Sabha Stiffs In Bull-ish Mood

With the Council making a second clean-sweep of the season of preserving their pitches, just three games went ahead involving our sides. It’s meant a huge backlog for some teams already, none more so than Nirankari Sports Sabha, whose County Cup game was postponed for a second time. Other than this competition, they have the KLM Cup, the Premier Division Cup and still eleven league games to play. The KLM games postponed on Sunday will also have to be re-scheduled.

Nirankari Sports Sabha Reserves reached the last eight of the Herts Junior Cup after a thrilling win at Highgate Redwing. Russell Bull bagged four more, partner-in-crime Lee Wilson hit another two, whilst Sam Spencer got the other. They will now meet Mill End Sports at home on 10th February for a place in the semi-finals. They will avoid holders White Bear United until the 6th April Final if both sides should progress all the way.

A good-natured Premier Division match was played out at Sir Thomas Alleyne's School. Away side J.A.P. Builders took the lead with the wind behind them on the quarter-of-an-hour when a free-kick from Martin Young was palmed into his own net by DC Out Bar goalkeeper Kyal Currey. The scores were level on the half-hour when DC captain Gav Bowler charged down two attempted clearances and whipped in a superb cross for Josh Dance to guide his header home from the edge of the six-yard box. The second-half was end-to-end stuff and both teams had good chances. After a period of applying some sustained pressure, J.A.P managed to make the breakthrough and seal the victory just three minutes from time. Young was involved again when he picked up the ball from deep, after beating three players his strike hit the standing leg of Ray Downes as he tried to block the shot and the ball spun into the opposite corner of Currey’s net. Possibly another own goal, but Young was claiming this one as they leap-frogged their victims.

The only other game saw the one hundred percent record of ProCladd ended in Division Three at Marriott’s School after the game was switched from a soggy Canterbury Way. Despite only having eleven players available, Stevenage Leisure fielded their strongest side of the season, which they needed on this day. Tom Galvin and Bobby Neave did well in the middle of the park. The deadlock was broken as a poor clearance was picked up by Jamie Drackford and his shot luckily found the net. They doubled the lead when a long ball from the evergreen Ian Morton found Drackford again, he beat the defence and hit a good shoot into the bottom corner. With ten minutes of the half remaining, the leaders forced a penalty-kick. However, Alex Lucy saved a poor effort from Neil Henderson as Leisure survived two to the good. ProCladd upped the tempo after the break, they hit the post, crossbar and had around ten good chances. They set up a tense finish when Darren Fletcher shot low into the bottom corner, but they couldn’t force a point. It gave the chasing pack some heart.