PERFECT 10
17 November 2007
Wessex Wanderers 3 v 1 Unathletico
Wessex Wanderers reached the quarter finals of the Norman Goulding Cup after beating fierce rivals Unathletico 3 v 1 at the Civil Service Ground. The victory also means Wessex have won 10 out of 10 games this season, the Clubs best ever start to a campaign. 10 straight victories is also a Club record.
Steven Webster put the home side ahead on 25 minutes with a coolly taken penalty after Gary Russell was fouled in the box. Wanderers looked comfortable until Unathletico were awarded a penalty 10 minutes later after a Lee Flay foul. Carl Bush was then the Wessex hero, producing a fabulous save to keep the Black & Whites one up at half time.
A scrappy 2nd half came to life when Unathletico were awarded their second penalty of the match after Lee Flay was again guilty of bringing down his man in the box. This time the visitors made it count with Bush diving the wrong way.
The introduction of top scorer Lewis Perryman in the 80th minute seemed to spark life back into the home side and his good initial shot was followed up by strike partner Carnevale who converted from close range. The game was soon wrapped up when a Kevin Curtis free kick was deflected into the net by a Unathletico defender.
In the dieing minutes the game boiled over and 2 Unathletico players were sent off after rash challenges. Wessex held firm and ensured their recorded breaking run continued.
Wessex manager Shaun Hawkings said "It was a tremendous Cup tie. We didn’t play at our best but we came out on top because we took the chances we created. Now we're in the quarter final draw the fans will start dreaming about reaching another Final, which I think this team is more than capable of. We've got quite a lot of tough games coming up in a short period of time, but we'll cope".
1st Team: Bush, Flay, Dorgan, Pocock, Pullin, Webster, Curtis, Smart, Russell, Carnevale, Newman Subs: Perryman, Bartlett, Flynn
MAN OF THE MATCH: Carl Bush
