Scorers : Jake Hoole 8, Dan Mason 66 / Lerone Plummer 17, Sam Poole 20, Sam Griffin 26 & 65

Date: Saturday 7th April 2018 3:00pm - Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division

Venue: The Universal Stadium

Sholing: Ryan Gosney, Owen Roundell, Owen Royl, Pete Castle [c], Jamie Bulpitt, Alex Sawyer (Frazer McLean 72), Marlon Mason (Bradley Targett 76), Jack Smith (Harry Butler 67), Dan Mason, Lee Wort, Jake Hoole. Subs unused: Jean-Pierre Alexander, Bradley Johnson

Yellow Card: Alex Sawyer, Ryan Gosney

Red Card: Jake Hoole

Blackfield & Langley: Brad Snelling, Liam Robinson, Ryan Oatley, Joe Byrne, Sam Poole [c], Connor Doe (Connor Hoare 80), Sami Makhloufi (Joe Butcher 80), Sean Stuart, Lerone Plummer (Craig McAllister 87), Franklin Clark, Sam Griffin. Unused Subs: - Aiden Bryan, Sam Woodward

Yellow Card: Liam Robinson, Lerone Plummer, Sami Makloufi

Attendance: 107

Man of the Match: Owen Royl

Referee: Sean Jenkins, Assistants: David Brindle & Omid Farjadpour

A dominant performance by Blackfield & Langley against Sholing, put an end to the Boatmen's winning run in a feisty encounter at the Universal Stadium. 

Team News: Sholing were missing 5 first teamers with Byron Mason & Dan Miller injured, Marvin McLean & Kevin Brewster unavailable & TJ Cuthbertson completing his suspension. The very youthful bench consisted of one 18 yr old, three 17 yr olds & one 16 yr old with two of them, Bradley’s Johnson & Targett, earning their first call ups to the senior team as Sholing continued their long tradition of giving youngsters developed through their youth system, a chance.  Meanwhile, Blackfield had the much travelled Craig McAllister on their bench. The 37 year old, who played most of his career in the Conference (National League) and started this season playing for Eastleigh.

With the weather cancelling out Sholing’s last three games over the Easter period, it was no surprise they started brightly and took the lead in the 8th minute. JAKE HOOLE was put clear into the box, before taking a couple of touches, he calmly slotted the ball back past the rooted keeper and into the far corner.

However, this was to be the only clear cut chance created by the home team in the first half, as Blackfield & Langley began to assert their control of possession and indeed the match. This was certainly helped by three quick goals in a 10-minute spell that arguably ended this game as a contest before half time.

After hitting the post just after the Sholing goal the equaliser from the away side was a well-worked free kick in the 17th minute that caught dozing Sholing players napping, as Franklyn Clarke found Sam Griffin in space on the left side of the box and his whipped cross landed at the feet of Lerone Plummer to touch into an empty net. 

The second goal came just 4 minutes later when a corner was cleared and then crossed back into the Sholing box. Ryan Gosney fumbled the ball and the ball looped to Sam Poole, who headed the ball past the players near the line. Two soon became three when Sami Makloufi was played through and ran into the penalty area before crossing to Sam Griffin, who slotted past the exposed Gosney into the far corner on 26 mins. Gosney then redeemed himself with a flying save in the 28th minute from a curling shot by Sam Griffin that threatened to bend into the corner.

The rest of the first half was played at a slower pace with the away side having a couple of half chances but none good enough to fully test the gloves of Gosney. HT: 1-3

The second half began with both teams having chances. Firstly it was the away side who shot straight at Gosney from an acute angle. Seconds later Ryan Gosney did well to smother a shot by Plummer when he was through on goal.

Sholing responded immediately when Alex Sawyer saw a curling 20 yard free kick tipped round the post by Snelling. Then there was a big shout for a penalty when Marlon Mason's cross appeared to be blocked by the hands of a defender, but no response from the match officials. Pete Castle then hit the top of the bar with a header from the resulting corner. 

As Sholing were enjoying more possession, they were reduced to ten men through a red card.  Jake Hoole was sent off apparently for a reaction to a bad foul against him and this definitely did kill off any hope of a Sholing comeback in the 55th minute. The game then hit a brief lull as the away side soaked up Sholing’s possession, before it sprung into life with two goals from almost the same passage of play.

Firstly, Blackfield & Langley extended their lead in the 65th minute to 4-1 when a cross field pass found Sam Griffin in space. He beat the defender with pace and pretended to shoot, before calmly placing the ball in the opposite corner once Ryan Gosney had committed to his dive.

Immediately afterwards it was 4-2 as the Blackfield goalkeeper was ambling back towards his goal after talking to  his bench and was not back on his line in time for the kick off, leaving an open goal. A quick thinking DAN MASON capitalised on this and shot straight from the half way line, the ball bouncing just inside the area and finding the back of the net.  Blackfield protested that Snelling wasn't ready, but the referee gave the goal. 

The last 24 minutes was very scrappy and stop-start with a lot of niggle on pitch and precious little football. With 18 minutes remaining Frazer McLean replaced Alex Sawyer then 4 minutes later 16 year old Bradley Targett was given his debut replacing Marlon Mason. Ultimately, Blackfield deserved the win as they continued this season's hoodoo over Sholing to extract some small measure of revenge for the Boatmen twice pipping them in the League in the previous two campaigns. FT 2-4

Report by Connor Steel

Next Game : Horndean v Sholing - Tuesday 10 March 7:45pm - Wessex Premier

Photos by Ray Routledge (click an image to enlarge)