REFFLEY U13's
Managers: Nigel Smith & Alistair Cox

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Squad: Liam Taylor, Matthew Brockwell, Charlie Ilson, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Ryan Barnes, Rowan Smith, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Callum Hewitt, Jake Clarke, Ryan Jackson, Jordan Duran, Kyle Massingham.

Being the envy of most Premiership managers doesn’t happen too often for Mid Norfolk League sides, but this game was the first after having a very pleasant Christmas break !

However due to the cancellation of two games before Xmas, this was to be Reffley’s first game in over a month, and it showed.

We were very shoddy across the park, with a few players showing the effects of too many mince pies multiplied by the lack of exercise over the Xmas period.

Dersingham seemed a bit brighter and dominated the opening exchanges, as it took the best part of ten minutes for the Reffley midfield to wake up and start stringing a few passes together.

The three top chances of the half went just in Reffley’s favour. Callum Hewitt in the 9th minute had a free header from a corner but it went wide. 90 seconds later Dersingham had shot from the edge of the area that too went just wide.

However the closest either side came to scoring in the 1st half came in the 29th minute when a Reffley attacker was put through on goal with only the keeper to beat. Unfortunately for the away side his final touch was over hit and allowed the advancing goalie to come out and smother the ball.

Dersingham started the 2nd half the same way they did in the 1st, a lot stronger than Reffley. Keeper Liam Taylor pulled off a fine save low to his left to deny a certain goal whilst defender Charlie Ilson put in a superb last man tackle to deny a promising Dersingham move.

With only five minutes of the 2nd half gone Dersingham were unlucky not to take the lead after being awarded a free kick just outside the area. The resultant kick was well struck but it hit the post and rebounded out for Reffley to clear away.

A few minutes later Reffley had captain Rowan Smith through on goal, he was forced to move wide by the advancing keeper, who’s positioning allowed Rowan to move past him but the angle was too tight and his shot went agonisingly wide.

On 51 mins it was Reffley’s turn to hit the woodwork when the best piece of passing play by the lads resulted in Rowan Smith releasing a thunderbolt from outside the area. It sailed over both the defence and keeper before rattling the bar and back and out for a goal kick.

Both sides played the game in a sporting manner and in the end a draw was a fair result.

The decision for Reffley’s man of the match was unanimous, as he had put in a very confident and solid performance at the back for the full 70 minutes, so well done to Charlie Ilson !

Squad: Liam Taylor, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Oliver Cox, Charlie Ilson, Matthew Brockwell, Rowan Smith, Ryan Barnes, Ryan Jackson, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke,  Kyle Massingham, Callum Hewitt, Jordan Duran, Danny Hendrie.

Not a lot to report on the first half of this game as neither side were able to make a clear cut chance on goal.

However the 2^nd half was a different case altogether . . .Wootton scored first when a poor Reffley move saw them loose the ball and allow a counter attack to gain momentum down the r h side of the pitch. A cross from the dead ball line came over that should have been easily dealt with but the ball eventually fell to a Wootton foot for an easy tap in  1 – 0

After that it was Reffley who looked the more likely to score,  on 56 mins Reffley were awarded a free kick 5 yards out of the area as a result of a horrendous ‘studs up’ tackle by an ex Reffley player, one that no one likes to see, but wont be forgotten ! Rowan Smith took the resultant free kick which lofted over the whole defence onto the crossbar and out again to a Wootton boot to be cleared out of dangers way.

Two minutes later Jake Clarke was put through 1 on1 with only the keeper to beat which he did only to see his shot go agonisingly inches wide of the empty net.

On 63mins Reffley were dealt a mean piece of luck, when a Wootton cross was met by a Reffley player who had risen brilliantly to try and glance the header away, but unfortunately it went over the outstretched keepers arms and into his own net 2-0. A cruel blow that Reffley didn’t deserve.

As the final whistle blew it was Wootton arms that punched the air with delight. Perhaps in the knowledge that they knew the score line could and should have been a lot closer, as Reffley deserved a lot more out of the game than they got.

A good solid performance from the lads despite the boggy pitch, one that will be fresh in the memory and the nostrils as the pitch was littered with dog mess -  A problem Wootton need to address.

Squad: Liam Taylor, Andrew Roseblade, Oliver Cox, Charlie Ilson, Rowan Smith, Ryan Barnes, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke,  Kyle Massingham, Callum Hewitt, Josh Barnes, Will Barnes, Jordan Duran, Danny Hendrie.

Reffley started in confident mood against a slightly improved West Winch side from the one we’d met two weeks earlier.

1^st goal of the game came on 5mins when Jake Clarke tapped in from 2yrds out from a good corner ball from Rowan Smith. 1-0

Reffley continued to dominate proceedings and should have had a few more in the first 15mins but sloppy final balls prevented the score line from increasing.

West Winch had a good chance in the 22^nd min when the Reffley defence failed to pick up a long ball that allowed a W Winch player a free shot from 7 yards out, fortunately for the home side the shot went just wide.

On 26mins the W Winch keeper pulled of a fantastic save as he dived low to his left hand side to deny a well struck shot from Jake Clarke. However he was not to be denied two minutes later when a well worked move down the left hand side by Rowan Smith saw him cross the ball into the box for Jake to slot home from close range 2-0

Less than a minute later Reffley increased the score line when a through ball was chased onto by Jordan Duran who stayed composed and chipped the ball over the advancing keeper into the goal. 3-0

After the break it was all Reffley, and on 47mins Rowan Smith scored his first of the game and Reffley’s forth. His shot was half parried by the keeper but Rowan followed the ball for an easy tap in 4-0.

With less than half an hour to go Reffley made a triple substitution and it instantly paid dividend. Kyle Massingham connected on to a cross from Jake Clarke and his low drive gave the keeper no chance 5-0

Credit to West Winch they never gave up and were getting some positive encouragement from their management and supporters. Whilst Reffley showed theirs what they are capable of when they want to play decent football – Well Done

Squad: Liam Taylor, Andrew Roseblade, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Charlie Ilson, Rowan Smith, Ryan Barnes, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke, Ryan Jackson, Kyle Massingham, Callum Hewitt, Josh Barnes.

11 David’s against 1 Goliath is the easiest way to sum up this match as Reffley travelled to Stoke Ferry in a confident mood that they could beat the 2^nd Division high flyers. But they were unaware of Ferry’s secret weapon  . . .All 6ft and 15 stone of him ! A gigantic lad who’s only similarity to the remaining 21 players on the field was that he amazingly fell into the same age bracket. Twice the size and physique of anyone else on the pitch, this lad was the only reason ‘Ferry won the tie , Oh.. . . And the fact we hit the bar, the post and a missed a few sitter’s to boot!

No excuses Reffley lost this quarter final because they didn’t convert chances and couldn’t or wouldn’t tackle the colossus with the No 8 on his back. All four of Ferry’s goals came from the same player playing the same move. His strength and physique gave the opposition a massive advantage which they used to the full.

Reffley started the game very positively with both Jake Clarke and Rowan Smith through on goal but finishing poorly, which for both of them is unusual. Some dreadful offside decisions also prevented clear scoring opportunities from being allowed to continue. The opposition’s linesman must have had a new flag for his birthday because he loved waving it at will, even when our attackers started moves in their own half !!  Seriously a good read of the rules wouldn’t go amiss before he officiates again.

It wasn’t long before the threat of ‘ Ferry’s No8 became apparent, he moved through our defence like a hot knife on butter, a good save from Liam Taylor not only kept the scores level at 0 - 0 but also showed how dangerous this lad was going to be.

Stoke Ferry took the lead on 6 minutes when the ball was picked up by the No8, who then passed several Reffley players without 1 tackle being made. This left him with only the keeper to beat which he did with ease. Credit where its due it was a well taken goal , but one that should never have been created in the 1^st place.

The three remaining Ferry goals were carbon copies of the first, but don’t think Reffley sat back and soaked up pressure for the remainder of the game because they didn’t.

Reffley though they had equalised when Massingham’s shot hit the post. They finally got on the score sheet with only 2 minutes of the half remaining. A quality through ball beat the ‘Ferry defence that Jake Clarke latched onto and fired home 1 – 1.

Stoke Ferry recaptured the lead deep, into injury time with only a few seconds of the first half remaining (a description of the goal can be found above!) 2-1

The half time team talk was a rally call to tackle the one threat that Stoke Ferry had, and to their credit they went out and did just that. Some lovely play by Reffley and brave solid defending by the back four got them back into the game. However it was Ferry who scored first in the second half.  3-1

Reffley pulled it back when Jake Clarke was through on goal and was brought down by the keeper as we tried to take the ball round him. The resultant penalty was taken with ease by Lewis Bankroft-Achurch but because a ‘Ferry player encroached into the area as he took it, the penalty had to be taken again. Lewis kept his composure and coolly slotted the ball in the same spot again  3-2

With 15 minutes left on the clock another through ball beat the ‘Ferry defence and again was pounced on by Jake Clarke his shot gave the keeper no chance, but as he took it he was taken out by a ‘Ferry player. The goal stood but Jake was left in a lot of pain and the culprit left unpunished. 3-3

Both teams went for the winner in normal time, the ‘Ferry No8 was causing problems when he moved forward but the Reffley back four were giving it their all. With less than 5 minutes on the clock another through ball put Jake Clarke through with Charlie Ilson racing alongside him, Jake had only the keeper to beat but unselfishly he passed the ball to Charlie who’s shot was ballooned onto the bar.

Extra time was required, and yet again Stoke Ferry’s No8 scored his fourth and ultimately the winning goal. As has been said before the lad took all of his goals well, but his size and physique was ultimately what lost this game for Reffley. The lads battled hard and gave 110% which as managers you can’t ask for more.

We wish Stoke Ferry well in their quest to win the cup. They have a good chance with their secret weapon !! To all those other teams left in the competition …you cant say you haven’t been warned !!

MOM : The whole team for their 2^nd half and extra time performance – you were all a credit to the club.

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Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clarke: 60mins

Squad: Liam Taylor, Andrew Roseblade, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Ryan Barnes, Callum Hewit, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Charlie Ilson, Jordan Duran, Jake Clarke, Ryan Jackson, Rowan Smith, Danny Hendry.

Halloween was still being celebrated by Reffley U13's as they put in a Jekyll & Hyde performance today that in some stages was a committed as one could ask for but in others looked like a load of headless chickens had taken the field.

Take nothing away from Walpole they are a very good team and deserved the win. But several Reffley players made basic errors and were quite frankly scared to commit themselves today in what can only be described as an embarrassment.

The game started with Walpole pushing forward and Reffley coped reasonably well for nigh on 15 minutes, both sides had chances but failed at the last hurdle. Then the next 15 mins saw them concede 5 goals. Each one from basic errors that has crept into the Reffley game. All the of the back four thought they'd play the last 20 minutes of the half without putting a tackle in, and as a result they got punished five times !

If you'd have heard the half time team talk, it would have made your toes curl ! Both managers vented their wrath at the whole team, as what we'd just witnessed was totally unacceptable.

They came out playing for pride and showed a lot more commitment. Nothing bothered the back four too much in the first 20 minutes of the second half because they tackled and hassled. Shame they hadnt done it for the previous 20 ! But again they let themselves down with two minutes of madness. The Reffley defence and midfield went to sleep and it resulted in two quick goals for Walpole that put them 0-7 up.

Reffley scored a consolation goal on 60 mins when Rowan Smith put a good ball through to Jake Clarke who finally thwarted the Walpole keeper. 1-7.

Both teams created chances and were stopped by both sets of Keepers who pulled of some fabulous saves.

Reffley's MOM award was an easy one to make. Jake Clarke and Lewis Bankroft -Achurch ran their socks off all game, and each could have scored but for the excellent Walpole keeper. Jordan Duran put in a solid debut performance and Rowan Smith's contribution increased as he worked his way back to full fitness again. But the award in the end went to keeper Liam Taylor, who was not at fault for any of the goals he had conceded, that blame lay very firmly elsewhere. Liam put in a solid performance as he saved Reffley further embarrassment by pulling off some great saves.

The rest of the lads played well for 2x 20 minutes sections, but failed to keep it up for the full 70 minutes!  . . .And that quite simply isn't good enough.

Squad: Liam Taylor, Andrew Roseblade, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Ryan Barnes, Callum Hewit, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Charlie Ilson, Kyle Massingham, Jake Clarke, Ryan Jackson, Rowan Smith.

Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clarke: 5, 68mins

For the first time this season Reffley could nearly call upon from a full strength squad will the welcome return of Rowan Smith having recovered from a bad injury.

Reffley started the 1st half playing against a blustery wind and coped well with most of what was thrown at them.  On 5 mins they were awarded a free kick on the half way line that saw Lewis B float over a cracking cross against the wind into the home side area. Jake Clarke pounced onto the ball, controlled it well and riffled a low shot past the outstretched keeper to take an early lead. 0-1

Virtually from the restart Heacham pushed forward and whilst the initial advance was repelled the ball came back to a Heacham player. He had time to control the ball and from just outside the area thundered a ball with the aid of the wind floated over everyone’s heads including the keeper to score a goal that would easily grace the Premiership. A good goal well taken, but Reffley were guilty of allowing him time on the ball. Never the less credit de were it belongs the lad took it well. 1–1

The rest of the half saw few chances worthy of note. Heacham tried to use the wind to their advantage but our keeper kept his back four under control and between them they smothered what attacking moves Heacham created. With ten minutes left Reffley brought on Rowan Smith for his first run out in Reffley colours for over 6 weeks.

A free kick to Heacham given just before the end of the half saw a floating ball test Reffley keeper Liam Taylor. The cross was bravely touched over the bar by Liam whilst being clattered into by an opposition player at the same time ! The incident was done without malice as the attacker was only looking to go for the ball, but as a result fouled our number 1.  The fact that the official felt was a fair challenge brought some bemused looks from the Reffley coaches and parents !?

The half time team talk was full of praise for the lads as they had all battled hard in awkward conditions. The second half saw Reffley step off the gas in midfield and allowed Heacham to create chances that weren’t available to them in the first half.

Ryan Barnes had a golden opportunity to put the away side in front on 41mins after receiving the ball from Jake Clarke but from 7yrds out he skied his shot over the bar to the relief of the Heacham keeper.

An exciting 5 minute period started on 57mins when Liam Taylor pulled off a fantastic save to deny Heacham taking the lead after he blocked a shot from 5 yards out. Again the move was as a result of mistakes from the midfield. A minute later an identical save was made at the other end of the field by the home keeper, who brilliantly saved Callum Hewitt’s shot from close range.

The turning point of the game came in the 60th minute when a poor pass from a Reffley midfielder was pounced on by Heacham, the attacker was through on goal with only Reffley defender Oliver Cox providing any resistance to the move. He made the Heacham attacker go wide, the Reffley keeper also ran out to close down the angles but the Heacham player was able to side the ball around him. Unfortunately the angle was just a little too tight and his shot went inches wide of the empty goal to the relief of the Reffley midfield who had caused the mistake in the first place.

This sparked a late rally from Reffley who were now getting barked at from the sidelines. The lads started to use the wind again and were floating balls over the tall Heacham defensive pairing. In the 68th minute Jake Clarke chased down one of these balls and with a deft touch of his shoulder sent the defender the wrong way and was and through on goal with just the advancing keeper to beat, which he did with his usual grace and style !  1 – 2 . It was a well executed goal that was greeted with cheers from the away supporters and management.

The last 10 minutes saw both Jake and Rowan Smith miss glorious chances to increase the lead. With only a few minutes left Reffley should have had a penalty when Jake was clattered to the floor in the home sides penalty box, but amazingly play was waved on.

The game was a close affair and Heacham did play well, but the finishing of Jake Clarke and the superb goal keeping of Liam Taylor proved to be the difference over the 70 mins. Credit must be given to both sets of players as they played the game in a sporting manner, and coped well in the blustery conditions.

MOM award went to central defender Aaron Gasgoine-Walker for a solid defensive display, well done Aaron!

Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clarke:  22,24,58 & 60mins
Danny Hendry: 47mins
Ryan Jackson: 45mins
Kyle Massingham: 36mins

Ryan Barnes, Andrew Roseblade, Ryan Jackson, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Callum Hewitt, Charlie Illson, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke, Danny Hendry, Kyle Massingham.

This was a much improved performance after the shambles from the week before v East Lynn.

After taking control of the game from the kick off it took Reffley 22 minutes to put the ball in the back of the net. They had gone close on a few occasions, with chances going a begging by hitting the post, and putting simple tap ins over the bar from 4 yards out (no mean feat !!). But on 22 minutes they finally broke the deadlock when a great ball from the right hand side by Matty Brockwell was inch perfect to Jake Clarke who ran onto the cross for an easy tap in. 

Before the re start Danny Hendry came on as substitute and with virtually his first touch of the game saw him put a lovely ball through to Jake Clarke who beat his marker and finished well to score his second within a minute of play 0 – 2.

The Reffley defence seemed to grow with confidence as the game went on, dealing with the few attacking moves that Tilney put together. Stand in keeper Ryan Barnes (who replaced Liam Taylor at the last minute) played a key part in providing the confidence that the back line needed after the drubbing they had the week before.

The second half was only a minute old when a good cross from Charlie Illson was well controlled by Jake Clarke, who unselfishly laid the ball through to Kyle Massingham to thump the ball into the top left hand corner and score his first ever goal for the Reds. 0 – 3

Credit to Tilney they never gave up and tried hard to get back into the game, but Reffley killed them off on 45 mins when Ryan Jackson was allowed a free shot on goal from the edge of the area. His low screamer flew into the net and also gave him his first goal of his Reffley career. 0 - 4

Reffley’s fifth goal came two minutes later after a goal bound shot from Jake Clarke was excellently saved by the Tilney keeper, but his parry fell nicely for Danny Hendry who kept his composure and finished well under pressure from the home side’s defence. Yet another Reffley player scoring his debut goal!  0 – 5

One of the best moves of the game came on 58 mins when another quality cross from Matthew Brockwell was pounced on by Jake Clarke who dinked it over the out coming keeper to score his hat trick. 0 – 6

Two minutes later Jake Clarke attacked the Tilney goal from the right hand side, he came in at an angle and chipped it over the keeper for his fourth and the final goal of the game. 0 – 7.

It was a much improved performance that proved to those watching that when Reffley want to play good quality football they can !

Well done to all the debut goal scorers and to Jake Clarke for netting four goals in a 38 minute spell. All the lads played their part in a solid performance but the MOM award went to Matthew Brockwell for his solid display at the back and clinical crosses that set up a number of goals for the forward line.

Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clarke 1 min

Kyle Massingham, Ryan Jackson, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Ryan Barnes, Callum Hewitt, Charlie Illson, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke, Danny Hendry, Will Barnes.

In a nutshell…. We got stuffed !

Reffley were without two influential players due to illness and injury and as excuses go it’s the only one I can give as reasoning for this poor result. It still doesn’t hide the fact that 9 of the 11 players on the pitch may as well stayed in bed that morning for the amount they contributed to this game. By far the worst Reffley performance in years … It stunk !

Amazingly Reffley took the lead, straight from the kick off with a nice move between Danny Hendry and Jake Clarke, who finished well to put them 1 – 0 up.

From that moment on East Lynn woke up and Reffley gave up ! Some extremely poor displays right across the field saw the home side go into the half time break 1 – 4 down. Even the ear blasting the players got at half time didn’t sink in and the game ended 1 – 7.

Credit to East Lynn they played some nice football and are a credit to their management team.

Only two Reffley players came off the pitch knowing they’d given their all, and as a result they both received the MOM award. Well done to Lewis Bankroft-Achurch and Jake Clarke who both worked their socks off.

Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clarke: 8 mins

Liam Taylor, Andrew Roseblade, Ryan Jackson, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Ryan Barnes, Callum Hewitt, Charlie Illson, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke, Danny Hendry, Kyle Massingham.

Reffley travelled to Downham Market having been given less than 3 days notification of the afternoon kick off time. As a result parents had to re arrange their Sunday plans at short notice, some gave up their Sunday roast for the game !! Be it gamesmanship or forgetfulness, this lack of courtesy is becoming a regular occurrence in the league and it question’s why we have a ruling that states a minimum of six days notice is required.

Once the game kicked off it didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken when Downham took the lead in the 4^th minute. A move down the centre was allowed to progress without a decent tackle being made. The resultant shot on goal was well struck low to the right hand side of the outstretched Reffley keeper. 1 – 0

4 mins later Reffley equalised by creating an identical move to the one that the opposition had scored from. A nice one-two down the centre of the pitch resulted in a through ball to Jake Clarke who controlled the ball well and then fired it into the goal. 1 – 1

Downham took the lead again on 19mins when a defensive error allowed the ball to come to an unmarked Downham player who’s free shot on goal from 7yrds out was unstoppable.  2 - 1

Reffley came close to equalising just before half time, when a nice move culminating in Ryan Jackson and Jake Clarke both through on goal ,but the final touch from one to the other was over hit and the move came to nothing when a goal seemed the likely conclusion.

The opening 10 minutes of the second half saw chances go begging for both sides, on 45mins Jake Clarke had a cracking shot excellently saved by the home sides keeper. 3mins later Reffley’s Liam Taylor pulled off an equally spectacular save when he was called upon to quickly dive low to his right to smother a goal bound shot.

The game as a competition was killed off in the 63^rd minute when another mistake at the back gifted Downham with a free shot on goal to make it 3 – 1.

Downham also had a goal disallowed with only a few minutes left on the clock , the reasoning behind the decision was a mystery to all that were watching. Jake Clarke also had a shot go inches past the post in the dying minutes of the game.

With the loss of influential midfielder Rowan Smith due to injury, Reffley worked hard but got little reward from this game. They conceded three goals which came from basic mistakes that could have been avoided. Too often we see Reffley punished when errors are made, but we never seem to capitalise on our opponent’s gaffs.

Well done to the lads for the effort they all put in and a special thanks goes to all our parents who re arranged their Sunday to accommodate the late notification of kick off time.

Liam Taylor, Ryan Jackson, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gasgoine-Walker, Matthew Brockwell, Ryan Barnes, Callum Hewitt, Charlie Illson, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Jake Clarke, Danny Hendry, Kyle Massingham.

Well . . They say football is a game of two halves and this game certainly showed that. 

Reffley played host to a Dersingham side who had just beaten last years League champs, however the home side were also in a confident mood after an impressive away win at Clenchwarton.

The news of losing influential midfielder Rowan Smith earlier that week hadn’t dented the team spirit, as they’d already demonstrated their ability to freely create goals from all over the park in their previous away victory.

The first five minutes of the game saw Dersingham dominate the play as Reffley were a little slow out of the blocks. However it was the home side who had the best of what few chances were on offer in the first half. The first decent attempt on goal came in the 10^th minute when Kyle Massingham headed just wide from a Jake Clarke cross. The Reffley midfield began to control the play more and the defence where coping well with what Dersingham threw at them.

On 23 minutes Reffley did have the ball in the oppositions net, but the linesman had flagged for offside. A little strange as the ball was pumped up field by the Reffley keeper, and headed onto Reffley’s Jake Clarke by a Dersingham player. Jake was in an offside position when the punt up field occurred but was played on side when the Dersingham player headed it to him. The flag went up unseen by Jake who took the ball past the keeper and slotted it into the net.

No apportion of blame or criticism for the decision is given to any of the officials for disallowing the goal, as it’s a difficult one to judge. The new offside rules would say Jake was not offside as the ball came to him off a Dersingham player, the flag went up when the ball was in the air before the header was made so whilst being slightly premature, it was an honest mistake to make.

Both teams saw out the half with no further chances on goal worth mentioning. The Reffley half time chat was upbeat and positive with the management asking for more of the same. But unfortunately it fell on deaf ears !

Dersingham started the 2^nd half just like the first with hasty assurance that Reffley found hard to cope with. Within two minutes of the resumption Reffley keeper Liam Taylor was called upon to pull off a fine point blank save after a defensive mistake allowed Dersingham a free shot on goal. It was a warning that Reffley ignored at their peril, as it was a catalyst that sparked Dersingham into producing some good football.

Reffley had their best chance of the half a minute after their keeper had kept them in the game, Ryan Barnes was put through on goal but decided to take a touch before shooting which proved to one too many as it gave the Dersingham defender just enough time to clear the danger.

The deadlock was broken in the 57^th minute when a Dersingham move down the right hand side was allowed to build by the Reffley midfield and defence. How strange that 7 players in the same side can all forget how to tackle at the same time ! Something they all were doing with confidence some 20 minutes earlier. Take nothing away from Dersingham, it was a well crafted goal that was finished well giving Liam Taylor no chance. 0-1

Dersingham continued to push forward and deservedly scored a second just past the hour mark. A free shot on goal from 6 yrds out punished Reffley’s failure to tackle.  0-2

After a confident first half display, it looked like Reffley could get something out of this game, but a poor second half performance exasperated by an improved Dersingham display saw them come away with nothing. Our front players got no supply at all, a half time chat to the midfield should have sorted that problem out, but it went on deaf ears.  Only three players could come off that pitch knowing they had given their all , they know who they are, the rest owe them an apology!
  

Squad: Kyle Massingham, Matthew Brockwell, Oliver Cox, Aaron Gascoigne-Walker, Andrew Roseblade, Lewis Bankroft-Achurch, Rowan Smith, Ryan Barnes, Charlie Ilson, Callum Hewitt, Jake Clarke, Ryan Jackson, Danny Hendrie.  

Reffley Goal scorers / times:
Jake Clark: 6 ,57, 65, 70
Lewis Banckroft-Achurch: 25
Callum Hewitt: 32
Rowan Smith: 67

Reffley started the campaign with some bad news. Just as the team got together to drive to Clenchwarton, news came through that our goal keeper had taken poorly at home and needed to go to Hospital. As a result the boys went out against a useful Clenchwarton side and fought hard for an away win that was dedicated to their No 1 –  Get well soon Liam. 

The opening few minutes saw Reffley on the back foot as Clenchwarton kept the ball in their oppositions half. The opening goal of the game went Reffley’s way with their first determined attacking effort.  A through ball from midfield was pounced upon by Jake Clarke who beat the last defender and calmly dinked the ball past the on coming keeper . 0 - 1

The goal calmed Reffley’s nerves and they started to show sparks of the confident football we saw last season. Reffley very nearly doubled their lead in the 10^th minute, but were thwarted by the save of the match, when the home side’s keeper brilliantly saved a Jake Clarke shot that was parried around the post for a corner. The feat was applauded by both sets of supporters as a finer save this year will be hard to find.

Reffley squandered a few more decent chances in a ten minute period after the goal was scored, but were reminded of Clenchwarton’s intentions in the 24^th min when a well taken shot hit the Reffley woodwork and rebounded away to a Reffley player. It was a shock to the system that Reffley responded to by moving the ball out of defence and down the left flank. The ball was picked up by Rowan Smith who passed two defenders before getting upended inside the Clenchwarton box for a penalty. Up stepped Lewis Bankroft-Achurch to coolly wrong foot the keeper and place the ball in the far right hand side of the net.  0 - 2

Both teams continued to push forward, with the Clenchwarton No7 causing the Reffley backline most of their problems throughout the game. A combination of his excellent pace on the ball and our rustiness at putting in a tackle made it an exciting game to watch, unless you’re a manager !

Unfortunately for the home side one such attack from their No7 resulted in a goal for Reffley ! His dangerous surge of pace moved the ball into the Reffley goal area, his shot was blocked and the attacking move came to a halt. The ball came to Reffley and was again moved down the left hand side, some excellent one touch football between Charlie Ilson, Rowan Smith and Jake Clarke set up Callum Hewitt who ran the length of the pitch to finish off the move with a well taken goal. 0 - 3.

With only seconds left of the half, Clenchwarton’s luck still eluded them as they hit the woodwork again. If either of theses chances had gone in, how different a game would this have been?

The interval gave both teams a well earned break and allowed then to take on fluids as the heat was playing its part in the opening fixture of the season. The re start saw Clenchwarton push forward looking for that illusive fist goal of the season , and quite justifiably they got it with only four minutes of the half completed. Poor defensive play by Reffley allowed the Clenchwarton attacker to push through without a tackle being made for a ball to be slid past the keeper. 1 – 3

The goal served a reminder to Reffley that the game was not yet won, and as a result they woke up after the half time break and started to play some good football. Reffley were unlucky not to score in the 49^th min when the ball seemed to spend an eternality in the Clenchwarton 5yrd area after a goalmouth scramble from a corner, but eventually the ball was cleared. 

Reffley deservedly got their 4^th goal of the match in the 57^th min after another excellent piece of play saw Rowan Smith work brilliantly with Jake Clarke who was put through with only a defender and keeper to beat. He got past the first then took the keeper wide only to find the defender had ran back to try and thwart Jake again, but his composure and finish was 1^st class. 1 - 4 

Reffley continued to push forward and some excellent play was witnessed. It was again one touch football that provided the build up to the 5^th goal on 65 mins. The ball zipped about in midfield before Jake Clarke ran on to a through ball with only the keeper to beat. He controlled the ball and finished well to put the away side in a comfortable lead 1 – 5

Two minutes later it was Rowan Smith’s turn to pile on the home sides misery with a trade mark left foot shot from outside the box that sailed over both the defence and the back tracking keeper in to the net 1 – 6

All credit to Clenchwarton they never let their heads drop, and continued to fight for every ball. Their No7 was still proving to be a thorn in the side of the Reffley defence and again was allowed to run through in the 69^th minute which resulted in a goal that he deserved for all his effort that day. 2 – 6

The final word of the game went to Reffley who again showed some deft touches to create a goal in the dying seconds of the match. Some good exchanges between Callum Hewitt and Ryan Barnes set up a tap in for Jake Clarke 2 – 7.

Clenchwarton had been unlucky not to increase their goal tally as they twice hit the Reffley woodwork. Having said that Reffley squandered a few chances themselves on top of the seven they put away

It was a typical opening game of the season encounter, thankfully with more plus points than minuses. Both teams deserve praise and credit for a hard fought game played in very warm conditions, and whose sportsman like conduct was a credit to both themselves and their respective clubs. It was also nice to see that both sides were well supported by family and friends and our thanks go out to all of ours.

Special mention to Kyle Massingham who deputised between the sticks for Liam at very short notice, and chipped in a solid performance as a result. Also, well done to Danny Hendrie who worked hard and put in a good display on his first full appearance for the team. 

Both Nigel & Alistair would like to thank all the squad for their hard work. They decided to give the MOM award jointly between Lewis Bankroft-Achrch and Jake Clarke, as both worked their socks off all game. Well done lads !