RCC QF Hamble Club 1 Moneyfields 1 (4-3 pens)

4 February 2025

Bonus time!  I’ve commented before on the kind of nutter you’d need to be to take in a load of random Step 5 games, not even involving your own club or impacting on them in any way… and also on the fact that the Content Adviser and I are indeed this kind of nutter…

So, for no obvious reason, the yellow-and-black derby between Hamble Club and Moneyfields: Hamble riding high, second in the Premier Division and having a fantastic season; Moneyfields, best team in the league by some distance last year and now plying their trade at Step 4.  No dog in the fight, slight leaning towards the Wessex; this is what I saw.

A competitive arm-wrestle of a match, this: a February pitch more suited to thuds than intricacy, and two teams who probably weren’t at their best but still served up quite an interesting game, especially in the second half when some proper football broke out on several occasions.  The first half had been a phoney war: Thorpe for the visitors, quick of mind and feet, keeping the home defence honest but neither side able to find a way through: one excellent move between Laycock and Thorpe but the shot brilliantly blocked by Honeysett for a corner.  Moneys weren’t helped by some curious offside decisions as they tried to beat the trap – several times apparently successfully, only for an unexpected flag to halt them in their tracks.  And then, 36 minutes, a potential game-changer: Roach away on the left, Brown trying to get back the right side clipped his heels and took him out.  Unintentional, I’m sure, but Roach was clean through, no covering defender anywhere in sight, stonewall red card.  Keeper Kramer then had to make a couple of important saves to preserve the stalemate until the interval.  HT 0-0

Credit to Moneys: you wouldn’t have known they were a man down in the second half.  But within five minutes, a mountain to climb – a deflected cross from the right looped over everyone to the back post where it was nodded in by Mazi from about a yard.  And during the 20 minutes or so that followed, the Monks should really have put the game to bed; staying solid but springing forward with forays which brought chances rather than goals.  Mazi with a weak header; Kramer with a couple of very fine saves; Taylor arriving at the back post after a brilliant run from Douglas, but only able to deflect the ball back across the goal-line and wide of the far post, a great block from Dellaud, and then another super run from Douglas, creating space for – well, in the end nothing as the ball ran away from him on the edge of the box, was cleared downfield, and suddenly sub Mahammedkier was in on goal, tackled on the edge of the box by keeper Newman.  Last fifteen minutes, would Moneys find that all-important goal? They seemed to raise their level, passed the ball around intelligently as the Monks tired, and finally with 7 to go found a way – Thorpe with yet another intelligent run, his powerful shot from a tight angle saved but the ball recycled and Gee’s glancing header took the ball over the defenders and in.  One minute after and the visitors could have won it – a darting run from Mahammedkier, skipping beyond two desperate attempts to tackle him, but his low cross was too close to Newman, who bravely grabbed it at the feet of Franklyn.  Still time for a couple of potshots, but no decisive goal.  FT 1-1

And so to pens.  3-3 after five kicks each: some super pens (either lasered into a corner or thundered in with as much power as the player could muster) interspersed with four saves from more moderate efforts.  Then Ani saw his kick saved, Johnson scored, and Hamble had their win.

Quite an enjoyable way to spend an evening.  The red card – unfortunate but correct decision – was probably decisive, although you can never quite tell; Moneys did have that bit more quality but the home defence looked very solid against the high ball.  Did they deserve it?  Well, maybe – a draw was probably right on the balance of play, and Newman made more penalty saves, so fair enough.  Pleased for the Wessex, and pleased for ex-Badger Matt Casey, who has obviously found a home at the Abbey.  A semi-final awaits Hamble Club; they’re having an outstanding season, and good luck to them.