AFC Waverton Wasps 3 v 3 JFC Boughton

Chester & District League (9th January 2011)

Waverton Scorers (season's total in brackets)

Sam Jones  -  2 (16)

Robbie Foster  -  1 (6)

Report

After a lengthy seasonal (and weather!) break, Waverton finally got back to league action. Although never fully at their best the Wasps drew 3-3 with Boughton, their main championship rivals, with the shared points enough to keep Waverton's clear lead intact at the top of the table.

Neither team seemed to start the game well, perhaps understandable after the lengthy lay-off, and the early exchanges were scrappy. After the first ten minutes or so though it was Waverton who got into their stride first and started to dominate possession. For a while though the Wasps' passing was good until they reached the Boughton area but then seemed to break down, with over elaborate play or with good crosses being wasted by a lack of supporting runners.

It eventually took about 25 minutes for Waverton's dominance to pay off. This time another good run and cross from Matt Sheen was well met by Sam Jones and he fired it past the Boughton keeper from close range for a deserved 1-0 lead. The advantage was short lived however as three minutes later Waverton only cleared a rare Boughton attack to the edge of their box, where it was fired back home by Boughton for an equaliser, allowing them to reach the break surprisingly on level terms.

The balance of play in the second half didn't change that much, with the Wasps continuing to have the majority of the possession but failing to translate it into any real pressure or goals, with some players too often looking to "go it alone", rather than find a better placed team mate. In the end though the balance of play did count, after a Waverton corner was half blocked, Jordan Coxall crossed it back into the box where it fell to Robbie Foster to finish well from about 15 yards. Once again however the lead was short lived, as another Waverton attack broke down and the midfield failed to get back to help defend a Boughton breakaway, with their striker eventually rounding the keeper to make it 2-2.

The pattern repeated itself one more time, with Waverton pushing forward and taking a 3-2 lead as Sam Jones linked up with Matt Sheen again, only to let the lead slip for the third time after a lack of communication between goalie and defender resulted in an unfortunate Waverton own goal.

So, in the end the points were shared. On possession and pressure Waverton probably deserved a victory, but their finishing (and final build up play) was not clinical enough to take advantage of their dominance and Boughton simply took advantage of that to pull off a draw. Having maintained their 3 point advantage though the Wasps fate is now very firmly in their own hands as they look to retain their league title. Three wins (P.Villa twice, and V.Cross once) will now get the team over the finishing line.

Next week it's a return to cup action, against Tarvin in the QFs of the President's Cup.

MoM (Coach & Supporters): Robbie Foster