Match Preview

The Match

Worcester Park sent a solid five minute long warning signal to their SCFL opposition in early doors, winning approximately 73 corners in the first five minutes. With skipper Gary Knowelden whipping in his trademark pinpoint set pieces it was only a matter of time until these resulted in a chance. When one of the many early deliveries came swirling in, a weak clearance allowed Mark Waters to shake the defender off and send a shot into orbit.

Mark Waters bring the ball down, shaking off a defender... ...shoots... ...but sends his shot high.
The next five minutes were all Lingfield though, as they controlled the ball. Sammy Clements and Jake Horn showed some nice touches in midfield, and were two of the few players to do so in the opening third. In fact, despite a few chances created at either ends, the whole first half was pretty low on quality. Both sides were finding first touches bouncing just beyond reach, and passes causing the recipients to stretch, killing momentum.

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On fifteen minutes, Nick Dembele, scorer of 14 league goals this season, tested Kevin Wheller at his near post, but the big stopper from Kingston was equal to it. Five minutes later, Dembele was at it again. His pace on the break got him clear, but he delayed his decision to shoot or pass, and the Park centre backs were able to smuggle the ball away.

Nick Dembele gets in a good position... ...but can't convert.
Dembele was a touch enigmatic to be honest. Rapid, and able to run at the same pace with or without the ball, it would just be nice if he could ever look as though he actually has it under control. He remained a danger on the break throughout, but regularly lost possession just as it looked as though Lingfield could threaten.

This was about the brightest spell of the game for the Lingers, but it couldn’t last. As soon as the clock hit 30, Worcester Park began to dominate. A 32nd minute snapshot by Waters was easily pushed wide by Olly Moore in goal, and when Knowelden got another fine delivery right on the edge of the six yard box, Waters – who was coming more and more to the fore – flicked his header wide.