La Chiesa showed great bouncebackability in achieving a
record victory at Gooseleys Playing Fields this Sunday.
With flu victims John Riley and Matt Gillham absent, as
well as the injured Steve McCarthy and holidaying Danny Trew, Chiesa were forced into playing midfielder Iain Gay in an unusual
right back role, with 'G-Man' Benny Gillham in front of him in midfield, an emotional homecoming for the East Londoner
known as the General. LC/DC welcomed back star midfielder Dean Jordan from suspension, captain Darren Hodsell from exams, while
the irrepressible Adam Jeffers partnered Dennis Peck up front.
Humbled by St Augustines Reserves
at Coopers a fortnight ago, Chiesa were still showing signs of shell shock early doors against Digital Line, a side who were
yet to pick up a point in the third Division of the Essex Sunday Corinthian League this season. Although in some respects
it was an ideal time to play one of the supposed 'weaker' sides in the division, a defeat would have left Chiesa
confidence in tatters, and they made the worst possible start when a penalty was awarded against Iain Gay for what seemed
no more than a tangle of legs. It was time for keeper Mark Harris to make a name for himself, and he pulled off a magnificent
save diving to his right to keep out the spot kick... unfortunately he was let down by the rest of the Hornchurch Rossinieri,
who stood and watched as Digital hammered the rebound into the back of the net to take an unexpected lead.
That goal meant Chiesa had conceded seven goals without reply
in their last fifty minutes of football, a damning statistic that had to be adressed immediately or they would suffer
tantrums and tiaras at half time from Gaffer Samuel Knowles. By trying to knock the ball around on a pitch that was not wholly suitable for their unique brand of sexy footbal,
La Chiesa Del Corno gradually got themselves back into the game, and they were level after quarter of an hour when Dennis
Peck broke sprung the Digital Line offside trap, burst into the box and finished emphatically for his seventh goal of the
campaign. It was the clubs close season signing from Gidea Park that made it two-one, five minutes later. A ball
into the box from Colin Williams was controlled by Jeffers and laid into the path of Peck, who side footed LC/DC into the
lead.
Jordans extravagant shimmies aside, Chiesa were trying to let
the ball do the work in the midfield, with Williams in particular keeping the ball moving, and Benny Gillham showing Molby-esque
touches on the right. Digital Line were not settling for walk on parts in the match however, and thier giant number five was
showing some good skills, at times it was impossible to disposses him, while the Sinama Pogolle lookalike up front was also
causing problems. With the third Chiesa goal though, a typical muggers snatch from Jeffers' at the back stick from Peck's
cross, you sensed Digital heads dropping, and when Williams dummied Knowles' pass to leave 'AJ' in the clear, he showed great
composure to notch his second, and La Chiesa's fourth. There were chances for Terry Soteriou and Benny Gillham to add their
names to the scoresheet , but Chiesa had to settle for a three goal cushion at half time.
The boys from the Church of the Horn knew they hadn't played
to their potential in the opening forty five minutes, but the four goals they scored seemed to knock the stuffing out
of a Digital team obviously lacking in confidence from their wretched run of form.
Improving their goal difference was Chiesa's objective
in the second half. With a five or six teams in the running for promotion, winning margins against those at the
foot of the table could prove to be extremely important come May, and buoyed on by the urgings of Hodsell, Chiesa extended
their margin over Digital Line within minutes of the restart. Despite Digital claims for offside, Dennis Peck was allowed
to continue and feed strike partner Jeffers who sidefooted home for his first La Chiesa hat trick - just reward for his prodigious
work rate, the man really is a string for Corinthian League defenders. The sixth goal from the visitors came from a
move that started deep inside their own half. Benny G rode a challenge on the right before playing an intelligent ball into
Samuel Knowles. The Chiesa player manager played a one - two with Jeffers on the halfway line that sent him clear on goal,
and although a covering challenge looked to have spared Digital's blushes, the ball fell kindly for him to chip the keeper
for number six. Knowles quickly added a seventh with a similar finish, and the game really was up for the East Londoners.
Regular readers may remember, not so long ago the Chiesa back four were
bemoaning their lack of goals. Despite senior figures at the club reassuring them that it was perfectly 'boaty' for
defenders never to score - citing AC Milan's rearguard as a perfect act to follow - Warren Hardwick was less than convinced,
and for the last twenty minutes 'Towser' was on a one man mission to get his name on the scoresheet. Pushed
up front, and allowed to take any penalties, should they be given, if it was ever going to happen, it would happen today.
He had his chances. A chip that went oh so narrowly wide, a header cleared off the line, a follow up from a longe range shot
smothered, all to no avail. When Chiesa were denied the most stonewall penalty there has ever been after a Digital defender
dived to palm the ball off the line, it was obvious it was not going to be Warren's day, and all he had to show for it was
a yellow card for an off the ball incident towards the end of the match.
Joining him in the referee's notebook was the normally cool
as ice Dennis Peck, who had his name taken for dissent after disputing an offside decision. This was not before he had claimed
the second hat trick of his Chiesa career, controlling a Cy Taylor through ball on his jaw before smashing the ball past
the keeper for eight - one.
The test of a quality goalkeeper is how they react after a long
spell with nothing to do, and having saved the penalty earlier, Mark Harris again impressed with a fine reaction save to deny
a Digital striker when faced with a one on one. He was beaten late on when the Chiesa defence seemed to nod off and allow
Digital a free shot on goal which Harris got his fingertips to, but couldn't keep out.
A return to winning ways for La Chiesa del Corno then, and though
by no means a classic Chiesa performance, a much needed victory ahead of two games that can make or break their season
versus Maze and May & Bakers in the next fortnight.
LCDC; (4-4-2) Harris; Gay, Hodsell, W Hardwick,
Soteriou; B Gillham, Knowles, Jordan, Williams (Taylor); Peck, Jeffers
Gols - Peck 3 Jeffers 3 Knowles 2
Tarjetas Amarillas - Peck Hardwick
Arbitro - F Marsh
