Centenary Cup Round 2
FT: 2-0
Ground: Garratt Park
Goalscorers: James Croft, Alex Sampson
Subs: Stuart McGunnigle
MOM: Ben Aspinall

Derby day! The time had come yet again for the Crowns to take on their newly established rivals Kiwi in the Centenary cup. This was the fourth time this season we’ve faced Kiwi, with two losses and a draw.

The cold crisp day was perfect for the Crowns, who looked regimented and ready to kill after their deadly 10-1 performance the week before.

The game kicked off. With a new formation introduced, Earlsfield looked better matched and it was quickly noted that they were the stronger team, with several attacks down the wing leaving Kiwi on the back foot. A corner came in within the 25th minute mark, narrowly missing the goal. The boys countered Kiwi with force throughout the first half, surrounding the goal like a pack of Lions to a Zebra. Unfortunately we were unable to hit the net in the first 45, and we left the Kiwi boys shell shocked as they prepared to brace themselves for another 45 minutes of hell.

The second half saw Stuart McGunnigle make his appearance to the field, looking hungrier than ever he dominated their left winger and kept solidity at the back. 60 minutes in, Earlsfield were still on the hunt for their goal, and it came from absolute wizardry as a corner was cleared out the box from Kiwi, only to sit kindly for James Croft, who dummied the ball onto his left foot, selling the defender a Twix bar, and curled a beautiful shot into the bottom corner of the net. 1-0 Earlsfield, the crowd were going nuts! Kiwi were struggling to get anywhere near our box, and were forced to play side to side in their own half. We continued to hold firm and Kiwi were getting desperate. It was then in the 85th minute that we pounced on the break, with Alex Sampson receiving the ball on the right, lifting a ball over to the left for the magician James Croft to beautifully cross the ball back into the box for Alex Sampson to leap like a salmon on speed and head home for 2-0! The boys had done it. After 4 games they’d finally got the win they were craving for against Kiwi.

We now go into the Quarter Finals against Peckham Phoenix in the new year. The hunt for silverware and promotion is still on for Earlsfield, they just have to keep performing!