It was a great game and if by chance a neutral was in attendance they certainly got their money’s worth on a cold dank December afternoon.
The visitors had the ball in the net early on but it was correctly ruled out for offside. Cameron Wilshire, one of my favourite players in the SCFL, was like a conductor at the Proms or a Napoleonic general as he orchestrated everything from midfield for the visitors. Consequently, Peacehaven were always dangerous going forward but most attacks foundered on a resolute home defence where the speed of Josh Martin more than complemented the more rudimentary attributes of twin centre backs Pelling and Day. As with most things in life and football it’s all about balance.
The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute, somewhat against the run of play, when man of the match Johden de Meyer set up Ben Wilson for a cool finish. Wilson on his first start for the first team looked a real prospect throughout. HT 1-0 Anvils.
The visitors came out reenergised and obviously fired up for the second period and to a large extent dominated in terms of possession and territory without ever looking particularly threatening. As the half wore on Peacehaven became more dominant and at times it was like the battle of Rorkes Drift.
However, the Anvils did not wilt and ultimately canny home manager, Paul Cooper, performed a master stroke by throwing on an attacker, Oli Leslie, instead of the stellar Josh Martin. Some of the home supporters questioned the wisdom of the change but they had to bow to a master tactician when in the 85th minute the magic worked and the rejuvenated Leslie skipped past a static defence and finished with great aplomb to wrap up the points.
It was a fantastic win for an incredibly hard-working Anvils side. The camaraderie and team spirit are almost palpable. Commiserations must go to a talented Peacehaven side who will wonder how they came away with nothing from a game they dominated for long periods. However, in the end only goals count. It is a funny old game sometimes.
Team: Seb Bos, Josh Martin (Oli Leslie), Sonny Barton, Williams Peauroux (Sam Packham), Marc Pelling, James Day, Dan Sullivan (Capt), Michael Belli, Johden de Meyer, Lee Thomas, Ben Wilson.

MOM: Johden de Meyer. Attn: 71

Author: Donal Barrett