Venue: Church Lane, Linby, Nottinghamshire
Competition: CML South Division
Scorers: Matt Murphy (18, 28, 89), Ruban Mitchell (24)
Referee: Jack Forder
Line-ups:
Linby - Luca Rocco, Mason Frizelle, Tom Coupe, Ashley Winfield, Callum Loydall, Terry Henshaw, Ruban Mitchell, Adam Fox, Matt Murphy, Joe Butler, Damian Mann. Subs used: Kaylum Mitchell, Ben Saunders, Kyle McDermott.
Town - Jimmy Beddingham, Cayne Maxwell, Joe Atkinson, Dwayne Ngandi, Alex Arnold, David Leak, Cameron Davidson, Nathan Robinson, Aaron Evans, Matt Clowes, Elliott Pitt. Subs used: Jack Sanders, Niall Williams, Abbis Ayokulne
So endeth our August round Robin - all three of the local rivals finish with three points! Town beat Rolls, Rolls beat Linby, Linby beat Town. I know the title of this blog is "on the road" , and it seems we are spending less and less time in the car - but I love these local derbies.
I think Linby were expecting a huge crowd - they had marked out a neat car-park just inside the ground, and although it was well populated, my head count was only 121. Mind you, my head counts are sometimes well wide of the mark!!
The teams cancelled each other out early on in the first half, but it was noticeable that Linby had returned to their passing game they had forsaken on Bank Holiday Monday, and looked a far more accomplished team than they had at Rolls.
With 17 played, Mason Frizelle headed a Damian Mann free-kick just wide, then Hucknall were guilty of some careless defending, allowing Joe Butler time and space to reverse the ball back to MATT MURPHY, who calmly curled it past the despairing dive of Jim Beddingham in the Town goal.
1-0
Butler was also the provider of the second Linby goal six minutes later, this time rolling the ball across the goal to where RUBAN MITCHELL was on hand to tap in.
Bulter crosses to...
Ruban Mitchell 2-0
Hucknall seemed a little shell-shocked and they almost went further behind 2 minutes later when they allowed Mann to run into the box from the left and fire across Beddingham - luckily for the visitors, the ball crept just wide of the far stick.
MATT MURPHY scored again for Linby on 28, and this was different class - his shot from the corner of the box screaming into the top corner with Beddingham left waving it bye-bye. Kyle McDermott replaced Mann on 43, after the winger had been injured in an earlier challenge. H-T 3-0
Murphy's just added the third for Linby!
Town's Elliott Pitt saw his 25 yard free-kick tipped over the bar by Luca Rocco within just 2 minutes of the restart, then Nathan Robinson fired well wide after he had made a great run at goal from inside his own half.
Great save from Rocco
Ashley Winfield was lucky to stay on the pitch on 63, after he made a nasty looking two-footed, studs showing challenge on Matty Clowes. Referee Forder did show the Linby midfielder a yellow, and seconds later we thought Winfield was definitely on his way after he appeared to make another rash challenge on the edge of the Linby box. It seems that me, Kev and the Hucknall Town bench all need to pay a visit to Specsavers, because Mr. Forder, much to our surprise, booked Callum Loydall! From the free-kick, Rocco once again denied Pitt, diving to his right to palm away.
Clowes down
Winfield booked
Loydall booked
Rocco saves
Town's Niall Williams and Aaron Evans were both booked in quick succession midway though the half, both players guilty of late challenges as Linby kept up the pressure.
With the game entering it's final few minutes, Ben Samuels and Kaylum Mitchell combined well in the middle of the park - eventually finding MURPHY on the left. The Linby no. 9 stroked the ball across Beddingham from the edge of the box, and despite the keeper getting a hand to it, it had enough legs to cross the line and complete a well deserved hat-trick. F-T 4-0
Admission: Season ticket
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: h/c 121
MOM: Adam Fox - unsung hero in the middle of the park for Linby
Charity: £3.00
