Victory - read the match report
Wandsworth Athletic extended their winning run to six games in the most frightful conditions at Rocks Lane, securing an unprecedented clean sheet in the process. To come through 60 minutes of frenetic action with the Wandsworth net unscathed is a quite remarkable achievement, and all the players and coaching staff must be warmly congratulated. Rocks Lane General Manager Adam Wilkinson was one of several admiring spectators, and was heard to comment: “I haven’t seen a clean sheet down here in years”! There was tremendous endeavour from everyone in a white shirt, and it was a particularly proud evening for goalkeeper Matt Snelling, who has been gallantly striving for such an accomplishment for several years.
Efficient, calculated and utterly professional would be an apt description for this display, although that’s perhaps an understatement, like describing a German performance car as reasonably reliable. A tense, and goalless, opening belied the pressure which the Olympic Waterloo goal was put under, with shots raining (or should that be snowing?) in from all angles. Profligate finishing and admirable defending kept the score level for longer than it should have, but eventually the Waterloo resistance buckled. Rapid, expansive moves and crisp, incisive shooting became the order of the day and Wandsworth promptly raced into a five goal lead.
More goals would have surely poured into the Olympic onion bag had the snow not beaten them to it. The playing surface very quickly descended into a treacherous ice rink more suitable for a celebrity dancing competition than the swift-footed, lithe athletes wearing white jerseys. Despite these restrictions, Wandsworth valiantly ploughed on through the blizzard, adding four more strikes before the klaxon. The game ended 9-0, with three goals apiece for Michel, James Platt and perhaps less obviously, the marauding Pete Thorn.
A handsome performance from the forward thinking men no doubt, but this fixture will be forever remembered for a glorious rearguard display. Singling out one man would be a tad unfair after such a heroic team performance, although special mention must go to man of the match Tim Rickard, who’s stout defending and economical ball distribution contributed greatly to this momentous evening in South West London. Rickard, on notification of his inaugural man of the match award, said: “This is probably the proudest day of my life so far. I’m honoured and thrilled to receive this award, and I’m just glad to have played a part in such a historic victory. A clean sheet is really quite something.”
A brief citation must also be given to Wandsworth’s number 14 David Lloyd, who impressively beat his own personal lateness record this season after arriving a full 35 minutes after kick off. An eventful cameo, as ever, proceeded. Ordinarily a significant punishment would be heading Lloyd’s way following such unacceptable timekeeping, but a late change in kick-off time, and problems with the consistently woeful T-Mobile network, excused the midfielder on this occasion.
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