KIRKLEY v. IPSWICH WANDERERS

RIDGEONS LEAGUE DIV 1 - 1ST SEPTEMBER 2004

Wanderers gave their new away strip an airing against Kirkly on a fine but chilly evening in Lowestoft. It looked as though the novelty of playing in an unfamiliar strip against a team whose colours were almost identical to the home strip was too much for Wanderers as, for the first 2 minutes, they were under intense pressure, giving away a series of free kicks around their area and failing to clear their lines. Inevitably Kirkley were rewarded for their persistence after 5 minutes when Ward scored direct from one of the free kicks. Wanderers continued to give the ball away in midfield and the stikers, who had shown themselves to be so dangerous in previous games, were not seeing anything of the play.
In a rare Wanderers attack, Jason Dozzell floated a free kick to the far post, Marc Lowe headed back across goal but Paul Westren failed to put the ball in the net. It wasn't until more than 20 minutes had past that Wanderers started to play with any cohesion, but they were still unable to retain sufficient possession to threaten an equaliser. However, a push on Jason Dozzell in the area gave him the chance to amble up to take the resultant penalty, send the 'keeper the wrong way and put Wanderers level. The referee was incurring the wrath of players, managers and spectators alike with some strange and inappropriate decisions, and not allowing the game to flow.
Kirkley 1 Ipswich Wanderers 1
Wanderers started the second half in attack and, helped by an inconsistent referee, kept pressure on the Kirkley defence for the first 5 minutes. A long clearance by Terry Layton found Rene Swann outpacing the Kirkley defence but was pushed wide and was unable to get the ball back into the danger area.
Play was now flowing from end to end and poor marking in the Wanderers defence left Kirkley with a spare man on more than one ocassion. Fine reflex saves and desperate lunges from Jamie Stannard kept the scores level and Wanderers then rushed straight to the other end where Jorrell Hurd put the ball in the net, only for the referee to have blown the whistle prematurely to bring play back to outside the area where a foul had been committed by Kirkley's no 3, Stokeld. He was dismissed from the field and Wanderers wasted the free kick. This turned out to be a pivotal moment in the game as Kirkley, reduced to 10 men, began to push forward and look dangerous in front of goal. Wanderers were pushing wide to try to find the space but in doing so left gaps at the back which Howes, unmarked, took advantage of in the 82nd minute. Wanderers' defence looked in tatters as desperate tackling gave away needless free kicks from which Howes was again allowed to head home unmarked.
Mark Porter surged forward through the middle of the field and was brought down from behind as he approached the Kirkley penalty area. Two Kirkley players were booked but Wanderers were again unable to take advantage of the situation. Two Wanderers players found their way into the referee's notebook as their frustration showed, ending the previously unblemished disciplinary record. The referee, idiosyncratic to the end, added an extra 5 minutes during which Porter brought down Howes in the area, allowing him to notch up his hat-trick in fine style from the penalty spot. That ended a miserable night for Wanderers who now face a daunting task against Edgware Town in the FA Cup on Saturday 4th September.
Kirkley 4 Ipswich Wanderers 1