Didcot Town 0 Marine 2

Match Report from Pete Crockett

Bower Power derails Railwaymen

As a supporter there is something deeply satisfying when your team scraps a win. These are, in all honesty, not games that will last long in the memory of the neutral observer who invariably wants an end-to-end thriller with flowing football, diving saves, and shots fired in at goal with regularity. However, scrapping victories from a supporter’s perspective are often the matches that linger in the memory for other qualities such as tenacity and determination.

Some will say an away victory against bottom of the table Didcot Town should be expected. That is disrespectful of the Railwaymen. This is a team who have recently drawn at Salisbury, and whom the league champions Chesham United were unable to beat on two occasions this season.

As a contest the main talking points revolved around two incidents in the first quarter of an hour of the match and the duo of Marine goals in the final minutes.

The first major incident, in the 9th minute, saw Marine’s Joe Tumelty sent from the field of play for a poor tackle on Didcot’s Patrick Osbourne. The ball was gone, the shin was caught, the tackle was mistimed, and thus the dismissal did not look an unreasonable decision.

Two minutes later a long defensive clearance bounced on the left edge of Marine’s penalty area. After Ryan Campbell headed clear Patrick Osbourne appeared to catch him with a raised forearm.

Whilst the degree of contact was hard to ascertain the arm was raised at head height; the coming together occurred after the ball was cleared; and the challenge seemed decidedly injudicious. The Didcot player was shown a yellow card which left some of a Marine disposition feeling he was fortunate.

The different outcome of these two decisions seemed to induce in Marine a sense of injustice. Faced with playing for over eighty minutes with ten men they dug deep to keep in the game.

Whilst Didcot Town had the edge territorially, they struggled to create openings against a resolute Marine who worked tirelessly. Marine were particularly adept at stopping the Didcot players from getting into dangerous crossing areas and this meant that much of the home team’s possession was in front of Marine’s defensive and midfield players.

In the first half the home team had few efforts on goal. In the 24th minute Jack Alexander played a pass to the overlapping Harvey Fox who from the goal line dinked a back post cross to Patrick Osbourne. The striker’s header was mistimed and looped wide of the goal.

Two minutes later Patrick Osbourne won the ball in midfield, he nutmegged a Marine defender and drove towards goal. As he approached the left-hand side of the penalty arc he pulled his shot wide of the far post.

On the half hour mark Didcot’s Murphy Bennett hit a low cross into the feet of Jack Alexander who was some ten yards from the goal line and a few yards in advance of the front post. He got his shot on target, but it was gathered easily by Fiachra Pagel.

Although Marine were largely in defensive mode they were posing a threat on the counterattack. Their best chance came midway through the half when Liban Ibrahim got to the dead ball line and fizzed a cross into the front post. Harry Williams got ahead of the defender but was unable to divert his effort goalward.

The second half continued in a similar manner with Didcot having the territorial advantage but Marine’s ten men still posing a threat on the break.

In the 47th minute Marine’s Jake Andrews hit an excellent 40-yard pass that gave Dave Sims-Burgess a chance to have a run at goal. The Marine striker advanced from a wide position into the box and his shot forced a sharp near post save from Leigh Bedwell.

It was Didcot who six minutes later had an effort on goal when the ball broke kindly for Samuel Barber. His twenty-five yard strike took a nick off Mat Liddiard and deflected just wide of the far post.

Just before the hour mark a fifteen-yard effort from the Railwaymen’s Seth Humphries forced a good save from Fiachra Pagel who parried the strike wide of his right post.

Almost immediately after this Marine had their own chance to go ahead. Michael Fernandes held the ball up well just inside his own half. He knocked a pass back to Sam Turl who clipped a ball down the right flank for Dave Sims-Burgess to chase.

The striker got ahead of the defenders and beat the despairing challenge of the host’s keeper. However, from the corner of the area he could not get his effort on target and the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the open goal and into the side netting.

The battling spirit Marine were showing was exemplified perfectly by Sam Turl who twice took eye wateringly uncomfortable blows to block shots. Every Marine player was giving their all to stay in the match and also showing admirable defensive discipline.

Then came the finale of excitement. On 90 minutes Jake Andrews curled a delectable free kick from the right touchline into the Didcot penalty area. The ball dropped into the six-yard box where a stretching Mat Liddiard got a toe poke touch on the bouncing ball that was then tipped behind by the home team’s keeper.

Marine then had a couple of corners and from the second in the 91st minute George Dowling’s perfectly placed back post corner saw Matt Bower slip his marker and power his header home from close range. Cue mad celebrations from Marine players, bench, and supporters. The ten men had got themselves in front.

The nails were chewed, the heart rates increased, the stress levels upped but then on 93 minutes George Dowling intercepted a cross field ball from Didcot’s Sam Barder and headed the ball to Dave Sims-Burgess inside his own half.

Dave Sims-Burgess then slid a pass down the inside left channel for the overlapping Dowling. Dowling played a perfect pass across the penalty area and into the path of Henry Spalding.

With the keeper closing down Henry Spalding he turned and put his body between the ball and keeper and then on the swivel he calmly passed the ball into the back of the net. Cue further scenes of Marine delirium.

Post-match those of a Didcot Town disposition will probably be disappointed they did not create more clear-cut openings against ten men. Their management team will probably also question how Matt Bower was able to get on the end of the corner unchallenged to give Marine the lead.

That said the home team passed the ball with assuredness and Patrick Osbourne certainly looked the most likely to prise open the Marine defence.

From a Marine perspective this was a vital victory to ensure they remain in the battle to stay up. What was pleasing about this performance was the defensive discipline shown by all in a Marine shirt. To play for eighty plus minutes with ten men and not concede was impressive.

There were several other positives. Every Marine player gave their all; the team have over Easter secured four valuable points; Marine in these two matches secured three additional points with injury time goals; and the team kept their third clean sheet of the season. There is still a lot of work to do but this was a very important win for Marine.

Editors Didcot Star Man: Patrick Osbourne
Editors Marine Star Man: Matt Bower

Attendance: 261

Line Ups

DIDCOT TOWN
Colours: All Red
Manager: Jamie Heapy
Line-up: 1. Leigh Bedwell 2. Murphy Bennett 3. Harvey Fox (16. Josh Grant 63’) 4. Sam Barder 5. Luke Carnell 6. Adam Learoyd (c) 7. Jack Alexander 8. James Glover (12. Toby Brenan 63’) 9. Seth Humphries (16. Harry Pitman 63’) 10. Robbie Gallagher 11. Pat Osbourne
Subs Not Used: 14. Ben Putland, 17. Alfie Rouse
Goalscorers: None
Cards:
Pat Osbourne 11’, Jack Alexander 37’, Sam Barder 70’, Murphy Bennett 88’
None
None

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Head Coach: Stuart Fleetwood
Colours: All Blue
Line-up: 1. Fiachra Pagel 2. Sam Turl 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Mat Liddiard 5. Matt Bower 6. Jake Andrews (c) 7. Liban Ibrahim (14. Henry Spalding 70’) 8. Joe Tumelty 9. Dave Sims-Burgess 10. Michael Fernandes 72’ (16. George Dowling 83’) 11. Harry Williams (17. Zack Kotwica 44’)
Subs not used: 12. Jamie Edge, 15. Ioan Richards
Goalscorers: Matt Bower 90+1’, Henry Spalding 90+3’
Cards:
Jake Andrews 90+1’
Joe Tumelty 10’
None

Match Gallery

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Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Team Sheet

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Match Officials

Referee: Daniel Malyon
Assistant Referees: Edward Hall, Simon Witting