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Scorer : Mark Ford 15, 90, George Turner 82 / Dan Mason 44

Date : Saturday 28th January 2017 - 3pm - Sydenhams Wessex Premier

Venue : The County Ground

Hamworthy United: Tommy Scott, Dan O'Sullivan, Max Brimson [c], Ed Modge, Billy Walker, Sam Clarke, Nick Swann, Connor Phillips, Steve Smith, Mark Ford, Edgar Zanin.  Subs: Brandon Randall, George Turner, Dan Pidgeley

Yellow Card:

Sholing: Ryan Gosney, TJ Cuthbertson, Corey Cherrett, Pete Castle, Luke Dempsey, Micky Hubbard (Alex Sawyer 83), Zac Mouland (Nick Yeomans 88), Byron Mason [c], Dan Mason, Lee Wort, Jamie Bulpitt.  Subs not used : Barry Mason, Dan Miller, Jamie Bray

Red Card : TJ Cuthbertson
Yellow Card: 
Lee Wort, Corey Cherrett, Jamie Bulpitt, Micky Hubbard, Byron Mason

Attendance : 72 (approx 15 Sholing fans)

Man of the Match : Ryan Gosney

Referee: George Kimber-Sweatman  Assistants: Dominic Gregory & Lewis Ward

Sholing dropped further behind the league leaders after a frustrating first visit to Hamworthy's revamped ground.  The 3G pitch was the least of the Boatmen's worries, who had TJ sent off in a game where not a lot went right.

Team News: Pete Castle made his first appearance since October as he replaced Dan Miller who was still nursing a knock. With Marv unavailable, Corey Cherrett switched flanks to left back, allowing TJ to go to right back for his first game back at Sholing.

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Was almost a rare feeling of warmth in the sunshine as the game got underway on the artificial surface.  Sholing had the first chance as Dan Mason flicked on a header into the path of Zac Mouland, but his shot from 18 yards was straight at the keeper.  Hamworthy went straight up the other end and a deflection on an angled shot took the ball just wide of the upright.  On 15 minutes the home side were in front.  Dempsey's pass was intercepted in midfield with the ball being quickly fed down the right flank, before a pinpoint cross to the far post found debutant Mark Ford to knock in past Gosney.

Sholing were failing to keep possession, hitting long balls forward that soon skipped off the surface away from our strikers. It was the pattern for much of the rest of the first half, meanwhile, Gosney twice had to be alert to clear balls beyond our back four as the home side remained lively going forward.  On 35 mins a mistake by the Hamworthy keeper almost presented Wort with a chance. Lee lunged to get the ball that had'nt been cleanly gathered, picking up a booking in the process.  Corey was next in the book for a tackle.

It looked as though the home side would go into the break in front, but Sholing grabbed an equaliser a minute before half time.  TJ was able to get to the byline and put over a lovely cross that DAN MASON nodded down and over the line past a couple of bodies.  Game took a while to restart after Brimson was spoken to by the ref for confronting the linesman about a possible offside in the build up. However, he didn't receive a caution.  HT 1-1

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Sholing started the second half much better, playing the ball round more on the deck, although there was still frustration as Jamie Bulpitt was next to get a yellow for an innocuous looking challenge.  Boatmen should have scored on 51 mins when Lee Wort fed Zac Mouland into a one-one, but his lifted effort cleared both keeper and the bar.  Dan Mason worked an opening by cutting back onto his right foot, but from 10 yards he fired wide.

Micky Hubbard was next in the book for throwing the ball to the ground after not getting a foul against him.  On 67 minutes Sholing went agonisingly close to going in front. A scramble in the box, saw the ball find Lee Wort 15 yards out, he made space and smashed a shot that cannoned off the underside of the bar and down onto the line in a blur. The linesman made no signal, so the ref waved play on. 

You could sense a growing frustration by Sholing that decisions weren't going their way.  A couple of times Zac Mouland appeared to be pulled back with nothing given. Meanwhile, Dan Mason was pulled up for a shoulder to shoulder challenge with the last Hamworthy defender.   It all boiled over on 77 mins as Sholing wanted a freekick on the half way line, it wasn't given and a 50/50 ball ended up with TJ going in high with a scissors like tackle.  After talking to his linesman and minute or so delay, TJ was given a straight red.  After missing a lot of football recently, a suspension was probably the last thing that TJ wanted right now.

Down to 10 men, Sholing went close to scoring as the keeper came out of his area and Dan Mason was able to stretch out a leg between the defender and lift the ball over the keeper. It looked destined to drop under the bar but incredibly refused to do so, instead landing on the roof of the net.

If that was sickening to the Boatmen, on 82 minutes there was even worse as a hooked ball over the top of Corey freed the Hamworthy player down the right to cross for substitute, George Turner to score in acres of space.  In the last minute the Hammers got a third to give the scoreline a flattering look. A breakaway saw Mark Ford able to skip past Gosney and slot into the empty net.

As frustrating as some of the events of the game had been, the most decisive moments still came from Sholing mistakes and missed chances. Defeat leaves us 15 points behind the leaders, Moneyfields.  FT 3-1.

Next Home Game : Sholing v Alresford Town - Tuesday 7:45pm - Soton Senior Cup Quarter Final

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