Sudbury Inn 2 – 4 Dutch Lions

By HRH Oliver Pugh S.T.D.

The sun was shining brightly, but the Lions started slowly, as Sudbury Inn took the early initiative and won several corners. However this did not last long and the Lions soon roared back into the match. The pressure on the Sudbury goal mounted, as did the shots which were initially wayward. However the Lions dominance would soon tell when Buzzy struck a half volley which bounced through the Sudbury defence and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 to the Lions. The Lions continued to press forward and were given plenty of space to shoot by the Sudbury Inn midfield. While at the back the Lion’s defence remained strong.

The Lions gained another breakthrough when Buzzy went free on the right. His ball into the box defeated the Sudbury keeper who was left stranded at the near post as the ball curled into the top corner. Was it a cross or shot? The Lions didn’t care as they went 2-0 up. The first half continued much the same until shortly before the break. A rare Sudbury Inn break saw their striker in a race for the goal with Grant, Grant slid in to make the challenge just inside the box, up ending the Sudbury player and the referee pointed to the spot. Grant earned a yellow card for his troubles. Sudbury’s striker stepped up and sent Arron the wrong way, making it 2-1 and giving Sudbury a glimmer of hope going into the half-time team talk.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with the Lions dominating for large periods and getting plenty of shooting practice, which by evidence of some of the efforts was much needed! However the Lions stretched their lead when Timid scored his first of the game to make it 3-1 (I don’t remember much about this goal but I’m sure it was great Timid). It was then that Sudbury introduced their super-sub. Super for the speed that he came on and then was sent off the pitch! To be honest I’m not sure why he bothered coming, as his intention was clearly not to play football but to cause someone an injury. The late and dangerous challenge incensed the Lions bench so much that it resulted in the bench given being a stern word from the referee. However business was resumed and Timid then added to the Lion’s lead when he dribbled past several Sudbury players and drove a fierce shot past the helpless keeper to make it 4-1.

What happened next was a carbon copy of the first half, another missed timed challenge and Grant’s penalty box nightmare came back to haunt him. The referee repeated the punishment - a second penalty and a second booking for Grant who was unfortunate to be sent for an early bath. However the nightmare did not completely repeat itself, as the Sudbury Inn player ran up to the spot Arron dived to his left and superbly saved the penalty. The Lion’s breathed a sigh of relief. However the relief and the action-packed game did not end there. From a corner a half cleared ball was fired back in by Sudbury past a crowd of players and into the back of the net to make the score 4-2. The last 10 minutes were played out with the Lions having most of the chances and should have added to their lead.

Mo came on as sub and whilst causing all sorts of confusion in the Sudbury box missed a golden opportunity to open his goal scoring count in the dying minutes. Overall the Lions never really looked like loosing, though Sudbury should be praised for never giving up hope and continuing to chase the game. It was a shame such a good game was marred by some red cards and moments of silliness as I think the majority of both sides played the game in good spirits. To be honest so much happened its all a bit of a blur, but well done Lions on another win.