2018 hadn’t been kind to us up till yesterday.10+ injuries and 5 losses but that could have all changed come the postponed game against Kenningwell on 18/3/18 due to the ‘beast from the east’. There was a major difference in the availability of players in that 1-week timeframe, and avoiding facing them with a weakened squad could have been crucial for us to step onto the pitch against Lullingstone with confidence.
Having lost 4-1 to Lullingstone in February, and coming off the back of 5 losses we were sure they would possibly underestimate the challenge we possessed. In the previous games this year they have came out firing and grabbed early goals, but we made sure to avoid this happening. Lullingstone did calve out some half chances early but defensively our backline was resilient. There were some major battles in the middle of the park similar to our last match against Bickley but the restoration of some important players meant we had that added quality. The first clear-cut chance fell to Victor Okisor who latched onto a long ball that after competing with the center back, of which the ball fell into the perfect position for him to score. Faced 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper Victor looked certain to score only to shoot low and hard with the powerful drive hitting the outside of the post.
Both teams continued to look for openings but we felt we should have been ahead. We had started to progress with some nice attacks and when Aaron Southard found himself in the box with Victor Okisor Square on; he opted to place the ball around the goalkeeper. With the Lullingstone captain chasing back and Victor Okisor following in he managed to tap it in only for the goal to be disallowed. This was a confusing decision and at this point we started to imagine the worst given we weren’t taking our chances. Following on from this we won a free kick on the edge of the box which Andrew Dalhouse stepped up to take. The resulting free kick clipped the edge of the crossbar and our frustrations grew. Both teams pressured the referee for decisions and although we gave him stick he managed the expectations and complaints very well.
At half time we went in at 0-0 but having done the hard work of going uphill and keeping a clean sheet we knew we had to grab this opportunity. The second half we created so many chances and who knows how we didn’t score more. Lullingstones midfield battled well and made sure the game was competitive but they lacked the usual presence up front. This was probably highlighted more when their captain who is possibly their most adaptable player in varied positions came off injured. Vista piled on the pressure with a wave of attacks and the deadlock was broken when the vision and execution of Adrian Browne lofted the ball over his head into Andrew Dalhouse, which was then controlled and passed into the path of Andrew Thompson who finished superbly, sitting the keeper down and placing in the top corner.
At this point we needed to keep the pressure on and when Omari Delgado was substituted on he instantly created an impact. While spinning a defender and getting ready to unleash a shot he was brought down carelessly. The responsibility fell to Victor Okisor who unfortunately wasn’t having his best game in front of goal and blasted high and wide. There was a distinct difference between this game and any other of late as the resulting 15 minutes was managed excellently. The backline were solid and made block after block and last ditch tackle after last-ditch tackle. We saw the game out superbly and earned are first win in 2018/
Vista can be proud of their efforts and this sets up a final against Cray on 29//4/18 that have gone the season unbeaten.
Goals
Andrew Thompson
Assist
Andrew Dalhouse
M.O.M
Adrian Browne