Ware 1 Potters Bar Town 0

18 October 2011

A DEBUT goal from new front man Ryan Mattos sent Ware through to the next round of the Alan Boon Cup on Tuesday evening.

The fast-moving front man, signed over the weekend from Wingate & Finchley, struck on the hour mark to give Ware a morale-boosting victory.

Both sides fielded a strong team in the league cup competition, which has been newly named after former Staines Town chairman and friend of the Ryman League Alan Boon, who passed away earlier this year.

Ware’s veteran striker Ricci Crace was rested, making way for Mattos to start up front alongside Tony Martin in a 4-4-2 formation.

Aime Blessing returned to the side, initially on the right wing before later switching flanks with Antony Lane on the left, while Lewis Taylor came back into the starting line-up in central midfield.

Ware’s lively and meaningful start was the polar opposite of their lethargic opening to their match against Romford three days earlier.

The pace of Mattos and Blessing caused Potters Bar a number of problems early on, with Tony Martin pinging in a cross from the right which was cleverly struck by the trailing leg of the incoming Mattos before taking a deflection and going out for a corner at the near post.

On 27 minutes, Blessing held off the challenge of Potters Bar left-back Louis Lavers and sent Tony Martin through on goal, but visiting goalkeeper Ryan Burbridge was out quickly to gather.

Five minutes before the break, a Lewis Taylor effort from outside the area was charged down by a defender, before Blessing fired over the bar from the rebound.

The start of the second half was not quite so hectic, although Ware goalkeeper Rhys Madden did well to grasp a ball in from the right by Bradley Harrison before it could pose a threat inside the six-yard box.

Ware took the lead on the hour mark when Dave Bastian cleared the ball out of the defence and found Laurence Rispoli in midfield. The substitute found the onrushing Mattos with a pin-point through ball, the speedy debutant clipping a right-footed effort beyond the diving Burbridge and inside the far post.

Three minutes later, Ware full-back Michael Elliott was forced to put the ball over his own bar following a ball in by James Gershfield with a Potters Bar attacker in close proximity.

Gershfield went close himself on 74 minutes when he beat left-back Tom Querry and fired towards goal, but he was denied by a superb save by Madden at his near post.

Neither side caused their opponents any notable problems in the closing stages, with Gershfield’s shot over the bar from long-range being the closest the visitors came to getting back into the tie.

Ware: Rhys Madden, Michael Elliott, Tom Querry, Lewis Taylor, Vince Rispoli, Dave Bastian, Aime Blessing, Dan Johnson, Tony Martin (sub: Ricci Crace, 70), Ryan Mattos, Antony Lane (sub: Laurence Rispoli, 58). Subs not used: Stuart Nethercott, Danny Hayes, Harry Larner.