03.11.07
Man of the match: Rob Briginshaw
AFC Corinthians Res went into this game understandably concerned against the side that had beaten them 11-1 earlier in the season, although the recent upturn in results was a cause for optimism. With skipper Gary Mancini and several other players out Ben Ardron returned to the side to play at the back with manager Richard Hand and Roger Alwood.
The first half was a tight affair, with Turnpike unsurprisingly dominating possession and territory, but with the Corinthians proving stern and well-organised opposition. Unfortunately the whites lacked that final ball in order to make clear cut chances, and went 1-0 down when a well struck free kick beat Andy Stranks in the home goal after Rich Hand brought down their striker on the edge of the box.
1-0 down at half time manager Hand emphasised the positives and send out the side to push for the equaliser. Corinthians started the 2nd half well with Rob Briginshaw and Joe Jerrome working hard in midfield and Ethan Jerrome and Ricky Sidhu asking questions of the visitors defence, however still there was no way to get in behind Turnpike’s well organised defence and on the hour mark a good finish made it 2-0.
As the game neared its end and with Corinthian legs tiring, Turnpike poured forward and created several chances with Stranks making some excellent stops, however the visitors were able to score two more goals to make the final score 4-0.
At the end of the match Hand and assistant Tom Goodlock were positive, pointing out that the team continued to improve, and had put in a decent performance against in their opinion the best side that they have seen in that division so far. They went on to add that the game had been unrecognisable from the performance (1-11) when Corinthians had played them earlier in the season.
The fixture list continues to be cruel to Corinthians as next they travel to table toppers Berinsfield. Of their 10 league games up to next week the Whites have played 7 against the five teams battling it out at the top of the table. Whilst this has made it a difficult start to the season it should mean that if the side can maintain its positivity and continue to improve then the second half of the season could provide chances to move up the table.