Post by youngspur on Dec 13, 2023 15:09:18 GMT
One suspects that the Rooks' first venture onto the European stage will eventually solidify into a series of lasting impressions, rather than a sober (in both senses of the word for many!) chronology: the Beveren coach spending the majority of proceedings eyeing Tony Russell & co with polite bemusement as they patrolled the technical area in full voice, eventually explaining to my Belgian host and spy in the camp that domestic rules dictate only one member of the coaching staff can be standing up at any one time; being misdirected by a local woman pushing a shopping trolley as we picked our uncertain way through a sodden labyrinth of 3G pitches, only to be put right by a trio of Lewesians heading towards us from the other side of a vast sports complex that had initially seemed deserted; Joe Vines rounding on the linesman after another clumsy Beveren challenge had gone unpunished and demanding to know the Flemish for ABH; the clubhouse, a spangly 2011 new-build entirely out of keeping with the modest resonance KSK Beveren appears to generate in the surrounding population, transforming at full-time into a seething red and black mosh pit of merry Rooks still pinching themselves that they were here at all.
But I'm going to give it a go nonetheless.
Who better in the eyes of the football script-writing gods to light the match on our European tour than the much-maligned Tommy Wood? If only. Still, his miss from close range after 11 minutes signalled a decisive shift as we began to turn the screw on our purple and gold clad hosts, whose tidy footwork couldn't mask an over-reliance on punting long balls up to their portly centre forward. In the end it fell to recent arrival Luke Dreher to clip us in front on the quarter-hour mark.
Five minutes later, the Rooks battering ram punched another dent in the Freethiel floodgates when Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala showed close control to elude his markers and find the bottom corner. Lewes' competitive edge was becoming more apparent with every foray forward, our superior strength and speed seeing us win most of the duels and keeping our hosts penned in for long stretches of play.
A warning shot across our bows arrived shortly before half time in the form of an angled drive that whistled past Nathan Harvey's post. So untroubled were Jake Elliott and Fenix stalwart Will Salmon in central defence, though, that it came as something of a surprise when Beveren raced out of the traps in the second half and seized the upper hand. For twenty minutes, the Rooks were rocking on their heels as the Beveren left-back, a wraith-like figure in a shirt several sizes too big, repeatedly belied his tender years to raid our right flank with a coltish glee that had Ayo's nerves jangling on more than one occasion.
Tony's response was to make the first of a hat-trick of steadying changes in the middle of the park, throwing on veteran number one Bradley Pritchard in place of Kalvin (Kieran Murtagh and Chris Whelpdale would follow once the game was won). If the idea was to shore up a midfield that was in danger of losing the battle, it didn't work right away. Instead, Beveren got the goal their second-half fightback deserved.
This setback galvanised the Rooks into action, however, and Arthur Penney soon headed home an Archie Tamplin free kick to guarantee the three points and put us in pole position in the group. This was actually the fourth time we'd had the ball in the Beveren net, only for an offside flag to deny us the comfort of a restored two-goal cushion moments after Beveren had struck.
With the football over, fans and players alike repaired to the bar to set the tills clattering and the decibels soaring. Antwerp, you're welcome...
But I'm going to give it a go nonetheless.
Who better in the eyes of the football script-writing gods to light the match on our European tour than the much-maligned Tommy Wood? If only. Still, his miss from close range after 11 minutes signalled a decisive shift as we began to turn the screw on our purple and gold clad hosts, whose tidy footwork couldn't mask an over-reliance on punting long balls up to their portly centre forward. In the end it fell to recent arrival Luke Dreher to clip us in front on the quarter-hour mark.
Five minutes later, the Rooks battering ram punched another dent in the Freethiel floodgates when Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala showed close control to elude his markers and find the bottom corner. Lewes' competitive edge was becoming more apparent with every foray forward, our superior strength and speed seeing us win most of the duels and keeping our hosts penned in for long stretches of play.
A warning shot across our bows arrived shortly before half time in the form of an angled drive that whistled past Nathan Harvey's post. So untroubled were Jake Elliott and Fenix stalwart Will Salmon in central defence, though, that it came as something of a surprise when Beveren raced out of the traps in the second half and seized the upper hand. For twenty minutes, the Rooks were rocking on their heels as the Beveren left-back, a wraith-like figure in a shirt several sizes too big, repeatedly belied his tender years to raid our right flank with a coltish glee that had Ayo's nerves jangling on more than one occasion.
Tony's response was to make the first of a hat-trick of steadying changes in the middle of the park, throwing on veteran number one Bradley Pritchard in place of Kalvin (Kieran Murtagh and Chris Whelpdale would follow once the game was won). If the idea was to shore up a midfield that was in danger of losing the battle, it didn't work right away. Instead, Beveren got the goal their second-half fightback deserved.
This setback galvanised the Rooks into action, however, and Arthur Penney soon headed home an Archie Tamplin free kick to guarantee the three points and put us in pole position in the group. This was actually the fourth time we'd had the ball in the Beveren net, only for an offside flag to deny us the comfort of a restored two-goal cushion moments after Beveren had struck.
With the football over, fans and players alike repaired to the bar to set the tills clattering and the decibels soaring. Antwerp, you're welcome...
