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Photos: Jack Western
On a brisk, icy morning on 22 Acres, a Langwith side forced into three changes from the team which confidently dispatched Vanbrugh last weekend knew it would have to be a case of noses to the grindstone to snatch points from Alcuin, who were smarting from a narrow 2-1 defeat to Goodricke. Momentum was with the men in yellow, though- and it took an absolute belter from winger Ben Bugeja to seal the win for Alcuin after Kieran Hazell’s opportunism allowed him to slam home a leveller to Andy Fernando’s close range finish.
The first half saw Alcuin dominate possession, but with the confidence Langwith had gained from their win last week, they showed similar endeavour in paying close attention and snapping at the heels of the Alcuin midfielders as they attempted to get their talented wingers Bugeja and Fernando on the ball as often as possible. In spite of Alcuin’s possession, it was Ritchie Hemingway for Langwith who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the early minutes, turning sharply on the edge of the box to fire a snapshot that had Michael Thurloway scrambling to see it fly wide of his right post.
Jack Parsonson’s good work in defending from the front was vital in suppressing Alcuin’s possession play in the first half, but it meant that when Langwith could break, it was difficult for them to sustain attacks. It was one such occasion which yielded the opening goal, as dispossession on the break allowed the ball to find its way to Alcuin midfielder Jacob Burge, who jinked his way past Hemingway in the left channel and clipped over a cross. Andy Fernando couldn’t miss from point blank range- and it was 1-0 to Alcuin. Langwith have developed a reputation for letting their heads drop when they get behind, and even though Alcuin had renewed confidence on the ball, going close through Ben Bugeja, the men in yellow refused to admit defeat, redoubling their efforts to win the territorial battle in midfield. A determined run from the workmanlike Louis Pegg let him feed winger Jack Parsonson, whose looping deflected effort had Thurloway nervously spectating as it dropped over the bar.
Eight minutes after they conceded, Langwith’s dogged determination paid dividends. A miscued volley by Andy Hutt meant that Michael Thurloway could not gather the ball at the first attempt- and although he did well to block the resultant flick by Kieran Hazell, the ball broke for Hazell at the second attempt, and he gleefully lashed the ball home with conviction. The confidence that coursed through Langwith was almost visible after their equaliser, and they were almost in front immediately as more good work from Hazell cutting inside from the right found the ever-threatening Parsonson in space, whose curling first-time effort looked for all the world that it was headed for the top corner, but veered over the bar at the last moment. For the last quarter of the half, Alcuin were forced to play on the counter, with Langwith limiting their attacks to an array of set pieces by committing cynical fouls on Alcuin breaks. A set piece of this ilk yielded a goalmouth scramble, and Tom Pickersgill had to be very much alive to make a last ditch tackle on Ben Carver who surely would have fired home.
Langwith began the second half at the same high tempo with which they began the first, earning a free kick on the left wing which captain Marcus Campbell saw tipped onto the bar by a pressurised Thurloway. The resultant corner found Mark Starling in acres of space, but he somehow failed to direct his free header on target. The second half developed into a scrappy affair with Langwith increasingly content to settle for a point with precious few chances. Alcuin should have had the winner in the 75th minute, when a Langwith lapse let Burge find Fernando, whose cutback for attacking midfielder Jack McCannell should have been converted, but the substitute couldn’t get the ball out from under his feet, and Langwith cleared their lines.
The winner did ultimately come in the last knockings, and it was the constant thorn in Langwith’s side, Ben Bugeja, who delivered the goods. Cutting in from the left wing, he curled a cross-cum-shot from a full 25 yards towards the far post, and he was surprised as anyone to see it beat Kris Cheshire but not the post, nestling in the corner of the net. In stoppage time, Langwith should have equalised, when bullish striker Andy Hutt, ploughing a lone furrow up top in Campbell’s favoured 4-2-3-1, found his captain in space in the area. Campbell got no power into his shot and Thurloway saved comfortably, but Alcuin hearts were still in mouths as the final whistle blew. Bugeja was full value for his goal, but his side weren’t full value for the win. All in all it was an even encounter between two very competitive sides, lit up by some inadvertent magic from the Alcuin talisman and man of the match.
Vision MOTM: Ben Bugeja
Alcuin captain Greg Fearn: “That was a superb performance, and I feel it’s been coming. We’ve been working on it [in training] and finally got a deserved result. I’m pleased for the lads, we worked hard and put in a professional shift. We were dominant from start to finish, and it should have been more than 2-1. Ben’s [Bujega] strike was a cracker, but I wasn’t surprised; I’ve seen him do it in training, well, one in every hundred, anyway!”
Langwith captain Marcus Campbell: “We were really unlucky today. It was an even game. I reckon their winner was meant to be a cross, it was an unbelievable goal. I can’t fault the lads for their effort, so I’m not too disappointed. We’ll look to do better next week.”
Alcuin: Thurloway, Petrides, Perera, Tuton, Nazzicone, Twin (McCannell 45), Fearn, Burge, Bugeja, Carver, Fernando
Langwith: Cheshire, Rogers (Benney 45), Chaimo (Mallett 82), Pickersgill, Gates (Starling 45), Pegg, Hemingway, Campbell, Parsonson, Hazell (El Saarany 75), Hutt
Definitely a shot ;)