WEFC Reserves 1 Northwood 1

[Guest]

WEFC reserves put on a superb performance last night against a full first team squad from Southern League Premier Division Northwood. A goal early in the second half from Shane Fulbrook gave Windsor a lead which they held on to until three minutes from the end when the opposition equalised with a header from a corner.

Windsor welcomed back Richard Sanford and gave debuts to Damien Smith; Ross Herridge; and Matt Morrison, and included half a dozen teenagers in the squad overall. The back four were outstanding all evening; Ross Herridge and Dave Case patrolled the flanks, and Chad Edwards and Dan Sacha played some dazzling football in midfield particularly in the second half. Also, the two young strikers worked their socks off for the team. WEFC had several clear chances to kill the game off before conceding late on, but given the quality and experience of the opposition, it was an excellent team performance.

Northwood's management and players were full of praise for our young side, and were gracious enough to admit that they were fortunate to escape with a point.

Gardiner;Spellman;Smith;Sanford;Woodcraft T;Herridge (Morrison 80);Sacha;Edwards;Case (Wickson 70);Fulbrook;Woodcraft J.

Unused Subs : Tanfield J;Turner; Ramean.

[Guest]

Very impressed last night against a susposedly strong Northwood side! Unlucky not to win and with a young side it's going to get better.

 

Nice to see Simon Lane there aswell certainly a few of them will be knocking on the door of the first team before too long

[blackdouglas]

Not sure you were watching the same game mate. What I remember from the game was Northwood camped in the Windsor half for long periods of the game just not being able to put in the decisive ball. Time after time Windsor players committing petty fouls and complaining incessantly when the free kicks were deservedly given against them. Making the Sri Lankan test cricket team look tame in comparison every time they felt slighted by a Northwood player.

Windsor's goal came from a big punt up field totally against the run of play. The only thing they can really be congratulated on was the way they stoutly defended their goakeeper for 88mins.

[Guest]

just to reiterate the scoreline Windsor & Eton RESERVES 1 Northwood 1st team 1

[Guest]

Quote:

blackdouglas said:
Not sure you were watching the same game mate. What I remember from the game was Northwood camped in the Windsor half for long periods of the game just not being able to put in the decisive ball. Time after time Windsor players committing petty fouls and complaining incessantly when the free kicks were deservedly given against them. Making the Sri Lankan test cricket team look tame in comparison every time they felt slighted by a Northwood player.
Windsor's goal came from a big punt up field totally against the run of play. The only thing they can really be congratulated on was the way they stoutly defended their goakeeper for 88mins.

Of course you were camped in our half for long periods....you played your first team, didn't you ? your young keeper made 3 one-on-one saves to keep you in it; our keeper made almost no saves because our defence generally restricted you to long shots. In theory you should beat our first team, & you didn't beat our young reserves. As the report said, your manager and players were full of praise for our stout efforts; why cant you be too ?

[Guest]

with two players over 21 and five players under 18 and not one save by keeper says something of the poor attacking options you had.Your no5 was taller than our two strikers put together yet he couldnt cut out the long punt up field. Admit it was men against kids and the men managed a draw in the 89th minute. By the way Sri Lanka play cricket not football so perhaps you do need glasses. Obviously you didnt play or a member of your management team from your comments.

[Windsor_Sec]

Perhaps Blackdouglas should look closer to home before making comments about 'complaining incessantly' and recall the contribution their number 3 made during his 45 minutes on the pitch when he not only contested every decision against him but did so using foul and abusive language which a stronger referee would have acted upon ensuing something like a 35 day ban as it wasn't a first team fixture and would therefore have been dealt with by Middx FA.

The simple fact remains that 9 times out of 10 you would probably have beaten us given the team you put out, but our newly-assembled young reserve players can take credit for their performance on the night. I watched the game and maybe I was watching a different game as well or did I imagine at least three one-on-one's with your keeper and the lad that scored the goal running rings around your number 5 as if he had one foot nailed to the floor?

[blackdouglas]

Quote:

Anonymous said:
just to reiterate the scoreline Windsor & Eton RESERVES 1 Northwood 1st team 1

We don't have a reserve team as such this year, but it was nowhere close to being a a 1st XI. No Rob Bullivant, Mark Dennison, Perry Norman, Danny Murphy, Elliot Buchanan, Mark Nicholls, Peter Dean or Lee Tunnell, AND you still managed to retire 2 of our players hurt. The formation was also experimental, (3-4-2-1) as opposed to our usual 4-4-2.

Anyway it was a RESERVE game where I consider results irrelevant. More important are individual performances and work rates. The reserves are the place to get experiments (like our formation) wrong, not in the SLP against far superior opposition.

I'm not belittling the efforts of the the Windsor players in the game. They done well, worked hard for each other but don't believe it's all a bed of roses.

[Windsor_Sec]

Quote:

blackdouglas said:

Anyway it was a RESERVE game where I consider results irrelevant.

I'm sure the manager, chairman, club sponsors, etc, will be happy to see that you think their efforts amount to nothing then - no game is irrelevant it serves a purpose of sorts!

[Guest]

Our first team would smash yours at the moment. 10 of your players were first teamers. Long hard winter on the way for Northwood as it has been the last two years....

[blackdouglas]

I love it when people take my quotes out of context.

 

All I said was I consider the RESULTS of reserve games irrelevant. There's no point in a club having a World Beating Reserve side if your 1st team is in the Spartan League. Reserve games do indeed perform various functions

 

1;- Gives "not so" 1st choice players and trialists a chance to prove themselves.

2;- Gives 1st team players coming back from injury a chance to regain some match fitness.

3;- Gives youngsters what's probably their first experience of Senior football.

4;- Gives the management a chance to experiment with strange formations. (like we did that Wed. night).

and I'm sure there are many many more.

 

As for a long hard season for Northwood, (again), we've been expecting it. Tho you're not looking so chipper in your own division.

[Guest]

I must be missing your point, you state you have no reserves this year yet field regular reserve sides out on Wednesdays,or is it classed as a training night for your 1st team to try new formations. I read nothing from your clubs management on your comments only the verbal polite congrats after a lucky draw.From last years reserves we now have 5 players in the first team squad and with the new crop of 17 year olds competing against Semi pros no wonder we are delighted for them. Our young striker had to rush away after playing as he had school homework and it was almost past his bed time.

[Windsor_Sec]

Quote:

blackdouglas said:
I love it when people take my quotes out of context.

Not taken out of context at all, you stated your opinion and I replied accordingly that I doubted the club per se had the same view!

And, to disagree again, it doesn't matter what level your first team play at as your reserves are, in theory, your first-teamers of the future if you have the right setup.