Arthurian League 2-3 Lloyds of London

Report from David Lederman

​The Arthurian League Representative side prepared for the latest edition of the FA Inter League Cup they won so spectacularly back in May 2024 with a couple of warm-up games against familiar opposition. In late January the side travelled to Redbridge FC to face Lloyds of London before, three weeks later, heading north to London Maccabi to take on the ISFA Under 17 side. Both games provided valuable time together for the squad ahead of the first serious test of the season – a home tie against the winners of the SAL vs Essex & Suffolk Border League in the quarter-finals of the FA Inter League Cup.

The fixture against Lloyds has traditionally been one dominated by the Arthurian League in recent times, but on this occasion the men from the City provided a stern test. A decent start for the A’s was cut short after ten minutes when an attack was broken up and Lloyds countered at pace, the ball laid off on the edge of the box and a superb curled left-footed finish beat keeper Ben Gould and nestled inside the far post. Within five minutes the lead had been doubled, this time from a set-piece: a free-kick was whipped in from the right and one of the Lloyds centre-backs crept in to flick home a header at the near post.

Things went from bad to worse for a shell-shocked Arthurian side as young Kimbolton centre-back Henry Langley was then forced off having taken an elbow to the face. Fortunately there was a straight replacement on the bench in the shape of moustachioed centre-back Louis Ward, who slotted in alongside Tonbridgian Harry Balcombe.

As the first half wore on, the A’s began to find their rhythm and were soon testing the Lloyds keeper. Repton striker Jake Raine was hugely unfortunate not to score when he drilled a shot against the post only for the ball to rebound straight into the arms of the keeper. A flowing move then saw skipper Josh Banfield find left winger Josh Riley but his pinpoint cross was disappointingly headed straight at the keeper by opposite winger Calum Maltese. But five minutes before the break the A’s finally grabbed the goal their play deserved when midfielder Connor Mitchell drew a foul inside the box, Jake Raine stepping up to confidently convert from the spot.

The second half allowed manager Billy Jenkins to rotate his squad with some quality additions from the bench and the side continued to improve as the game wore on, to the point where it seemed almost an inevitability that the A’s would become the first side to inflict defeat on their opponents this season. Johnians striker Craig Bonnar duly equalised, latching onto a perfectly-weighted reverse pass from Conor Mitchell before drilling his finish low into the far corner. And the men in blue then spurned several good chances to complete the turnaround, notably Jake Raine, who headed a Josh Banfield cross from the right just wide before repeating the feat with a shot from a Hector Platt cross.

But there was to be a sting in the tail late on as Lloyds snatched victory against the run of play. The outstanding striker, who has clearly played at a high semi-pro level, latched onto a pass, twisted away from both centre-backs before delivering an impeccable finish that left Gould clutching at thin air. Whilst the manner of defeat was obviously frustrating, this proved an excellent runout for the Arthurians as preparations begin earnest for the defence of the Inter League Cup.