Marine 3 Shaftesbury 1

Match Report from Pete Crockett

SUPER MARINE!

Under the glow of the floodlights, with the pitch still heavy from recent rain and the air carrying that faint chill peculiar to early spring evenings Swindon Supermarine produced a performance of authority and verve that illuminated the night.

Against promotion-chasing Shaftesbury they were not merely competitive; they were compelling. Indeed, they were ahead inside 17 seconds.

The ball was hustled down towards the right-hand corner flag where Conor McDonagh, nimble and alert, twisted his marker one way and then the other before delivering a cross of inviting precision. Tawana Changa, timing his surge into the six-yard box to perfection applied the finishing touch. It was as crisp and purposeful a beginning as any manager might script.

The pace was breathless. Within two minutes an in swinging Shaftesbury corner had to be hacked off the line, and soon after Toby Holmes saw a promising effort courageously blocked by Sam Turl. Marine responded in kind: a long ball released Brad Hooper clean through, but his attempted lob over the advancing goalkeeper drifted wide.

This was no cautious exchange of early pleasantries. On six minutes McDonagh met a cross with a header steered cleverly back across goal, only for the visiting goalkeeper to produce a fine, airborne save. Sal Abubakar then embarked upon a weaving run, his low drive shaving the post, while at the other end a visiting forward headed over from a central position.

Marine’s threat was constant. On 23 minutes a long throw from Zach Rugman was only half-cleared, Changa’s ensuing effort skimming wide.

Then, on 32 minutes, came a goal fashioned in craft and conviction. McDonagh, combining silken control with stubborn determination, held the ball under pressure before slipping a perfectly weighted pass into the stride of Sal Abubakar, who had ghosted into the area unmarked and finished with emphatic assurance.

Shaftesbury’s response, three minutes before the interval, was of exceptional quality. Awarded a free-kick some 25-yards out Alefe Santos struck it unerringly into the top corner. There are moments when admiration overrides allegiance; this was one of them.

Buoyed, the visitors pressed. A deflected Harry Barker effort drew a strong hand from Luke Purnell, and from the ensuing corner Changa performed heroics of another order, clearing off the line amid a scramble.

Yet Marine finished the half on the front foot: McDonagh forced another excellent save, and from successive corners the home side again twice threatened. It had been a splendid half of football, played at a tempo that belied the conditions.

Marine restored their two-goal advantage four minutes after the interval. Jamie Edge sent a measured ball down the right touchline; McDonagh once more unbalanced his defender with mesmerising ball control before supplying Sal Abubakar who finished clinically for his second of the evening.

Thereafter Marine blended vigilance with ambition. A towering defensive header denied Abubakar a third, Hooper sent a near-perfect half-volley whistling past the far post, and Rugman, fed by the irrepressible McDonagh, drove narrowly wide.

A later cut-back from Rugman evaded both McDonagh and Abubakar by inches. Abubakar, who was repeatedly tormenting the full-backs with close control and sudden acceleration, struck the side-netting and blazed another effort over.

Shaftesbury applied pressure in the second half, yet Marine defended magnificently, restricting clear-cut opportunities. Purnell was commanding with crosses and produced one outstanding save. Turl and Petrynski were diligent in the wide areas, dogged defensively and threatening when overlapping.

Jamie Edge and Miles Ferguson were titanic at the heart of defence. Across midfield there was industry and imagination; Hooper and Abubakar provided width and incision. Rugman, Changa and Dayo Sonoiki were energetic and purposeful.

At the centre of it all stood McDonagh, whose hold-up play and composure yielded a hat-trick of assists -the fulcrum of Marine’s attacking fluency. Credit also to referee Ella Broad and her assistants. They handled the game in a calm but authoritative manner.

After the match six Marine supporters were asked by me to name home team player of the match. Six different names were offered. That diversity of acclaim was testament enough. This was not the triumph of an individual, but of a side in harmonious accord.

Manager Bobby Wilkinson described it as his team’s finest display of the campaign. Beneath the floodlights, before an appreciative home crowd, it was difficult to dissent. The ovation at the final whistle was heartfelt and wholly deserved.

Come on Marine!

Attendance: 177

Manager:	Bobby Wilkinson
Line-up:	Colours: Blue & White Hoops
No	Player	Goals	Card	No	Substitute	Goals	Card
1	Lucas Myers [GK]
2	Sam Turl
3	Piotr Petrynski
4	Jamie Edge
5	Miles Ferguson
6	Tawana Changa	1’	91’
7	Dayo Sonoiki
8	Zach Rugman			17	Olly Case 94’
9	Conor McDonagh			14	Jonny Asamoah 85’
10	Brad Hooper
11	Sal Abubakar	32’,49’

Editors Star Man: Whole Team
Subs not used: 12 Sid Gbla, 14 Frankie Monk, 16 Max Hemmings

Manager:	Jim Milligan
Line-up:	Colours: All Green
No	Player	Goals	Card	No	Substitute	Goals	Card
1	Ben Taylor [GK]
3	Charlie Rayfield		31’	7.	James Ward 35’
4	Sonny Pike
5	Charlie Burden
8	Alefe Santos	42’
9	Toby Holmes (c)			12.	Moss Collins 79’
15	Lewis Brown			14.	Sergii Ismail 79’
16	George Higgins
17	Louis Sweeten
20	Harry Baker		39’	11.	Tom Hewlett 62’
23	Harry Morgan			10.	Jack Hoey 62’

Editors Star Man: Alefe Santos
Subs not used: None