VILLA CONTINUE UNBEATEN START

Notts Senior League

Premier Division

MAGDALA AMATEURS 3 AWSWORTH VILLA 7

Att: 38

With Hazel and her family at Chatsworth House for the day, a long day ahead for me and Shawn was in store, most buses from Mansfield to Nottingham take a hour but if you catch the 141 it goes through every village and takes double the time. Shawn was hungry and we popped in to Subway for lunch before having a stroll to the Market Square, they had a event on with all paraolympians and the kids could try out some events, Shawns favourite was being in a wheelchair and playing tennis. We got on the tram and headed for the Roko and we nearly got off at the wrong stop, but got off at Wilford Green and stolled along the road to the ground.

We was met by Matt Harrington and the rest of the Magdala side shortly followed by thee ref Dave Southern and the opponents. I managed to get the team sheets early sso I could relax for the afternoon, or thats what I thought as Shawn was having fun playing with a large tyre at pitchside.

Before kick off, a minutes silence was completed by all and the game was on its way and Awsworth nearly scored after just 40 second with a cross shot just going wide of the post but we dodnt wait very long for the first goal, when JOHN WHITEHURST cut in on the left wing and placed the ball past the advancing keeper. Magdala pushed forward but then left gaps at the back and on 10 minutes, RYAN WHITEHURST volleyed his side in to a 2-0 lead. All credit to Magdala and they forced their way back in to the game through NEIL MORGAN on 13 minutes. On 18 minutes, RYAN WHITEWHURST restored the visitors two goal advantage.

Just then Shawn went off to fetch a ball, next thing he comes back in tears covered from his waist down in thick oil, I thought of going in to the ROKO but he would have trod it all the way in, so had to take his trousers off and his trainers and at half time I took him over to the Car Wash and they sprayed him down and his clothes, the clothes he was wearing dried but not his trousers, so after the matcch, we went back tot he pub and he dried them with the hand drier in the toilets!

Back to the match and on 33 minutes, GOODWIN made it 4-1 to Villa and this game looked like a landslide. NEIL MORGAN playing a captains role for the homesters again pulled a goal back in the 38th minute. Just on the stroke of half time and the visitors were awarded a penalty, to which RYAN WHITEHURST stepped up and completed his hat trick.

Just after Shawn's hosing down and getting back towards pitch side and Villa went 6-2 up 20 seconds in to the Second Half through JOHN WHITEHURST. Magdala then began to play their best football of the game and were rewarded on 50 minutes when ETHAN LESPEARE made it 6-3. The game then went through a bit of a dull period, but on 66 minutes, a clash in the penalty area, saw the home keeper down and a second penalty awarded to the visitors, the home keeper had to be substitued and the first thing that Paul Franks(Ex Notts Cricketer) had to do was save Luke Hodmans's penalty on 66 minutes.

On 88 minutes, a long ball out of defence caught the home players out of position and LEE STEVENSON made it a 7-3 victory for Awsworth to maintain the impressive start to this seasons campaign.

Photos from the match can be seen on this LINK