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FA INTER-LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL PLAYED AT CORINTHIAN-CASUALS F.C., TOLWORTH Match report from David Lederman (Old Harrovians)  The Arthurian League Representative side sealed their place in the semi-finals of the FA Inter-League Cup with a narrow, but thoroughly deserved, 1-0 win over the Thames Valley Premier League at Corinthian-Casuals FC on Saturday afternoon. In a tight, scrappy encounter played on a heavy pitch in southwest London, the Arthurian side enjoyed most of the possession and created the clearer chances to score, but had to wait until the 72nd minute to turn their superiority on the field into a lead on the scoreboard, Alleynians winger Sam Fetherston slotting home from close range following a spell of sustained pressure. Thames Valley created little throughout and having fallen behind never looked capable of forcing extra-time. Victory earns the Arthurian League a semi-final tie against the Herts Senior County League on the evening of March 16th with the venue to be confirmed in due course. Following a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Amateur Football Combination in the previous round, the Arthurian League XI, led as always by the ever-enthusiastic Old Forester Billy Jenkins, anticipated an equally tough challenge in a first ever meeting against the Thames Valley League. Thames had defeated the Dorset Premier League 2-0 in the first round in a game played at Henley Town FC, with the vast majority of their squad for Saturday’s tie drawn from two of the top five teams in the Premier Division: leaders Westwood Wanderers and fifth-placed Holyport Reserves.  For the Arthurians, manager Billy Jenkins was forced to make five changes to his sixteen-man squad from the win over the AFC. Brentwoods skipper Peter Brooking missed out through injury, although he still made the effort to support the side on the day, with Forest duo Tayo Felstead and Harry Ellis also absent, as well as Kimboltonian Henry Langley and Carthusian Ashley Beddows – although Anthony Beddows was fit to take his place alongside Reptonian Andy Evans at the heart of the back four. Old Alleynian Sam Fetherston started on the right wing, Premier Division leading scorer Josh Riley of the Old Reptonians on the left, with Johnians skipper – and the man entrusted with the armband on the day – Craig Bonnar ling up just behind striker Jake Raine, another Old Reptonian. Chigwellian Josh Banfield and Brentwoods’ Harry Larke formed the central midfield pairing with Carthusian Sam Thomas at right-back and Reptonian Fraser Lane at left-back. Keeper Ollie Bowles was the second Brentwoods player in the starting lineup, with the five substitutes featuring two Reptonians, an Alleynian, a Harrovian and another Brentwoods player. Conditions down in Tolworth for the 3pm kick-off were about as good as could be expected, with the game kicking off in bright sunshine and the pitch soft but clearly playable, Corinthians’ groundstaff having worked tirelessly to ensure the tie would go ahead as planned. Perhaps understandably, as both sets of players became accustomed to the conditions underfoot, the Arthurians made a slightly nervy start to the encounter, with both the centre-backs Evans and Beddows finding themselves under early pressure from a high press that almost yielded a couple of early chances for the opposition. Keeper Ollie Bowles was alert to any danger however and, as the half progressed, it was the men in white who began to impose themselves on the game – just as the manager had asked them to do prior to kick-off.  The Arthurians enjoyed particular success down their left flank with full-back Fraser Lane and Josh Riley reprising their Repton partnership to great effect, several flowing moves causing problems for the over-worked Thames Valley right-back. A free-kick was won in a dangerous position midway inside the visitors’ half but disappointingly curled well beyond the players waiting inside the box, a couple of corners also came to nothing. Riley attempted a spectacular overhead kick from close to the penalty spot but only succeeded in firing the ball straight up in the air, Fetherston saw his effort from the right well saved by the Thames Valley keeper. It was almost one-way traffic for the remainder of the half, with the Arthurian defence snuffing out what little threat they faced, the midfield duo of Banfield and Larke controlling the middle of the pitch. Larke, in particular, began to grow in stature as the half progressed, confidently striding forwards with the ball at his feet and spreading play out wide whenever possible. Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of the first half was the failure to carve out a decisive opportunity: Bonnar, Raine, Fetherston and Larke himself all had efforts at goal prior to the break but either fired wide or were foiled by Thames Valley keeper Will Cullum, who was by now the busiest man on the pitch. In contrast, his opposite man Ollie Bowles had become almost a spectator, such was the level of protection afforded to him by his teammates.  Management duo Billy Jenkins and Nicky Samra kept the same eleven for the start of the second half, with fairly unanimous agreement among the squad that the game was plainly there to be won, Thames Valley having barely created a chance of note in the opening forty-five minutes. But, disappointingly, the opening twenty minutes of the second half proved incredibly scrappy, with the previous dominance of those in white replaced by a fairly even, if remarkably dour midfield battle. Thames Valley dropped into a slightly deeper block and competed gamely in the middle of the pitch, with the result that neither keeper was really tested in this period. The Arthurian back four, led by the centre-backs Evans and Beddows, remained comfortable and it was almost impossible to see how the opposition would score. But the lack of any sustained pressure from the Arthurians was now a concern and manager Billy Jenkins had seen enough. Off came striker Jake Raine, who had earlier taken a knock, and, shortly afterwards, the skipper Craig Bonnar. In their stead came Reptonian Tommy Redhead and Harrovian Will Payne, who took his place on the right wing, Josh Riley moving up front and Sam Fetherston over to the left. It was at this point in the game that as players on both sides began to tire, space began opening up and, just as in the first half, it proved to be the men in white who took advantage.  A corner from the left provided the first indication that a breakthrough may be forthcoming, substitute Tommy Redhead swivelling to fire home from close range, but the joy was short-lived – an immediate flag from the linesman ruling out that effort. But moments later the Arthurians did find the back of the net and this time it counted. Winger Sam Fetherston cut inside the centre-half on the left of the area, working himself an inch of space, before producing a low sidefoot finish. Although the shot wasn’t the most powerful, the Thames Valley keeper made a hash of the save, somehow allowing the ball to squirm under his body and into the net.
Fewer than twenty minutes remained but the visitors never looked capable of finding an equaliser. Instead, it was the Arthurian League who poured forwards, Redhead seeing another effort well saved by the keeper, Payne enjoying plenty of space down the right and causing problems for his full-back. Although a definitive second goal continued to elude them, the Arthurians remained in full control and saw out the remainder of the tie with the minimum of fuss. The side are now one game away from a final at St George’s Park, but first they must overcome the Herts Senior County League on March 16th with the game taking place at Hendon FC. Attendance: 65
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FA INTER-LEAGUE CUP ROUND 2 PLAYED AT DORKING WANDERERS F.C. Match report from Peter Brooking (Old Brentwoods)  Following on from the Arthurian Representation team’s success in the Argonaut Trophy 2022/2023 competition following wins against the Southern Amateur League and Amateur Football Combination. The team entered into the FA Inter-League Cup 2023/2024 campaign. The Cup is limited to National League System and feeder leagues and other leagues as decided by The FA. It was created with the intention of finding a winning league representative side to fly the flag for England in the UEFA Regions Cup. The Arthurian Representative Team began the 2024 year with a friendly match against Lloyds of London on a cold evening on the 10th January over at Barnet FC's ground. The Arthurian Team dominated the game and ended up successfully winning 4-2 which in truth could have been a far wider margin. This extended the team's undefeated run to three matches.  In the first round of the FA Inter-League Cup the team drew neighbours AFC (Amateur Football Combination). The Arthurian side routed the opposition 6-0 to win the Argonaut Trophy last season at Potters Bar Town FC. However they expected stronger opponents this time round. Management team including (Manager - Billy Jenkins, Assistant Coaches - Jon Hunter & Nicky Samra) had a big selection headache ahead of the key fixture. The team are fortunate to have a huge depth of quality throughout the entirety of the Arthurian League and to narrow it down to 16 players is never an easy task. The final squad included; Oliver Bowles (GK) (Old Brentwoods), Peter Brooking (C) (Old Brentwoods), Harry Larke (Old Brentwoods), Josh Banfield (Old Chigwellians), Will Payne (Old Harrovians), Henry Langley (Old Kimboltonians), Tayo Felstead (Old Foresters), Harry Ellis (Old Foresters), Nicky Samra (Old Reptonians), Josh Riley (Old Reptonians), Jake Raine (Old Reptonians), Ashley Beddows (Old Carthusians), Anthony Beddows (Old Carthusians), Sam Thomas (Old Carthusians), Craig Bonnar (Old Johnians). With 8 different teams represented throughout the squad, this again demonstrates the depth in quality of the league.  The AFC named a stronger side from the one in the Argonaut Trophy with a heavy presence from Dorkinians, Honourable Artillery Company and Wandsworth Borough. The tie was hosted at the Meadwoodbank Stadium, the home of Dorking Wanderers. On a cold windy night in Surrey with a crowd of around 75 in attendance (predominately local support for the AFC side) but with some loyal Arthurian away fans! The stage was set for a good battle between the sides and the game. AFC started the more strongly, letting the Arthurian side have the ball at the back and then when setting into midfield triggered the press to win the ball and break with numbers. The Arthurian side had a few half chances during the first half through a decent effort inside the box and then a great header from a corner although neither really troubling the goalkeeper. A vocal home crowd began to encourage the AFC side on and a flurry of decent chances led to the breakthrough with their number 9 (Craig Kingswell) cutting inside to bury the ball into the bottom corner. Some great saves from keeper Oliver Bowles kept the scoreline at 1-0, along with some good blocks from Peter Brooking and the Beddows brothers. The Arthurian side struggled to get a grip on the game with a few stray passes and Henry Langley picked up an unfortunate yellow card just before the half-time break. A few dubious 50/50's not going the Arthurian sides way led to some frustration going into the half.  Plenty of work was needed from Billy's boys in white and blue to get themselves back into the game. A strong team talk from the management team and the squad identified the key areas that were needed to improve on in order to turn the game around. Jake Raine came on for Henry Langley at half-time which was the first change made by the side. In the second half the Arthurian side game out flying and didn't let the AFC out of their half for the first ten minutes. Some superb pressing from the front 4 led to sloppy passing and some patient build-up allowed the Arthurian team to pin the AFC in and get some great opportunities off. Anthony Beddows came close with a header from one of many corners from the side that second half. Josh Riley had two half chances as he cut inside. Jake Raine along with the ever stronger midfield had a few decent chances too. With the Arthurian side knocking on the door it was important to not concede another with Oliver Bowles again alert to danger on a number of occasions. Sam Thomas went off injured with a hamstring problem which led to Tayo Felstead coming on in his place. Then in the 70th minute the Arthurian side finally got the goal that they deserved through a goal-line scrap with Jake Raine slotting the ball into the net. This proved to be the catalyst that the team needed to kick on and five minutes later fellow Reptonian Josh Riley followed suit slotting the ball into the bottom corner past the goalkeeper. A superb hard press from our front four of Jake Raine, Josh Riley, Craig Bonnar and Harry Ellis put the AFC side under great pressure. In a short space of time the game had effectively been flipped on its head.  Josh Riley and Jake Raine both had two half chances which missed, both of which would have been in with a chance of the Puskas Award!
The midfield pairing of Harry Larke and Josh Banfield had really stepped up a gear in the second half and dominated the midfield battle. Some great pressing, passing and desire to track back was personified by Josh Riley when their player was bearing down on goal and slid in to block a shot in the 85th minute. Oliver Bowles again was superb and denied the AFC twice in the final minutes of the game to keep the scoreline at 2-1. After a final nail-biting few minutes the referee blew the fulltime whistle and the comeback was complete. A great game for the neutrals with the Arthurian side progressing to the next round. But it was close and a resilient AFC pushed the Arthurian side to the very end. A quarter final home tie awaits the Arthurian side against the winners of Thames Valley Premier League vs Dorset Premier League. The quarter final tie will take place around the 17th/24th of February.
The Arthurian League Rep Team make another dramatic comeback to beat their AFC counterparts
O ye of little faith. You really should know better by now. At half time, the Arthurian League Representative Team were 2-0 down to the AFC. Outplayed, out-fought and out-thought, all hope was seemingly gone, Once they got back into the dressing room, heads were bowed as no-one (including joint managers Messrs Evans and Jenkins) dared look up in case they caught the eye of Lord Mufty-Bufty (the League's chairman who is even more revered than Kim Jong-un) who was in the corner quietly fuming over his half-time cup of tea and Eccles Cake. In the midst of (and despite) this sombre atmosphere, the joint managers, showed their tactical acumen as they switched to a 3-3-3-1 formation which meant that Alex Robinson was moved "between the lines" allowing the ALRT's complement of dazzlingly pacy attacking midfielders to strut their stuff. 48 minutes later, the ALRT had completed a remarkable turnaround to win 3-2 with the winning goal coming deep into injury time from yes, you guessed it, Alex Robinson. As it happens, Robinson also scored the opening goal and made the assist for the second goal to write himself into Arthurian League folklore Dragging on his traditional post-match Gauloise, Jenkins explained how they had managed to orchestrate such a memorable comeback. "Well, it was quite simple really. Despite what the real gaffer (Lord Mufty) thinks, playing 2 up front isn’t a good idea. We went back to basics in the second half and that allowed us to get back in the game. The rest, as they say, was different gravy. Ultimately however, it isn’t about me or Nick [Evans] but the players who were simply magnificent. They are a top top bunch". Hear hear. More to follow. Author: Roysters Press Agency The squad for the Arthurian League's Representative Team has been announced
At a press conference in the heart of London's Mayfair, joint managers Nick Evans and William Jenkins announced the squad for the first of the Arthurian League Representative Team's game against the Amateur Football Combination which is due to take place on Wednesday November 4th. As Jenkins dragged on his traditional Marlborough Light, he explained that he and Evans share a common philosophy which is that of the Guardiola school of "tiki-taka with purpose". In case you were unaware, "Tiki-taka" is not an straight line 4-4-2 where the ball is moved forward as soon as possible but a style of play in which well-timed short passing and movement is maintained whilst in possession, moving the ball through midfield in intricate patterns of one and two-touch passing. Every player knows his role and the aim is to allow flair, creativity and expression. Put another way - even the league's famously hard to please Chairman (Lord Mufty-Bufty) is impressed and looking forward to the match! 1. Alex Azis (OMarbs) 2.Ant Beddows (Capt) (OCs) 3. Sam Baring (OEs) 4. Sam Colley (OTs) 5. Billy French (OFs) 6. Jack Francis (GK) (OFs) 7. Jack Haverson (OFs) 8. Jules Hornby (OCs) 9. Tom Kelly (OSs) 10. Conor Mitchell (OFs) 11.Tom Redmayne (OEs) 12. Alex Robinson (OFs) 13. Jack Rogers (OCs) 14. Nicky Samra (ORep) 15. Dan Sherry (OCholms) 16. Tom Spurling (OTs) Author: Roysters Press Agency |
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