Match Report Saturday 5th September
Hamble Club 2 - 1 Sherborne Town FC
Wessex League
Hamble Club 2 Sherborne Town 1
Hamble Club have become the Zebras' main nemesis and encounters against the Monks don't tend to live long in the memory. Rarely can they be termed a spectacle, either, and this was no exception. The game was scrappy, stop-start and at times both teams were laboured in possession on another warm afternoon.
It's a relatively long walk from the changing rooms to the pitch at the SWP Arena and offers home captain Joel Ghosh plenty of time to sweet-talk the referee. "Where did you go for your holidays? Had much rain where you live? Did you have time to visit the ruins at Netley Abbey? How's the wife?". Unfortunately I couldn't lip-read from 100 yards, but I bet that was the gist of it.
All said and done the referee was weak and had a poor game, but there you go. Where would we be without them?
The Monks began with an early corner, then spurned a good opportunity when Zebras keeper Jack Marshall had a rush of blood and was beaten to the ball by Sol Mazi on the edge of the penalty area. It looked all over a goal in the making, but Mazi delayed shooting and a defender (sorry, unidentified) tracked back to clear.
Zebras showed brief adventure and on 22 minutes Alex Murphy shrugged off his marker down the right wing before advancing into the box. What came next was a mixture of a shot and a cross, and the ball flashed across the goalmouth at pace. It was just too much of a stretch for Liam Nardiello at the back post.
The breakthrough Hamble strove for came in the 28th minute from a corner. Ed Sanders' header from beyond the far post was directed across goal and met by Mazi who nodded the ball beyond Marshall high into the net.
Zebras failed to muster much of a response and were no doubt relieved to see a penalty appeal ignored just before the break.
Half-time 1-0.
Increasingly Murphy caused the hosts problems and the Zebra No 9 nearly fashioned a leveller on 50 minutes. Under pressure, Murphy held the ball up well before laying it off to Nardiello whose diagonal shot from 15 yards was arrowing for the far corner until Harvey Doe turned it round the upright at full stretch. A good effort from young Nardiello on his starting XI debut.
That proved a crucial save. Two minutes later the Monks were up the other end extending their lead. After the Zebras had failed to clear their lines the ball ended up with Jake Adams who had time to pick his spot from just inside the penalty area.
The visitors needed to freshen things up. Charlie Watson replaced Billy Mullins and immediately slotted in at left-back with Jake Graziano pushed into midfield. Archie Bryce came on for Ash Guppy while Nardiello made way for Jordon Matthews.
A Sanders header should have troubled Marshall more than it did and could have been costly, because on 75 minutes Zebras equalised. Dec Cornish fed Matthews whose cross-shot was blocked. Joe Crisp recycled the ball into the six-yard box to Murphy whose header came back off the foot of the post. Quicker to react than keeper Doe, Murphy hooked the rebound into the net from close range.
The Monks were suddenly panicking and Sanders was booked for time-wasting. Just to even things up Aaron White was cautioned for clattering into Ghosh.
On 80 minutes Matthews nodded on for Murphy whose first-time shot was fired straight at Doe.
Then Matthews almost played in White who was denied by Doe as the attacking full-back tried to score in the same net as he had done in the corresponding fixture last season - although on that occasion the ball actually didn't reach the net!
The Monks had to cling on and were happy to hoof the leather upfield. Substitute Ramon Barrow had a chance to put the game safe but just missed the target.
It was last-chance-saloon for the Zebras when they won a corner in stoppage time but Josh Williams' back-post effort was kept out by Doe.
Team: Marshall, White, Graziano, Ansell, Williams, Mullins (Watson 61), Cornish, J Crisp, Murphy, Nardiello (Matthews 70), Guppy (Bryce 52). Subs not used: O Crisp, Disson (gk).
Goal: Murphy (75).
Booked: White.
Attendance: 103.