Alsancak Amaze at Alley

Alsancak claimed only their second win of the season but an impressive one it was as they saw off Wiltshire 3-2 at Mosquito Alley. A lob header by Gabriel Agbonlahor gave the youngsters a wonderful start on six minutes. This seemed to fill him with confidence and he quickly added a second with a more direct header from a corner. In keeping with the explosive start the WW struck back quickly with a header of their own from Wesley Bird to halve the deficit. The aerial bombardment continued but Wayne Butters was denied by Hogg to keep the Warriors within one. The Warriors tried to level but Robert Merson couldn’t keep his shot down and they were then reduced to 10-men following some brutal play by Bird. They defied this to have a free-kick by Bob Lake smash against the crossbar but they went into the sheds a goal behind. Lake had the opening chance of the second-half from a free-kick but would make this one count by rifling home to level proceedings. Jack Balshaw nearly handed the initiative straight back to Alsancak but fortunately his ‘keeper was well-placed to stop his misdirected kick. As the game continued to ebb-and-flow the Warriors saw Liran Chaim miss the goal with a strike before the decisive moment came at the other end. A beautiful lob by Wayne Butters eluded Hogg in goal and put Alsancak ahead for the third time. Richard Stearman might have extended the advantage but saw his shot hit a post before Agbonlahor had an effort chalked off for offside. Nevertheless they had done enough to secure the three points which will give their fans a boost. While the win does not lift them from the bottom of the table there is clear evidence that Wienersnitzel is progressing his young side. The Warriors are three points off the promotion pace and the word coming out of Warriors News is that the defeat was blamed on Bird’s red-card with a ‘one more strike and you’re out’ warning being given to the midfielder.

Carthage put in an outstanding performance to leave wortley well-beaten 5-1 at Carthage City. Carthage struck first with an excellent volley by Marcus Spillane finding the net and the same player might have made it two but his header went just over. This would prove the last chance of the opening half but the second 45 minutes would more than make up for it. The visitors would sting the home side when Quincy Bowey mishit his shot beyond Aurelius for the equalising goal. The ‘keeper was alert enough to make a save from a Bowey diving header moments later and the home side would then find a response. Amin Mansourian lobbed into the crossbar before Quincy Lansbury put them back in front with a calm side-footed finish. Mansourian did get his goal when he netted from distance on 67 minutes before Bowey missed a chance to bring wortley back into it at the other end. Marcus Spillane had a free-kick saved by Jenning before a cool strike in the penalty area by Nicholas Crowe put the hosts 4-1 up. Aurelius stayed alert to deny Bowey once more before Spillane put the icing on the cake with an excellent header to make it 5-1. Blakey’s side keep their five point lead at the top and seem confident with the manager adding ‘I think that’s promotion sorted.’ Thegreatlordbags may be seeing his side’s promotion hopes slip away as they are now seven points adrift of DT who occupy the final spot and if they do miss out it will be defensive deficiencies that have proved fatal.

Arsenal took advantage of a disorientated The Champs side as they defeated them 2-0 at The Emirates. Arsenal dominated the first-half and saw Samir Nasri hit the angle of post and bar as they sought an early lead. Sid Peyton would then try to chip the ball over Irving but the ‘keeper was more than the equal to it as he tipped over. Robin van Persie was the next to try his luck but his header brushed the post and a low shot by William Gallas struck a post as the score remained 0-0 at half-time. The second-half saw much of the same with Andrey Arshavin striking the bar with a superb free-kick. Irving was then alert to punch away a Nasri drive before van Persie saw his header blocked. It would take a slice of fortune to give Arsenal the lead as van Persie mishit his shot beyond Irving but it was nothing more than they deserved. Bruce Collinge nearly stunned the hosts with an immediate equaliser but it was disallowed for a foul and then The Champs troubles worsened as Robert Hammevik went off injured and Wylie had neglected to name any substitutes. Theo Walcott duly made it 2-0 with a fine header and this sealed a comfortable victory. DomBrown was already concentrating on the next game in his press conference as he said the Warriors are ‘a really good team’ and they therefore ‘expect a tough match.’ They will go into it with confidence as they sit in second place just five points back of Carthage. The Champs are seemingly out-of-form at the moment and they cannot afford many more slip-ups as not naming subs if they are to push for promotion.

The Glory Hornets returned to form with an excellent 3-0 home victory over promotion chasing Dream Team. An early diving header by Lionel Monk flew over the bar before Warren Dillin shot wide at the other end. The opening goal wasn’t far away, however, as Paolo Ballotta headed in for the hosts on 14 minutes. A shot from Wallace Baker on 23 minutes crashed into the post before the second goal arrived courtesy of Ballotta once more with a fine header. The second-half saw just one more chance but it was enough for Toma Popadic to make it 3-0 with a brilliantly curled long range shot. It was an excellent performance by GregPerkins’ side and if they can put a run together in this kind of form they might still force a late challenge for a top three spot. Meanwhile, MrJames blamed himself for the loss due to ‘forgetting to set tactics.’

Spartans kept up their recent improvement with a 3-0 win at Grey Area as both sides decided to play without the back-up of substitutes. A powerful shot in the third minute by Sergio Aguero gave the visitors the lead while Allan Bound put a shot over at the other end as Area looked to strike back. A diving heard by Xavi Hernandez duly made it 2-0 before the break and the visitors went in with a confident swagger about them. Area would suffer an injury at the start of the second-half but Diego Maradona might have equalised with a diving header which he put wide. Geoffrey Stiles then hit a powerful shot which was saved by Neuer before Kerrigan produced a decent save of his own at the other end to deny Aiden McGeady’s chip. The third goal did arrive for Spartans as Wesley Sneijder flicked a header home. Area suffered another injury this time to Sidney Motter and Bojan Krkic might have made it 4-0 if he had shown a bit more assurance in front of goal. Maradona had a late header for the hosts but put it wide in a disappointing display. Trecool will be looking at which players he will be keeping for next season and after this display there might not be many who survive the cull. Tomsayshii will be doing likewise at Spartans but will want to keep a closer order on things to keep the form up in the build-up to the change.

Morley Town were involved in their second successive 0-0 draw as Chester United made the trip to Scatcherd Park. Zacharias Ashe was unlucky not to score for Morley early on but his volley smashed the bar and went safe. Chester were another side on the day who went in without substitutes but they may have taken the lead before the break as Neo Routhledge demanded a brilliant save from Zubeldia with a fine header. Ashe brushed the outside of the post with a header of his own before putting another one wide as Morley struggled in front of goal. Routhledge would also shoot wide as the game struggled to come alive. Chester were lucky not to be punished for their lack of subs as a Niko Tervola injury saw them play the remainder of the game with 10-men. They did survive, though, and Jimbob will be satisfied with a point as he continues with his first steps in RMI management. Leeg21 will want to add goals to his side quickly as their defensive efforts match up with the best the division has to offer.