Fulbourn Institute Football Club

Reported by Dickie, Fulbourn FC Chairman

This away fixture is never easy as Wratting don’t give you much and are always competitive right to the end.

But Fulbourn were up for the battle and with the experience in the side blended with youth and skill they needed to get the poor defending of recent games out of their system to get a result.

After an early attempt by the home side [playing up the slope] to assert their authority on the game the reserves got into some good positions and Jason lynch lead the line well giving defenders no time to settle.

This inspired flank men Tom Dance and Damien Barker to attack their full backs. This pressure caused the home side to give free kicks away in dangerous areas from which Chris Tovey can exploit, and it was from a free kick on the left side of the penalty area that Fulbourn took the lead when his curling shot evaded everyone on the near post.

The defence looked more comfortable as a solid back four which made life easier for Dockers in goal.

Playing up hill in the second half and a bright sun low in the sky making it difficult for Fulbourn it could have been a difficult 15 minutes but my fears were unfounded as they took their attack to the other end and created chances of their own.

A second goal was required to make the game safe and it came from another set piece when Rob Saunders met Chris Toveys delivery with aplomb heading firmly into the far corner.

When Jason Lynch was upended in the box with the clock ticking down Chris stepped up but he failed to hit the target to cap a fine performance, but 2- 0 was enough to secure the points.

A much better performance but still room for improvement.

Match report by: Dickie

Fulbourn had already beaten the league leaders twice since the season started but were without Ibby, suffering from a knee injury from the previous Saturday.

Within 2 minutes of the start Mousa Kamara beat the keeper with a fine left foot cross shot into the top corner.The lead lasted less than 3 minutes when Jamie Cullum was adjudged to have fouled his opponent just inside the box. For once Lee Hulyer guessed wrong and it was 1-1.

The game was full of passion and both sides were looking to create chances but it was a poor defensive header in the Fulbourn defence which gave Linton a half time lead when there was no real danger.

The second half proved just as entertaining as the first and Fulbourn with Jordan Trainier having a great game alongside Mousa were looking hard to get on level terms with a great chance for Martin Turner going begging and a stone cold penalty on Mousa being turned down by a disappointing referee. Final score 1-2 Mousa

.

Reported by Dickie, Fulbourn FC Chairman

The first team were away at Ely City Reserves and had gone into a 5-0 lead at half time. A further two goals were added to the total with just a single goal in reply from the home side. Goal scorers for Fulbourn were Matt Lilley – 3, John Fear – 1, Mark Baxter – 1, Mousa Kamara – 1 and the returning Martin Turner – 1.

After last weeks great cup win at Soham the Reserves were back in league action. The visitors were lying in third place and this was going to be a tough encounter so a good start was needed. Fulbourn were playing neat, attractive football compared with the more direct approach by the visitors.

The opening goal came when Adam Langford crossed from the left and although the defenders kept out the first shot, Rob Saunders thumped in the rebound. Chris Tovey was on target direct from a free kick on the left but slack covering from the left side allowed West Row to narrow the lead before half time. Jason Lynch was having a fine game up front and his ability to shield the ball from defenders was proving a big problem for the visitors.

His penetrating runs were also creating chances for colleagues but they failed to get on the end of his good work. Lynch found himself in good positions twice and West Row paid the penalty when he clinically finished off the visitors resistance. A good win for the Reserves with another big challenge next week at home to CUP Reserves.

The A team were unfortunately unable to hold off the challenge of Balsham who ran out 5-0 winners. Hopefully they can get a result against Hundon next Saturday in their penultimate league match of the season.

Reported by Dickie, Fulbourn FC Chairman

Fulbourn were facing three difficult fixtures. The first team always have close encounters with Water beach and this again proved to be the case. They had to come from behind twice through Joe Bidwell and Mark Baxter to earn a point.
I tried to keep an eye on two very competitive games on the Recreation ground but it proved to be quite difficult .
The reserves were up against league leaders Fenstanton and the A team had a local derby against Abington Utd who had taken runaway leaders Linton Reserves right to the wire the previous week.
The reserves game was competitive right from the start and you could see signs of why the visitors are in top place.
The last thing Fulbourn wanted to do was concede an early goal but they got caught down the left flank and a shot driven in hit the post ,ricocheted out to the right and before a home defender could react the ball was dispatched beyond Paul Dockerill.
Fulbourn were creating chances and the visitors keeper never looked comfortable under pressure from set pieces.
It was from a Jordan Turner corner on the right that Adam Langford volleyed superbly to equalise. Jason Rye then had a great chance to snatch the lead from another corner but shot wide. The second half saw more chances for the home team but the ball didn’t drop kindly for Tom Dance or Adam Langford.
Fenstanton were still a threat but the defence did well to keep them out . Chris Tovey ,son Tom and Josh Blakeman,combined well in the centre of midfield in defence and attack. A late flurry of corners from the visitors tested the home defence but they held firm to take a well earned point.
The A team needed to be on top of their game to match Abington and they looked comfortable early on but a miskick saw them concede a soft goal and a second soon followed .
Leo Longo pulled back a goal before half time to keep them in the game, then manager Andy Seddon had his say.
The pep talk had its effect and two goals from Shaun Tabor one a late penalty sealed all three points.
From what I saw there was plenty of spirit combined with some good football which was enjoyable to watch.

Well done lads.

Reported by Dickie, Fulbourn FC Chairman
Fulbourn were facing three difficult fixtures. The first team always have close encounters with Water beach and this again proved to be the case. They had to come from behind twice through Joe Bidwell and Mark Baxter to earn a point.
I tried to keep an eye on two very competitive games on the Recreation ground but it proved to be quite difficult .
The reserves were up against league leaders Fenstanton and the A team had a local derby against Abington Utd who had taken runaway leaders Linton Reserves right to the wire the previous week.
The reserves game was competitive right from the start and you could see signs of why the visitors are in top place.
The last thing Fulbourn wanted to do was concede an early goal but they got caught down the left flank and a shot driven in hit the post ,ricocheted out to the right and before a home defender could react the ball was dispatched beyond Paul Dockerill.
Fulbourn were creating chances and the visitors keeper never looked comfortable under pressure from set pieces.
It was from a Jordan Turner corner on the right that Adam Langford volleyed superbly to equalise. Jason Rye then had a great chance to snatch the lead from another corner but shot wide. The second half saw more chances for the home team but the ball didn’t drop kindly for Tom Dance or Adam Langford.
Fenstanton were still a threat but the defence did well to keep them out . Chris Tovey ,son Tom and Josh Blakeman,combined well in the centre of midfield in defence and attack. A late flurry of corners from the visitors tested the home defence but they held firm to take a well earned point.
The A team needed to be on top of their game to match Abington and they looked comfortable early on but a miskick saw them concede a soft goal and a second soon followed .
Leo Longo pulled back a goal before half time to keep them in the game, then manager Andy Seddon had his say.
The pep talk had its effect and two goals from Shaun Tabor one a late penalty sealed all three points.
From what I saw there was plenty of spirit combined with some good football which was enjoyable to watch.

Well done lads.

Kershaw Premier League Sat 21st Jan 2012 KO 2pm
Match report by: Elmo

A wet and windy afternoon at Linton rec provided the setting for probably the best performance of the season. With a boggy pitch and a few absentees, a change of system was adopted with mike evans in goal, ali, ibby, elmo and Jamie Cullum in the back four. A midfield 5 of matt lilley, baxter, chris tovey, fearo and bidders with turns up top on his own. Playing against the wind first half in testing conditions, we soon began to adapt ourselves to the way we had set out to play. The midfield 5 were hunting as a pack and allowing the linton boys minimal time on the ball and turns was providing some excellent hold up play bringing in particular matt lilley and bidders into play on the wings, and with 15 mins gone matt was unlucky to not have found the net as we were able to get him in behind down the left, his pace and composure causing all sorts of problems. Linton were trying to get in behind the back 4 but with the exception of a great strike from lintons no. 10 that clipped the bar, rarely threatened the confident mike in goal. With both full backs keeping nice and tight to the dangerous wingers and stopping them from playing. We almost took the lead with half hour gone, an excellent corner from baxter landing at matt lilleys feet and with more time than he thought he stabbed a shot off from 6 yards that ended up in the side netting. Unfortunate and would have been just reward from a great first half display.

The second half started in similar vein to the first, we were closing down hurrying the opposition into mistakes and looking dangerous when we broke. On 55 mins we took a deserved lead. A long ball by mikey in goal was allowed to bounce by the linton defence and martin turner bravely got his head in (considering he was sporting a lump from a first half clash of heads), before the on rushing linton keeper into the empty net. This was lintons cue to pick up the pace and they began to see more of the ball but be it by slide tackles, headers, interceptions or blocks, they couldn’t fashion a clear cut chance against a determined defense and if they did manage to get in behind ibby or elmo were on hand to scrub out the danger. With 20 mins left we got the killer goal, toves (having another superb game in the heart of midfield) once again won a crucial tackle that set fearo off with the ball, he timed his pass to perfection for baxter who carried it into the box and smashed a shot past the linton keeper. 2-0. We had opportunities to add to the scoreline but more importantly shut up shop at the back. Jordan and musa came on for the exhausted bidders and battle wounded turns. The performance was a real testament to all the work sean has done with us in training. Work rate, positioning, desire, keeping it simple with the ball and working for each other. To keep probably the most potent attack in the league quite for 90 mins is a credit to all involved with the first team. That is how we want to play week in week out.

Man of the match: Martin Turner (but in truth to pick 1 from any who played is harsh as everyone performed to the best of their abilities)

League Div 3A

Before Kick off a minutes silence was held in memory of Doug Bailey who lost his battle against cancer last week. Doug played for Fulbourn before moving to Saffron Walden and became a very talented and respected player. He had Lived in Comberton for a few years and was held in very high regard by those involved in the village club.
He had many friends from Fulbourn going back to schooldays.
On behalf of FIFC i would like to send our sincere condolences to his family

The A team were looking to continue there winning run against bottom team Comberton reserves but they soon realised the visitors were not going to be a push over. Fulbourn eventually got there noses in front when Ryan Carter headed a cross from the right beyond the keepers reach. The home team doubled there lead when a perfectly placed free kick from Shaun Tabor found the head of Chris Ogram. Some slack passing allowed the visitors to gain some momentum and the Fulbourn defenders had to work hard to go in to half time with a two goal advantage.
It was obvious that the home team needed a third goal to make the game safe but chances cam and went before Shaun Tabor took advantage when a shot was blocked and it fell nicely for him to finish in style.
Comberton weren”t finished and they got the goal they deserved after pinching the ball from a defender and squeezing a shot inside Matts near post.
A satisfying result on a sticky pitch against a side who in the past have been a thorn in our side with regards results.
It proved a good day all round with the first team winning away against table topping Linton Granta, Mark Baxter and Martyn Turner scoring in a good all round performance.
Not to be outdone, the Reserves came out on top of a penalty shoot out against Duxford United 4-3 after drawing 1-1.
Jordan Turner was the marksman in this Kershaw intermediate cup quarter final tie.

Kershaw Senior League - Saturday 3 December 2011

The last time these two sides met, it was Fulbourn who were pulling the strings (in the Terry Willson Memorial Trophy Final) but they could not have had a worse start than conceding three goals in the first quarter of an hour.

The first came from a corner on the right and Nick Baggeley met it with an unchallenged header to put Shelford 1-0 up.

The second came when Neil Elsom tried to guide a cross from the right out of play but managed to find his own net.

Former Fulbourn player Buster Harradine was taking free kicks and corners from both sides and it seemed that Shelford had decided to put Fulbourn under pressure whenever they got the chance. It was from a left wing corner that Fulbourn failed to get away that the third goal came.

This left Fulbourn with a mountain to climb and they needed a goal before halftime but it didn’t come despite some great runs into the box from Matt Lilley and some good goalkeeping from the visitor’s keeper. Fulbourn had looked the better side after their disastrous start but got no reward.

The second half started with Fulbourn knowing they needed to get an early goal but Shelford would not yield until late in the game when Simon Swinton thumped home a free kick from the edge of the area.

With only minutes to go a Shelford player got into the box and was brought down by Ibby who was judged to be the last defender. He was sent off and although the referee had handled the game reasonably well, I thought he could have used a bit of sensible man management but he then proceeded to give a second yellow card to Mark Baxter which left a rather sour taste in the mouth because this game had been keenly contested but without malice.

Shelford deserved to win but those sendings off were perhaps unnecessary.

Next game: 10 Dec 2011, Fulbourn Institute Vs Hardwick (Away)

Kershaw Premier League

Match report by: Dickie

Ely turned up with a majority of their A team as they had withdrawn one team from the League the previous day. Fulbourn started well and hoped for an early goal but it didn’t come and they became more anxious as time went on.

A bit of good fortune came with the first goal when the goal keeper failed to cut out Simon Swinton’s cross shot from the left and managed to divert the ball into his own net.

Chances came and went before Lee Dawson took responsibility when he found himself in a good position on the right and drilled the ball hard and low to make a 2-0 score line at half time.

Fulbourn had to work hard against a side who were not going to lay down but goals started to come. A brace from Mark Baxter, a header from Neil Elsom and a delightful strike from fit again Matt Lilley secured a 6-0 score line at full time.

Although this fixture clashed with Cambridge United’s FA Cup encounter with Wrexham there was a good size crowd to watch this tie between two teams who have experienced keenly contested rivalry in recent seasons.

The Press stated off at a good tempo and Fulbourn had to defend resolutely in the early stages but they gradually began to get into the game and test the home defence.

In the latter stages of the first half Fulbourn found a gap in the Press defence and goalkeeper Joe Egan found himself trying to defend his goal without any cover. Mark Baxter is your man on these occasions and he drove his shot into the far corner of the net from the right of the six yard box to break the deadlock.

With half time approaching Fulbourn won a corner on the left and Simon Swinton delivered for Karl Booth to head strongly home to double the lead. The home team pushed forward but failed to reduce the arrears before half time.

With a two goal cushion Fulbourn were determined to blunt the Press attacks and Ibby Abutarboush was outstanding in defence and the rest of the lads weren’t far behind.

Changes were made when Shaun Frost came on for Mike Evans and then we saw Marl Lilley back in action after being out for so long. His pace was always going to cause problems.

Lee Runham had worked hard down the left tracking back to give Elmo cover. A tiring Lee Dawson who had kept the centre of midfield in good shape was replaced by Jordan Trayner and it was beginning to open up as Press pushed forward.

Johnny Fear latched on to a through ball and outwitted the defender before drawing the keeper and slotting home. Delight from the rest of the lads as he was engulfed in celebration.

Great performance in a very entertaining game and sensible referring by the experienced Jairo Marin.

Cambs Challenge Cup, Glassworld Stadium, Histon

Match report by: Dickie