Milton Keynes (Home)

Date: Saturday 23rd September '06         
Time: 10:30                                             
Competition: League
Location: Home

St Albans Romans                    6 (3)
  Gray (2) 
  Baxter   
  Kendal    
  Gunning     
  Whittaker

Hemel Army                              0 (0)

Match Report

SUN FACTOR SIX

No need for holidays in Cuba when the weathers this good in Smallford.

With Captain Kumar back from Havana and his midfield partner at a loose end now that the hay baling season is over, Romans continued their good start to the campaign with another convincing win.

Despite a rather tepid, stop-start first twenty minutes, during which Romans did most of the pressing, it sooned warmed up when Kendal worked an opening on the right and his low cross gave Gray the sort of chance that every greedy striker loves. 1-0 Romans after 31 minutes and things were soon getting even warmer. A shot from Konkoly beat the keeper only to crash against the foot of the upright on 35 then, in the 40th minute, Konkoly was again in the action providing the return for Baxter to crash one into the roof of the net. A minute before the interval and Kendal (via the near post and with what Baxter described as a "nice PINGing noise") added Romans third. 3-0 at halftime but The Gaffer asked for more urgency and an increase in tempo.

Milton Keynes fought bravely 2nd half but Romans always had the upperhand and on 61 minutes a nice training ground move between Konkoly, Gunning and Gray saw the latter score with a fine low drive that gave the keeper no chance. The Gaffer decided it was time for fresh legs as Harris toiled in the heat and once again his instinct paid dividend as sub Whittaker immediately made a good run on the right and his pinpoint cross was met by the newly coiffured ("I did it myself") head of Gunning to make it 5-0. On 85 minutes Gunning was brought down in the box. PENALTY!! A chance for goalie Pratt to get a piece of the action but linesman Harris sensationally overruled the Gaffer, whilst muttering something about it "mucking up his Romans Fantasy Football predictions" and waved the distraught keeper back from whence he had skipped. Up stepped Gray for his hat-trick and (as Baxter put it) a "nice PINGing noise" indicated he had missed his first (and last) ever penalty for Romans.

With the clock ticking down the chance to repeat the seasons opening scoreline looked like it had gone but Kumar still had one Cahill impression left in him and after beating the last defender and rounding the keeper was forced, mainly due to a lack of balance, to square the ball to the squealing noise on his right where Whittaker made a simple tap in look quite difficult. 6-0 Romans. Good performance and another clean sheet but still a couple of things to work on in training (including that silly hopping thing that helps you keep your balance Will).

MOTM - Adam Powell, solid and calm, dare I say "Hansen-like"?  (MmmBop)