12 March 2011

Tony Faulkner bemoaned the blank score sheet for his team after this match.  “We can’t buy a goal”, was his lament after Ware dominated the second half but could get few shots on target and found Harry Ricketts dealing well with those that were.

It hadn’t started that way with the visitors enjoying plenty of possession and territory in the opening period during which they scored the only goal of the game.  It came from the first of two penalty decisions by Referee Piggott which effectively decided the game though no-one would have guessed that so early in the contest.

With six minutes gone a clumsy tackle in the Ware area appeared at first to have gone unpunished but once no advantage materialised for Abbey Mr Piggott was quick to point to the spot.  Captain Steve Cawley did the necessary giving Obey Murefu no chance with a crisp strike.

Hardly had the game restarted when Sam Ruff went over in the other penalty area when he was about to pull the trigger on a shot in front of goal.  Much to the home fans dismay and not a little surprise Ruff was yellow carded for simulation.

That was pretty much it from Ware as they struggled against wind and slope until good work by Danny Roles gave Max Mitchell the chance to fire just wide almost on the stroke of half time.  Otherwise it was Abbey who continued to have the better of things and whilst neither side seemed to have their shooting boots on the visitors ought really to have consolidated their lead.

With the slope and wind behind them in the second half Ware upped their game and most of the play was in the visitors’ half.  Even so it was not until the hour mark that Emiel Aiken was able to meet a decent cross but could do no better than head it over the bar.

He was taken off within a few minutes but his replacement had no better luck, Ryan Wade kicking air under pressure when Luke Marshall put over a tempting cross.  Abbey then survived a goal mouth scramble and their goal seemed to take on a charmed life as Ware continued to search for an equaliser before Marshall was put through in injury time.  But Ricketts did well to get down to block his shot at close range.

Ware: Murefu, Clemo, Kemble, Protheroe, Dooling, J Berry (Scott 79 mins), Aiken (Wade 67 mins), Ruff (Megicks 81 mins), Marshall, Mitchell, Roles,.  Unused subs: Sargent, Ormand (GK)