Lady luck did not smile on the Strollers in today's matchday in Wellingborough. In strong winds that were blowing directly down the pitch, making matches very much a 'game of two halves', and with our lads being competitive in both games, we came away having enjoyed ourselves but with no points again.
Bramcote 2:1 Strollers
Bramcote picked up on the impact of the wind much faster than we did, and with the wind at their backs they shot consistently from distance in the first half. Two of those shots found the back of the net, with no blame on our new keeper Peter Oppenheimer. Both efforts were hit hard and low, through a crowd of players, with a very strong wind behind them. Frank Smith came close to a goal after a weaving run but we went in 0-2 down at half time.
We improved in the second half and pulled one back with a well taken goal by Smith after some slick passing. Pushing hard for an equaliser, Bramcote did a good job of shutting down our space to prevent long shots and we fell just short.
Oakham 1:0 Strollers
A frustrating game for our lads. Battling against a strong wind in the first half, they were very close to keeping the score square at the break, and had a glorious chance to score when Alf Tapscott broke away only to turn into a tackle as the goal loomed. This was exasperrated when a defensive slip up allowed Oakham to slot the ball in to take a lead into half time. The second half was almost one way traffic. With strong gusts making it hard for Oakham to escape their half, our reds pushed consistently for an equaliser, only to be thwarted on numerous occasions by the Oakham keeper.
So a tad disappointing as we felt we deserved a couple of draws today, but even so a good day of football on a day where the wind made it hard for all teams.
Squad: Back:- Peter Oppenheimer, Alf Tapscott, Andy Nelson, Frank Smith Front:- Phil Hall, Bob Lear, John Phythian
League Table 7/2
