KNOWLE GRAB THE POINTS DEEP INTO ADDED TIME!

Ronald Crane Reports from the Draintech Community Ground

I suppose it was inevitable that after such a long absence of football, quality was going to be in short supply. This was certainly the case here. The long grass of the playing surface did not help.

Right from the off Brandon Hague showed his intentions with a shot on the turn from some twenty-five yards: Kirkpatrick between the visitors’ posts, saved. With most of the attacking being done by the home side it was no surprise when George Seeley found the net from eighteen yards. Twelve minutes later Knowle were two up, Lewis Cosgrove heading home a free kick.

The Robins were well on top and began to play some good football. Hague was winning everything in the air, and a third goal looked on the cards.

However, this Lane Head side do not lay down. Whenever the chance presented itself at a set play, they pushed men forward. A throw-in on their right by the corner pin somehow found its way into the net by sheer physical presence. It took Lane Head just six minutes to repeat the trick, this time from a corner.

From being two goals to the good, and well on top, Knowle had allowed themselves to be pegged back by the physicality of their opponents. As the players left the field for a well-earned break, Clive Seeley, the Knowle manager, was shown a yellow card by Referee Gittins after the two had exchanged views.

The second half was a very different affair. It was bad tempered, and with a few injuries that seemed to take an age to sort out. There were a total of six bookings in the match and deep into injury time Brandon Hague was sent to the Sin Bin.

We saw a few tasty tackles, the odd off the ball incident, and words exchanged. It had begun just prior to half time when George Seeley and Adam Cole had a little set too. Both saw yellow.

As the second half proceeded, both sides became anxious. It was end to end stuff all right, and the crowd were loving it. “This is what Non-League football is all about” one spectator was heard to say. I am not at all sure I agree. There was too much running about to little purpose.

First Knowle would attack; it broke down, or the shot was wide, or saved. Then Lane Head would do the same. It was all lacking quality, players too tense, too anxious. Where calmness was required, it all became rather fraught.

With most of us thinking a draw was on the cards, and the clock ticking well over-time, Knowle launched one last attack. They made it into the penalty area, only for Land Head to foul. Referee Gittins had little hesitation in awarding the Penalty, aided, I may say, by his assistant Mr Hunt. Jay Payne made no mistake with the spot kick, and before much else could happen it was all over. Knowle had got out of gaol, an imprisonment that was entirely of their own making. Lane Head were distraught. They had been so near to a valuable away point.

Knowle: Tregartha; McArdle; Payne [90p]; Regan (Corry); Cosgrove © [28] (Dodd); Delaney; Cullen; Curry; Hague; G Seeley [13]; Paterson (Cox).

Booked: G Seeley; C Seeley; & Payne. Sin Bin: Hague.

Next Match

Saturday 14th August 2021 Knowle FC v Coventry Alvis at The Draintech Community Ground, B93 0NX. £3 for spectators, £1 concessions.: KO 3pm.