7.30 pm on Tuesday, 26 November at Maccabi London, Rowley Ln, Barnet EN5 3HW Match report from David Lederman
The Arthurian League Representative XI returned to action for the first time since their summer adventures in Finland with a much-changed lineup but proved they are still very much the rep team to beat on the amateur circuit with an impressive 4-0 win over a strong Southern Amateur League XI at the Maccabi London Sports Ground in Arkley on Tuesday night, in the process taking a strong early grip on the Argonaut Trophy – the triangular round-robin competition also involving the Amateur Football Combination. A free-flowing opening half-hour saw both sides create several chances as play raced frantically from end to end, the scoreline somehow remaining blank to that point. But a superb move down the right wing saw debutant Callum Maltese feed the overlapping Ollie Light and he calmly rounded the keeper to slide in the opener. From that point on, the men in white took command, Jake Raine heading in ten minutes later to make it 2-0 before a third just before the break from the outstanding Maltese finished the match as a contest. Although the second half wasn’t quite as easy on the eye for those watching on, Reptonian Raine ensured the Arthurians had the final word, volleying in at the far post to round off a successful night’s work both for him and the team. Manager Billy Jenkins was beaming from ear to ear come the final whistle and with good reason. Whilst the nucleus of the squad that had won the FA Inter-League Cup back in May remained, thereby earning the opportunity to represent England at the UEFA Regions Cup in Finland in August, there were still plenty of new faces to ensure that Tuesday night undoubtedly felt like the start of a rebuild and a chance to scale the heights of amateur football once more. Several leading names that have served the Rep team with distinction over many years have moved on, not least in defence, with former skippers Pete Brooking and Ant Beddows and Reptonian giant Andy Evans all now unavailable. Brentwoods Harry Larke, who started every game in Finland in the heart of the midfield, was absent, as was injured left winger Josh Riley, whose last-minute equaliser against the host nation in the final group game provided a truly memorable moment on which to end the trip. But the latest recruits undoubtedly prove their manager’s eye for talent remains pin sharp with some excellent performances on Tuesday night. Four players were making their Rep team debuts: Reptonians centre-back Artem Aliev and winger Tom Jones, Epsomian midfielder Callum Holland and Forester Callum Maltese; a fifth, Cholms right-back Ollie Light, made his debut a couple of seasons ago but hadn’t played since. That quintet, combined with the heart of the all-conquering Repton side and stalwarts such as Chigs’ Josh Banfield, Johnians’ Craig Bonnar and Eton skipper Gus Shaw-Stewart – dragged out of potential retirement for what hopefully won’t be a last hurrah – ensured the As lined up with a pleasing blend of the old and the new, the young and the old, for the inaugural Argonaut Trophy fixture of 2024/25. Matches against the Southern Amateur League have always proved hard-fought affairs down the years, with July’s 4-0 friendly win for the As on the astroturf in Chiswick something of an anomaly given the extensive fitness and preparations the team had been undertaking prior to the Regions Cup and the rather hurriedly put together nature of the SAL team. Rarely, however, can many of the games between the two have started as frantically and open as this one did. Within five minutes of kick-off both sides had come close to scoring: the As threatened immediately, Tommy Redhead feeding Jake Raine down the left and he drove into the box before seeing his shot blocked – from the resulting throw-in, further pressure resulted in the striker firing over on the turn; the SAL responded with a lightning-quick break of their own, the right winger delivering a cross towards the penalty spot and a header that required Jonny Bowers to dive to his right to palm the ball away. The pattern was set for a thrilling first half as play raced from one end to the other, the SAL at times leaving four attackers upfield, the new-look As attack with Maltese on the right and Jones on the left looking dangerous every time they received possession. It was little wonder that, at times, the frantic pace of play occasionally caught out the experienced midfield pair Banfield and Samra as they battled to control a swarm of red shirts around them. Onwards pressed the Arthurians. A run from Jake Raine was blocked on the edge of the box with a superb last-ditch tackle, Maltese highlighted his pristine close control, jinking inside from the right before his curling left foot delivery, probably a cross, missed everyone before clipping the outside of the far post. Redhead then headed over as pressure built on the SAL. But the visitors remained a threat themselves, another break down their right wing saw Bowers again called to make a save, this time a routine one from a low struck shot. Tom Jones then cut in from the left before just over-hitting his through-ball to Redhead, the SAL then came within inches of taking the lead when their left winger cut inside only to drill his effort against the inside of the near post, the ball agonisingly rolling along the line before being cleared. It was truly breathless stuff, but in amongst all the excellent football there were, unfortunately, a couple of nasty challenges on As players that raised the heckles on the sidelines. It was a pair of Reptonians on the receiving end, striker Raine very lucky to walk away apparently unscathed as he was clattered into midway inside the SAL half but left-back Fraser Lane wasn’t so fortunate – he was felled by a sliding tackle as he raced down the wing and required lengthy treatment before very gingerly making his way around the ground to the dugouts, a nasty ligament sprain the initial diagnosis. Whether it was a response to these two incidents is doubtful, but once play resumed following the tackle on Raine, the Arthurian League quickly reasserted their authority and in the final fifteen minutes of the half scored three goals to take a firm grip on proceedings. The As had already served notice several times of their potency down the right and they threatened again - Maltese and Banfield combining beautifully to create another chance that ended with a well-struck shot blocked by the keeper at the near post. But two minutes later the SAL were powerless to prevent the opener with Maltese again dictating play: collecting possession on the right wing, he waited until the perfect moment to slip the ball through for the storming Ollie Light to run onto, calmly round the keeper and slide in from a tight angle. It was the perfect moment to unleash a ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ quip but clearly the squad had already been traumatised by the numerous, rather tedious, Tom Jones ‘gags’ in the whatsapp group leading up to the game and so nobody bothered. It probably would have been lost on half a league side anyway… Onwards rode the Arthurians once more, Maltese again producing some magic before whipping a delicious cross into the box which Raine flicked just over the bar. With eight minutes of the half remaining Nicky Samra made way for Callum Holland to make his debut and three minutes later the As had their second, a superb cross from the left from Gus Shaw-Stewart – who had replaced the stricken Lane – was this time converted by Raine, who leapt to divert his header perfectly inside the near post. And then, a minute before the break, a touch of fortune as a strong run from Tom Jones saw him drive towards the penalty area only for the ball to run loose from a challenge and fall perfectly for Maltese to run onto, the Forest man smashing the ball into the near top corner with glee to round off a spectacular first forty-five minutes for him in an Arthurian League shirt. The message at the break was clear: maintain the high standards set and perhaps, for the first quarter of an hour at least, try to assert some kind of control on the game, to slow things down and maintain possession better. In fact, almost the exact opposite occurred, with the men in white beginning the second half in slightly sloppy fashion, too many long balls played with too much haste gifting possession back to the SAL. The visitors were largely unable to trouble Jonny Bowers in goal however, with Aliev and Langley at times looking almost regal at the back as they mopped up at the first signs of danger. There were a couple of scares, however, a low shot dragged just wide of the near post and then a much closer call as a cross from the right was headed back across goal from the far post, the ball bouncing off the top of the crossbar and behind with Bowers beaten. But with just over an hour played, the As extinguished any last vestiges of hope the SAL may have harboured when Maltese cut inside from the right to pick out Raine at the far post, the striker pulling off the back of his man and guiding a low volley just inside the near post before executing his trademark run to the nearest camera where several pre-rehearsed insta poses were coldly delivered. Waiting lensman Andy Nunn duly obliged and clicked away dutifully on his trusty 70-200mm although even he must be tiring of Raine’s schtick by now… With the result now beyond any doubt, the final half-hour served up rather meagre fayre. The As continued to hit too many long passes but, encouragingly, produced a strong final ten minutes, Craig Bonnar forcing a good save from the keeper with a strong run and shot, and Callum Holland, who enjoyed an excellent debut in midfield, nearly breaking through after some excellent work down the left, Gus Shaw-Stewart backing him up as the pair of them caused some anxious moments in the SAL defence. If the Old Etonian is to retire from the Rep team, it will have nothing to do with his physical capabilities – the seventy-five minutes he played here showcased all the energy and tireless workrate he has produced for many seasons. The final minute summed up the night for the SAL as they carved out one glorious final chance but, alas, the finish was lacking, the shot from six yards out at the far post almost landing in the Morrisons car park on the other side of the A1. Hot dogs and beer were served in the clubhouse after the game, the Arthurian League top brass purring like Cheshire cats at yet another thumping victory served up by their charges. This was a hugely encouraging first performance of the season for the As and there is undoubted potential for the side to grow stronger still as players return to the fold and closer bonds are formed with the latest additions. Exciting times lie ahead…Half a League, Half a League, Half a League onward…
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Goals from Craig Bonnar and Sam Thomas gave the Arthurian League a winning end to their UEFA Regions Cup campaign in Finland, today.
The team bow out of the tournament, finishing 2nd in the group after Länsi-Vantaan Ylpeys (which translates as 'Pride of West Vantaa') overcame the Lisbon FA 2-0 to win the group and progress to the final tournament, and the Arthurians were already out of contention as they needed a win by 4 goals or more to stand a chance of nicking top spot, but the result shows that the team were in the mix, holding the two favourites from Finland and Portugal to creditable draws. Bonnar opened the scoring after fifteen minutes, converting Jake Raine's assist following a Harry Larke corner but Dāniels Geidāns levelled for Latvia just before the break. The AL's excellence at set-pieces shone through again in the second half when Andy Evans' free-kick was turned home by Sam Thomas for the winning goal. Goals from Jake Raine, Tommy Redhead and an own goal gave the Representative Team a point in their first game of the UEFA Regions Cup in Finland, today.
Raine was in the mix to force an own goal from Nogueira Silva ahead after only three minutes at the Myyrmäki Stadium and it was looking good when he scored for himself after 32 minutes, but the Portuguese came back strongly, pulling 1 back within 3 minutes. Half-time: Arthurian League 2 - 1 Lisbon FA A double substitution on 38 minutes followed by a third change at half-time worked wonders for Lisbon who equalised on 48 minutes through substitute Bastos before another sub, Botas - who replaced Gavino, scorer of the first Lisbon goal - put the Portuguese ahead on 56 minutes. Five minutes later Jake Fetherston and Tommy Redhead entered the fray in place of Craig Bonnar and Sam Fetherston - what turned out to be a crucial change. At time appeared to be up for the Arthurians, Redhead popped up to level with five minutes remaining. The next game is on Saturday at 5pm. We will share a live feed if there is one! Arthurian League: Bowles - Thomas, Beddows, Evans, Rolles - Bonnar (J Fetherston, 61), Banfield, Larke (Langley, 88) - S Fetherston (Redhead, 61 ⚽), Riley, Raine ⚽. Match report by David Lederman
Photograph by Andy Nunn The Arthurian League Representative XI created their own small slice of history on Sunday afternoon when a goal from Old Forester Ben Hale nine minutes from the end of extra-time earned the Whites a 1-0 win over the West Yorkshire League in the final of the FA Inter League Cup at Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium. The victory, coming at the first attempt for the Arthurian League in this biennial competition, ensures that they will now go on to represent England in the UEFA Regions Cup in Finland this summer. This victory was all the more remarkable given the rather extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Arthurians’ progress to the final. Having been defeated 2-0 by the Herts Senior County League in the semi-finals at Hendon FC in mid-March, manager Billy Jenkins and League Secretary Jon Hunter had assumed dreams of silverware had been dashed for the season, only for the FA to later discover that Herts had fielded an illegible player in the tie. With just over ten days to the final, the Arthurian League were reinstated and suddenly the management duo had to prepare a squad to travel north on the Bank Holiday weekend. Understandably, a number of players were unable to make the trip, with the entire contingent of Reptonians, this season’s League and Cup double winners, absent. Despite this, a strong squadron of sixteen met bright and early at Kings Cross station for the two-hour train journey north, followed by a short walk to the Lincoln stadium, a number of League officials and supporters in tow. Conditions were perfect and, for almost the first time this year, a strong, warming sun greeted the players as they finally made their way out onto the pristine turf to warm up – the kick-off having been delayed by fifteen minutes due to West Yorkshire’s coach getting delayed in heavy traffic due to "Truckfest" on the way to the ground. Manager Billy Jenkins was able to rely on Brentwoods keeper Olly Bowles and a strong back four with young Sam Thomas on the right, Charlie Rolls on the left and the two Beddows brothers in the middle, Ant and Ashley. Skipper Pete Brooking returned to the midfield alongside Josh Banfield – fresh from completing the London Marathon in three hours – whilst the front four, shorn of the Arthurian League’s leading scorer Josh Riley, saw Etonian Gus Shaw-Stewart on the right, Jake Fetherston on the left and Craig Bonnar in behind Sam Fetherston up front. Five substitutes were named, including Foresters pair Ben Hale, who knew the ground well having spent three years at University in the city, and Tayo Felstead. Given the lack of proper preparation for the game, and the number of players missing from the squad, it would have been easy for the Arthurian League side to consider themselves underdogs and fear a tricky start against a West Yorks side that had scored eight goals and conceded only two on their run to the final. Instead, however, the men in white settled quickly and dominated the opening twenty-five minutes’ action. Inside two minutes a swift move down the right freed Sam Fetherston and his pull back saw Craig Bonnar’s low shot across goal brilliantly saved by the Yorks keeper, who flung out his right leg to divert the effort wide of the post. The next chance arrived soon afterwards via a set-piece, Ash Beddows turning a corner back towards goal only for the ball to rebound back off the post. The Yorkshire side eventually managed to compose themselves and enjoy a brief spell of possession but they soon found themselves under pressure once more, Jake Fetherston and Gus Shaw-Stewart dominating down the right and causing consistent problems for the over-worked Yorks left-back. Such was the dominance of the Arthurians at this stage that it forced a change in tactics from the opposition, with Yorkshire dropping deeper and content to play on the counter. The oceans of space down both flanks that Jake Fetherston and Shaw-Stewart had previously enjoyed were squeezed and the play became far more even, although a trio of bookings from the men in maroon highlighted which of the two teams was enduring the greater frustration. The two Beddows brothers were now in the action and asked to tidy up a number of balls over the top but they did so with the minimum of fuss, keeper Olly Bowles with little to do in the opening half-hour. Sam Thomas, who enjoyed an almost faultless game at right-back, grew frustrated that play wasn’t being switched quicker across the back, but his defensive focus remained razor sharp as he covered behind the two centre halves superbly to clear a dangerous loose ball inside the Arthurian penalty area. The final act of the first half saw the Yorkshire side build up play well and one of the two strikers turn adroitly on the edge of the box only to produce a weak final effort that was comfortably held by the Arthurians keeper. The half-time whistle signalled a familiar situation for the men in white, with the blank scoresheet failing to recognise the superiority of their play. In the quarter-finals against the Thames Valley League a 0-0 half-time score ended in a 1-0 win; in the semis against Herts County, two late goals produced a 2-0 defeat. Both times the Arthurians had been the better side, but the lack of a cutting edge was clear to see, an ounce more composure in the final third all that was lacking. Manager Billy Jenkins rallied the troops at the break without changing any personnel – wary no doubt of the prospect of extra-time and the need to martial his resources carefully given the piercing sun and onset of fatigue that would surely arrive as the second half wore on. But once again the Arthurians made a fine start to the half, on the attack from the first whistle and carving out another chance as one low cross missed everyone inside the box before Sam Fetherston’s shot was deflected just wide. This time the opposition recovered and the next ten minutes proved rather scrappy, neither side able to find their rhythm, the game devoid of goalmouth incident. But on the hour mark the first of several magnificent interventions from Brentwoods keeper Olly Bowles ensured that the score line remained blank. A swift counter saw the ball slipped between the two centre-halves, Ant Beddows momentarily appearing as if he was going to haul down the striker before thinking better of it. As the forward raced through a goal seemed certain, but Bowles narrowed the angle to perfection, stayed big and blocked the shot, only for the rebound to be turned back across the six yard box and somehow blasted over the bar with the goal gaping. Billy Jenkins had seen enough and began to ring the changes with skipper Pete Brooking the first to make way, Henry Langley coming on in midfield in a bid to regain control of the ball. Five minutes later and Ben Hale came on for a tiring Sam Fetherston, who appeared exhausted but frustrated to be making way. The changes appeared to have the desired effect however, as the Arthurians began to regain the momentum and the side finished the match much the stronger of the two sides, despite the finishing touch continuing to elude them. Hale found himself clean through down the right but seemed caught in two minds whether to drive towards goal or cross for a teammate, in end doing neither and producing a tame chip straight into the keeper’s arms. Charlie Rolls then clipped a perfect ball over the top down the left that ended with Josh Banfield – who must have covered every blade of grass on the pitch twice over – clipping a shot inches wide of the far post. He tried something similar moments later but again the effort flew wide of the mark. Corners were forced, the keeper blocked one shot, a second was deflected just over the angle of post and bar. The Arthurians simply couldn’t find a way through. Just as in the first half, Yorkshire produced a late scare, Ant Beddows forced to back-pedal in a one-on-one situation but the experienced Carthusian did just enough to put the striker off and the final effort was mishit, the ball dribbling wide of goal. Extra-time then followed, with both sides now permitted to make an extra change – something of a necessity given the shattered looks on the faces of most of the players as they gathered in the middle of the pitch to listen to some final words of encouragement from the coaching staff. Tayo Felstead replaced the tiring Gus Shaw-Stewart on the right for the Arthurians with Billy Jenkins keeping his final substitution in hand. The first period of extra-time began with the best chance of the entire match falling to West Yorkshire. Yet again it was Brentwoods keeper Olly Bowles to the rescue for the Arthurians as he produced two outstanding saves in quick succession, spreading himself to block another one-on-one before somehow reacting to divert the follow up shot over the bar from point blank range as the ball was cut back across goal. The tension was almost unbearable, with even those on the sidelines now perspiring furiously as the sun continued to beat down. The Arthurians responded with a chance of their own, Banfield’s effort from the edge of the box well saved by the Yorks keeper down to his left. With ten minutes remaining the Arthurian League made their final change of the game, Will Payne replacing an exhausted Sam Fetherston and the Harrow man looked lively from the off, nearly causing a mistake from the keeper as he challenged for a high ball which eventually ran loose inside the penalty area. It would prove a short-lived reprieve for the northerners. Moments later the Arthurian League produced a swift, incisive move down their right, Craig Bonnar exchanging passes and driving towards the byline before looking up and delivering a pinpoint cross beyond the keeper and into the path of the fast-arriving Ben Hale, who gleefully slid in to fire home from five yards out. The bench emptied and chaotic celebrations ensued. The final eight minutes were seen out with relatively little fuss, the men in white managing to keep the opposition at arms’ length, despite having to defend a couple of corners in process. The final whistle signified a successful and remarkable end to a journey that had begun with a come-from-behind win over the Amateur Football Combination in the cold at Dorking Wanderers FC in late January and ended with a gruelling two-hour battle against a valiant West Yorkshire side in scorching sunshine at Lincoln City FC in May. Ant Beddows, a loyal and distinguished Rep Team servant over many seasons, was given the honour of accompanying Pete Brooking up to collect the magnificent trophy from the FA Representative and the celebrations could begin in earnest – all expertly captured, as ever, by the camera lens of Andy Nunn. This was a superb effort from all involved at the Arthurian League and especially the sixteen players who gave their all in tough conditions on the day. The considerable reward, in addition to the trophy, is a trip to Finland as the official representatives of the English FA later this summer in the UEFA Regions Cup. England have been drawn in a group alongside the hosts, Portugal and Latvia with final dates of the tournament yet to be confirmed. Many congratulations to all involved on a historic achievement. |
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