Hempnall FC

Comment on this article

I think it was 2 years ago Blofield absolutely pummelled us at Bungay Road only to see a late goal from Adam Solley give us all 3 points.

After the game I remember stating the old Jimmy Greaves quote to Paul Nash that ‘it’s funny old game’ , his response ‘Bleep Bleep Hilarious’ as he felt frustrated with the end result on the day.

Well yesterday the boot was well & truly on the other foot as we made a good Blofield side look less than ordinary, completely dominating the 1^st half & much of the 2^nd.

It was 30 minutes before Cudden had any worthwhile action with us being first to the ball all over the pitch.

Unfortunately we came up against an inspired Robert Woodcock who made save after save, including a penalty & when he was beaten, lady luck was in his corner, as the woodwork came to Blofield’s rescue 3 times. Once in the 1^st half from new boy Brendan Foley who made an excellent debut.

Then twice in the 2^nd half from an Iain Mills header & an Ali Shearer drive, as both hit the post.

Those who have been around the game for a while started to see the ‘sucker punch’ writing on the wall, and so it materialised with 15 minutes to go. Woodcock turned from rescuer to provider, distributing a long ball in typical style to Danny Brown.

The striker was given too much room, turned inside & dipped a shot over the head of Cudden giving him no chance.

This took some of the wind out of our sails & also forced our hand to take chances & formation. This enabled James Elliot capitalised on the extra space to add a second goal with minutes remaining.

The mood after the game was a sombre one, as we reflected on the disappointment on the day and combined this with our other early season results.

However, 24 hours later being able to look at the game in a much more pragmatic manner I believe there were many positives.

The overall team performance was good and on another day we may have won by 2 or 3 clear goals.

There were many good individual performances, none being better than Brendan Foley, who I think will prove to be a real plus.

The shape & balance of the side looked its best all season.

Two Years ago we were fortunate to sneak 3 points, now we are competing with the best in the league.

My thoughts on the bigger picture & where this leaves us:

Where could we have been if we had been able to get this squad together 2 months ago, my frustration, only 5 of yesterdays starters did any meaningful pre-season at Hempnall.

Are we in relegation trouble, the answer is an undoubted ‘No’, despite being 3^rd from bottom.

Will we finish in the top 6?’ Yes’ we will.

Even at this early stage, are we out of the championship hunt? Well now being 12 points adrift of the current front runners. The answer has to be ‘may be’!