Six Gorkana warriors plus one guest, kitted up in an assortment of blues, purple, olive green and other lined up, to go toe-to-toe against the red jerseys of Grayling FC. With a fairly even pre-match record between the two sides, this game was sure to be a close contest.
Unfortunately, it was the visitors who sprang out of the blocks quickest and raced into an early 2-0 lead thanks to some clinical finishing. The first blow was struck as a powerful shot from the edge of the box was drilled into the net. Shortly after an inch-perfect shot was lofted from the right hand side of the box into the top left hand corner, agonisingly beyond the glove of full stretch guest keeper Chris Bennett.
However, in true Mick Hay spirit, Gorkana dug deep and did not give up the ghost (his idioms clearly live on too). Oli Bridge’s mazy run was capped off with a fierce shot of trademark power and precision, nestling in the bottom left hand corner. The game suddenly became more open with Gorkana right back in the mix.
Although Grayling were able to re-establish their two goal lead, Gorkana were still creating chances, and when Tim Brown was felled in a dangerous area, Gorkana might have felt short-changed with merely the resultant free kick. James Stanyer’s neat interplay with Oli on the left also found him bearing through on goal, but the keeper was able to match his effort. Tom Foley then managed to cut in from the right to set up Eppo Heemstra for a shot that flashed narrowly wide as a series of shots from Tim and Oli raining in on the Grayling goal afforded them no complacency.
This particular journalist would like to vent his frustration at Grayling’s refusal to accept responsibility for booting the ball out of the park and the lengthy retrieval that ensued, and hopes with equal severity that the opposing player dropped his claim for their throw in.
A breakaway goal looked to have sealed the game for Gorkana as a lone attacker managed to squeeze the ball in off the post and past newly-rotated keeper Andy Robinson from an impossibly tight angle, but Gorkana hit back immediately with a sweeping move upfield. Tim, furrowing the perfect lone striker’s role at this stage, held up the ball nicely in the centre before laying it out to Chris, who struck home with a crisp finish.
Alas, no time for a continued comeback, but a performance Gorkana can be proud of against well-marshalled opposition.
Man of the match: Oli Bridge, for covering every inch of grass (sand) on the field (beach).
