Love is All You Need

Morley Town put in a dominating away performance to defeat Kroklund Kings 2-0 at Don’t know yet stadium. Morley seemed to have the home defence’s measure from the start as they created four first-half chances while remaining solid at the back themselves. The opening goal came courtesy of Christopher Love who is fast becoming a folk hero in Morley; finding space from a corner Love beat Kangashaka to put the visitors 1-0 up. The second-half didn’t produce as many sights of goal for the visitors but they maintained their defensive stranglehold. Kroklund’s miserable day had already become worse as Curt Elliott suffered a serious injury and it was completed when Dustin Wotton headed in a corner to finish the contest on 88 minutes. It was no more than the Yorkshire side deserved with Morley news reporting that they are in ‘a much better position than they were at the half-way point of last season’ as they sit in fifth just four points from a promotion spot. Kroklund remain just above Morley with a point more on the board but things could change in the rematch on Tuesday.

Charlottenburg hit the top spot after seeing off White Hawk 2-0 at The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Arena. White Hawk looked the better of the two sides in the opening 45 minutes as Charlottenburg struggled with injuries to Stan Collymore and Sol Campbell. Despite these setbacks, though, the home side got to the interval at 0-0 which enabled Potsdamerplatz some time to work some tactical magic on his troops. It provided almost instant dividends as Alan Thompson shot home from a corner on 55 minutes and just a minute later Teddy Sheringham headed in his fifth of the season to give the home side a 2-0 cushion they would never relinquish. White Hawk had their moments in the match but, for whatever reason, things are not quite running their way at the moment. With them now sitting in eleventh as a result of the defeat Hooraymee will be eager to find a solution in the next few games. Potsdamerplatz was eager to point out that he doesn’t ‘think I’m strong enough’ for promotion but added ‘anything is possible’ with a smile just to tease their fans. As it stands they have gone one point clear at the top and are in mean mood defensively, always a basis for the great sides.

Kensington Boys Club sit in second after a comprehensive win over Los Samgeles Kings. They dominated the game although they struggled to find a breakthrough in the first-half. An injury to each side ended up as the main talking points of the opening 45 minutes as Torben Kummel for LAK and Barry Painter for the home side saw their games end early. Kensington didn’t let the lack of a goal deter them as they opened the second-half in forward thinking fashion. They eventually made the breakthrough as Charles Tilly bought a ticket from distance and watched the ball fly past Cloutier for a 1-0 lead. With the defensive rearguard broken down a second-goal wasn’t long in coming and it was Tilly again who would provide the pain with a calm finish in the penalty area. Cameron Nowell completed the scoring in injury-time with a classic free-kick to end a satisfactory evening for the promotion chasers. The win leaves Patrik’s side just a point off Charlottenburg and also in fine form. Los Samgeles Kings have dropped into the relegation zone following their defeat but, with the league still tight, Stripy8 won’t be pressing the panic button at the moment.

Real Madrid suffered a setback in their promotion bid as they lost 2-1 at AJ Rovers. It was a tale of making your chances count as AJ scored from their only two looks at goal in the evening while Madrid managed just one goal from their three efforts. In a desperately tight match-up AJ earned an early advantage when Eldur Gottskalk converted a penalty awarded in the ninth minute. With Madrid spurning their one opportunity of the half it was a lead Rovers would keep until the interval. The second-half proved just as tight with both sides not giving an inch in the battle for points. The decisive moment came on 72 minutes when Elling Jarnoy found enough room in the penalty area to beat Nersesian and give AJ a vital 2-0 lead. Madrid did keep going until the final whistle and managed a consolation goal through Kevin Gabriele but it sparked no celebrations amongst a disappointed set of visiting players. Madrid slipped to third after the defeat but are only a point off top and will just wipe this result from their minds and move on. Rovers, meanwhile, have turned a relegation fight into a potential promotion battle which is a prime illustration of how tight the section is.

Belly Tubbies will also be refocusing somewhat after an important 2-1 win at home to Internazionale. The game could have gone either way with both sides creating a handful of chances each. The Tubbies were to go in 1-0 up at the break as Colin Deary rose highest to head home a corner from Stuart Kendrick on 20 minutes. Inter always retained a threat in the game and were to be rewarded for their efforts with a Henrik Larsson strike on 66 minutes. Unfortunately for Inter they were to contribute to their own downfall; Garry Maynard putting through his own net to gift the Tubbies a one-goal advantage once more, a lead which they would hold onto for the three points. The result sees both sides on 14 points, just one above the relegation places but intriguingly just six behind Real Madrid in third. It is clear a good run in this crucial turnaround period could see either push for promotion and distance themselves from the trials at the bottom.

Another side on 14 points after Round 11 are Carthage FC who had to settle for a point at home to a resolute Southampton. Again, it was a fine display of finishing by both teams as they each tucked away two out of their three chances. The beginning of the game was fairly sedate and it took until the half-hour mark for it to really catch fire. Niko Tervola was the man who got things going with a long range shot of some magnitude to put the visiting side 1-0 up on 31 minutes. The lead was to last just two minutes, though, as Svante Jillhed shot home from a corner on 33 minutes to silence the away end. The second-half was every bit as competitive as the first but it would be the hosts who would strike first this time. Eric Fray was the scorer as he clinically headed home a cross by Torsten Post. Southampton were in determined mood, though, and in Aaron Winder they have a man for the big occasion. He wasn’t to disappoint again with a fine header in the 90th minute which salvaged a well-deserved point for the Saints. Hardinho will be pleased with the point although he already has an eye on the future describing ‘a decent change report’ as ‘key’ to it. Sitting on eight points at the bottom it remains to be seen whether they can escape this season or be rebuilding in Division Three come the next campaign. Carthage hover just above the drop zone but, like so many others, their season is balanced on a knife-edge.