping shot from one of their attackers. Cheam however weren’t disheartened; we came back attacking creating a short corner. Coxy came to push out, like last week it came to me. Again, I struck it low into the goalies left hand corner, a brilliant strike if I may say so myself!

All square and the came was going back and forward, lots of dribbling runs seemed to end up nowhere. The crosses weren’t coming in. Mid way through the 1st half we got another short corner, we all agreed it was going to Dhiren to flick, instead it came to me again who took another shot only for their one quick defender to deflect it for a conversion! Again, Sanderstead attacked, they got a free hit outside the 25 line, and with all of the defenders backs turned they took it quick for their attacker to sweep it in from close range.

We tried and tried mounting loads of pressure but nothing came out of it, much cleaner team to play against than last week but also a much youthful team that outran our defence. Next time we will win and take that top spot which is rightfully ours!

Match report by Angus

Report: We started of so with a player down, no goal keeper meant that we had an instant disadvantage but we are Cheam! And luckily Sparky was on hand with a keepers helmet to protect the goal kind of! It would never affect us, the first 10 minutes the opposition didn’t get the ball out of their half, Cheam pressured the D pushing for a shot the opening came with a short corner with the rising sun in our eyes we decided on a simple knock out to Angus to strike. It has worked sometimes in training though without a keeper or defence, so when the ball did come out to Angus who struck it hard and low to the keepers left. 1-0 up without a keeper in sight! Soon after Paul our magical midfield maestro scored a brilliant goal after dribbling round several players again and again just to embarrass them. However our good play ended with Sanderstead going on the counter keeping the ball in our half with Cheam unable to get it out. They soon scored two very soft! goals neither sparky’s fault. Then Krish came along full of apologies before half time, sparky came off only to have his hand bitten by my dog. Paul once again worked his magic scoring another great goal after an amazing dribble. Finished the first half on top and it stayed like that for the second half with no more goals scored although their No. 14 should have been sent off and literally put in the sin bin!

Match report by Rich Lucas

Report: Rain, rebounds and riquochets, were order of the day in Selsdon. Both teams reflected the soggy weather with some fairly uninspiring hockey to begin with, but Cheam gradually cranked up the pressure, though failed to get the breakthrough until the second half. Some resilient and persistent play by Craig took him to close quarters with the goalie, and the half-save rebounded back into the net off Craig's stick.

Three more goals came fairly quickly after the breakthrough, with Neil putting it away another rebound off their excellent goalie, then Rich jabbing in after another half save from a short corner, and Craig getting his second after a short square pass from Rich cut out the defence. We had the ball in the net on a couple of other occasions, only to be blown up for 5 yard infringements. Numerous other chances went begging, a Dhiren short-corner special went sailing off their post, but their goalie was too good for the sort of tight-angled shooting which could have been better directed across goal for the tap in.

The opposition, who had their moments, pulled one goal back after we lost the ball in mid-field, and even got a second in the last minute from a penalty (Krish, talk us through that one again?!).

Another convincing display by the 3rds who must still be up there tied for the points lead in Div 8. Top of the table clash next Saturday - come on lads!

Match report by Rich Lucas

Report: All a bit of a blur, trying to remember what happened in this high-scoring match. Cheam played some excellent hockey, going 3-up in no time, as has seemingly become our custom! This time we made sure there was no coming back for the oppo, though they did play some good hockey themselves and scored some good goals when it was too late (as seems to be their custom)!

Continuing from last week's guest appearance of Roger the Dodger, this week Donkey arrived to get the plaudits. Miraculously, he scored a hat-trick, including a delightful reverse (what else) flick OVER the goalie! Other goals came from all over the pitch, but let that be enough bathing in glory.

Three extra players made it tough for the befuddled captain (and players) as people switched on and off at regular intervals. At times a quick check up was needed to see if 1) we had the right number of players on the pitch and 2) we had no positions vacant (apart from Gary's position of course - oops, sorry Gaz).

Donkey of the Day: Obviously, Donkey!

Match report by Angus

Report: Another game on grass for the 3rds, but this time the club had a reputation for good food and atmosphere which lived up to its name!

Two new faces in Cheam 3rds, Richard Coleman and Paul Rekhi, they both had a major part to play in the whole game setting up many chances and defending brilliantly. It was these two that scored the first two goals with well worked short corners, then Angus with a first time hit from the top of the D. Simon then made sure we finished the first half on top with a simple tap in but that puts his tally up to 2 for the season, 2 more than last season. To dampen our good half Mid Whitgifitians did manage to score raising their hopes of a come back.

The 2nd half saw us defending a revitalised team, wanting to get something out of the game; fortunately Andy Holder was able to score putting through two defenders feet from 5 yards out. I believe that this is his first goal for Cheam!

The last goal came from Angus with Simon switched to the left attack he got the ball from in our half, sprinting past two players on the left he look up to spot Angus in the area who just had to slot it home, something Charlotte would have been proud of. Good game and Great Food and Top of the League!!

Muppet of the Match: Angus for believing that he had his debit card stolen, key's nicked and lost his money for them all to be in his tennis racket cover!

Match report by Rich Lucas

Report: Today saw Roger's Return after a long lay-off in the West Country - nice to have you back, if only for the weekend, Rog, and good to see you've lost none of your youthful vigour?! Three first half goals, two from Rich and a third from Dhiren, effectively closed off this game within the first half hour. Cheam looked good for their lead at half time, despite one or two hairy moments at the back, and the passing game looked healthy. In the second half we were unable to increase our lead, though their goalie did well to keep us out, and our resolute defence was only breached towards the end of the game when Krish went on a marouding expedition to the edge of his D and couldn't get back to clear the rebound, despite Dave's best efforts on the line. On balance the opposition probably deserved their consolation and the whole match was played in a sporting spirit.

Champagne Moment went to Rich for his first goal, from "an impossibly tight angle", after the goalie had deflected Mark's through ball away towards the corner flag. With Alex pushing the short corners out beautifully it was the least we could do to score from one of them: Rich obliged on the very first opportunity with a firm low shot to the corner for his second. Dhiren's sublime flick from the edge of the D following Mark's short pass after a free-hit had been awarded, sealed Priory's fate.

Well done boys - another deserved victory that puts us at the top of the league, albeit on goal difference AND goals scored!

Match report by Angus

Report: This time we were playing a team that usually plays on grass on astro and we hammered them, with the ball not leaving their half save for rare occasions and we should have got into double figures. The first goal came in the first couple of minutes with good link up play between Neil and Angus resulting in a sweeping shot in the bottom corner. The goals kept coming with Neil getting one. Nearing the end of the first half Julio made another great run on the left wing hitting the ball square across the goal, Ian charging from the right made a brilliant connection making the score 3-1 at half time.

In the 2nd half we were ready to get even more goals, the first came from Julio, who deserved to get it. A scrabble in the 6 yard area resulted in the ball ending up in the goal and Julio claimed it as he too went into the goal. The next two goals came from Angus although not cleanly struck both managed to get into the goal and Angus was quick to claim them. Croydon then got another goal back. Their was one more goal for Cheam though, Angus running back to pick up the ball (a rare occasion) dribbled into the D passed it to Julio who swept to the far post from Neil to score one of his possibly easiest goals this season. A good victory means Cheam Mens 3 are now 2nd in the league!!

Match report by David Heller

Report: An immensly frustrating match that Cheam dominated was two late heroes rescue a point for the 3rds. From the start Cheam pushed and probed and barely allowed Horley out of their own half but time and again the last pass went astray or Cheam infringed on the incredibly bumpy grass pitch. Horley's 1st team had no game so they imported some players to their 2nds and it was those players who were largely responsible for holding up a rampant Cheam side. Then, out of nowhere Horley scored on their 1st attack of the game. In fact it was about the only time Horley ventured into Cheam's half of the pitch in the whole first half. Not even when Cheam had an extra man, following a yellow card and 10 minute suspension for a Horley player, did Cheam force a goal. The second half was much the same as the first although Horley used a few long balls out of defence to good effect when the grass stopped them just short of the deadball line. So much Cheam pressure looked like it was going to fail when, with about 6 minutes to go, the umpteenth short corner arrived with Angus who got his shot away and the ball eventually arrived with Simon Heller who beat the goalie with a shot inside the near post. Massive relief for Cheam who pressed on for a winner but then in the last minute Horley broke away, there was confusion in the Cheam D, Sparky was hit on the leg as the ball was rolling towards the goal and the umpire gave a penalty flick. The Cheam players looked dejected but they had reckoned without Krish who produced an excellent save to prevent an even bigger travesty.

Match report by Angus

Report: We strarted off brightly as usual, throwing it all at Woking. Within the first couple of minutes we had already got several short corners, which unfortunately we weren't able to score from. We still attacked with Woking unable to get the ball out of their half, using our new formation, the right wing got the ball speeding off the passed it into Angus on the top of the D who turned hitting the ball into the bottom left goal. One-Nil Cheam.

Soon later another attack on the right with a cross from Gary aimed at the two cheam players in the D, Angus missed it but was saved by Julio who calmly swept it into the top right of the net. With several cheam changes made the game seemed to slow down, with Woking piling pressure on the cheam goal, but Gary came charging down the right flank skipping challenges to pass it through the keeper for a third.

In the 2nd half we slowed down, once an attack was mounted there was a lack of energy to get back to defend the counter, leaving the defence having to maintain a steady back four keeping Woking at bay. The limited attacks we had where not getting into the D but when they did no-one seemed able to finish.

Great game, to get our first points on the board. Well done Cheam III

Match report by Rich Lucas

Report: Our darkest hour... but perhaps this is the end of the beginning....

Match report by Julio Garay-Roa

Report: The game started well with the first of Cheam’s 2 goals going in within 3 minutes when Craig slapped the ball into the goal from a great cross. Thames Valley seamed shocked that Cheam had broken down their defence and scored so quickly, and it took them a few minutes to get their composure back, but once they did, the game seamed to go into a stale mate, as both teams had many great opportunities to score, but Cheam seemed to just have the upper hand. Many short corners were awarded to Cheam, but we still could not find a second goal. Finally Dhiren decided to try his luck at drag-flicking from a short corner. He produced an amazing goal into the top corner. This wrapped the game up, as this took place only a few minutes from the end.

An overall good performance by Cheam, as this was their first league game. The finishing still needs to improve, but the team is steadily getting better as time goes on.

Match report by Julio Garay-Roa

Report: The game started well with Cheam dominating the first 15 minutes of the game, with several chances wasted at both ends. However, tiredness seemed to kick in the second half of the first half (if that makes any sense?!) with Walton & Weybridge dominating the possession and threatening to open the scoring several times. At half time, the score was 0-0. After the break, Cheam once again started very brightly dominating the game from the whistle. The first goal came when the ball reached Angus; he pulled the defence to him, leaving Julio open, which then received the ball, and had a simple sweep to finish. The second goal came short after, with great interplay between Ted, Angus and Julio. Once again, Angus pulled most of the defence towards him and then passed the ball to Julio, which he then hit cleanly into bottom right. People say that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead to have, as the game can change in an instance, and it did. Walton & Weybridg! e pilled the pressure on after the re-start and their great play finally resulted in a pair of goals scored after Cheam got stuck in their own D, resulting in what can only be described as an avalanche of short corners.

An overall balanced game with mixed performances from both sides

Match report by Richard Lucas

Report: Filling in for K-P, this match report is being inserted late into the file! Neglecting your duties, Alex? Well, this was a game where we went one better than the previous week, allowing the oppo a 3 goal lead (instead of 2!). That was - in the end - a bridge too far, even for us. They looked dangerous on the attack, and were soon well ahead and almost out of sight. However, remembering our heroics of last week, we set about reducing the lead, with a short corner goal from the young apprentice, Craig: deflected by a defender, the ball looped inexorably across the goal line. Another goal by Ted had us throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Midwives, but they held out, despite us getting the ball into the net from a short-corner (another brilliant flick by Dhiren) only for it to be contraversially disallowed by their umpire. OK, so it didn't go outside the D, but hey, give us a break.

Match report by Rich Lucas

Report: This was a good first test of the season – the BBC were outright winners of Div 8 last season and didn’t lose a match – but the 3rds passed with distinction! This was not without conceding a 2 goal lead but, unlike Liverpool FC who then succumbed to another against Everton, Cheam came back with 3! “How often can you remember Cheam coming back from a 2-goal deficit?” was the post-match question: well, YOU CAN NOW.

Cheam had the best of the opening quarter, with attacks raining in on the BBC defence, including numerous short corners, but their goal-keeper dealt well with everything that we threw at him. By half-time we were a goal down as they started to impose themselves with some good possession and sound stick-skills. At the start of the 2nd half a series of unfortunate events culminated in the ball striking Aj’s foot, which wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t been standing a yard off the goal-line with the ball trickling goalwards… A penalty flick resulted in the 2-0 deficit described above.

Then came the great Cheam comeback (2-0 always was the most dangerous lead, one pundit was heard to say over his beer later on in the clubhouse); first, a lifted ball crossed into the heart of the BBC D (check your alphabet later) by Dhiren was somehow brilliantly deflected by Aj into a gaping goal, leaving the BBC defence scratching their heads and reaching for their rule-books (why was Aj in the D anyway?); as Cheam continued to crank up the pressure, another melee in their D was finally cleared up by Rich, with the first of his reverse-stick goals. The second, and Cheam’s glorious third, came after a mazey run into the D and fairly innocuous shot that their excellent goalie contrived to let through his legs. A strong team performance and never say die attitude gave us a fine win against a half-decent side. Bring on the rest!

Donkey of the Day: slightly cruelly (but then when isn’t it?) goes to Simon for some great balletic moments, particularly one when trying to cross the ball off a promising run which resulted in a triple tow loop with double twist and saw bum: 10/10 for effort and artistic impression.

Champagne Moment: goes to Dhiren for a stunning flick that was heading for the roof of the net until their goalie pulled off a lightning reaction save to push it millimetres over the bar.