Walking football report - 13/9/20

Cheddar WFC 2-0 Bristol Rovers

 

In their first “prestige” friendly Cheddar Walking football club travelled to play Bristol Rovers at Horfield Sports Centre on a sunny Sunday morning. The players went as keen walking footballers, but came back as heroes and walking football legends as they kept a clean sheet in an hour of hard fought, competitive but fun football!

 

Manager Jock Rodgers had 12 players to choose from in an 8-a-side game of 3 thirds of 20 minutes each!

His initial pick saw Tim Richens selected to go in goal, a duty he shared with a Steve Gooding throughout! 

Despite missing the brilliant defender, the team coped superbly, especially as Shaun Palfrey stepped up to lead the defence, superbly supported by Andy Wright and Rob Sheldon at various times - the only flaws being a clumsy challenge by Sheldon that floored his opponent and a late “step into his own area” by Wright, which merely gave Gooding the chance to earn his own hero status!!

 

The midfielders - Rodgers himself, Tim Youngberg, Clive Vaughan, Steve Grant were energy personified throughout, helping out in defence but still being mobile enough to support the strikers - Keith Hooper, Paul Randall & Steve Henderson (a City fan desperate to get one over on “the Gas”!!)

 

Early in the game it was both defences on top as both teams struggled to get any rhythm, as a result of regular changes to both sides, but whenever Rovers did get close to goal they found Richens unbeatable in the Cheddar goal!

 

As the game got more open in the next third of the game, it was Cheddar who got into the better positions against their better organised (they play twice a week) and more experienced opponents but a combination of poor finishing and strong defending somehow kept the game goalless! 

The highlight of this period was a Rovers player being fouled by the wily old 71 year old Rob Sheldon, the Draycott man bringing the player down, reminiscent of his “bouncer days”!

 

The game came alive in the third session, there were chances for both sides in the first ten minutes of the session but Richens kept the home side out, with his defence strong throughout! 

Chances also came and went for Cheddar but even the goalscoring genius, Keith Hooper, could not notch for a change.

 

The last ten minutes saw several Cheddar heroes come to the fore! Firstly it was player/manager, Jock Rodgers, who scored a deserved goal to put his team in the lead and a smile on his own face!

Soon after, Andy “Banjo Islander” Wright, was harshly penalised for stepping into his own area to give the home side a penalty!

It was time for club chairman, Steve Gooding, in goal to give Richens a break, to fling himself to his left but use his trailing leg to make a penalty save, and much cheering from his team mates was the least the “young Lev Yasmin” deserved!

Cheddar had chances to seal the win, with Randall being denied by the keepers big toe and the goalpost, but eventually the ex-Rovers legend got on the end of a ball from Keith Hooper to get the goal his all round performance deserved! 

Soon after the whistle went and “little” Cheddar had beaten the men from the big city!!

 

Many if the players then retired to the Wellington pub to reminisce on the game and start to get their heads around just what they had achieved.

The club would like to thank our opponents, and an excellent referee for a fantastic morning and we will he playing the return in Cheddar in the not too distant future - Covid permitting!!

 

Cheddar Team

Tim Richens, Steve Gooding, Shaun Palfrey, Rob Sheldon, Andy Wright, Paul Rodgers (1), Tim Youngberg, Clive Vaughan, Steve Grant, Keith Hooper, Paul Randall (1), Steve Henderson