Great Wakering Rovers 4 Ware 2

28 September 2011

A THRILLING game at Burroughs Park ultimately hinged on an 84^th minute shot from Ware substitute Danny Hayes on a mild Essex evening.

The youngster’s well-struck effort was superbly saved by Great Wakering goalkeeper Louis Godwin-Green just minutes after Ware had exploded back into the game with two goals in two minutes.

Had Hayes’ shot gone in, Ware could have gone on to win the game, which judging by their overall performance they deserved to do.

Their undoing proved to be a handful of costly mistakes at the back in the second half, which allowed Nathan Dewberry to notch an eight-minute hat-trick to ultimately put the game beyond the lively visitors.

Ware boss Stuart Nethercott made a number of changes to the side that beat Ilford three days before.

In came goalkeeper Rhys Madden after signing from Maldon & Tiptree last week, while Dave Bastian returned from suspension and took Nethercott’s place at centre-half alongside Jack Friend.

With Lewis Taylor unavailable, new signing Antony Lane took up his role just behind the midfield line, while fellow new arrival Aime Blessing looked very sharp out on the left.

Dan Johnson completed the midfield line-up, having returned from a three-game ban.

Ware played some nice football in the first half but failed to find the end product.

Blessing curled a shot just over the bar after turning on his heel following a good run down the left, while Tom Querry later floated in a cross, only to see Tony Martin fail to connect properly with a header.

Ware keeper Madden made a low stop from a shot-on-the-turn by Dewberry on 16 minutes, before a Wakering attacker sent a bullet header just wide after a cross from the right in the hosts’ best chance of the half.

Ware continued to exhibit some entertaining football, and on 34 minutes they nearly went ahead when skipper Ricci Crace craned a header wide from Antony Lane’s free kick.

On the stroke of half-time, Blessing sent in a cross from the left, but Wakering keeper Godwin-Green got there just before the onrushing Tony Martin.

Ware came out for the second half still looking to attack their hosts.

Within a minute of the restart, Querry cut infield and crashed a shot just over the bar, while on 54 minutes, after Jack Friend had ventured forward and exchanged passes with Blessing, the young defender stung the keeper’s palms with a right-footed strike.

At this stage, anyone who had said Ware would be three goals down within the next 11 minutes would have been laughed out of the ground.

But somehow, the hosts managed to find three goals, the first after Dewberry slipped into the box on Wakering’s left and rifled past Madden on 57 minutes.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 as a slip by Bastian allowed Dewberry to run through and round the goalkeeper before slotting home.

Madden made a good low save with his legs on 62 minutes, but after a free kick was awarded to the home side just outside the box when the flailing legs of Friend tripped an attacker on 65 minutes, Dewberry curled the ball around a mass of bodies in the area and inside the far post to complete a sparkling hat-trick.

The drama was far from over, though.

Ware switched to 4-4-2 with attacking Leigh Rose and Danny Hayes coming off the bench.

Querry turned and struck a fine 30-yard shot towards goal with his weaker right foot, forcing the Wakering keeper to dive and make a save at the top corner.

Just as quickly as Wakering had stunned the impressive visitors by taking a three-goal lead, Ware got back into the game with two goals in as many minutes.

A quick throw by Blessing found Leigh Rose on 73 minutes, the young attacker flicking the ball across from the left with the onrushing Martin sweeping home with his right foot.

Within a minute, Danny Hayes was tripped just inside the box on the right-hand side and a penalty was given. Up stepped Ricci Crace to score his second spot kick in as many games.

The high-octane nature of the contest continued with Ware now seemingly in the ascendancy.

Another mistake at the back saw a Wakering substitute go through one-on-one with Madden, but the goalkeeper was out quickly to rob him of the ball at his feet.

The next chance probably tipped the balance of the game. Rose teed up Hayes for a fierce right-footed drive from inside the box on 84 minutes, but his effort was somehow kept out by a brilliant save from Godwin-Green.

Both sides then had a player cautioned, before Wakering put the game to bed with Dewberry’s fourth goal of the evening after Madden had blocked a shot from another attacker on the line with his legs.

Determined Ware mustered a couple more half-chances in the dying moments, but Wakering had the points in the bag.

Ware: Rhys Madden, Michael Elliott, Tom Querry, Antony Lane (sub: Leigh Rose, 66), Jack Friend, Dave Bastian, James Winchester (sub: Danny Hayes, 66), Dan Johnson, Tony Martin, Ricci Crace, Aime Blessing. Subs not used: Stuart Nethercott, Vince Rispoli, Bert Greenwood (GK).