Division One - Fleet Spurs 1 New Milton Town 4 (05/02/22)
When they visited the JMC Stadium in early December, Spurs put in a valiant defensive performance and came away with a draw. It may not be elegant phraseology to say they nicked a point, but it’s accurate. Could they do the same again on home soil? Well, after the interval they did just that, and better. They actually scored the only goal of the second half. However, that tells less than half the story as the Linnets were already deservedly 4-0 up after an atrocious Fleet first-half performance, reminiscent of their displays last August. The final score truly reflected the difference between the two teams and left the north Hampshire club wondering quite how they had managed to play so badly, particularly after their recent determined performances against very strong sides.
From the beginning the game lacked quality. A strong and gusty wind and a bobbly pitch didn’t help, and neither side was able to master the conditions. New Milton were clearly the better side, retaining the ball more effectively and snapping into tackles whenever they lost possession, whereas the home side were inclined to stand and watch what in any case wasn’t an enthralling spectacle.
Then after 22 minutes, Spurs were unable to clear a loose ball, and a rebound from a defender fell to Charlie Turner, who placed the ball neatly past Aaron Bufton and into the net. Play over the next 20 minutes showed Fleet’s defence, recently so solid, at their worst. First of all top scorer Chris Long on the left shrugged off Chris Farmiloe (yes, FA, he does exist and is registered) and slid the ball past Bufton to double the visitors’ advantage. Five minutes later, the home defence offered Noel McCarthy-Gardiner the freedom of the penalty area and he took advantage, hammering the ball past Bufton’s left hand. Then Turner shot from the edge of the box and the ball nestled in the corner of the net for his second of the match. It may have been helped by a slight deflection off a defender. That was after 38 minutes – the fourth Linnets’ goal in 17 minutes - but Spurs somehow managed to hold out until half-time.
After the break, Fleet came out with much more determination, beginning to win some 50/50 balls, and New Milton began to realise that they were in a game. Spurs weren’t playing particularly well, giving the ball away too easily, but they were at least cutting out most of the visitors’ opportunities. In the 65th minute, home skipper Tom White took the ball round visiting keeper Luke Dennison, who brought him down. A clear penalty, which White himself converted without fuss. The home supporters hoped that this might be the start of a miraculous recovery, but no such luck. Their side never looked like scoring again and what few chances the Linnets created were blocked by much-improved defending or saved by Bufton.
Spurs’ next game is on Tuesday when they have a long evening journey to face Downton (kick-off 7:45), and on Saturday they visit Test Park, for their first-ever away fixture with Millbrook (kick-off 3:00). They will need to play much better if they are to have a chance of picking up any points.
