Marine 3 Willand Rovers 0

Match Report from Pete Crockett

SECOND-HALF SURGE SEALS SUPERMARINE SUCCESS

It was the very image of a game of two halves. In the first Willand Rovers were full of vigour, invention, and no little menace. They might have taken the lead pressing forward with a fluency which asked stern questions of Swindon Supermarine’s rear-guard.

Yet in the second, Marine, having survived those tempests, were altogether the more incisive and ruthless, striking three times and showing a clinical edge that their visitors so sorely lacked.

The opening exchanges, for their part, promised much. Within minutes Brooks Leipus struck the post for Marine, while at the other end Tom Bath, lively throughout, came close with a curling shot just wide of the top corner. Sal Abubakar, so often the outlet for Marine, then skimmed a shot inches past the far post. The game was now being played at a breakneck pace - the typical end-to-end encounter.

Willand increasingly grew into the contest. Bailey Kempster’s sharp shot demanded a fine save from Luke Purnell who would prove Marine’s most vital figure in that opening half. Then River Allen, prompting and probing from midfield, brought another good stop from the keeper with a dipping free kick.

Just before the break the visitors Reece Shanley also saw his effort bravely blocked by substitute Josh Blyth. Marine were, by then, having to dig deep and were certainly the more grateful for the interval whistle.

However, football is a game defined by its hinge moments and Marine, emerging revitalised after the break, found just such a turning point. Four minutes into the half, Josh Grant released Brook Leipus down the line, his square pass found SAL ABUBAKAR who controlled the ball and finished with assurance into the bottom corner.

Instantly Willand might have restored parity. A defensive lapse left Tom Bath clean through with the chance to lob the advancing Luke Purnell. However, his effort bounced agonisingly wide. It would, as things turned out, prove a significant moment of missed opportunity.

Marine pressed on. Dan Warre, increasingly influential, conjured trickery on the right and found Sid Gbla only for a defender’s block to intervene. Dan Warre then had an angled shot well saved by Andrew Sowden-Bird.

The second goal, when it arrived, was the fruit of some wonderfully fluent football. On seventy-four minutes Jonny Efedje’s deft touch found Dan Warre whose low ball across the six-yard box was perfect for substitute JAMES HARDING. The striker’s first touch after coming off the bench a minute or so earlier was a tap-in of the simplest kind, yet it was also symptomatic of Marine’s more ruthless second-half mood.

Willand, to their credit, sought a riposte. Tom Bath leaping above the Marine defence saw his header skim wide, while Harvey Dorothy, finding space in the box, lashed his shot too high. The profligacy, which had cost them earlier, did so again.

In the eighty-sixth minute the contest was settled once and for all. Jonny Efedje found James Harding, who in turn fed FRANKIE MONK. A feint of the shoulder, left and then right, was enough to open the angle, and Monk’s low finish across the keeper was neat and decisive.

So it was that Marine having clung on in that challenging first half secured victory with an authoritative second half display. Their fitness, too, came to the fore, as Willand, for all their endeavour, faded.

There were, for Marine, many candidates for player of the match, Jamie Edge was assured at centre-back, Josh Grant worked tirelessly in midfield, Sam Turl and Twanna Changa were both exemplary in denying Willand the chance to cross from the dead ball line, and substitute Josh Blyth was commanding defensively. Yet the pick of Marine’s players was Luke Purnell whose saves kept Marine alive before the break and whose command of his area was unstinting.

For Willand Rovers River Allen stood out for his range of passing and energy. The visitor’s manager David Steele, rueful in defeat, noted that his side must learn to convert periods of dominance into goals. He did though feel that there were positives for them to build upon.

Marine boss Bobby Wilkinson felt his team were poor in the first half and fortunate not to concede. He was pleased with how they regrouped and, at times, dominated after the break. He said: “Willand are a tough, physical side and created chances, but I am proud of our clean sheet—two in a row now—with Luke Purnell’s unbelievable first half save vital.“ He felt “the goals and assists were pleasing, but as a club we are still building. Special mention to Sam Turl—150 games, a fan favourite, true professional, and a credit on and off the pitch.“

The tale of this match was simple. Willand rued their missed chances and Marine clinically took theirs. And that, in football, is the oldest story of all

Come on Marine!

Attendance: 281

Manager:	Bobby Wilkinson
Line-up:	Colours: Blue & White Hoops
No	Player	Goals	Card	No	Substitute	Goals	Card
1	Luke Purnell [GK]
2	Sam Turl (c)		14’
3	Tawana Changa
4	Josh Grant
5	Nick Rhodesl			17	Josh Blyth 24’	80’
6	Joe Selman		58’
7	Sal Abubakar	50’		15	Frankie Monk 80’	86’
8	Jamie Edge
9	Dan Warre
10	Sid Gbla		32’	12	James Harding 68’	70’
11	Brooks Leipus			16	Jonny Efedje 63’

Editors Star Man: Luke Purnell [GK]
Subs not used: George Alston

Manager:	David Steele
Line-up:	Colours: All Green
No	Player	Goals	Card	No	Substitute	Goals	Card
1	Andrew Sowden-Bird [GK]
2	Josh Searle
3	Tiago Sa
4	Reece Shanley
5	Ryan Guppy
6	Jamie Richards (c)
7	Rikki Shepherd			14.	Alfie Cunningham 80’
8	Dougie Camilo			12	Harvey Dorothy 68’		38’
9	Tom Bath		51’
10	River Allen		42’
11	Bailey Kempster

Editors Star Man: River Allen
Subs not used: Cameron Page, Alex Parsons