"It was a perfect setting if ever there was one, the sun was shining, the dew on the grass made for an inviting playing surface and the heated floors at Wootton Hall
were just pleasing. Gaffer Ivey welcomed back Chris Davies and Rob Page into
midfield, and Marc Jeffrey returned up-front. Paul Pickering and Matty Newton both missed todays clash."
Heath were lucky to still be at 0-0 after 10 minutes of play, a criminal sloppy start
nearly paved the way for an up-set. The deadline was broke against the run of
play. A Wayne Lancaster clearance, neat football from Andy Blenco & Rob Page
before an eye of the needle throughball for Josh Urquhart, and Urquhart did the rest. Powering
his shot across the face of the keeper and into the bottom corner.
Heath never
looked back from this moment.
Urquhart added a second with almost a carbon copy
of his first. Jeffers was very un-lucky after a beautiful ball by full-back Lee Morin played him in one on one with the Nusport keeper, but his well taken shot coming back off both
posts... the drama!
Heath's third goal was what can only be described as a
treat. A Chris Davies run down the flank, the box filling up, Davies checks back
and squares the ball to the on-coming Andy Blenco, Blenco un-leashes a humdinger of a shot
that wasn't too dis-similar to an exorcet missile! Blenco's "weaker foot" sends
the ball crashing into the top corner for 3-0.
It was all getting a little bit
Brazillian. Andy Blenco had started the samba drums, and now there was no
stopping them. Nicky Blenco had turned into a trendy South American centre-back,
bringing the ball down effortlessley and playing football from the back. Rob
Page was everywhere, his curly locks cascadeing around the midfield as he
waltzed around setting up attack after attack.
Half-time came and went, and things had gone from Brazillian to 1970's 'total
football', we were wearing Dutch orange after all.
Billingham into centre
midfield, Rob Page dropped into left-back, keeper Olly Urquhart up-front, Chris Davies in goal
and Julian Anger still everywhere.
Anger was next to add himself to the
scoresheet. This too was something special, a free-kick from all of 40 yards
out. Anger had everyone line up for a cross, and promptly picked out the angle
of post and cross-bar before celebrating in nonchelent fashion. This display was
turning into an aesthetic footballing masterpiece.
Billingham, who's the
opposite of prolific, was doing his best to get on the scoresheet. Driven on by
the capacity crowd of 6, Billingham let rip with a swerving left-foot volley
from 30 yards, only to see the keeper make his only good save of the afternoon.
Billingham's luck changed though, when a weaker left-foot "effort" from just
inside the box decieved the keeper by travelling in the air.
Keeper-come-striker
Olly Urquhart grabbed the last laugh though, heading a Glenn Billingham cross
past the keeper to spark wild and silly celebrations. Giggling and high fives as
far as the eye could see. Urquhart was sandwiched in-between two beefy
centre-backs, but rose like the proverbial salmon to head home.
The game did turn Brazillian again before the end. Heath realising they had let a 4'6" small Brazillian child play in goal for the last 20mins. Thankfully though, it turned out to be Chris Davies in Ollys goal-keeping jersey.
Glenn 'Nick Collins' Billingham,
The Footballing Circus,
Wootton Hall HQ.
Kings Heath United (4-4-2):
O.Urquhart
L.Morin, N.Blenco, W.Lancaster, G.Billingham
C.Davies, R.Page, A.Blenco (D.Robinson), J.Urquhart
M.Jeffrey, J.Anger