Hungerford Town 0 Marine 2

Match Report from Pete Crockett

MARINE WIN FIESTY M4 DERBY

Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson once famously said “a week is a long time in politics“ it is certainly the case that it is a long time in football. Marine supporters entered the bank holiday weekend concerned that their team had not secured a point in three league matches. They ended it celebrating the securing of four points from two tough holiday fixtures.

Hungerford piled on the pressure in the early stages. With Marine’s Luke Purnell being called upon to make two sharp saves in the early stages of the match – the second of these being from a thumping James Dobson free kick.

However, Marine weathered the early storm and twice hoped, in vain, for a penalty. The first when Liban Ibrahim might have been deemed to have been clipped in the box and the second when some of a Marine disposition felt there might have been a handling offence.

Between the two penalty appeals the home team’s Elis Watts showed some trickery to beat a defender. His well struck effort will certainly have stung the fingers of Marine’s keeper.

The Marine players defend their lead in the final minutes
Photo’s courtesy of Alex White Photo’s

In the 26th minute Hungerford’s Matthew Berry-Hargreaves was cautioned for hauling down Dave Sims-Burgess. Then a minute later the resultant Michael Fernandes free kick forced a save from Ryan Clarke in the Hungerford goal.

The game now was much more end to end and on the half hour mark The Crusaders Elis Watts bamboozled a Marine defender with impressive dribbling wizardry but Marine safely survived the threat.

The final quarter of an hour of the first half was very much one where more cautions were its main feature. On 33 minutes James Dodson went into the official’s notebook followed on 37 minutes by Hungerford skipper Rhys Tyler who then received a second yellow card, followed by another one swiftly being issued to a fellow Crusader player, Louis McGrory, for what the referee deemed an injudicious off the ball challenge. There was one further caution administered in the half when Marine’s Zack Kotwica received a yellow card.

Suffice it to say at half time the official was not popular with some of the home supporters as he left the field of play.

The reduction of the home team to ten men offered Marine the chance to take advantage of having the extra man. They started the second half with gusto. In the 49th minute Michael Fernandes had a shot well held by Ryan Clarke in the host’s goal. Then a minute later the same players twisting and turning run ended with his effort going just wide of the post.

After this early Marine flurry the ten men of Hungerford started to regain a foothold in the match with Luke Purnell being forced, around the hour mark, into two sharp saves – the first from an Elis Watts shot on the run and the second from a well struck effort from Ramarni Redford-Smith.

Despite being down to ten men Hungerford dug deep and battled hard. However, keeper Ryan Clarke on 70 minutes found himself cautioned for a sluggish restart. The extra man was perhaps going to be crucial for Marine in the final stages of the match and that proved to be the case. In the 72nd minute an Anton Dworzak effort deflected wide after a slick passing move set the opening up.

Four minutes later the deadlock was broken. After some trickery in the penalty box where he went past two defenders and a precision strike followed from Marine’s MICHAEL FERNANDES to beat the despairing dive of Ryan Clarke and the ball in the corner of the net. 1-0 Marine.

The ferocity of the match then dampened as Marine tried to see the game out without alarm and Hungerford legs understandably tired. The biggest scare Marine had in those final minutes was in the 84th minute when a good cross from Hungerford’s Zidane Akers just eluded the diving Jacob Bancroft.

In the 88th minute it was Marine’s Luke Purnell’s turn to receive a caution for a slow restart and then in the 90th minute the Marine victory was sealed by a tremendous 25-yard strike from young ANTON DWORZAK that powered into the bottom corner of the net.

Well done Marine players and management team for two excellent bank holiday results. In both games the players dug deep and showed resilience, tenacity, and skill. Four points from two fixtures against strong opposition is exceptionally impressive.

Come on Marine!

Editors Marine Star Man: Anton Dworzak
Editors Hungerford Star Man: Matt Berry-Hargreaves
Attendance: 576

Line Ups

HUNGERFORD TOWN
Manager: Danny Robinson
Colours: White & Black Line-up: 1. Ryan Clarke 3. Ramarni Medford-Smith 4. Babs Jarra (15. Jacob Bancroft 58’) 6. Matt Berry-Hargraves 7. Henry Spalding (5. Jack Wright 46’) 8. Brad Hooper 10. James Harding (12. Zidan Akers 66’) 11. James Dobson (2. Jack Staley 44’) 14. Ellis Watts 16. Louis McGrory (18. Alefe Santos 81’) 20. Rhys Tyler (c)
Subs Not Used: None
Goalscorers: None
Cards:
James Harding 3’, Matt Berry-Hargreaves 27’, James Dobson 33’, Louis McGrory 42’, Ryan Clarke 86’
None
Rhys Tyler 38’, 43’

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Head Coach: Stuart Fleetwood
Colours: All Yellow
Line-up: 1. Luke Purnell 2. Sam Turl 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Jake Lee 5. Ioan Richards 6. Anton Dworzak 7. Zack Kotwica (12. Jamie Edge 78’) 8. Liban Ibrahim 9. Dave Sims-Burgess (14.Harry Williams 69’) 10. Michael Fernandes (15.Gabe Reivers 81’) 11. Olly Mehew
Subs not used: 16. Nick Peare
Goalscorers: Michael Fernandes 77’ , Anton Dworzak 90’
Cards:
Zack Kotwica 44’, Luke Purnell 87’
None
None

Match Gallery

Click for Match Photo’s
Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Team Sheet

Click here for post Match Team Sheet
Courtesy of the Pitching In Southern League

Match Officials

Referee: Adrian Harris
Assistant Referees: Ashley Foster, Luke Fabry