HARWICH & PARKESTON v. IPSWICH WANDERERS

RIDGEONS LEAGUE CUP ROUND 1

TUESDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2006

Wanderers made a return to a happy hunting ground, memories of an 8-1 victory in the league earlier in the season, still fresh as one of only two league victories. Gary Bennett was on the bench but Danny Smy was reinstated on the right wing, where he has been so effective in the past.

It was a cracking start for the home side as Morley fired them into the lead with less than 2 mins on the clock. It was a shot, from 30yds, out of nowhere which caught the defence napping and Jamie Stannard unprepared. However, it transpired that that was all Harwich were to do for the rest of the game, as their winless home form continued and their performance similar to the last visit from Wanderers.

So, it was almost one way traffic for the next 88 mins, with the exception of Springett’s shot on 8 mins after Sean Bell and Mark Goldfinch, unusually, failed to communicate. Rene Swann scuffed a shot in front of goal, Marc Lowe blasted a shot wide but still managed to get a corner out of it, Danny Smy got the ball caught under his feet as he was about to shoot from Rene Swann’s flick on and Wass, the Harwich ‘keeper, pulled of the first of many great saves, from Marc Lowe’s header.

Then, on 19 mins, Alan Mills, who had been getting in crosses all night, received the ball square from a free kick and fired in a shot that deflected off a defender, wrongfooting Wass and bringing his side level. The crowd hardly had time to draw breath before a hefted clearance from Mark Goldfinch found Dean Tournay-Godfrey teetering on the brink of off-side and the whippet-like no.10 raced into the area before squaring to Rene Swann who slid the ball into the net.

Wanderers now took total control of the game, swinging the ball imperiously about the pitch and dealing with the slippy, muddy conditions with aplomb. A moments hesitation by Neale was enough for Dean Tournay-Godfrey to pounce but his snap shot was just wide. Alan Mills produced a fine tackle to go with his goal as he robbed Morley just as the nippy winger looked as though he had broken free down the right. Then Wass was constantly kept busy for the last 10 mins of the half, saving from Dean Tournay-Godfrey, Rene Swann and Danny Smy, to name just 3.

Harwich & Parkeston 1 Ipswich Wanderers 2

Rymer almost repeated Morley’s feat of the 1st half when, from the whistle, he burst through the defence but Mark Golfinch was alert and got in a saving tackle. Lee Owen’s long cross was helped on by Neale, into the path of Dean Tournay-Godfrey, but the shot went wide. Wanderers completed their scoring in the 51st min when Danny Smy’s third corner in a row was headed down and into the goal by Simon Hyde, who encountered little opposition from the home side.

Good interplay between Dean Tournay-Godfrey and Rene Swann gave the former a chance to shoot but Wass made himself big and smothered the shot. Gary Bennett came off the bench and his first chance on goal came on 70 mins when he blasted high onto the stand roof after Mark Goldfinch had advanced deep into Harwich territory to set up Rene Swann. A little later, a rare Harwich attack saw Neale stick out a boot to deflect a shot wide and then Jamie Stannard saw his only action of the 2nd half when he covered a shot from Rymer as it sailed over the bar.

Wanderers advance to the next round of this League Cup competition and Harwich return to league action with worrying home form but a respectable mid-table position.

1 Jamie Stannard

2 Neil Shade

3 Mark Goldfinch

4 Sean Bell

5 Alan Mills

6 Danny Smy (sub 64)

7 Simon Hyde

8 Marc Lowe

9 Rene Swann

10 Dean Tournay-Godfrey (sub 67)

11 Lee Owen (sub 64)

12 Lee Smith (sub 61)

14 Matthew Cunningham

15 Terry Layton

16 Ricky Martin (sub 64)

17 Gary Bennett (sub 67)

Goals: Swann, Mills, Hyde

Bookings: Smy, Tournay-Godfrey, Hyde