Match Report: Fleet Town 1-0 Colliers Wood United
Fleet Town eventually got the better of bottom of the table Colliers Wood United in a close fought match. Fleet were having to do without the services of Liam Pestle at the heart of the defence, serving the first match of his suspension following the Red Card given to him in the match at Alton last week. The match was preceded by an act of remembrance and playing of The Last Post for armistice weekend.
After a lot of play going nowhere in midfield by both sides, the first real chance fell to Fleet after a quarter of an hour, Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb broke down the right and combined with Brad Manning who crossed to Connor Young in the box, Connor’s shot hit the visitors keeper Toby McKimm and came back to Connor to try again, this time his shot hit the bar and rebounded down into the arms of McKimm as he was still lying on the ground. At the other end there was a chance for the visitors when Ashton Morris drove into the box and got a shot away which needed Joel Halliday to make a save in the Fleet goal, at the expense of a corner, which came to nothing. After half an hour Fleet struck the bar again, this time direct from a free kick taken by Luke Phair for thirty yards out which had been given for a foul on Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb. A couple of minutes later Fleet were given another free kick from almost the same spot, this time Luke Phair struck the ball low into the box and it got deflected away for a corner. Colliers Wood had been keeping Fleet under pressure at the back, without threatening the goal, their balls forward being cut out by Rayon Atkinson, Sam Marks and Josh Nunes but many of their balls forward were falling straight to one of the visitors players around halfway and set up their next attack. Then a potentially decisive moment on 41 minutes when a quick break downfield by Fleet was abruptly halted by Stefan Aiwone just outside the box and as last man immediately got his marching orders from the referee brandishing his Red Card. Fleet pegged Colliers Wood back for the final minutes of the half as they looked to try and make the man advantage to count before half time but did not manage a vital breakthrough and the game reached half time goalless.
Colliers Wood were able to use the interval to regroup and solidify their defence for the second half, at the expense of any attacking threat, playing to hold on to the 0-0 score line. Fleet were finding it difficult to get the space in open play to set up many goal scoring chances, it looked as if Fleet might have to rely on set pieces to open up the Colliers Wood defence, though a few times when Fleet were expecting a free kick for challenge that left a Fleet player on the ground nothing was given. Then when Fleet were given a free kick in a dangerous position Naz Miah’s effort flew harmlessly wide of the goal, shortly after this Naz got to a clearance from a corner, in the same area of the pitch and this time his deep ball in found Josh Nunes, who was still up in an advanced position, Josh got his head to the ball but it went up more than forward, he waited and as the ball came down he got his thick head of hair to the ball and directed it past McKimm into the net to give Fleet the lead after 74 minutes. After another apparent foul on a Fleet player was not given, captain Connor Young complained once too often for the referee and got to sit in the sin bin for ten minutes, during this spell of survival with ten players, Fleet were forced to sub one of their subs when Joe Wotton had to be taken off after taking a high boot to the head. The final minutes then saw both the Mackie twins on the pitch, their fresh legs and enthusiasm driving Fleet forward and keeping Colliers Wood away from the Fleet goal and help Fleet complete this vital victory. In the end the new management team at Colliers Wood could even see the game as an improvement on some of their recent heavier defeats that have kept them bottom of the table.
FLEET TOWN:
1 Joel Halliday, 2 Bradley Manning, 3 Sam Marks, 4 Luke Phair, 5 Josh Nunes, 6 Rayon Atkinson, 7 Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb, 8 Matt Surmon, 10 Connor Young, 20 Naz Miah, 11 Mihail Marinescu.
SUBS:
12 Joe Wotton (on for Phair 67 mins), 14 Callum Mackie (on for Miah 85 mins), 15 George Mackie (on for Wotton 90 mins), 16 Will McDonald (on for marinescu 63 mins), 18 Dan Bone (on for Hakeem-Habeeb 75 mins).
Fleet are back at The Mustard Seed Stadium on Tuesday night against Frimley Green in the first round of The Aldershot Senior Cup (7.45pm KO)
