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Photos: Jack Western
James College 1sts suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Vanbrugh on 22 Acres, as goals from Harry O’Brien and Elliot Rous-Ross ensured Vanbrugh returned to winning ways after last week’s acrimonious defeat to Langwith.
Determined to make amends following last week’s shock 4-0 loss, which was Langwith’s first win in over two years, it was Vanbrugh who made the brighter start to the match, passing the ball with confidence and generally playing at a greater intensity than their James counterparts, who were largely restricted to playing on the counter in a cagey first twenty minutes.
Both sides were resolute in defence, with James ‘keeper Andy Balzan claiming a number of fine catches from dangerous-looking corner kicks as Vanbrugh struggled to free the likes of Rous-Ross and O’Brien in attack.
At the other end, Dan Haresnape was pulling the strings for James in midfield, but aside from a mazy run from left-back Mike Austin and an ambitious effort from captain Ralph Gill which sailed over the bar, the league leaders were lacking their usual attacking edge. A surging run from Andrew Jopson down the right led to a chance for Matt Singleton, but the striker could only scuff his shot wide from inside the area.
Minutes later, Singleton found himself in the box once more, only to shoot straight at Vanbrugh goalkeeper Aaron Hooper, when laying the ball off to Haresnape seemed a better option.
And James were soon made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal. An aimless punt upfield from Vanbrugh captain Max Brewer was not dealt with by the James defence under pressure from Rous-Ross, who gathered the ball inside the area, before calmly squaring for O’Brien, who gleefully slotted the ball past Balzan for a deserved lead.
Buoyed, Vanbrugh knew that another goal before half-time would be a giant step towards victory. A period of sustained pressure on the James box resulted in a foul being committed on Elliot Rous-Ross. The striker stepped up to stroke the ensuing penalty past the motionless Balzan to put Vanbrugh firmly in control going into the interval.
James captain Gill had obviously told his side to go for broke during the half-time break, as the league pacesetters stormed out of the blocks in the second half, knowing their unbeaten run was at risk of coming to an end.
A free-kick deep in Vanbrugh territory was earned, and a threatening delivery was finished by a powerful header from Singleton, vindicating his earlier misses.
The rest of the second half was characterised by intense pressure from James as they searched for an equaliser. A few menacing runs from Haresnape and the dogged movement of Freddie Ferrao and Andrew Jopson down the flanks came to nothing.
James’ defence, keen to get involved in the attack, were pushing far too high a line. Rouss-Ross found himself through one-on-one with Balzan, but he was unable to kill the game off, curling the ball just beyond the far post.
At the other end of the pitch, James found themselves with a golden chance to draw level at the death as they earned a spot-kick for handball. Andrew Jopson stepped up to the plate, but inexplicably lashed the ball wide as the rest of his side watched on in disbelief.
Keen to make amends, Jopson spent the last five minutes ferociously chasing the ball down, creating one chance for Ferrao which the winger could not quite direct on target.
In the end, Vanbrugh were able to close the game out comfortably, as they put last week’s defeat behind them.
Captain Max Brewer was pleased with the result, telling Vision: “We were really solid defensively. I’m really proud of the battling we’ve done in midfield, especially in the first half when we looked particularly dominant. We hope to carry this momentum on to next week.”
In contrast, James captain Ralph Gill said: “It’s relatively simple today: they had their chances in the first half and took them, we had our chances in the second half, and we didn’t. Most of the first half we were very flat. It’s disappointing, but this doesn’t change anything. We still believe we can go on to win this league.”