Won 2-1
Scorers: Ben Hare, Simon Buckingham
MoM: Oliver Coope
DoD: Tom Hutchings
With thanks to team sponsor MPil http://www.ideaworks.co.uk
After a two-week break, the Grims returned to home turf to face Ashford 1s. The game had a bit of everything: debuts, dodgy wardrobe choices, unpredictable weather, and a hard fought win that lifts the team to 6th in the table. Spirits were high-pre game, though Tom H’s borrowed shorts that looked suspiciously like an eight-year-old’s pair quickly became the talk of the town, earning him a well-deserved DoD before a ball had even been hit.
Captain Spud’s pre-game team talk set the tone, but the early stages showed a touch of rust following the two-week break. An early card for Ben Hare after giving chat to the umpire didn’t help as The Grims were down to ten. Still, it didn’t take long for the team to find their rhythm. A slick move down the left from Oli (later named man of the match) saw him glide past defenders and fire a ball across the D, only for Tom to drag the effort agonisingly wide. The pressure continued, and soon Grims took the lead through Hare, who finished smartly on his reverse after a flowing team move that carved open the Ashford defence.
Ashford responded well and enjoyed a spell of pressure before half time, eventually equalising from a short corner to make it 1-1 going into the break. A few choice words and plenty of encouragement seemed to do the trick, even as the weather took a turn for the worse.
The second half was all Grims. Wave after wave of pressure kept Ashford pinned back, and it wasn’t long before Captain Simon reacted quickest to a loose ball in the D, turning and slotting home to restore the lead. Ben in goal produced some excellent saves to keep Ashford at bay, while the defence stood strong to protect the advantage.
A couple of short corners came and went, possibly hampered by the team’s ongoing obsession with Gadget’s free time in bus stations rather than any sort of tactical routine, but the 2-1 score line held firm until the final whistle.