Otterbourne Football Club 1st Team Match Report

Saturday 28th January – Liss Athletic 2 Otterbourne FC 2

By Steve Harrod, 1st Team Manager
Newman Collard Playing Fields, Liss

With Spreadbury thinking it was a 1pm meet at Otters we travelled there without him but he said he had Sat Nav so would get there by one!

Liss started the game brighter than us and Flood had to pull off one save to palm a ball over the bar then get down low to his right to stop one going in the bottom corner.

Thornton and Stagg started to get Otters back in the game with some slick passing down the right with good delivery into the box which Liss managed to defend against well.

Liss played the ball forward and it reached one of their strikers, Timms took the ball off him and the player jumped in the air, free kick which never was! Liss managed to curl the ball too easily into the net for my liking and we were one down.

Otters kept going and a long ball by Flood was missed by the Liss defence and Allen controlled it and hit a screaming shot which somehow the Liss keeper managed to block with his trailing leg. Otters were ending the half strongly and when Stagg got on the end of a Thornton pass in the box and was dragged to the ground by the defender we were all expecting a penalty but the ref saw nothing wrong!

Start of the second half saw Spreadbury arrive been driving round Sussex with his Sat Nav! Otters started strongly and good pressure saw Liss defending their box doggedly and from one innocuous challenge on Milne saw a penalty awarded. Timms stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot. Otters were in full flow but were undone when they didn’t step out quick enough and players got the wrong side of the ball for the Liss sub to put them in front.

Moore replaced Lickman and Spreadbury replaced Allen.

The Liss right back was replaced and Milne and Moore were having great joy against him and on the first occasion Milne got into the box and was brought down no penalty, then Moore beat him down the line went into the box and was cleaned out by a Liss defender again no penalty.

Liss were now running on empty and it was wave after wave of Otters attacks and a ball from West found Moore in the box who as the keeper came out shot past him into the net.

There was still time for Otters to throw the kitchen sink at Liss but their defence held out.

In a final incident a Liss player went down with a head injury the referee didn’t stop the game and when a Liss player had a go at him he decided to book him the player still laying prone with no attention being waved on by the referee when an Otters player reminded him to bring the trainer on for the still prone player he got booked as well!

It was good game ruined by some crazy decisions.