Airbus UK Broughton 1-0 Haverfordwest - Feb 7th
Airbus turned in a truly dreadful performance to go 4-1 down by the break and
although they rescued some self respect in a largely dull second half this is
a game hopefully to be consigned to the dustbin of the memory.
Weakened by the loss of the suspended Giovanni
Feliciello the 'Bus were exposed down their left flank and straight
from the kick-off The Bluebirds strolled down it to plant a cross on
the head of Jack Christopher for 0-1. Airbus could have rescued things
immediately but George Stewart managed to head over the bar from on the line
with nobody near him. Nothing happened after that until twenty minutes had
gone & Neil
Thomas set off through a slothful defensive line to
find Phil Palethorpe wandering about in no-man's land; it was an
easy job to round him and score for 0-2. Two minutes later & Gareth
Sudlow, making his first start since returning from Caersws, let Jack
Christopher in but he shot wide with the goal at his mercy. Then a little
glimmer of hope for the home team as George Stewart rattled in a loose
ball from the edge of the area (1-2). Number three
wasn't long coming, however, with a truly awful goal that there was no coming
back from, an aimless low cross from the right side of the box running
straight across the area with the defenders standing around and Phil
Palethorpe waiting for one of them to clear; it was a simple job for Paul
Michael to steer in at the back post (1-3).
Just past the half hour
mark & Phil Molyneux looked to be brought down by Dylan Blain; referee Kevin
Morgan, however, choosing not to sympathise with the inept
performance and declining to give the pen. Five minutes before the break and
it was 1-4, Neil Thomas helping himself to a second as Airbus obligingly
stood around again. Another little chance came just after for Airbus, though,
as a scramble took place, the ball cleared as Mark
Allen was about to score but at half time it seemed a matter of how
many The Bluebirds would help themselves to. Neil Thomas looked to have got his hat trick
soon after the restart, left alone at the far post but he could only shoot
wide. The
'Bus, however, were to show a lot more composure now and after George
Stewart had a run & shot, deflected behind, Mark Allen scored what
was to be the only goal of the half, tapping in after lee Idzi had dropped the
ball from the corner (2-4).
Luck could have smiled on them a bit more after
that, with Gary Lovell hitting the post from close in after he had set Phil
Molyneux away for a shot & parry, the ball ricocheting off a defender
& out. Then there was a disallowed goal for offside that must have been
close. Nonetheless at least they produced a face-saving job and the fears
of a right hammering weren't fulfilled, although a bit of the right kind of
luck did come their way in stoppage time, sub Nicky Woodrow hitting the post
when all alone after a charge from the half-way line, the 'Bus caught
alarmingly in a two-against-Matty Cook situation when pressing forward.
Airbus line up:
Phil Palethorpe, Ryan Edwards, Gary Lovell, Gareth Sudlow, Mark Allen,
Ashley Williams, Matty Cook
Danny Desormeaux, Phil Molyneux, Mark Head, George Stewart.
Subs:
Mark Cadwallader, Tom Rowlands, Jonathan Slater.
Attendance: 108
Match report by Dave Seargeant
|