Match Report versus St Panteleimon (15/1/22)

By Peter Courtnage

St Panteleimon 0 Tadley Calleva 5

This was another excellent all round team display against a side considered to be one of the main title contenders at the beginning of the season. We started the game on the front foot and took full control of the midfield from the outset. Aaron Parfitt was again in impressive form in the central role ably supported by a rejuvenated Max Elward. New signing Mark Vockins made his debut at full back with Aiden Harris asked to play further forward. Callum Cleary took the left side of a midfield four and he was causing the home side all sorts of problems during the early stages. St Pantelemon were finding the front two of Denham and Wright difficult to handle and equally could find no way through a very solid looking back line skippered by Tom Walsh.

Brad Neal and Shaun Dallimore comfortably dealt with the direct approach.

Unfortunately, Vockins debut was cut short as he was forced off with an injury to be replaced by Scott Kinge on 25 minutes. Harris dropped back into his familiar full back role with Kinge going into midfield. We didn't have to wait too much longer for the opening goal after an excellent cross field pass from Shaun Dallimore on the 28th minute found Brett Denham in acres of space and he was able to lift the ball over the advancing keeper from the edge of the box. We deservedly doubled our lead 10 minutes later when a well driven Aaron Parfitt corner was powerfully headed home on the run by Shaun Dallimore from 8 yards out.

The game was effectively over as a contest a few minutes after the re-start. A long throw in from Brad Neal was flicked on by Scott Kinge for Denham head into the roof of the net for his second of the match and make it 3-0. Midway through the second half Ben Wright scored two further goals. The first was down to hard work and persistence as he beat the advancing keeper to a 50-50 ball before slamming into an empty net. His second, a few minutes later, was via the penalty spot after Nico Campbell was penalised for handball. To their great credit St Panteleimon never gave up going forward and Craig Atkinson was forced into a smart save by Said El Azizi. They did have the ball in the net late on, but this was rightly ruled out for offside. However, with the introduction of Kieran Maylen and Jacob Rolfe to re-fresh the midfield, they did leave themselves exposed to the counter and only some profligacy in front of goal, the woodwork and an offside flag that denied Ben Wright from claiming his hat-trick, prevented us from adding to the scoreline.

Joint Managers Ben Dillon and Joe Lawler, along with their backroom team, can be rightly proud and pleased with the team's performance after making the long journey to North London.

Tadley are next in action on Saturday 22nd January away at Virginia Water.

Tadley Calleva: Craig Atkinson, Mark Vockins (sub 25' Scott Kinge), Tom Walsh (C), Brad Neal, Shaun Dallimore, Max Elward (sub 75' Jacob Rolfe), Aiden Harris, Aaron Parfitt (sub 65' Kieran Maylen), Brett Denham, Ben Wright, Callum Cleary