Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v Stanway Rovers FC (10/10/06)
After 120 minutes of nail biting, end-to-end action, Ramblers played hosts to Stanway Rovers in the replay of this FA Vase 1st Round match.
The first game truly was a very even encounter with both sides sharing four goals, and no one was willing to hazard a serious guess as to who would progress from this tie.
Manager Robinson again rang the changes, and re-called Wornham to the starting line-up in the anchor role of midfield. Ansell and Dumas both picked up injuries at the weekend so they were missing from the starting line-up. This gave two opportunities of full debuts for John Heffer at right back, and young Ross Wall, who took his place on the left of a front three.
The game started at a high tempo, with neither side taking a strangle hold on proceedings. A few late tackles ensued which encouraged the referee to suddenly become a little to busy.
Quick football from Burnham set Wall clear on the left hand side, his cross-field ball was nodded down into the on-running path of Dale, whose left footed shot was unfortunately off target.
Stanway were beginning to find joy down both flanks, with Burnham playing an aggressive 4-3-3 formation. This enabled the visiting wingers time to turn and run at the home sides fullbacks, although not to great effect.
Staying with the flow of the game, the ball was straight down the opposing end, and a free kick from Day was floated into a dangerous area where Trenkel managed to get his head to the ball, but it went wide of the post, and just out of the reach of Barrows for a goal kick.
A free kick on the edge of the Ramblers box was struck straight into the wall, and when the ball fell to the wide midfielder, he had enough time to pick out an inch perfect cross that left McCartney stranded, but the header from the forward was disappointing the ball sailed over the cross-bar.
Both teams were showing guilty signs of giving the ball away in unnecessary situations, and this brought out many disappointed groans from the strong Burnham crowd of 78, that sounded as if it should have been well over 100.
The crowd nearly erupted when King found himself inside the opposition half, and with space in front of him, he let go of a 25-yard shot with his left foot that narrowly missed the crossbar with the keeper seemingly beaten.
This turned out to be the last meaningful action of the half, with the rest of the half a midfield tussle, and several games of head-tennis.
With the game evenly poised again, both teams came flying out the blocks, in the hope of taking a chance and possibly winning the game.
Baker replaced Heffer after about 60 minutes, with Dale reverted to the right back role. Good news for Burnham that Heffer has got an hour under his belt in his conquest to get back to full match fitness.
A long ball from the back by Stanway, eluded the head of Barrows, and the striker struck the ball cleanly, but the ball cannoned back off the post.
In difficult conditions, the ball zipping along the green, yet wet surface at Leslie Fields, both teams were finding it hard to maintain possession for long periods.
Burnham had the better of the remaining fifteen minutes and long range efforts from Dale and Trenkel flew past the post, and a well executed volley by Wornham, was fantastically tipped round the post by the Stanway keeper.
90 minutes of this replay could be not separate these sides, so extra time was to be played.
(Extra time to be played…)
Extra time begun with both sides not sure whether to hold back and “shut up shop” and take a chance on the lottery of penalties, or whether to kick and push on and try and settle this tie with a goal.
Stanway come out fastest, and they begun to threaten the Burnham goal with purpose. The best chance of extra-time fell to the away side, when the Ramblers defence failed to deal with a free header for a Stanway defender, and it was superbly clawed away by McCartney. This save turned to be a defining moment as the game progressed into the second period.
A quick turn-around, and suddenly Burnham were making all the progressive moments. Lyons was brought on, and when sent clear down the left hand side, he galloped past his full-back, sent over an inch perfect cross, and Jones failed to connect with his header, and the ball was comfortably dealt with by the visiting defence.
The best chance of the second period fell to Burnham, and to the unsuspecting head of left back King. He once again found himself in a forward position, and his shot from 25 yards was deflected and nearly caught the keeper out, with the latter having the tip the ball onto the bar! The ball was never cleared properly, and the ball came out to King again, and his well executed volley whistling agonizingly past the post.
No more action in this half, and it was all down to who had the courage and the calmness of taking a penalty.
(Penalties…)
Stanway stepped up first, and McCartney guessed right and saved well to give Burnham the advantage. Barrows then converted Ramblers opening effort.
Honours were even with the next two penalties for both sides with Trenkel and Jones scoring for Ramblers. McCartney then guessed right for Stanway’s fourth penalty, and it was all left to Baker to score send the home side through, which he did with sure aplomb.
After 240 minutes of football, it took a penalty shoot-out to decide matters. Burnham progress through to face Hounslow Borough in the next round.
Team:
1) McCartney
2) Heffer
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Day
8) Dale
9) Jones
10) Trenkel
11) Wall
Subs:
Match Report – Stanway Rovers FC v Burnham Ramblers FC (
After the last minute heroics in the previous round, Ramblers were back on the travels in the FA Vase, to
With Dan Wornham missing for Burnham, changes to the side, and then a change with the formation was made. McCartney returned in goal in place of Barrett, King took over in the anchor role of midfield, with Burnham reverted to three at the back. Jones partnered Ansell upfront, and there was even room for a debut appearance for Chris Baker at right back.
Cup games are always difficult to predict, with a lot of resting on these games, and the formbook does seem to go out the window. Stanway were on the back of some good results as of late, but the same could not be said about Burnham, who had turned a little in consistent recently.
Play was scrappy at the start, with neither side really taking control of the game. Stanway had a succession of corners and free kicks in the Ramblers half, and the quality was of a high standard, but this was not troubling enough to bring the opening goal to the game.
The game was flowing from end to end, and the away side were trying to get the ball down to play football at times, and this enabled them to move further up the pitch. A throw-in from the right by Baker found Trenkel, his cross found Jones, but his shot was wide of the target.
The pitch from a distance was looking green, well cut, and crisp, however Burnham goalkeeper McCartney did not find this to be a true reflection, when a long-range shot nearly caught him out. The bounce was right in front of him, however at an awkward height, and he did well to push this effort wide.
From the resulting corner, Burnham cleared their lines well, and Ansell was in the clear, he selfishly laid the ball in for Dumas, who should have done better with his shot, as it screamed past the post from the edge of the penalty area.
With just ten minutes remaining in the half, the home side were on top, and when the Stanway winger was given time to beat a couple of Burnham defenders, and turn comfortably in the area, his shot was too powerful for McCartney to keep out, and this was the opening goal.
This kicked Burnham back into life, and for the remaining ten minutes, they pinned the hosts in their own half, and this almost resulted in an equaliser. Ramblers were looking dangerous from set pieces, and after Trenkel, Ansell and Barrows all had efforts on goal, the ball ricocheted off a defender and cannoned off the post to the dismay of the Burnham dugout.
This seemed to be a sign of how things were, as of late.
Ramblers seemed to get the motivation they needed at half time, as they came out with all guns blazing. The ball was not being cleared comprehensively by the home teams defence, and Ansell found himself some space, and shot well with his left foot, but the keeper was equal to this, and acrobatically pushed the ball over the bar.
The game was then held up for a good half an hour, as the Emergency services had to be called in for a Stanway defender who unfortunately suffered a double break to his leg. We all wish him for a speedy recovery.
After this break in play, Burnham picked up exactly where they left off, and TRENKEL picked up the ball inside his own half, running at the home defence, and whilst about 25 yards from goal, struck a ferocious left foot strike, that was far from the reach of the goalkeeper to level things up at 1-1.
Manager Robinson made a change shortly after this goal, bringing off Dumas and replacing him with Jerry Lyons to inject some pace into this game.
He used this to great effect, as a long ball over the top, sent him in the clear, and his cross, seemed to be on a plate for the Ansell to head home, but the home defender did well to clear for a corner. The pace of the tall winger turned out to be inferior to what was to be the key factor, as a cross was swung in from Jones, found the head of LYONS who rose like a salmon, and the brush off his beautifully crafted dread-locks helped the ball on its way into the top corner.
The home side looked shocked, and this kicked them back into life as Burnham took their foot off the accelerator. This was the fate on Ramblers, as the Stanway midfielder found space on the right hand side, and his cross was of top quality, and the striker obliged to this by heading home the equaliser.
This turned out to being the end of the action, as both sides played out for extra-time.
(Extra time to be played…)
Extra time was a very tense affair, with neither side too keen on making the break to try and decide the fate of this cup-tie. Chances were few and far between, but Ansell had a glorious chance when one on one with the keeper, but his shot well saved by the keeper, and the follow-up was cleared away.
Stanway were restricted to long-range efforts in the first period, non of these were able to trouble McCartney.
With just 15 minutes of football remaining, there were a lot of tired legs on display, and most were looking at the possibility of a Tuesday night replay in the Burnham countryside. The home side was on the back foot for long periods in this half. Ramblers should have won this game, when a free kick from Barrows was fumbled, but Callow couldn’t put in the re-bound.
Team:
1) McCartney
2) Baker
3) Dumas
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) King
7) Jones
8) Dale
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel
11) Day
Subs: Lyons for Dumas , Yusuf for King, Callow for Ansell, Kimble, Barrett.
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v Southend Manor FC (
Burnham was back in action on cold Tuesday evening, against fierce rivals Southend Manor. With a lot of the players on each side being good friends, on and off the pitch, this was bound to be a feisty encounter.
A couple of changes were made to the team that started on Saturday against Basildon, with King returning at left back in place of Kimble, and Day and Yusef coming into the midfield in place of Jones and Dale.
The visitors came flying out the blocks, and it was evident that they wanted to put Burnham under some early pressure. The central defenders of
Ramblers bought their time eventually got into their stride, stroking the ball around, and making the away side work hard to retrieve the ball.
Many of Manor’s attacks resulted in long, diagonal goal kicks that caused the Burnham defence some discomfort, but this never created a clear cut opportunity through-out.
Right-back
Burnham’s first real chance of the game came after a midfield scramble, where the ball cannoned into the air, and Trenkel was impeded by his defender, which resulted in a free kick close to the edge of the opposing penalty area. The resulting shot was blocked by the wall, but the ball went out wide to Yusef, who put in a teasing cross, that the away goal keeper failed to deal with, but Dumas’ shot was wasteful and wide.
At the other end, a free kick from the right was swung in, and a Manor defender felt he was fouled at the far post, but these claims were shrugged away by the referee to the disgust of the visiting bench.
Some in-decision in the Burnham back line by Cross and King almost let in an attacker; however, the latter managed to recover well and clear any danger.
Despite this, Burnham was always in control of this game, without ever really creating a clear-cut opportunity.
The second half was similar to the first, with Ramblers maintaining good possession throughout, however not providing any chances of opening the deadlock.
With the home side getting more and more frustrated, it seemed as though a goal was never going to come. The visitors continued soldiering on, and clinging on to what can only be described as a good result for them away from home.
With the game seeming to filter out to a goal-less stalemate, both manager rung the changes in the hope of rescuing a win from somewhere.
However for Burnham, this turned out to being rescuing a defeat, as the defence switched off and after some twitchy defending, the ball fell to the substitute strikers feet, and he poked the ball home to steal a surprise win.
This finally seemed to wake Ramblers up, but late chances were to no avail, however a late Wornham header sent the home support crazy as they felt it crossed the line. But it was not to be.
Another disappointing midweek display from Burnham, and with 3 defeats from 3 games in this competition, they could easily say the chances of them making it through, are slim to nothing.
Team:
1) Barrett
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Yusef
8) Day
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel
11) Callow
Subs: Dumas, Jones, Dale, Kimble, Westwood
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v
After the disappointment of bowing out of the Gordon Brasted Trophy in the first round stage, Burnham welcomed the visit of Basildon United to Leslie Fields. This meant the return of a few more familiar faces in ex Ramblers players Tom Ketland and Chris Bill, but also a return of former manager John Higley.
Burnham started off a little flat, and the tempo was of a low quality, and the away side nearly capitalised on this when a long ball over the top nearly caught out the Burnham rearguard, but goalkeeper Barrett swept it up well.
The play seemed to “ebb and flow” for some time, until a break down the right by Jones opened up the
The visitors began to find in-roads within the Burnham backline, and a cross from the left was not dealt with, and Barrett had to be sharp of his line to clear the danger. At the other end, strikers Trenkel and Ansell were finding space hard to find against a well-drilled and organised defence. When the latter found some space on the edge of the box, his shot was weak and was comfortably saved by Rafis in the
At the other end, a mistake by Barrows nearly let in a
Mistakes were creeping into the Ramblers game, and a shot from an acute angle although never looked to be troubling Barrett, it crashed into the side netting with
Ramblers picked up their play towards to end of the first half, and some good work down the right hand side from Jones, and then
The shot of the first half however came from the Burnham fullback Kimble, where he struck another fierce free kick, that the
The home side needed to pick up the tempo in this half if they wanted to come away with anything from this game, and they certainly started the brighter of the two sides. Ansell put in some great ground work down the right hand side, and his cross seemed perfect for Trenkel, however he failed to connect with the header, and the ball trickled disappointingly wide.
Burnham has a succession of corners with
From one of these corners, Trenkel again found himself in a great position, and whilst having the goal gaping, he managed to strike the ball against the keeper and the ball bounced away to safety.
It was evident that not only the Ramblers management trio, but also the supporters were feeling very anxious about whether they would ever breakdown this resolute
The break through however was inevitable, and it came after 71 minutes.
Striker JONES this time met an in-swinging corner from Kimble with great power, to finally break the hearts of the young visiting defence.
The game became more comfortable for Burnham, and attacks from
No matter what Trenkel did, it just was not his day, as he created himself an opportunity, but whilst his shot was wide of the keeper, he managed to smash the ball against the post, and Yusef could not convert the re-bound.
With the game coming to and end, a few more goalmouth scramblers ensued with Ramblers trying to kill the game off, however this was not to be.
Burnham back to winning ways, although not in a convincing sense. Maybe this is the difficult win they needed to re-vamp their season…
Team:
1) Barrett
2)
3) Kimble
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Jones
8) Dale
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs: Callow for Jones , Yusef for Dumas, King, Day, Westwood
Match Report –
A long trip along the M25 to deepest Hertfordshire was the latest adventure for Burnham, as they travelled to face London Colney in the FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round.
Early news from the camp showed that striker Ansell was unfit to start, so he took a seat on the bench, with Jones joining Trenkel in attack.
The game started off in true cup fashion, with a high tempo, and not much football being played on the ground. Talking of the surface, which has many noticeable slopes all over the pitch making it uneasy for many of the players to stand up!
The first attack was from the home side, where it was clear they were looking to use the pace of there lone striker. He once got in behind the Burnham defence, was any danger was snuffed out by the covering defenders. Shots were limited to long distance ones, none of which seemed to be troubling McCartney in the Burnham goal.
Jones broke free for Burnham down the left hand side, and his trickery caused problems for the tall defenders, and his cross was put wide by an acrobatic attempt from Trenkel.
Meaningful attempts were clearly few and far between, however one of the best chances fell to the away team, as a well worked corner found Cross at the back post, and his header was cleared off the line and away from danger.
Against the run of play however, London Colney broke clear, and a midfielder found time to whip in a cross, that was expertly hooked round and into the top corner, and out of the reach of the despairing dive from McCartney.
Burnham had the better of the closing stages of the first half, as Jones wasted a one-on-one opportunity, and Barrows, Wornham and Trenkel were all guilty of wasting guilt edge chances.
Half Time –
Ramblers were looking at possibly their second cup exit within a week, and it was clear they did not want this to happen. They started brightly, and using the slope to their advantage they pinned the home side in there own half.
Yusef and Dumas were both finding space down their respective wings, but their crosses were not up the standard and we easily snuffed out by the home keeper.
The best chance of the opening 20 minutes was when young midfielder Dale created an opportunity for himself and the keeper parried his “hammer” like shot out.
Chances for the home side were very rare, and the one chance they did get an opportunity, was when they over-loaded King on the left hand side, and as the winger cut inside, his shot was tame and McCartney dealt with the danger easily. From this, the keeper sent down missile like straight balls towards Trenkel, who won a majority of the ball all afternoon, and Jones latched onto one of these, but should have done better when in a great position.
The break-through looked like it may never happen, so manager Robinson rung the chances. He made a triple substitution, with Dale, Dumas and Yusef, making way for Day, Callow and Kimble.
With the home side still pinned inside there own penalty area, clinging on for life, the ball broke free in the middle of midfield, and a ball out wide from King to Harrison sent him in the clear, and his ball into Trenkel was reversed across the box where substitute DAY was there to prod home on the second attempt.
As Burnham was celebrating an equaliser, they were mixed views from midfielder Dan Wornham, as he let out a cry of “I can’t play extra time”!
This was evidentially true, as he has work commitments straight after this game, so in theory, this could have left Ramblers with a predicament, having already used three subs!
However, commeth the hour, commeth the man… Similar to the first goal, a ball was played into Callow, who twisted and turned in the box, and squared a ball back for WORNHAM who tapped in at the near post to finish and amazing circle of events, and a comeback!
The final whistle blew shortly afterwards, and it was Burnham who progress on. They will face Stanway Rovers in the next round on October 7th.
Team:
1) McCartney
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Yusef
8) Dale
9) Jones
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs: Callow for Jones, Kimble for Dumas , Day for Dale , Ansell , Barrett
Match Report – Ware FC v Burnham Ramblers (
After Saturday’s stalemate, the same two sides met again on a warm Tuesday evening in deep Hertfordshire. The previous encounter had brought lots of end-to-end action, and this game certainly did not disappoint.
Ramblers remained unchanged from Saturday’s line-up, with the only change being Jones returning to take a seat on the substitutes bench.
The home side came flying out the traps, and bombarded Burnham in their own territory with a flurry of attacks. Burnham shot-stopper McCartney had to be on full alert from the beginning as shots were fired in at all angles. Ware won several free kicks in and around the opposition penalty area, and eventually seeked a reward. A cheap free kick given away by Barrows was expertly struck home into the far corner, leaving McCartney with no chance.
The home fans were singing away, and sensed they were on their way, but this seemed to be the kick up the backside Burnham needed.
The pendulum swung into the favour of the away side with Dumas, Trenkel, and
It was only a matter of time before an equaliser came, and it was very richly deserved. A long clearance from defence by Barrows evaded the head of the Ware central defender, and was chased by ANSELL, who expertly took a touch out of his feet, and smashed the ball home from fully 25 yards past the on-rushing goalkeeper.
The home side looked shell-shocked, as did the home fans, however they continued to sing away, and Ware looked to search for a goal before half time. If it weren’t for a strong performance by Ramblers’ Man of the Match David McCartney, then Ware would have gone into the break with a lead of great margin.
The half-time break seemed to be what Burnham needed, and they came out in the second half, with nothing to lose, and everything to play for. This was clearly imminent, and Yusef and Dumas on the Burnham wings appeared to be finding space and in-roads in between the Ware fullbacks. A cross from the right by Yusef, was taken down on his chest by Trenkel, which took him in on goal, and he appeared to be pulled back by the Ware central defender. The referee waved away this decision to the disgust of the Ramblers captain.
The action was straight down the other end, where a long ball seemed to trouble the Burnham central defence and Ware’s John Frendo had a clear shot at goal, but he somehow dragged his shot closer to the corner flag than to the bottom corner. Continuing with the nature of the game, a corner for Burnham was cleared well, and the on-rushing Ware forward caused the Burnham defenders problems, and as he shrugged both defenders off, he appeared to be tugged back by King, but still managed to get his shot in which was well saved by the feet on McCartney, and Harrison cleared the re-bound. Ware players and supporters were lived with this decision, meanwhile Ramblers broke down the other end, and a ball through from Trenkel found Ansell, who lifted his shot over the advancing keeper, but somehow hit the inside of the post and re-bounded back out into play!
Only 10 minutes were remaining, and both sides were looking at possible extra-time, or even “heart-breaking” penalties. Substitutions begun to be made, and the hard working, but tiring Kamara was replaced by Jones, as Burnham injected some more pace into their front-line. This change almost paid dividends, when the home defence did not clear a corner from Dumas, and Jones snatched at an opportunity, that maybe he could have done better with.
However, with just minutes left of normal time. A free kick of great quality from Dumas, was well directed down by Cross, and a wonderfully executed volley from Jones, sizzled into the back of the net, leaving the home keeper absolutely no chance.
This completely silenced the home support, but erupted mass scenes of excitement from the travelling Burnham support, and especially the Burnham bench. Most notably, from the management trio with Robinson, Kimble, and Day all bursting onto the pitch, ala Alex Ferguson and Brian Kidd, with a touch of Martin O’Neill, as they knew they were close to a massive upset.
Burnham set up tight defensively for the remaining minutes, and the last notable chance fell to Frendo, but after some great defending, and then a through ball from King, set Jones in the clear, but his shot was well saved by Ling in the Ware goal.
The final whistle blew, and a fantastic, workman like performance from Ramblers merited possibly what they deserved. Ware can rue their missed chances, but in was Burnham who progressed to an emotional and potentially feisty encounter with close rivals Great Wakering Rovers.
Team:
1) McCartney
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Yusef
8) Kamara (Jones)
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs not used :
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v Ware FC (
With aspirations of reaching Wembley /
Burnham received a bye through the preliminary rounds after their great cup run last season, which saw them bow out to Harrow Borough with a late goal. This was a new, revamped side from then, and not only that, but they were also wearing a brand new sky blue kit to show this change in personnel.
Its never easy chosing a side for such a big game, but manager Robinson decided the bring back in Harrison at right back with Andrews dropping to the bench, Yusef replacing Jones and also came in Alfie Kamara in place of Hambleton.
Early pressure was from the away side, and a cross from the right hand side seemed to evade everyone and luckily cleared to safety. Burnham settled down after 15 minutes or so, and Ansell’s persistent work down the left resulted in a cross that was just cleared at the front post. The home side were stamping some authority on the game, and a free kick from Dumas found the head of Barrows but the header clipped the top of the crossbar.
Burnham gave away cheap possession in their own half and Ware found in-roads into the home defence, but this was superbly snuffed out by the alert McCartney.
Early frustrations were starting to show, when a foul by Barrows was not treated well by Frendo, and a small melee ensued between all outfield players, but was resolved with a booking for both the original suspects.
The best chance of the half fell to Ware, when a cross from the right, was somehow headed back out of the penalty area when it seemed the goal was gaping! From the continued pressure, the visitors felt they should have had a penalty when Cross was adjudged to have tripped the Ware striker, however the Referee turned this away, and the player was booked for the dive.
The hosts came out sharp in the second half sensing a possible cup upset, and the ball fell all the feet of Trenkel who had his effort saved by the legs of the impressive giant of a keeper. Moments after this, another cross in from the very influential Yusef was not dealt with by the Ware defence, and Kamara’s first attempt was blocked, but whilst crawling along the floor, he managed to squeeze out a shot, that was acrobatically kept out by the keeper again. He was also on hand to deny a ferocious shot from Trenkel minutes later as Burnham looked in control.
Ware changed their formation, and played with 3 upfront, and this turned the game slightly into their favour. However it was a bizarre decision from the official that brought up the first attempt for the visitors, where Barrows was adjudged to have passed back to McCartney right on the six-yard box. With the Burnham team lined up on the goal line, the in direct free kick was blasted straight at the wall, and was cleared to safety.
Moments later, some clever passing football from Ware brought the chance of the match, where a screaming effort from Frendo was superbly tipped onto the bar by McCartney, but it only came out as far as the on-rushing striker, who’s downward header bounced amazingly over the bar!
With Burnham looking like they could come back into the game, a counter attack from the left resulted in Ansell being left all on his own to win the game for Burnham, but his shot from the edge of the area was tame, and was well plucked away by keeper Ling.
A last minute cross from Yusef that clipped the top of the bar turned out to be the final action of this game, and a replay to be played on the Tuesday.
A good work-man like performance from Burnham, against a strong Ware side who will be up there with the top teams in Ryman One North. But it will take a lot more if they are to progress through to the next round…
Team:
1) McCartney
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Yusef
8) Kamara (Wall)
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs not used : Lyons, Andrews, Young, Barrett
Match Report – Romford FC v Burnham Ramblers (
After disappointing display midweek against Bowers & Pitsea, Burnham travelled away to Romford to try and get back to winning ways against a side that had always given them a tough game over the years.
There were more changes, four in total to the Ramblers side this time, with McCartney returning in goal, Wornham and Barrows returning, and Manager Robinson also handed a debut to young right back Ryan Andrews.
The away side started the game with a high tempo and some quick breaks down both wings resulted in crosses, that were unfortunately not reaching their mark, or over-hit. Romford were a changed side from last season, and this was clearly evident, as they kept the ball well in areas and tried to exploit Burnham in behind the full backs, but to no effect.
The first chance in the game fell to Romford, as the ball broke out from a corner and Oxby struck a ferocious shot that was well tipped over by McCartney. Minutes later, Burnham were on the attack, and a flick on from Trenkel bounced in between the two Romford central defenders, and the on-running Hambleton, latched onto the ball, but his shot seemed heading for the corner, but for a fantastic finger-tip save from keeper Finn. Burnham players contested a penalty decision, after Hambleton seemed to be fouled in the after-math, but this turned out to be to no avail.
A flurry of corners from both teams were comfortable dealt with by each teams defence, but a moment of controversy arose, when the ball appeared to strike the hand of Ramblers Gary Ansell, when defending in his own area. The referee seemed to disagree with this, and gave a free kick to Burnham for the push on the forward.
Chances were few and far between, with most the game being won and lost in the middle third. Just before half-time, a long ball from the Romford defence was not dealt with by Ramblers, and the ball fell to Gallen, who struck a great shot, which McCartney could only push onto the post, how some brave defending from King was the saving grace, as he pounced in front of Clarke who was awaiting an easy tap-in.
With the wind taking a clear advantage in this game, Romford kicked off using this to their advantage, and for long periods, they camped inside the Burnham half. The home side were the first team to have the ball in the net, as substitute Rafis, thought he had broken the offside trap, but was ruled offside by the somewhat dubious linesman. In all fairness, the officials were not helping this game, and it was clear both sides were not best pleased. Minutes later, an in-swinging corner nearly caught Burnham out, but it was King under the cross bar who headed the ball away for another corner. Burnham was struggling to keep the ball upfront, and were giving away cheap possession in wide areas. This proved to be their downfall, when a long ball over the top of the Ramblers defence set off Clarke, who turned, crossed, and found Rafis at the back post, who’s first attempt was saved well by McCartney, but he prodded home the re-bound, to send the Romford fans into jubilation.
Burnham was looking at possibly their second defeat in a week, and it was clear they did not want this to happen, as they begun chasing the game. Tackles were flying in, and this was clearly evident as a tackle by Burnham’s King and Romford’s Oxby, seemed 50/50, but King seemed to knick the ball first in what looked a very nasty tackle. Luckily both players came out seemingly unscathed and the game continued.
Kimble replaced King shortly after as it seemed he could not shake off the injury to his right ankle. The substitute begun to send across “missile” like crosses, which were causing the home defence problems. However it was another substitute Yusef’s mazy run, and then cross to the back post that set up Ansell, who’s headed was superbly saved, however DUMAS was there to prod home the re-bound!
On reflection, a draw was probably a fair result, with both sides showing good fighting spirit in a game of very few chances.
Team:
1) McCartney
2) Andrews
3) King ( Kimble)
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Jones ( Yusef)
8) Hambleton (Callow)
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs not used : Barrett, Lyons
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v Bowers and Pitsea FC (
Three wins out of three, scored twenty, and yet to concede a goal. Burnham had got off to a flying start to the season. Possibly better than they could have imagined after a winless pre-season.
Bowers and Pitsea were the visitors, and they brought a few old faces along with them. Ex Burnham players Dave White and Scott Pethers returned to Leslie Fields, as well as the eagerly awaited re-appearance of goalkeeper Rob Small between the sticks for the visitors.
Manager Robinson had to make a few enforced changes to the empathic victory in the last game, with Barrows missing through injury and Wornham away with work commitments. Hambleton and Yusef came into the side.
Early exchanges were dealt with in the middle third of the pitch, with chances few and far between. Then with just ten minutes on the clock, White found space and his pass found its way through a gap in the defence, and as Burnham appealed for offside, he ran onto the ball and coolly slotted underneath Barrett, to open the scoring against his old club. This was the first goal Burnham had conceded for 280 ESL minutes.
This seemed to fire Burnham up, and they begun to get into their stride, with the remainder of the half being played inside the opposition territory.
Ansell found himself some space on the edge of the box, skipped past his defender but disappointingly shot wide with the goal gaping. Burnham’s two full backs found themselves in regular good positions, one of these being a strong run from left-back by King, skipping past a couple of defenders, but his shot was straight at keeper Small.
More crosses from both wings were swung into the box, but these were either headed clear by the two tall centre halves or shot off target.
Burnham had not been in this sort of situation before, and they came out in the second half chasing the game. They reverted to a
Bowers continued to battle through, and their grit and determination was clear to see, and they looked easily content with holding onto their slender lead. The home side continued to attack, but it seemed to be that tonight was not meant to be, with shots from Ansell, Jones, Trenkel and Dumas all flying wide of the goal or shot straight into the arms of Small.
It was clear to see there was a tussle going on between Bowers forward Dean Allen, and Burnham defender Danny Cross with a few words being exchanged and a small stare-out contest ensued. On 65 minutes, a seemingly fair tackle from Cross on Allen was adjudged to be a foul by the in-consistent referee, and the forward going down as if a well trained sniper had shot him down, and suddenly the grace of god came upon him and magically healed him back to his feet. This was not the first time a Bowers played had gone down claiming injury in this second half, and it looked like injury time could be in double figures.
From the resulting free-kick, a ball was swung in and looked to be over-hit, however this was not to be as the ball continued on its path and ended up sailing over the grasp of keeper Barrett, and into the top corner to double the lead for Bowers.
Ramblers’ attacks were still coming to nothing, and the icing on the cake was sealed for Bowers, when against the run of play, a shot from distance could only be parried by Barrett into the path of the forward who slotted home.
A small consolation for Burnham on the night was a dubious penalty given to them, once again by a poor referee on the night, and ANSELL blasted the ball straight at the keeper, but followed up with the re-bound.
A disappointing result for Ramblers after a fantastic start to the season. The ball just did not want to hit the back of the net this evening, and although the result was not a true reflection on the game, it must be said that some great work from Bowers defensively was sentiment to them taking 3 points.
Team:
1) Barrett
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Dale
6) Hambleton
7) Jones
8) Yusef
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel ©
11) Dumas
Subs:
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v
Ramblers were at home again this Saturday entertaining the new-comers to the Essex Senior League.
On the other hand, Burnham had started with wins over London APSA and Eton Manor within a week.
Again the only change to the home sides line-up this week was a change in goal with McCartney replacing Barrett.
Things begun to look ominous for the away side, when a ball into Trenkel was reversed into the path of DALE who run through and coolly slotted home to open the scoring.
At the other end, Ansell showed good persistence, and his cross was somehow put wide by Trenkel, when it seemed easier to score.
The compliment was replayed when Trenkel headed on for Ansell, but his strike did not nestle in the net, but instead crashed against the post!
However, all was resolved, when ANSELL cleverly turned his marker, and shot across the opposing keeper to double the lead.
This begun an onslaught from Burnham, and King’s run down the left was pulled back for Dale, who struck a shot with venom, only to see Chowdary save well. From the resulting corner, a scramble in the box resulted in the ball bouncing up for BARROWS to smash in a third.
A poor back-pass from a
If the sight of striker Gary Ansell not returning for the second half was a good sign, then the away side was seriously mis-informed.
Burnham begun exactly where they left off, and a corner from the right landed on the head of JONES who scored his first of the afternoon.
A couple of minutes later, a bursting run from Dumas, resulted in a near-post cross with TRENKEL heading in off the post. Ramblers were cruising.
On the hour, JONES made it seven, and then a few minutes later came the goal of the match. A cross from the right by Yusef, took a massive deflection up in the air towards the edge of the penalty area, where the on-coming HAMBLETON spectacularly “Di-Canio” style, volleyed the ball home to the roar of the strong 46 crowd inside the ground.
The afternoon did not improve any more for the away side, as Cross run from his own half, played a ball into the feet of Jones, who played a wonderful back-heel into the path of CROSS, who placed the ball expertly into the bottom corner to open his account for the season.
Ramblers were within whiskers of scoring double fingers on home soil for the first time ever in their history, when Jones run through, and with trying to sell the keeper a dummy, he got his feet caught under the ball, and it all came to nothing.
With Jones and Trenkel both on braces, it was a race to a hat trick. This was won by TRENKEL who turned in a far-post cross from substitute
A record victory for Burnham and celebrations all-round. 20 goals scored and none conceded. I don’t think much more could be asked for now.
Team:
1) McCartney
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Jones
8) Dale
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel
11) Dumas
Subs: Yusef for Ansell , Hambleton for Dale , Lyons for Dumas , Barrett
Match Report –
The first away adventure for Burnham this season, took them to Chadfields, to face Eton Manor FC. As the home team do not have a home ground, they are ground sharing again with Tilbury FC of the now Ryman One North.
On arrival, we were informed that the normal changing rooms were not in use, and we were required to use alternatives. Bizarre.
Not as bizarre as Tilbury itself, with youngsters, kitted out in the latest ‘hoodies’ and tracksuits were seen roaming the streets in horse and cart!
The line-up was similar to the game previous, except for a change in between the sticks, with Barrett coming in for McCartney, and also a change of kit, with Burnham wearing red instead of the traditional blue and white.
Eton Manor could have chose 11 from a possible 40-odd that were seen warming up. The grass was in need of a cut, but nether-the-less, there was grass, like never before.
Manor came out the blocks quickest and had good possession of the football at times, with Burnham content on keeping their shape. A few glimpses of pace down both wings created a couple of chances for Ansell and Trenkel, but to no avail. Any attacks from the home side were swallowed up comfortably by Cross and Barrows in the heart of the Burnham defence.
The first piece of excitement, came after about 30 minutes of play, where a long throw from Dale was headed clear by the home defence, only for the ball to be ricochet back “pin-ball” style into the path of Barrows, who with a swing of his right boot despatched the ball into the bottom corner. This amassed mass celebration from Burnham, and frustration from Manor who appealed he was offside. After settling back into their positions, the referee then disallowed the goal, and the game continued.
Five minutes before half time finally came the opening goal. Smart interchange from Burnham between Dumas and King set Dumas free on the left, his shot fell to Wornham, who scuffed his shot, but the ball fell nicely to ANSELL who turned his defender on a six-pence, and stroked a left footed shot into the bottom right hand corner. This seemed to calm Burnham down, and they finally got into some form of rhythm.
A couple more attacks from the home side ensued, but were comfortably dealt with by the Burnham back-line.
The team in blue again came at Burnham with pace in search for an equaliser, and they nearly got that when a ball from the right hand side, flew across the front of the 6-yard box, and luckily to no danger. The away side seemed to be camped in their own half, and with Manor being given time to play, there was always a chance of something happening. This occurred from the right hand side, where a cross, meant for the awaiting forwards was mis-directed and headed for the Burnham goal. The ball looped over the head of Barrett, and despite a despairing dive the ball cannoned off the crossbar and luckily to safety. An early scare and a definite wake-up call for the team in Red.
Burnham recovered from this and after 60 minutes, they earned a penalty when quick feet from Ansell resulted in him being up-ended. ANSELL picked himself up to finish, so open a two-goal cushion.
Possession football was on display from Burnham, and this created the third goal. A ball over the top from King, fell to Trenkel, who crossed for ANSELL who flicked the ball past the stunned keeper to complete another hat trick!!!
Manor still showing glimpses of trying to break the Burnham defence, created a chance of their own when a quick one-two let the striker in, but it shot was superbly saved at his near post by Barrett. He let his defence know it as well!
The resulting corner was cleared, and Burnham broke clear with Jones sending Trenkel free with pace that can only be described as “astonishing” for so late in the game! He in turn crossed for ANSELL who was on his own and he scored his 8th goal in just his second game. An amazing achievement!
The game ended after this piece of action. Some great banter from both benches, and another promising display from Burnham, and this result took them to the top of league.
Team:
1) Barrett
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Jones
8) Dale
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel
11) Dumas
Subs not used : McCartney, Lyons, Hambleton, Callow, and Haylock
Match Report – Burnham Ramblers FC v
On a cold, windy and miserable afternoon by the River Crouch, Burnham Ramblers kicked off there 2006/2007 Essex Senior League campaign against London APSA.
Both sides were sporting new management teams, with Derek Robinson taking charge of his first game for the Ramblers. This was a new look to this Burnham side, with three quarters of last season’s side moving onto pastures new. So with a mix and youth and experience, the management team had the tough decision to choose 11 men to kick off the new season.
The home side begun the brightest in the torrential rain, with some occasional smart passing play, but in general the first 10 minutes was a midfield battle.
Burnham won a free kick on the edge of the opposition’s box, which Dumas blasted over the bar disappointingly. After this came a succession of corners that came to nothing, after Barrows was penalised for a foul on the keeper.
At the other end, Dakri broke away quickly, but after the initial block from King, he dragged his shot wide when maybe he should have done better.
Then on 20 minutes, a long diagonal ball from Cross fell to the feet of Trenkel, who has his shot well saved, but the rebound was turned home by ANSELL from 15 yards to open the scoring.
In what can only be described as “un-enthralling”, the first half came to a close with just the single goal separating the sides.
The second half begun with Ramblers exploding out the blocks, with Dale’s running in midfield becoming a nuisance to the away defence. This resulted in a cross from the right hand side by
On 55 minutes, a pass into the feet on ANSELL was missed by the centre-half, and the striker ran on, shrugging off the intentions of two recovering defenders before coolly slotting home to open up a two-goal cushion to the delight of the Burnham contingent!
Ramblers were now well on top and sensed more goals, and a powerful run from the right by Danny Jones, saw a left foot strike just miss the near post.
The away side never gave up and still a few powerful runs resulted in Hussain’s shot from the edge of the box, cannoning off a combination of Wornham and Cross, flying over McCartney, but onto the top of the cross-bar and over for a corner kick. Apart from a couple of routine catches and shots that flew helplessly wide, the new Burnham keeper was a mere spectator for the afternoon.
Minutes later, Trenkel attacked down the left, and his cross was attacked by Hambleton, who collided with the keeper and the ball ran loose for ANSELL to complete his hat-trick.
With the game safe, Burnham began to relax and play some good football on a surprisingly tricky surface at the Burnhambeu.
With 8 minutes remaining, ANSELL latched onto a miss-placed pass to slot home a fourth, and seconds later a through ball, was collected by TRENKEL, who rounded the keeper, and scored from an acute angle.
A strong performance from Burnham, and plenty of positives to take out of this game. The new side gelling well together, but they have to be content not to get carried away with things if they wish to be successful this season.
Team:
1) McCartney
2)
3) King
4) Cross
5) Barrows
6) Wornham
7) Jones
8) Dale
9) Ansell
10) Trenkel
11) Dumas
Subs: Yusef for Jones (65), Hambleton for Barrows (60), Callow for Ansell (80), Haylock,Lyons
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