Lancing College 2nd XI - Friendly (A)

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The LOBs 2nd XI turned up at their Alma Mater with high hopes on a Saturday in late September soaked with some gentle late summer sunshine. It was a team filled with faces new and old, a mix of LOBs veterans and debutants.

 

Immediately the LOBs were on the back foot against a fit and well-drilled Lancing 2nd XI unit. Lancing dominated possession, won most of the second balls and had the LOBs penned back in their own half, occasionally attacking with pace and precision. Centre backs Ben Evans and David Coull largely did well to counter the threat posed by Lancing’s pacey wingers and powerful strikers, and the LOBs went into the break just 1-0 down courtesy of a scrappy goal which barely trickled over the line.

 

In the second period, the LOBs immediately tried to manufacture a response from the restart, going close with their first effort on target of the match, but the Lancing keeper made a smart stop. Lancing then got into the ascendency again, and LOBs keeper Ernie Chan was forced into a string of good saves to keep the deficit at one.

 

Lancing doubled their lead midway into the half, a home striker tucking home a rebound after Chan had produced a fine stop to deny a one on one opportunity. The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out the LOBs as two minutes later the same home striker completed his hat trick, chipping the onrushing Chan when the LOBs defence momentarily lost their shape. This effectively put the game to bed as a contest. The goal stood, but had a strong suspicion of offside through interference by another player. The obliging linesman was none other than LOBs substitute Jeffrey Kerr-Dineen.

 

The LOBs were denied a late consolation, when a Seb Brooks effort was cleared off the line by a home defender following a goalmouth scramble, as Lancing preserved their clean sheet. A combination of Chan and the woodwork then prevented any further damage inflicted on the LOBs at the end of a bruising afternoon, having been completely outplayed by boys 5-10 years their junior.

Ernie C