North London Crickets vs Duke’s Head, MAL League, Sunday 19^th October

SCORE: NLCFC 6- The Dukes Head 2, (Wakeford 3, 60, Gaffney 5, 85, G. Nicholson 65, 75)

NLCFC 4-4-2 From left to right

1.        Richard Hall

2.         Juan-CarlosTorres-Navarra

3.         Patrick Mills

4.         Cass Nicholson

5.         Luke Buffery

6.         John Robinson

7.         Andy Hale

8.         Craig Gaffney

9.         Steve O’Hagan

10.      Simon Creasey (G. Nicholson, 60)

11.      Ben Wakeford.

North London continued their unbeaten start to the season with a convincing win in an ill-tempered match against pre-season favourites Duke’s Head. Two goals before and four after the break were more than enough to announce the Crickets’ title credentials in their first season at this level.

With the threat of crowd trouble in the air, and facing severe provocation on the pitch from Duke’s confrontational style of play, Crickets displayed deep reservoirs of resolve to concentrate the kind of rapier football that they are rapidly gaining a reputation for. But credit to Duke’s and their bulldog spirit, as two early goals from Wakeford and Gaffney could have killed off many teams before the match had got started. Wakeford, who ended the day with a tally of four from two games, latched on to a probing ball from the slightly rusty Creasy, brushed off a challenge from the defender, and then calmly stabbed the ball under the keeper from just inside the area. And it was the impressive Wakeford who turned provider, chipping from the by-line for Gaffney to calmly and impressively volley home, arriving in the box unmarked with a late run from deep.

 But Duke’s dug deep, and their bristling centre-forward won a freekick on the edge of the box which was quickly stroked into the bottom left corner before the Crickets’ defence could organise. Soon after the break Duke’s struck again, levelling the score at 2-2, again the product of a clever freekick, the ball being played to the byline before being flashed across goal where the generally disappointing O’Hagan was unable to prevent his man from heading home.

But rather than buckle, the Crickets blossomed. With the back four performing with passion and skill, the midfield battling, and the front two tirelessly running for every ball, Duke’s slightly obese team simply didn’t have the legs to keep pace. As the tackles turned nasty, Crickets football turned sweet. Duke’s withdrew ‘Deadly’, their top scorer, into the midfield, so starved of the ball had Crickets’ two outstanding centre backs left him. But he was to find equally short thrift in the middle of the park, as the Gaffney/Hale duo began to achieve supremacy.

The rout began in earnest after goals in quick succession from Wakeford and Nicholson - the first, lashed in from a through ball, the second a calm side-foot into the far corner. Two goals behind and Duke’s crumbled. More and more they resorted to hopeful punts forward, but the Crickets back line was more than equal.

Another fine finish from Gaffney – this time a clipped lob over the advancing keeper – and a smart volley from Nicholson direct from a long throw completed Duke’s misery. And all this achieved on threadbare resources – Robinson gamely giving his all, proving characteristic probing runs from the left, as well as a freekick that Duke’s keeper did well to palm away despite a back strain – and Creasey and O’Hagan both putting their below-par contributions down to niggling injuries. Who knows where this team can go when the squad is fully fit?