Saturday 20th March 2010 - Liphook 2 Otterbourne 2

A nightmare journey due to an accident on the M27 meant we arrived at Liphook at 2.40pm asked the referee to delay the kick off which he did. In a small box of a changing room we managed to get kitted up, warm up and start the game at 3.15pm

Liphook are a good passing side who use their wide players to good effect and right from the off they bombarded our box and on around seven minutes they took the lead when a cross into the box was cleared by our keeper who was battered to the ground for his troubles, only to see a Liphook player on the edge of the box rifle the ball home with all our team appealing for the foul which the referee hadn’t seen!

With a sense of injustice Otterbourne raised their game and the first half was end to end with both sides going close but no one forcing a save out of the keeper.

Everyone was fired up at half time and we went and to the game to Liphook. Clarky was introduced for Jakesy who had been munched in the air in the first period and was suffering with a back spasm.

Clarky started to force their left sided player back and got a great cross into the box which eluded everyone apart from the Liphook centre half who tried to cushion a pass back to his keeper off his chest but it went a bit firmer than he expected and beat the keeper to pull us level.

It was all Otterbourne and a Davies cross found Tom in the box un-marked he took his time to put the ball into the net but blazed over!

He got another chance soon after and redeemed himself as Knight flicked the ball to him twenty five yards out, he looked up saw the keeper off his line and put an audacious chip over him and into the onion bag.

Liphook were going crazy and couldn’t believe what had happened this is when we parked the bus in front of the goal! Floody was in fantastic form and pulled off at least four top quality saves from the gathering Liphook players, one from point blank was incredible!

But Liphook were living dangerously and almost paid the penalty when we broke away and should have got a third, this wasn’t to be and right at the death they forced a mistake from the normally reliable Willson who with opposition players around him did virtually what the Liphook player had in the first half, he tried to head it back to the keeper but put it past him!

Otterbourne would probably have taken a draw if it had been offered before the game but with the battling spirit of everyone in the team during this match they must feel robbed of a deserved victory against all the odds.