Old Radleians - League (H)

 

LOBFC 0–1 Old Radleians
Tolworth Court Sports Ground – Saturday 1 November, 12:30 KO

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Lancing slipped to a narrow 1–0 defeat at Tolworth in a match that delivered chaos, controversy, and a big shift from the LOBs who probably deserved points for a heroic effort.

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The afternoon started with Brad arriving late and having to play the first half in a full tracksuit, briefly preparing to go in bare-handed before a pair of gloves finally surfaced. Somehow, despite all that, the back line settled quickly and the game began evenly with Brad delivering an excellent first half performance against a solid Radley attack.

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Old Radleians’ main threat came through their big number 9, who caused problems all afternoon with his hold-up play. Other than him and a couple of midfielders with tidy feet, we were well matched, but their goal was well taken. A straight through-ball split the line, the number 9 rolled across his man and buried a low finish into the corner for 1–0.

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On to the second half and a moment of controversy. Radleians thought they’d doubled their lead when a shot allegedly struck the wheel on the inside of the goal and bounced out. They sprinted away celebrating convinced it was in, but with the referee unsighted nothing was given. Their captain didn’t take it well and talked himself straight into a 10-minute sin bin for dissent.

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Sadly the LOBs couldn’t make the man advantage count despite looking brighter, pressing high, and taking control of the game. We started to move the ball better, created pressure, and looked the more dangerous side throughout the second half.

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But with only one sub, the legs inevitably went in the final 20 minutes. The final ball lost its edge, the tempo dropped, and Radleians sat deep to protect what they had.

 

Despite a late push, including a couple of scrambles and hopeful balls into the box, the equaliser wouldn’t come.

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Man: Scooter

Mug: Brad

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A frustrating defeat but plenty of positives in shape, effort, and the second-half performance. On to next week.

Up the Lobsters. 🦞

Scooter