Mention La Chiesa's fixture against Maze at Fortress
Coopers in September to any of the Hornchurch Rossonieri, and up until last Sunday, you could have watched as the colour
drained from their faces, they struggled for breath and staggered to the nearest bench for a lie down. The 5-3 reverse
suffered on that fateful October afternoon was the cause of severe apoplexy for players, coaching staff and fans alike until
revenge was gained, and the matter could be put to rest.
It was a match almost didn't take place. Upon their arrival
at St Chads Park, La Chiesa were informed that local teenagers had spent their Saturday night vandalising the changing
rooms, and there was nowhere for the pampered
superstars of Hornchurch to change and shower. Local legends they may be, but primadonnas they are not, and, sensing a reluctance
on the part of the home side to play the game, Chiesa insisted that the show must go on. Johnny Riley was still absent, so there were only two changes from the side that beat Digital Line
last week, Benny Gillham and Dennis Peck dropping to the bench to be replaced by Cy Taylor and Danny Trew.
Although Chiesa were thirsty for revenge, certain members of
the side seemed less than their usual sprightly selves, as if maybe they had been out drinking on a Saturday night - such
unprofessionalism is frowned upon by Chiesa bosses, but all the same it was out of context with the messy play so far in the
match when Danny Trew opened the scoring. Dean Jordan found Adam Jeffers in space on the far side of the penalty
area, and he unselfishly headed across goal where Trew was on hand to volley Chiesa stylishly into the lead.
It was a lead that the visitors barely deserved however, and
it was not to last. All the best teams in the land seem to be susceptable to set pieces recently, and Chiesa are no different,
so when a Maze corner from their left was allowed to bounce inside the six yard box and a pinball effect ensued, it was
no surprise to see the ball in the back of the Chiesa net.
The visitors had been undone by the pace of Maze's main forward
four times at Coopers, and were desperate not to let it happen again this time - but by hook or by crook, Darren Hodsell,
Warren Hardwick, and Terry Soteriou managed to keep him from getting the run on them, while Iain Gay had another sound
match covering at full back. Chiesa's play was still not as fluid as it could be however. Player manager Samuel Knowles
was having a tough time of it in the centre of midfield, thankful to the ever impressive Williams and Jordan (who has
even started going to the league meetings) to paper over the cracks caused no doubt by over enthusiastic 30th birthday celebrations.
The Chiesa gaffer's performance was summed up when he was put clean through by Colin Williams, only to shoot weakly straight
at the Maze keeper.
Half time arrived with the scores level and Chiesa had the feeling
that the game could be theirs if they could raise their performance by twenty percent or so. Eileen Drewery would have been
handy at this point.
Again the first five minutes or so of the half were scrappy,
until Cy Taylor, who had been admonished by a couple of his team mates for a sloppy pass minutes earlier, provided yet another
assist when he picked out Colin Williams with a clever pass across goal. Williams ability to launch heat seeking missiles
with either foot is one of Chiesa's secret weapons, and he decided the time was right to let Maze in on the secret
when he let fly from thirty yards with a shot that rocketed into the top corner.
That assist was to be Taylor's last contribution to the game
as he was cynically scythed down soon after, to be replaced by Matt Gillham. The younger of the brothers Gillham likes to
be adressed as 'Edson' on a Sunday Morning and after a fornight on the sidelines with brand new Predator's burning a hole
in the shoebox, he let everyone know why. Running on to a through ball, his first touch of the game was to let fly with an
exquisite lob that was worthy of Edson Arantes do Nascimento himself. Naturally, Maggsy barely celebrated, as if
to say such skills are no more than one should expect from his
boots.
Mark Harris made a couple of crucial saves to keep Chiesa's
two goal margin intact before Dennis Peck was brought on to replace the ineffective Knowles with twenty minutes to go. Soon
after, he was involved in the goal that clinched the match, slipping a pass through to Adam Jeffers who caught the keeper
out, beating him at his near post. Peck almost made it five when he pushed the ball past both keeper and post only to
be injured in the collision that followed.
A Chiesa defender had the ball in the net late on, but unfortunately
it was keeper Harris that was beaten, Terry Soteriou's attempted clearance slicing pass Sharkey to make the score 4-2,
but it was too late to make any difference to the result, and Chiesa were victorious. A win next week against May & Bakers
in the Cup quarter final would make it a Happy Christmas for Chiesa followers young and old.
LCDC; (4-4-2) Harris; Gay, Hodsell, W Hardwick,
Soteriou; Taylor (M Gillham), Knowles (Peck), Jordan, Williams; Trew, Jeffers
Gols - Trew Williams M Gillham Jeffers
Arbitro - D Bergin
