W4-0

Scorers: Alastair Whatley (x2), Lik, Lucca Bilyard

Southgate were short of players mid week for this local tussle with WH&E 1’s team. Naturally come Saturday this meant the purple and white of the Oppo were outmatched almost 2-1 by the sea of Southgate Red shirts who had amassed on hearing the Flagons call. The team was  strong  not only in numbers and strangely for the Flagons (our over 40’s team) also youth, as debutantes Oscar Prior, Noah Lavy, Lucca Bilyard, Kabir Bowry, Phil Peters swelled the Flagons Flanks with swagger and verve.

Ever enthusiastic (and vocal) the Titans among Men gave bristling cameos in the shapely forms of Howie Wilson, Greg Wildisen and Ali Priestley before leaving us at the half time interval to take on St Albans on the Water.

The first half was spent largely in the opposition 23. Yet WH&E proved stout in defence and held off repeated circle incursions from our forwards and midfields led by Andy Robertson and James Pinney who worked tirelessly throughout yet we struggled to take advantage of the Southgate Possession in the D. A bit of class soon put that right as Lik stepped up to drag flick a PC into the top left netting leaving the Flagons 1-0 by half time.

Andy Buckle had pulled up with a sore leg and combined with the loss of our Titans the Flagons were back to playing with an almost normal sized squad for the second half- as with WH&E legs tiring the Flagons put some wind in the sails and started exerting sustained pressure down left and right channels. Alastair Whatley scored his first Flagon goal when opportunity knocked when a loose ball fell nicely within the D and despite, as is his custom, missing an entirely open goal in the interim (sorry Lik), followed it with a second goal shortly thus sending Southgate 3-0 to the good.

There were some strong counter attacks from WH&E but Phil Peters, Hodgie and Alessandro Onano combined with birthday boy Mike Hadden in goal to keep all attacks at bay.

Lucca Bilyard scored a cracker from the top of the D to compete the score line of 4-0 not before Mike H pulled off a fine save in the dying embers to keep a clean sheet and a decisive victory.

Thanks to umpires David Lloyd Williams and Neil Prior for umpiring the game played in good spirits by both teams.