Scenes
of Incredibla at Cottons Park this Sunday... Chiesa scored for fun, and won, with no less than three members
of their previously goal shy defence were on the scoresheet!
Despite
the Hornchurch side having scoring eight goals in their last two games, they had been held to a draw and knocked
out of the cup in the process. Those who remember the formative days of LC/DC would barely recognize them as the previously
sound defensive unit who struggled to score goals. But giving great VFM for their swarms of loyal supporters is one thing,
Corinthian League points are what matter most, and it was this point that was hammered into the starting XI by coaching staff
in the lead up to this must win fixture.
Chiesa
were without Danny Trew, Dean Jordan, Colin Williams, and the retired Danny Hardwick. Iain Gay was fit enough only for the
bench, while Samuel Knowles, at last free from suspension, was struggling with a foot injury. Nevertheless, against the leagues
bottom side, a team that have yet to taste victory in a season and a half in CL Div Three, they knew that anything
less than three points would be unforgivable.
The
lack of referees in Div Three this season is starting to become a major concern. On just three occasions has an arbitor
been available for an LC/DC fixture, and when one could not be found this week, irony dictated that Knowles was forced
to play the role of man in black, a man that has suffered so much verbal abuse from him over the years.
Finally
underway approaching eleven o clock, Chiesa were soon forcing the play. Digital, who only had ten men it must be noted,
were playing just one up front, and the home side were taking advantage of this by retaining possesion for most of the
opening quarter of an hour. Just when Chiesa nerves were beginning to show, as they struggled to turn numerical and territorial
advantage into goals, a corner from the right was headed home by Dennis Peck and the home side had the lead.
That made it four goals in as many games for Peck, a fine effort when you consider he had been filling in at full
back for the previous three weeks.
As
is usually the case, Chiesa relaxed and started to knock the ball around with more confidence once they had their
heads in front, and out of this new found belief came the second goal. Skipper Darren Hodsoll started the move by picking
out Cy Taylor on the right, he beat his man before picking out Dennis Peck who laid off to Adam Jeffers. Jeffers
instinctively turned the ball into the path of Hodsoll who had continued his run, taking the ball in his stride and casually
slotting past the keeper for his first goal in over two years.
The
third goal was not long in coming. Matt Gillham was denied by a great save low at his near post by the Digital stopper,
after a typically canny shimmy from the artist formerly known as Edson, and from the resulting corner Jonny Gray picked up
the loose ball and hammered home with his left foot to make it three-zip Chiesa! Throw in a typical 'muggers snatch' from
Jeffers minutes later and Chiesa were four without reply, and Jeffers had his sixth in seven starts this season to establish
himself as Chiesa's all time leading marksman.
Warren
Hardwick has been waiting for a goal longer than the Archbishop of Canterbury has been waiting to get his legover... and Towser
was the more desperate of the two, so when the referee pointed to the spot after a clear handball in the Digital area, the
Hornchurch Hatchet decided enough was enough. Fingers were crossed all over the park as he stepped up to take kick, but there
was no need to worry as the ball was belted past the hapless keeper with a minimum of fuss.
Five
goals to the good, but Chiesa could not afford to be satisfied with this. Events of the previous two games had shown anything
can happen in the Essex Sunday Corinthian League, and when Digital pulled a goal back in the 40th minute following sloppy
LC/DC defending, the agony of a third succesive unbelievable comeback was in the back of many a Chiesa mind.
When the arrears were reduced further with the last kick of the half, the seed that had been planted began to grow, and coupled
with the awful injury to Chiesa's stand in keeper that left him unable to continue, the impossible seemed all the more likely.
Iain
Gay took over between the sticks for the second half, and for the first fifteen minutes everything seemed back under control.
That was until a corner for the visitors freakishly rebounded off the crossbar and into the net via the torso of Digitals
striker, and Chiesa's worst fears were seemingly becoming a reality.
Matt
Gillham was tormenting Digitals right back constantly, but was denied time and time again by the keeper, Dennis Peck missed
a good opportunity to make it six when he could only half hit his shot with the goal gaping, while Jonny Gray was denied by
another miraculous stop. Although, with Chris Young playing the Claude Makelele role in front of them superbly, Chiesa's defence
were largely untroubled, ridiculous as it may seem, the Hornchurch Rossoneri were unable to relax until they had that sixth
goal under their belts. It finally came from with fifteen minutes remaining.
When
Jonny Gray lined the ball up on the left wing, some thirty five yard from goal, the last thing Digital could have been expecting
was a strike on target. But, egged on by the Chiesa Massive on the touchline, Jonny unleashed a dipping swerving effort that
caught the Digital stopper unawares and restored a three goal advantage for the boys from the Church of the Horn.
With
Hodsoll and Hardwick already on the scoresheet, the game had a certain surreal atmosphere to it, and that was only added to
late on when, after a clever pass from Matt Gillham, who had been Chiesa's most effective player throughout, left back Terry
Soteriou clipped a Robin van Persie style shot into the top corner for his second goal in as many starts this season.
Seven-Three
it ended up then, and at last Chiesa had been able to turn goals into a positive result, albeit against admittedly weak opposition.
Lets hope this can act as a confidence boost for the rest of the season, as the famous LC/DC launch an all out assault
for promotion.
LC/DC
(4-4-2) - Harris (Gay); Hodsoll, W Hardwick, McCarthy, Soteriou; Taylor, Gray, Young, M Gillham; Peck, Jeffers
Gols - Peck Hodsoll
Gray 2 Jeffers W Hardwick (pen) Soteriou
Arbitro - Samuel Knowles
