Royals Match Report 2005-06

Royals move one step closer to title

 Royals 8-2 Onny Plus (League, 30-04-06)
(Carless-Turland 4, Lewis, Hearle, Smith, Groom) 

A cool, overcast and windless Sunday morning made for ideal conditions for the match. The grass had grown since the previous Sunday but with the surface dry and quite hard the pitch was reasonably fast. Onny Plus is a mid-table team, beaten by the Royals 4-0 in their previous encounter. The first few minutes saw some ragged play with the Royals slow to the ball and passing wayward. But this did not last long. As they warmed up the passing became more accurate and the play more flowing. The Royals soon stamped their fluid passing game on the proceedings. The Onny Plus defence were under increasing pressure. 

The first warning came from an excellent cross by Hearle which was headed just wide by Lewis. The next cross by Hearle from close to the right corner flag found Carless-Turland near the left post of the Onny Plus goal. He turned the ball into the net to make it 1-0. The ball had been cleared from a corner at the Royals' end, it passed forward rapidly to Hearle who dribbled it on before crossing. The speed of the move wrong footed the opposition. A second goal followed shortly. The ball flowed smoothly and accurately from Carless-Turland to Smith, to Lewis to Hearle who fired it home. A superb move which bamboozled the defence. The third goal for the Royals came from a powerful header by Lewis. Once more Hearle was the provider, crossing the ball from near the right corner flag. 

The Royals were now clearly on top. But every now and then Onny Plus did get the ball forward and players streamed towards the Royals' goal. They were an attacking team not shy in coming forward in numbers (but thereby exposing themselves at the back). But the Royals defence played well, usually intercepting the ball before a final shot on goal could be attempted. Their most dangerous move came when the ball was crossed from the right and skidded across the Royals' goal mouth. But no Onny Plus striker was close enough to attempt to redirect the ball into goal.  

Half time came with the score at 3-0. The Royals played superb football. It was a genuine team effort with the ball being passed about purposefully. Besides the three goals that were scored there were many other scoring chances. 

For the second half the Royals played down pitch. In defence Brayne came on for Robinson and at centre-forward Groom replaced Lewis. Groom soon found himself on the score sheet. A long goal kick by Holtz reached Carless-Turland who instantly dispatched the ball to Groom who shot it past the goal keeper. Once more getting the ball forward quickly and accurate passing caught the Onny Plus defenders out. Then Hearle again dazzled with a corner kick. It was again Carless-Turland who was in the right place. This time he was further back and his forceful header was spot on target, the back of the net, to make it 5-0. 

Onny Plus did get two goals back. The first one resulted from a botched goal kick. The ball was intercepted and passed to a striker who shot on goal from the left. Holtz got gloves to the ball pushing it out to the right. But another Onny Plus striker was lurking there and he headed the ball in. 

Action soon moved to the other end of the field. In an untidy scramble in front of goal Onny Plus failed to clear, the ball fell to Carless-Turland who booted it in for his hat trick. 

Whereas Onny Plus' first goal was a "soft" one, they scored an excellent goal a few minutes on. A good passing movement for once wrong footed the Royals and allowed an Onny Plus striker to shoot into the right corner of the Royals' goal. It was their best move of the morning. This made the score 6-2. At this point Robinson came back on, taking the place of Riley. The Royals then added two more goals to their tally, ending the match on a strong note. The first was a lovely shot by Smith into the top left corner of the goal. The second came from Carless-Turland, making it his fourth of the game. Some untidy defending by Onny Plus, not clearing the ball, allowed Carless-Turland to poke it into the back of the net. 

An excellent result for the Royals. They were on good form. The passing was particularly successful this time and, as amply demonstrated by their eight goals, their shots on goal were deadly. Onny Plus was never allowed into the game. Moreover the tendency of their midfield players to storm forward when the ball was kicked into the Royals' half meant that they were exposed at the back to the quick counterattacks the Royals often mounted. The Royals had space to move in, and did they make good use of it!

Team: Cameron Holtz, Simon Riley, Dominic Robinson, Joe Hearle, Rory Smith (c), Harvey Carless-Turland, Tom Lewis. Subs: Michael Brayne, Ed Groom