Marine 3 Beaconsfield Town 3

Match Report from Pete Crockett

Marine show their fighting spirit in adversity

The Earl of Beaconsfield, who was previously Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, once said “I am prepared for the worst but hope for the best.”

At 3-0 down to Beaconsfield Town after half an hour there were a significant number of Marine followers who, whilst hoping for “the best” in terms of a Marine comeback, had prepared themselves for “the worst” of a spirit sapping ninth defeat of the season.

However, Marine produced a revival that showed some real character in adversity overcoming a three-goal deficit to secure a point. Football is often a funny old game where such recoveries can kick start a season as fortune turns and players realise that their effort, grit, and character can secure results.

The early exchanges were end-to-end although there was a tentativeness to both sides passing that saw possession invariably turned over on an error rather than by the quality of interception.

The first chance fell to the visitors when in the fourth minute Leon Chambers-Parillon ran at Marine’s back four and fired a shot that was deflected for a corner. The corner went deep into Marine’s box and the resultant shot posed more danger to the Swindome than the goal.

Four minutes later a probing ball from the visitor’s Asher Yearwood sent Elliott Buchanan clear down the left flank. His cross was put behind for a corner. The scramble from the corner was well blocked by Marine’s defence. Marine then engineered their first chance of note.

Ed Williams picked up the ball 30-yards from goal in the old inside left position. He struck a vicious low shot that slipped agonisingly wide of the far post. The anguished gasps of the home support highlighted just how close the effort was.

Moments later Marine won themselves a free kick in a position that allowed them to load players into the box. The resultant free kick led to a corner that was wasted as a result of being over hit. This, in many respects, was symptomatic of the early exchanges where both sides had spells where they looked decent only for their endeavours to be self-destructed by shilly-shallying or plain old human error.

However, on the 20-minute mark the visitors took the lead. A left-wing free kick was met by the head of an unmarked Asher Yearwood. Louis Evans in the Marine goal did well to parry, but the resultant looping ball was nodded home by an unmarked Elliott Buchanan. The statuesque Marine defending was most certainly a contributory factor to the concession of this goal with attackers being granted the freedom of the penalty area.

To their credit Marine nearly equalised a minute later. Some slick passing created an opening for Zack Kotwica who, cutting in from the right corner of the box, struck a firm shot that was parried wide by Matt Rowley in the visitor’s goal. Marine were now picking up a head of steam and three minutes later Ryan Campbell did well to dispossess an opponent on the left wing. He then cut inside and fired his shot just wide.

The game was now becoming ever more open, and the visitor’s Jefferson Louis had an effort on goal blocked by a perfectly timed interception by Mat Liddiard. With two thirds of the half elapsed the visitor’s doubled their lead. Leon Chambers-Parillon engaged in a slick one-two with Louis Jefferson on the edge of the penalty area. He found himself in front of goal, with the ball at his feet, and netted with ease. From the attacker’s perspective a well worked goal whilst defensively, if one is brutal, it was far too easy.

The second goal seemed to suck some energy from Marine and one could sense the abyss of self-doubt running through the home side. It was now the red shirted “Rams” who were flocking forward and looking the more likely to score. There was thus no great surprise when, with two minutes of normal time remaining, Asher Yearwood scored a third. With acres of space and an abundance of time to pick his spot he caressed a firmly struck 25-yard effort into the back of the Marine net.

It would be fair to say at this point that the home support was decidedly restless. With half time approaching they were witnessing their side three goals down to an opponent that, like their own team, was winless in the league.

However, in first half injury time the glimmer of hope flickered. The visitor’s Josh Payne ceded possession in the middle of the park. Marine played the ball to the left flank where Henry Spalding found Ryan Campbell, with a driving run, advanced toward goal and fired the perfect finish past Matt Rowley the Beaconsfield keeper.

The first twenty minutes of the second half were relatively uneventful with neither side really creating any efforts of note. However, in the 66th minute came one of the game’s best footballing moments.

On the left-hand side of midfield Marine’s George Dowling collected the ball. He advanced a couple of yards to his right and, using an advancing defender as a screen, curled a tremendous 25-yard effort towards the far top corner of the visitor’s goal. As the ball left his boot he will have understandably expected the net to billow. However, Matt Rowley flying through the air to his left made an exceptional save tipping the goal bound effort over the bar.

A few minutes later the custodian of the visitor’s goal was again called into action when a deep cross from Ryan Campbell was headed towards goal by Sam Turl and his on-target effort was tipped over the crossbar.

Then on 77 minutes the chance of a comeback moved from what seemed an increasingly forlorn hope to a reality. Ed Williams picked the ball up from a superb Liban Ibrahim though ball on the edge of the box and ran at the visitor’s defence. He shimmied past defenders and then nonchalantly slotted home.

The game was now reaching its dramatic finale. Marine were now dominating proceedings and with ten minutes to go Ed Williams entered the right-hand edge of the box. An excellent diving interception from Matt Rowley pushed the ball wide and this gave the hosts time to get bodies behind the ball and eventually clear.

With two minutes of normal time remaining the home team secured their equaliser when Ed Williams got to the bye-line and crossed the ball into the box where Levi Irving’ rose the highest and glanced a well-placed header inside the far post. This was a deserved reward for the Marine striker who, from the moment he came off the bench, had caused concerns to the visitor’s defence with his pace and aerial presence.

At this point the Marine faithful, when they saw there were seven minutes of added time, were optimistic their team might go on to secure a famous victory. However, in those final minutes it was the visitors who had the ascendancy.

When a Louis Evan’s punch looped upwards and towards goal there was some alarm that a fourth goal for the visitors was a distinct possibility. However, Mat Liddiard had astutely tracked back and assuredly cleared the impending danger.

At the final whistle the result will have bought varied emotions from the two teams. Beaconsfield Town will probably feel that from 3-0 up they had thrown two points away. Meanwhile Marine will, quite rightly, feel that from three goals down they showed tremendous character to battle through adversity to secure a point.

Also, a deserved word of praise for the referee and his team. They officiated in a confident and unobtrusive manner and allowed the game to breathe.

To end with another quote from the Earl of Beaconsfield he once proffered that “there is education in adversity.” It is undoubtedly the case that Marine will have learnt several things from the adversity of being three-nil down in a game that pre-match they would have hoped to win.

The first is that at this level you have to be defensively more disciplined than Marine were in the first half of this encounter. The second is that there is character and tenacity in the squad because at three-nil down they could have folded but instead they dug deep to graft out a result. The third is that there were elements of strength within this performance to build upon.

These elements include the pacey threat posed by the Liban Ibrahim and Ryan Campbell partnership on the left-hand side; the threat Ed Williams can pose if given the ball in that zone just outside the opponent’s penalty area; and the future potential of Levi Irving who, when he came off the bench, discomforted the opposition’s back four with his pace.

At the end of the day this was a draw that having overcome a three-goal deficit felt like a win for Marine.

Come on Marine!

Editors Marine Star Man: Liban Ibrahim
Editors Rams Star Man: Matt Rowley

Attendance: 156

Line Ups

Swindon Supermarine
Caretaker Managers: Jamie Edge, Rhys Evans
Colours: Blue & White Hoops
Line-up: 1. Louis Evans 2. Sam Turl 3. Liban Ibrahim 4. Jamie Edge (c) 5. Malik Sesay (12. Jake Andrews 83’) 6. Mat Liddiard 7. Henry Spalding (15. Levi Irving 53’) 8. George Dowling 9. Zack Kotwica 10. Ed Williams (14. Joe Tumelty 90’) 11. Ryan Campbell
Subs not used: 13. Charlie Searle
Goalscorers: Ryan Campbell 43’, Ed Williams 77’ Levi Irving 89’
Cards:
None
None
None

Beaconsfield Town
Manager: Jon Underwood
Colours: All Red Line-up: 1. Matt Rowley 2. Master Sankoh 5. Luke Neville (c) 6. Lewis Pegg 8. Asher Yearwood 10. Elliott Buchanan 11. James Dobson 14. Leon Chambers-Parillon 15. Joe Morrison 18. Jefferson Louis 20. Josh Payne
Goalscorer: Elliott Buchanan 21’, Leon Chambers-Parillon 30’, Asher Yearwood 40’
Subs Not Used: 4. Sam Togwell, 16. Ben Aurich
Cards:
Elijah Anthony 90+1’
None
None

Supermarine TV

Match Highlights
Courtesy of Mike Wray

Match Gallery

Match Photo’s
Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Post Match Team Sheet

Team Sheet

Match Officials

Referee: Andy Sheppard
Assistant Referees: James West, Andrew Bower
Observer: Paul Turner