Magical Moments As Chiswick Albion Trounce Shirehorse Visitors

West Middlesex Sunday Football League Ace Awards Open Cup R2 Chiswick Albion 9 Shirehorse 0

Chiswick Albion progressed to the quarter-final of the Ace Awards Open Cup, with a comfortable 9-0 win against Division One side Shirehorse. It is not often that the Albion gets to play sides out of the Premier Division, and they certainly cashed in here.

Shirehorse started well and their eagerness to get at the Albion was there to be seen. Unfortunately for Shirehorse, the Albion fielded a strong line-up and the difference in the two division gap showed.

The Albion had also started well and a pinpoint cross from Vojin Soskic just eluded Liam White. Liam White returning to his old centre-forward position was enjoying the freedom and threaded a great ball through that Liam O’Neill fired home. A second goal soon came as a well defended free kick on Albion’s box, found Greg Veazey, and he put in Liam White who scored from the edge of the box. Liam White and Liam O’Neill were pulling Shirehorse apart, and White again set up O’Neill who beat the offside trap to score with ease.

Paul Edghill was directing the midfield and burst through a fragile defence before he was felled in the box. Stand in keeper Nicky Wozniak had made a bargain before the kick off to take any penalties, a condition for donning the gloves. Wozniak duly dispatch the spot kick and the game was up for Shirehorse.

The second half saw more Albion goals plus a couple of glaring misses from Ognjen Soskic. To be fair to Oggy he has taken to his new sweeper duties like a duck to water and has forged a good partnership with Matthew Wozniak. Again Shirehorse’s defence stood claiming for offside as Liam O’Neill ran through from the halfway line, go around the keeper and tuck away the hat trick. O’Neill again linked with Liam White who was deputising up front for little brother and leading goalscorer Adam White who was unavailable.

This time O’Neill pulled the ball back and White scored from close in. Then came a comedy moment when a Greg Veazey corner went straight in. Somehow the ref, who is usually one of the best around (his words), gave Shirehorse a goal kick. This would have defied the ‘law of physics’ as the ball would have needed to be of boomerang shape to follow the refs reasoning for disallowing the goal. One plus for the ref was his attire, it was so essential and he definitely looked the part.

Making a return to the Albion line-up was Dean Francis, who has been missed as much for his banter as his footballing skills. Francis lifted a long ball over the Shirehorse defence and a rejuvenated Paul Edghill ghosted through to make it seven. Then a couple of magic moments with the introduction of Brian Flynn. Flynn was soon in the action, and was in a perfect position to fire home O’Neill's pass. The mercurial forward then showed his guile as he bamboozled the tiring Shirehorse defence to repay the compliment to O’Neill.

The win set up a perfect opportunity in the quarter-final to gain revenge over a Hampton Village side who have had the best of luck against the Albion in recent games

Albion Team: Wozniak N, Veazey, Wozniak M, Soskic O, Soskic V, Clarke, Francis, Thomas, O’Neill, White L (Flynn)

Man of the Match: Liam O’Neill

Champagne Moment of the Match: Brian Flynn’s magical turn in the box and the set up for Liam O’Neill’s goal

Referee Paul Andrews (Feltham)

Match Report: Mark White

March 3, 2009