OTFC IIs v Shene Old Grammarians III (A)

18th February 2017

Shene Old Grammarians III 1 - 2 OTFC IIs

Following a run of three-straight victories, Old Tiffs entered the game against third place Shene Old Grammarians knowing a win would bring them to within touching distance of the top four.

Tiffs started the game well with the back four holding their shape, the team moving forward well, and Luke and Alex winning everything in the middle. This bright start was rewarded early on with Tiffs grabbing a goal after a defensive mix-up from Shene. After intercepting a loose ball from the Shene keeper, Colin slotted the ball away from a tight angle to make it 1-0 after 20 minutes.

The rest of the half was spent soaking up pressure from the Shene attack, who had started to play themselves into the match. A couple of scrambles in the six-yard box and a goal-line clearance aside, Tiffs were fairly comfortable and carried their slender lead into the break.

In the second half, Tiffs carried on where they had left off, conceding a fair amount of possession to the opposition. Eventually the pressure told, when the Shene winger found space on the left flank and calmly finished over the onrushing Dan in goal. With the scores level on 60 minutes, it felt like the match could have gone either way.

This was when Tiffs really came into their own and took control.  Within five minutes the lead was restored when Dave latched onto to a chipped through-ball from Colin, and powered swerving shot past the Shene keeper.

The team really dug in after this and responded to every challenge thrown at them to defend the lead. Even after losing Dan in goal to a red card following a large incidence of handbags, the team showed an uncharacteristic level of calm to see out the win.

Overall, a great team effort and a fantastic win to continue the run! Tiffs will be back to Barnes next week to take Witan…

Goals: – Avery, Bettis

Man of the Match: Kimber