An under strength Goodricke side delivered a scrappy 2-0 win over a persistent but otherwise toothless Vanbrugh side.
A pair of late goals from Chris Grayland and Dave Coupland was enough to see Goodricke emerge victorious and add yet more misery to a disappointing season for the overly cautious Vanbrugh.
Despite playing through most of the first half with only ten men Goodricke were more than able to match Vanbrugh. Despite the extra man Vanbrugh were unable to capitalise and much of the first half occurred without any clear cut chances for either team. The game became mired in a midfield battle of heavy tackles and lumped clearances; the state of the pitch was in some part to blame for a lack of flowing football as the ball bobbled unpredictably with every kick.
Arguably the best chance of the half fell to Vanbrugh’s Isaac Parkinson who found himself through on goal despite Goodricke’s protests of handball. The referee allowed play to continue but Parkinson could only fire wide, his poor finish indicative of a first half sorely lacking in quality or excitement.
Goodricke captain Dave Coupland proved his value to the team however with a mazy run straight through the heart of the Vanbrugh defence. A beautifully weighted pass found Matt Sutherland but his shot was cut out by a well-timed tackle from the composed Ash Lockyer. The half ended with both teams deservedly level.
Goodricke emerged from half time as the brighter of the teams, though the match quickly began to lull as both sides played on the back foot. For 35 minutes the only memorable incident was a Goodricke player being sick on the pitch.
This unfortunate side note could well have summed up a match that thus far had lacked any real or significant interest had it not been for the final ten minutes. Vanbrugh failed to deal with an innocuous looking corner by Coupland and the ball managed to find Chris Grayland who was on hand to loft a header into the top corner of the net.
The lead was doubled minutes later when Matt Sutherland’s pass took a deflection through the Vanbrugh defence and ran into the path of Coupland who produced a composed finish to push the ball past keeper Taylor.
A less-than-pretty win for Goodricke provided three hard earned points. Vanbrugh will be disappointed not to have taken anything from a game where they more than held their own.
By Joseph McDermott