FAV4 Hartpury University 1 Fareham Town 0

19 January 2025

Regular readers will know that I think there’s something a bit special about cup games – doesn’t necessarily make for a better game but it always seems to mean that little bit more.  What you probably don’t know is that, in the real world, I’m a Governor at Hartpury University.  So when Wessex’s very own Creeksiders got drawn away at Hartpury, it gave me a smile.  And then it was scheduled for Sunday, and we thought – well, why not?  Answer: because it was postponed.  Not deterred, one week later, here we are: a team I know very slightly away to a team I don’t know at all… It takes a special kind of nutter to go to two games on successive days in the freezing cold, but fortunately the Content Adviser and I are precisely that kind of nutter, and I thought you’d like to know all about it.  Some loyalty to Hartpury, some loyalty to the Wessex, no real dog in the fight, let’s just enjoy it!

And yes, enjoy it we did.  A very decent game, a cut above the Step 5 average, and the hosts probably just about deserved to win it, not least because – and I’ve said this often enough before – they scored, and the Creeksiders, for all their efforts, didn’t.  In the first half, Hartpury were dominant, and it was no surprise when they took the lead on 17 minutes, Baxter in space down the left with a clever pass, Manning arriving at the back post to convert.  They might have led sooner, a Salter shot blocked and ricocheting just wide off the energetic Osborn.  But for all their possession and territory, the hosts didn’t carve out many clear chances – one long-range shot from Manning rather fumbled over the bar by McCarthy, and the best of the lot, a free header for Machisa at a set piece, headed over.  He almost made up for it by running virtually the whole length of the pitch two minutes later, but his looping cross was well claimed by McCarthy.  And just before the break, another neat move, Salter again with a delicious cross, nobody on the end of it.  HT 1-0

How easily pleased am I?  I was dead chuffed that there was a fourth official (FA Vase, see) and even more so when he borrowed a board to show the number of additional minutes to be played.  Such a simple thing, so much welcomed by supporters…

Fareham had brought their traditional “boisterous” support – full credit to them, didn’t stop shouting for the team for 90 minutes – and the team responded much better in the second half, pushing Hartpury back and putting them under pressure.  The hosts were struggling to get much traction in opposition territory, but for all that, and despite the loud and increasingly frustrated urgings from the touchline (leading to a yellow card), chances were few.  Clever free kick from Pates on 66 minutes, Graham at the near post, just grabbed by keeper Sarkodie.  Sarkodie then fluffed a goal kick straight to Bridgman, his wicked cross nicked off a defender to take it wide for a corner.  Finally, Hartpury remembered they were allowed to fashion an attack rather than simply hoofing the ball as far as they could: Osborn with a great cross headed just wide by Salter, and then a clever header from Osborn set Salter through… under pressure from a defender… hit the bar from the angle.  Great attempt. Another break – yet again Osborn the creator – Baxter skied his shot at the back post when he should have at least hit the target.  For Fareham, the final ball wasn’t quite happening: tireless running from Wingfield and Sullivan without quite finding the mark.  They did have at least three shouts for a penalty waved away but to be honest, from my vantage point on the halfway line, there didn’t look to be much in any of them.  There was one occasion when four players (two from each side) ended up in a heap on the floor from a corner, I defy anyone to know what actually happened but it looked more like the usual grappling and wrestling and all-fall-down than anything sinister.  Sarkodie was possibly lucky not to get booked late in the game, he was taking a looong time over every restart, and he was also having to play sweeper keeper as Hartpury played a higher line.  +5 said the board… +7 were played… see comment above about the keeper! – but the Creeksiders couldn’t find a way through.  FT 1-0

All in all – we enjoyed our afternoon.  Decent venue, reasonable crowd, very decent game, shame there weren’t more goals but some resilient defending from both teams and both were a credit to their respective leagues.  And I’ll be back to Brock action on Tuesday!