Stratford Athletic 2-2 Florists Arms
Sunday, 18 November 2012 - KO 13:30 - North Marsh, HackneySquad: P. Stanley; Hope, Wachowski, Jones (C) (Kirby), Kelly; Pruce, F. Stanley, Venus, Bishop; Greening, Bocking
A late goal from Will Pruce rescued a point for Stratford Athletic against Florists Arms FC on Sunday afternoon. After a lacklustre display the Reds pulled off a miracle comeback with Elliot Greening grabbing the other spectacular goal.
Without a number of key players Athletic started in the match in a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, hoping to capitalise on the cool playing conditions and smooth pitch underfoot. However after no more than five minutes of calm football, the plan fell apart.
The passing was average, there wasn't a single shot on target in the opening exchanges but more concerning for the gaffer Mike Earll was the complete lack of ambition shown by his side. Athletic failed to play to each individuals strengths and lacked the cohesion needed to cut open Florists' own back four.
With no pressure to deal with the away side flourished in their opposition's half, creating chance after chance. Stand-in goalkeeper Pete Stanley MBE (services to football) made some good saves and was lucky to meet a striker in woeful form, so the deadlock remained intact.
Captain Josh Jones, a welcome addition to a skeleton squad, was then struck by injury early in the first half. A sublime last-ditch challenge on their fast No.7 ended in that same player landing on the noble captain, who escaped with a bloody nose and a shoulder injury. He bravely fought through the pain until, when he could barely move without wincing, he had to be replaced by Darryl Kirby.
Kirby, a fresh new face from the Youth Academy, actually galvanised the back four. His willingness to succeed at the basic tasks put him among the top performers in the first 45 minutes.
The first goal came minutes later. Connor Venus, who gave a relatively strong showing, was unlucky to concede a penalty when he ran into the back of the Arms' No.8 in the box, who went down like a sack of potatoes. Referee Keith Whats-his-name pointed straight to the spot. The kick was a good one, down into the bottom right with Stanley rooted in the middle of his goal.
At half time the Reds were lucky to only be a goal down, the break a welcome retreat from the lethargic performance. Without the energy of further subs, Earll had no choice but to call for the lads to 'wake-up' and do the best they could. The team's new captain Fred Stanley took it upon himself to huddle the boys before the restart, telling them exactly what they should do to regain control of the one-sided game.
Disaster struck not too long after. In a moment of madness, Pete Stanley MBE PhD (being a don) picked up a back pass and gave the referee no choice but to award an indirect free-kick. It was a rare error on an afternoon where he had hardly put a foot wrong.
All those in red shirts flooded the six-yard box, forming a wall across some of the line and marking a few spare men. The kick was knocked back a few yards for the No.9 to strike, the wall crumbled and the ball looped into the net after a deflection had confused the scattered defensive line.
All seemed lost when Elliot Greening picked the ball up on the halfway line, a few yards to the right of the centre circle. But being the inspirational forward that he is, he knew he could spark a revival. He saw the goalkeeper off his line and he knew he could do something special. The crowd watched as the No.14 pinged the ball over everyone and into the top left corner. Silence fell on the North Marsh, the Welshman gave a cheeky wag of the finger to the bench, shrugged his shoulders and had a look of pure 'oh christ how can I try and claim that I meant that' upon his face.
This sparked a revival that will go down in history. Nathan Hope kept the opposition at bay with his lightning pace - now part of an attacking 3-4-3 formation that exposed the team to the threat of long balls - with help from a sun-dazed Tom Wachowski and the two right feet of Oliver Kelly. Arms FC dropped deeper and deeper until the home fans witnessed what was quite possibly the flukiest goal that Will Pruce (Honorary OBE, services to blind football) will ever score.
After managing to win a last minute corner, everyone piled forward. Even club legend and goalkeeper Pete Stanley MBE PhD OBE (services to women) was ready to be the hero. The ball was delivered expertly by Ryan Bishop and Will Pruce saw his moment.
[This reporter doesn't need to tell you that when you see a player approaching a ball in mid-air with his head down and his eyes shut, you immediately think he's going to shank it wide.]
Pruce got his touch, whether that was a shoulder or a head, and it gracefully dropped into the net at the far post. The crowd went wild. All 40,000 seats clattered upwards as every supporter rose to their feet in joy. On the touchline; Will Winthrop nearly threw down all five crutches, manager Mike Earll nearly collapsed, captain Josh Jones raised one arm in celebration and Chris Deacon hobbled onto the pitch to cheer wildly. (A quick note: Olly Kelly did actually collapse but he had done so about eight times already so no one knew whether he was celebrating or exhausted.)
They had done it. A point in the bag. Not a deserved point, by any means, but a point that was fought for. A point that showed raw determination the likes of which has never before been seen on the North Marsh.
Manager Earll said afterwards: "We were lucky, the only real positive that we can take from that was the point. We've got Newham Pirates up next and can't approach that fixture like we did today. We were shocking."
Player/Assistant Coach/Doddsy said: "Yiis, I completely agree."
