Scorers : Dan Mason 10 & 90+2 (pen)  /  Joseph Briggs 63

Date: Saturday 18th January 2020 - 3:00pm - Betvictor Southern League South Division One

Venue: Mackoy Stadium

Sholing: Ryan Gosney, Owen Roundell, Jake Hoole, Jamie Bulpitt, Dan Miller, Owen Royl, Lee Wort, Byron Mason ©, Stuart Green (Josh Carey 93), Dan Mason, TJ Cuthbertson. Unused Subs: James Lauder, Brad Targett, Joe Smith & Tobi Falodi

Yellow Cards:  Byron Mason, Owen Royl, Owen Roundell, Josh Carey,

Moneyfields: Ellis Grant, Zak Sharp, Jamie Ford (Connor Hoare 46), Jake Raine, Brett Poate, Sam Pearce (Miles Everett 73), Joseph Briggs, Lewis Fennemore ©, Lerone Plummer, Stephen Hutchings, Conor Bailey. Unused Subs: Curtis Da Costa, Lamin Jatta & Rhys Lloyd

Yellow Cards: Lerone Plummer, Lewis Fennemore, Stephen Hutchings, Sam Pearce, Conor Bailey, Joseph Briggs, Brett Poate

Attendance: 96

Roe’s Plumbing & Heating Man of the Match:  Jake Hoole

Referee: Roger Smith  Assistants: Robert Walczak & Dave Morey

Dan Mason scored both goals, including a stoppage time winner as Sholing won a game that will sadly be more remembered for the Referee's performance, than that of the players. A total of 11 players were booked in a game that wasn't even as physical as past encounters between the Southampton & Portsmouth sides.

Team News: Dan Mason & Byron Mason returned from illness to the starting line-up, with the skipper going into a 3 man central defence, with TJ & Jake Hoole pushed a bit further forward to support Royl & Bulpitt in centre mid, with Green & Wort rotating around Dan Mason up front.  Moneyfields had a familiar looking line-up with ex-Sholing Vase winner, Lewis Fennemore, as captain.  Although the visitors did switch goalkeepers just before the kick off.  Both teams found themselves probably underachieving in the League (5th & 4th from bottom in the table) and needing a win.

Following the week’s stormy weather there was an initial concern that the pitch would not pass a pitch inspection. However, hard work from club volunteers ensured the match went ahead, although the pitch remained quite soft. It was perhaps a sign of what was to come as straight from the kick-off, the referee got in the way of the ball with it bouncing off him, but he didn't seem aware of the new rule this season to stop play and it carried on. It took 3 minutes for the first opportunity with the visitors having a free-kick flicked into the path of Hutchings, whose snapshot was easily gathered by Ryan Gosney.

The 7th minute saw Sholing push men forward in search of an early goal as Lee Wort broke free on the right. His angled shot was parried by Ellis Grant with Stu Green scuffing the rebound wide with the goal gaping. However, the home side weren’t going to rue this missed opportunity as they took the lead on 10 mins. Lee Wort found DAN MASON in space outside the box, with the number nine unleashing an effort that rocketed into the net from twenty yards leaving the visiting goalie rooted to the spot.

Sholing could have doubled their lead in the eighteenth minute when Lee Wort found space down the right and advanced towards goal. His angled shot was well saved by Grant for a corner, although perhaps a pass to the unmarked Dan Mason was a better option. Minutes later Jake Hoole went close with a free-kick that skimmed off two players and went just the bar as Sholing began to assert their dominance.

Moneyfields had a chance on 29 mins when a free-kick was capitalised upon by Plummer, who had recently dropped down a division to join the Portsmouth team from Blackfield, hit a low cross-come-shot that beat Gosney, but Owen Roundell was on hand to tidy up. Dan Mason probably should have doubled his account on 36 mins when he latched onto a ball over the top and as it bounced up, he lobbed it over the towering figure of Grant, but it fell agonisingly wide of the open goal.  On 42 mins, TJ whipped in a right sided cross that was met with a glancing header by Wort, but it flashed wide.

Frustrations were growing amongst the Moneyfields players, who felt they were always on the wrong end of the Ref's decisions, as two players went in the book and the half time whistle saw the Money's manager go onto the pitch to speak to the Ref  HT: 1-0

The visitors upped their intensity after the restart with the substitution of Connor Hoare almost making an immediate impact off the bench. The midfielder showed tricky feet and sent a looping effort that was saved well by Gosney, before Hoare then set up Plummer to control the ball to send a curling effort wide of the post. 

Moneyfields equalised on 63 minutes, when a throw-in was flicked into the path of Joseph Briggs who caught a rare moment where Sholing had switched off, giving him time and space to measure a well struck low shot that sneaked just inside the upright. Instead of the final 25 minutes being an end to end encounter with both teams looking for a winner, it was all about the Referee, who made some baffling decisions against both sides and went yellow card happy.  It was probably only the fact that both sets of players know each other pretty well, that stopped frustrations boiling over into rash tackles or confrontations.

Sholing were looking the more likely to score in the few attacking moments that weren't stopped by an unnecessary whistle.  Stu Green connected to a low cross with a cheeky back flick that looked goalbound until it hit a defender, who knew little about his block.  Then a through ball sent Lee Wort away in a race with the outrushing keeper, Wort got a foot to the ball first before being impeded outside the box, but with Grant rolling around on the floor, the ref, who was some distance away, gave nothing and his assistant running the line, didn't seem interested in giving him any help.

It looked like Sholing were to draw their first league game of the season, but 1 point suddenly became 3 with a stoppage time winner. The Boatmen broke away with TJ Cuthbertson in space down the wing who aimed a deep cross that looked to fall into the path of Lee Wort, but the ball hit the outstretched arm of of Briggs for a clear penalty that even Moneyfields didn't argue about.  With fans around the ground hushed into silence, DAN MASON stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot in the 92nd minute.

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To eat up some time, Josh Carey came on for Stu Green and within 30 seconds had really settled himself into the flow of game, by receiving a yellow card for a nothing tackle!  Moneyfields desperately tried to rescue something from the match, with Plummer theatrically throwing himself to the floor in the box, with more confusion for everyone watching as the Ref seemed to book either Plummer or Hutchings, who both had already received a yellow card, but no red card followed as both stayed on the pitch.  The final couple of minutes saw Sholing keep the ball in the corner, with it almost boiling over, but to the relief of everyone, the final whistle blew to end a messy match.   For Sholing it was a deserved 3 points against an old rival.  But all the talk after the match was of the officiating.  FT: 2-1

Report by Connor Steel

Next Game : Sholing v AFC Bournemouth U23 - Wednesday 22 January 7:45pm - Hampshire Cup Quarter Final

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