As around the sun the earth knows she’s revolving, and rosebuds know to bloom in early may, just
as hate knows love’s the cure, you can rest your mind assured... that La Chiesa will donate three points to St
Aug Res at their place always.
Four times LC/DC have travelled to Barkingside to take on the Saints second string, and they have
left empty handed on each occasion. When you consider that the hoops finish way below the Rossoneri in the league table
on a yearly basis, there can be no doubt - they are officially the La Chiesa bogey team. Hot on the heels of the hungover
lack of commitment of 03/04, the penalty missing debacle of 04/05 and the cup tie collapse from earlier this
season comes the shambolic defending/open goal missing capers of this Sunday...
Colin Williams and Steve McCarthy were missing from the Chiesa backline, Chris Young dropping into defence
and Terry Kerly switching to left back, while Danny Trew started on the bench as LC/DC persisted with a 4-5-1 formation.
Comfortably the least disciplined bunch of slackers in the Corinthian league, Chiesa started the game
in their usual 'off the pace' style - St Augustines first to every 50/50 while the visitors stood on their heels
wondering why they weren't being allowed to play at their own pace. Saints were looking dangerous from set pieces and LC/DC
were helping them out by conceding numerous corners as well as free kicks around the edge of the area. It was from one of
these kicks that St Aug Res took the lead as Kerly diverted the ball past the wrong footed Harris for Chiesa's fourth OG in
two games. Hard to critcize Terry as it was the first time all morning Chiesa had beaten Saints to the ball...
Chiesa tried to play their way back into the game but as usual despite having the lions share of possession
they were finding it hard to create chances. The midfield were guilty of overplaying, while Adam Jeffers was cutting an increasingly
isolated figure up front despite Jonny Gray trying his best to support him. LC/DC had skipper Darren Hodsoll to thank for
not being two down as he cleared off the line following a Saints corner, but it was from another flag kick that
they did concede the fall further behind, keeper Harris decieved by an inswinger that flew straight over him into the far
corner.
Two down with five minutes to the break it was time for Chiesa to show some urgency. It came when Jeffers held
the ball up well and found the surging run of Iain Gay who flicked the ball over the St Aug defence only for a stray arm to
stop the ball reaching him on the other side - penalty to Chiesa. Dennis Peck put the ball on the spot and
smacked it against the post only for Referee Russell to order a retake and give Pecks blushes the opportunity to be spared.
A John Barnes style sidefoot into the side netting was just what the doctor ordered and LC/DC went into half time with
the deficit halved.
Samuel 'scratched record' Knowles gave his weekly half time talk stressing the importance of playing the easy
ball early and trusting team mates to recieve the ball to feet when they call for it - and for the umpteenth week running
Chiesa agreed that they were at their best when they kept the ball on the deck. They decided to try this approach in
the second half... well I mean its not rocket science...
LC/DC started the scond half in good heart and were playing far better than in the first when disaster
struck. Goalkeeper Harris called for a long cross that was swung in from the right, only to drop the ball behind himself and
leave an open goal for a lurking Augustine... Chiesa found themselves two behind again. It was time for a change, and
Cy Taylor, away with the fairies for the majority of the game, was replaced by Danny Trew as Chiesa went 4-4-2 in an attempt
to salvage the game.
Immediately Chiesa seemed to be more of a threat going forward, and they were back in the game with half an
hour to go when Knowles headed a corner back across goal for Peck to nod in his and Chiesa's second. Chiesa were on the
front foot now, and the remaining thirty minutes saw them create enough chances to sew up the game, only for poor decision
making and slack finishing to let them down time and time again. Knowles had three opportunities to level things up - on
the first occasion bursting into the box but electing to square just behind Jeffers when it seemed easier to score himself,
slicing over the bar after nodding past the keeper to leave himself an open goal on the second, before finally smacking
the ball straight down the keepers throat rather than pick his spot when through one on one. Gray spurned a great chance after
beating the keeper to the ball only to slice wide, while Hodsoll also missed the target from the edge of the area.
Only so many chances can be missed before a team is punished for it, and once again Chiesa gifted Augustines
a goal in comedic fashion with fifteen minutes remaining - Harris electing to kick when it seemed easier to pick up an overhit
through ball, and his clearance rebounding back over him off the unfortunate Chris Young. With keeper and defence stranded
it was the easiest goal the Saints forward will ever score, tapping into the empty net from a yard and effectively sealing
victory for his team.
Chiesa heads dropped. Their second half performance was surely worth more than yet another defeat at the hands
of St Aug Res, and when Dennis Peck grabbed his hat trick goal almost immediately to reduce the arrears once again with a
sublime chipped finish over the onrushing keeper, hope was restored. That made it eighteen goals for the season for Dennis, and
on this form he is surely one of the Corinthian Leagues top three ginger strikers.
Chiesa thought they had earned a second penalty of the game when an Iain Gay through ball was stopped
by an outstretched arm, only for the linesmans flag to over rule the referees original decison as Chiesa flooded
forward in the last ten minutes. The Augustines goal led a charmed life when their keeper spilled a Hodsoll free kick straight
to Gay only for the ball to bounce off his knee and roll agonisingly past the post. On two more occasions Peck and Gay
flew down either flank and into the box only for their final ball to lack quality and be turned behind for corners that
Young and Hodsoll headed wide.
The final whistle blew was not long in coming and another frustrating morning in Barkingside for La Chiesa
was at an end. Having previously lost only to the top three in the division this season, this was a defeat they had not been
expecting despite their poor record in the fixture. A poor opening forty minutes didn't help, while the Chiesa tendency to
concede wacky goals is becoming too frequent an occurrence to blame on bad luck alone.
Can the boys in red and black secure the point required against Sprint next week to finish in a record high
position of fourth?? Or will nerves get the better of them at the prospect reaching such heady heights??? They
will be going all out to make sure that they dont end the season with three consecutive defeats, you can be sure
of that...
LC/DC (4-5-1) - Harris; Hodsoll, Hardwick, Young, Kerley; Taylor (Trew), Gray, Knowles, Gay, Peck (Jeffers);
Jeffers
Gols - Peck 3
Arbitro - S Russell
