Derby 65+ Matchday 3

Strollers 65s @ ‘We are Derby Padel’ Thursday November 13 

The squad for MD3 of the Derbyshire Walking Football League was: 

• Kevin Chadwick GK 

• Paul Beard 

• John Hutchins 

• Tim Marsden Cap 

• Paul Humphries 

• Steve Bones 

• Jez Norris 

Strollers travelled to Derby with a strong squad and enjoyed a good day, drawing 4 games and winning 2, conceding only 1 goal in the process. The results were: 

Strollers 0 Ashbourne 0, a tight game against the current table toppers ended all square, Stamford enjoyed most of the possession but couldn’t create enough good chances against an organised Ashbourne defence. 

Strollers 0 Heanor 0, despite dominating possession and creating a good number of shooting opportunities Stamford couldn’t grab the goal their performance deserved. 

Strollers 0 Derby County 0, a similar story to the Heanor performance, Stamford finding it difficult to break down a team focused on defending. At the other end Strollers were grateful to Kevin Chadwick in goal who pulled off an excellent save to earn his third clean sheet of the day. 

Strollers 1 Matlock 1, eventually Stamford’s possession game paid off when a Matlock defender stepped into the area to thwart a Strollers attack. Steve Bones stepped up to confidently dispatch the penalty. Unfortunately, the size 4 ball proved the downfall for a Strollers player and let Matlock in to score an equaliser against the run of play. Strollers pushed hard but couldn’t find a winner and again were indebted to Chadwick for pulling off another great save to earn a draw. 

Strollers 1 Boston 0, ironically Stamford recorded their first win of the day against one of their oldest and toughest rivals. In an end-to-end game Strollers were able to contain the threat of Steve Slater (WFA England 60s player) and create opportunities of their own, one of which was expertly converted by Bones. 

Strollers 1 Etwall 0, Stamford finished strongly to record their second victory of the day. Strollers again dominated possession which resulted in an Etwall defender stepping into the area to clear a Stamford attack. Bones confidently dispatching the resulting penalty high into the corner of the goal for his third of the day. 

Overall, another good day for Strollers in the DWFL, 4 draws, 2 wins, 5 clean sheets and 11 points. Everybody in the squad worked hard, did their jobs and played their part in an enjoyable day of football. 

Special mentions for: 

• Kevin Chadwick whose goal keeping is proving to be an inspiration to his teammates 

• Steve Bones has now scored 12 goals in 200 minutes of football 

• Paul Humphries whose performances for Strollers have earned him an invitation to WFA England Over 65s training