Reserves 3 Folkestone 0 – LCup

At Southwood the Reserves picked up more valuable points in the League Cup campaign, with another clean sheet for 16 year old ‘keeper Josh Mattless, after an assured display against Folkestone Invicta.

Folkestone started well but the Rams were soon in their stride and in the 8th minute Mattless sent the ball down the left wing where Dan Hughes intercepted and took it round the defence before slipping it through to Jimmy Cole, who in turn put it across to 16 year old Martin Austin who turned it in to take the lead. Cole had several close calls in the area, testing the ”keeper as well as the defence, with two potential penalties waved away. In the first the referee decided that Cole’s attempt to hold off the chasing defender as he bore down on the goal was worse than the latter’s lunges from behind, but the two handed shove in the back after Cole had skipped round the defender in the 33rd, left the Rams’ number 9 on the deck puzzled as to how play was allowed to continue. The Rams seemed to stand back a little after this, with Folkestone starting to get more into the game, but there were no more goals before the interval.

In the 2nd half Folkestone upped their game, in terms of physicality if not in footballing skill, but they still couldn’t really break down the Rams’ back line of Luke Alexander, Josh Merry, Andy Johnston, and Joe Hickman, and not forgetting Mattless. The Rams’ midfield were also looking stong, particularly Dan Langiano and skipper Luke Furness, the latter getting the Rams’ 2nd. In the 77nd minute a quick throw in on the right flank set sub Dan Gonzalez-Bello on his way, who outpaced the defender cutting into the area before a sweet lob called for a great leap by the Folkestone ‘keeper to punch the ball over the bar. The resulting corner was headed out, but it fell to Furness who rifled the ball stranght back into the net from 25yards. The Rams continued to look the livelier and with 2 minutes to go Andy Johnston rose above the Folkestone defence with a driving header from a corner to make it 3-0.

Attendance 20

Rams: Josh Mattless, Luke Alexander, Josh Merry, Andy Johnston, Joe Hickman, Luke Furness (c), Dan Langiano (Ryan Freedman 75), Jimmy Cole (Dan Gonzalez-Bello 65), Martin Austin (Marcus Potter 80), Dan Hughes. Unused subs: Jordan Wells and Neil Hoggart.

 ws a little harded