BLUES BURNT BY FOREST FIRE
Posted on: Thu 24 Jul 2008
By Matt Cecil
Wanderers suffered their first defeat of the pre-season campaign on Saturday afternoon as Blue Square Premier side Forest Green clinched a 2-0 victory at The New Lawn, wwfc.com reports.
An early goal from ex-Accrington forward Andy Mangan, coupled with substitute Les Afful's late close-range strike, separated the two teams in Gloucestershire and it could have been worse for the Blues had Scott Shearer not produced a fine save from Lee Fowler's dubiously-awarded penalty midway through the second half.
Peter Taylor's side started slowly and were punished when Jamie Pitman was given too much time and space on the right wing to cross for Mangan to put the ball past Jamie Young inside two minutes.
A combination of good organisation from the home side and some stray passes from the visitors meant that the Blues struggled to create many chances in the opening period, although Gavin Grant could have levelled the scores with an effort that went just past the post.
The superb midfield display by captain Tommy Doherty was one of only a few positives from the first half as he tried to drag his side back into the game, and Peter Taylor would have been hoping for an improvement from his second-half team consisting of nine substitutes at the break.
One of those replacements, new signing Chris Zebroski, fizzed an effort wide from inside the penalty area and it looked as though the Blues had more spark about them in the second half, with Matty Phillips in particular providing plenty of pace and crosses in the early stages.
Full-backs Robbie Rice and trialist Adam Green were introduced to the action on the hour mark to complete a total turnaround of players but it was one of the club's more familiar faces who made the error which led to the Rovers doubling their lead.
Leon Johnson's backpass to keeper Scott Shearer was under-hit and lively striker Les Afful seized on the loose ball before surging into the penalty area in a one-on-one situation. The Wanderers keeper did superbly to race from his line and dive at the feet of the forward to win what seemed to be a goal-kick but the referee surprised the majority of the crowd by awarding a penalty, much to the frustration of Peter Taylor and his players.
It was Lee Fowler who stepped up to take the kick but Shearer dived low to his right to parry the ball away to keep the Blues in the game, but the visitors were unable to break down the New Lawn side and Afful sealed the win on 83 minutes, sidefooting home from close range after the Wycombe defence had allowed Rovers too much space inside the box.
The same player almost made it three when his header flew just past the post as the game drew to a close but it didn't affect the outcome of the game as Peter Taylor was forced to reflect on a first defeat in charge of the Blues, and you can read his thoughts on the game tomorrow right here on wwfc.com.
Wanderers' next fixtures come next weekend in a double-header as they take on Stevenage Borough on Friday (k.o. 7pm) before taking on Chelmsford City on Saturday (k.o. 3pm).
Wanderers' First Half XI:
Jamie Young, Leon Crooks, Craig Woodman, Mike Williamson, Will Antwi, Gavin Grant, Tommy Doherty (capt), John Mousinho, Derek Duncan, John Sutton, Leon Knight.
Wanderers' Second Half XI:
Scott Shearer, John Mousinho (Robbie Rice, 63), Craig Woodman (Adam Green, 63), David McCracken, Leon Johnson, Chris Zebroski, Gary Holt, Lewwis Spence, Matty Phillips, Scott McGleish, Magno Silva Vieira.
Our match reports are one of the most popular pages on wwfc.com and you can have your company's name prominently displayed on every report by taking advantage of our sponsorship opportunities. Click here to find out more.
Wanderers suffered their first defeat of the pre-season campaign on Saturday afternoon as Blue Square Premier side Forest Green clinched a 2-0 victory at The New Lawn, wwfc.com reports.
An early goal from ex-Accrington forward Andy Mangan, coupled with substitute Les Afful's late close-range strike, separated the two teams in Gloucestershire and it could have been worse for the Blues had Scott Shearer not produced a fine save from Lee Fowler's dubiously-awarded penalty midway through the second half.
Peter Taylor's side started slowly and were punished when Jamie Pitman was given too much time and space on the right wing to cross for Mangan to put the ball past Jamie Young inside two minutes.
A combination of good organisation from the home side and some stray passes from the visitors meant that the Blues struggled to create many chances in the opening period, although Gavin Grant could have levelled the scores with an effort that went just past the post.
The superb midfield display by captain Tommy Doherty was one of only a few positives from the first half as he tried to drag his side back into the game, and Peter Taylor would have been hoping for an improvement from his second-half team consisting of nine substitutes at the break.
One of those replacements, new signing Chris Zebroski, fizzed an effort wide from inside the penalty area and it looked as though the Blues had more spark about them in the second half, with Matty Phillips in particular providing plenty of pace and crosses in the early stages.
Full-backs Robbie Rice and trialist Adam Green were introduced to the action on the hour mark to complete a total turnaround of players but it was one of the club's more familiar faces who made the error which led to the Rovers doubling their lead.
Leon Johnson's backpass to keeper Scott Shearer was under-hit and lively striker Les Afful seized on the loose ball before surging into the penalty area in a one-on-one situation. The Wanderers keeper did superbly to race from his line and dive at the feet of the forward to win what seemed to be a goal-kick but the referee surprised the majority of the crowd by awarding a penalty, much to the frustration of Peter Taylor and his players.
It was Lee Fowler who stepped up to take the kick but Shearer dived low to his right to parry the ball away to keep the Blues in the game, but the visitors were unable to break down the New Lawn side and Afful sealed the win on 83 minutes, sidefooting home from close range after the Wycombe defence had allowed Rovers too much space inside the box.
The same player almost made it three when his header flew just past the post as the game drew to a close but it didn't affect the outcome of the game as Peter Taylor was forced to reflect on a first defeat in charge of the Blues, and you can read his thoughts on the game tomorrow right here on wwfc.com.
Wanderers' next fixtures come next weekend in a double-header as they take on Stevenage Borough on Friday (k.o. 7pm) before taking on Chelmsford City on Saturday (k.o. 3pm).
Wanderers' First Half XI:
Jamie Young, Leon Crooks, Craig Woodman, Mike Williamson, Will Antwi, Gavin Grant, Tommy Doherty (capt), John Mousinho, Derek Duncan, John Sutton, Leon Knight.
Wanderers' Second Half XI:
Scott Shearer, John Mousinho (Robbie Rice, 63), Craig Woodman (Adam Green, 63), David McCracken, Leon Johnson, Chris Zebroski, Gary Holt, Lewwis Spence, Matty Phillips, Scott McGleish, Magno Silva Vieira.
Our match reports are one of the most popular pages on wwfc.com and you can have your company's name prominently displayed on every report by taking advantage of our sponsorship opportunities. Click here to find out more.
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