Harwich & Parkeston 4  Ipswich Wanderers 2
Ridgeons Youth Cup
Thursday 20th September 2006

Wanderers travelled to the Shrimpers for this League Cup tie without
deputy captain Sarvio Moore due to illness, this left a depleted squad
of 13-players.  The team arrived 30min before the kick-off due to the
Manager's slight detour and a one of the players working late. We were
warmly welcomed by the Referee within a minute of arriving when he
impatiently knocked firmly on the door demanding the team sheet and
repeated this again a couple of minutes later.  Anyway the match got
under way on time and for once Wanderers started well and took an early
lead through Driver 0-1.  But a setback to our good fortunes was when
the Wanderers GK Keeler was injured in a one-on-one challenge with the
Harwich forward and never really fully recovered throughout the
remainder of the match.  Wanderers were exposing frailties on defending
corners and it was to be this that resulted in Harwich's equaliser to
make it 1-1.  The team continued to play some attractive passing
football and control the game, eventually being rewarded with a Mayes
half volley leaving the keeper no chance of stopping.  He was unlucky
not to get a second with a similar effort from around the same spot.
HALF-TIME: 1-2

The second half saw Wanderers start slowly and did not continue with the
good work of the first half, while Harwich had made some tactical
changes with players in different positions.  It was not long before the
Harwich equaliser came once again poor marking, the Wanderers keeper had
taken a turn for the worse, but soldiered on as he did not want to let
the team down.  If only Wanderers had been more clinical in the first
half with the chances created.  Then during a clearance by the captain
Rex that saw a late challenge on him, he was sent-off by the Referee for
supposedly stamping on the player in retaliation (not convinced he
actually saw the incident), never the less it does not excuse the fact
or for other Wanderers players disputing this with the Referee
culminating in both Rankin and Mayes also being sent-off over the same
incident.  This left Wanderers with 8-players on the field and a keeper
carrying an injury, was always going to be an uphill struggle.
Substitutions were made with Walker on for Blagg and Starkie on for
Guthrie, where the remaining 20min saw a gallant never say die attitude
from the 8-players on the field. They were a credit to Wanderers as
Harwich sealed the tie with 2-goals to make it 4-2.  A special mention
to Ricky Dunne and Lewis Driver who both led the way and heroically took
the game to Harwich.
FULL-TIME: 4-2