This game featured the debut of Josh Hutchinson and he looked a good addition to the squad, holding the ball up well in a two-man attacking force and laying off intelligent passes with speed and accuracy to open up the Lions’ defence.
It was a good debut but he was upstaged by Jack Taylor, himself making a kind of debut with his first start after two substitute appearances. He totalled a quiet 48 minutes in those previous matches but compensated for that in this one.
Skilful ball control and an ability to read the game caught the eye from the start. Taylor’s capacity to stay in the fight and chase from end to end right to the final whistle became more noticeable as the game wore on.
The former Watford under-18 player topped it all off with the opening goal at the midpoint of the first half. Reece Beckles-Richards’ cross from the right was cleared from in front of goal and low out beyond the penalty area. Taylor came from deep to meet the ball and hit it first time from inside the D. Keeper Nathan Bloohn was wrong footed by a deflection and could do nothing to stop the goal.
It cemented a turn round in the game. The visitors had had the better of the opening ten minutes and Ware were barely able to escape from their own half. With Hutchinson and Taylor new to the starting line up it was possible that the team needed time to settle down with the new faces.
Once again Ware had three centre backs and two attacking full backs but with Jay Rolfe and David Sota back after missing the previous week’s game there was a better balance to the side. Sami Moutawafiq returned to his more natural midfield role and seemed to enjoy it especially pinging in accurate free kicks and corners.
Johnny Allotey and Theo Ofori were both named on the bench but one imagines they were only going to be called on if the game was going against Ware. Both have been injured and were perhaps being saved, if possible, for the Hertford game.
As a result, Ware’s attack had an unusual feel to it with Hutchinson and Beckles-Richards working to support each other. The latter’s appearance driving in from the right in the move that led to the opening goal was unexpected.
If it comes to it, it will take some time to be weaned off the idea of a wide man jinking his way forward and into the penalty area. There is still room for Allotey and Ofori, hopefully refreshed from their time off.
The only time one or other of them might have been called on in this game was about midway through the second half. A referee’s decision was disputed by the visitors and the talking, which at one point spread to the Lions’ bench, took what looked like an unnecessarily long time to resolve. By the time play resumed the impetus had gone out of Ware’s game and thoughts turned to the possibility of a reinvigorating substitution.
It turned out not to be necessary and Ware recaptured their form continuing to create opportunities in front of their opponents’ goal. By this time Ware were two goals to the good, Jack Grosvenor having converted a Moutawafiq corner shortly after half time with a close range header as the Lions defence failed to shut him down.
There were more chances not least when David Sota crossed and Beckles-Richards was wide with a good chance. This was followed later by Jay Rolfe’s header that Bloohn somehow cradled on the goal line from close range.
A third goal came ten minutes from the end of normal time and once again from close range. Grosvenor headed the ball back across the face of goal and Beckles-Richards nodded it home at the far post unchallenged by the defence.
Ware’s December revival continued and against a side that had itself been on the up with a run of four wins. For the second week running Ware did not incur any cards from the referee, a sign in itself that confidence in their form is growing through the squad.
Line-ups and cards.
Ware: Max Woodford, Gabriel Ward, Josh Okotcha, Sami Moutawafiq, Jay Rolfe, Jack Grosvenor (C), Rechan Esprit (Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo 86mins), Jack Taylor, Reece Beckles-Richards (Gabriel Chapps 82mins), Josh Hutchinson, David Sota. Unused subs: Theo Ofori, Max Granville, Johnny Allotey.
London Lions: Nathan Bloohn, Daniel Gillary, Benjamin Weinberger (Henry Seligman 84mins), Adam Lipman (C), Nathan Merris, Jake Rinsler, Jack Mattey (Oscar Simmons 92mins), Joshua Shack, Oscar Wagner (Zak Jackson 56mins), Max Davis, Adam Burchell (Noah Helfgott 84mins).
Yellow card: Adam Lipman 29mins.
