Sunday 12th March 2006

Scorers:
Invicta: Willers (15), Hermitage (pen 35)
Chipstead: Felton (21), Derwish (25, 60), Moore (2 pens 41, 50)

Half Time 2 - 2

Man of the Match:
Jack Freke / Teddy Hallford Nye – Both players gave a solid hard working performance, keeping their shape and discipline, with Teddy often a threat in the first period.

Invicta looking for their 13th win in a row, not so much proved unlucky for them as they were outplayed for many parts of this game. The home side clearly up for this one, got stronger as the game went on and Invicta struggled to find an answer.

In recent weeks Invicta have started strongly and created chances early on that have given them an advantage that they have steadily built on. Today those chances were created with Teddy and Nicholls the providers but not taken with Tom Willers missing the target or being saved.

Willers did take an opportunity on 15 mins when Teddy put him through and finished well. Believing this would settle the away side, it was Chipstead who looked dangerous, especially down their right and Freke was having a busy morning. Chipstead equalised from a poorly marked corner and the ball fell to Felton whose sweet strike gave deputising Poore no chance.

The home side rallied and went ahead on 25 mins when Invicta failed to clear and another shot just inside the box from Derwish found the back of the net.

Invicta were given a lifeline on 35 when John King was adjudged to have handled in the box and Hermitage dispatched the penalty to make it 2-2 at the break and a chance for Invicta to re group and put the home sides defence under more pressure in the second half.

Any half time plans soon disintegrated as Thompson conceded a penalty within 90 seconds of the restart when a strong shoulder challenge felled the home forward and Moore beat Poore with a good strike. Ten minutes later another penalty, this one more clear cut as Thompson brought down Felton and Moore made it 4-2.

Invicta looked ragged and battled away without really threatening the home goal until it was 5-2 when Derwish headed home unmarked from a cross. Nicholls and Willers both got clear but blasted wide with only the keeper to beat and good work from Willers set up Hermitage but his shot was tipped over. Willers did hit a post before the end but this was not Invicta’s day.

The home side deserved the victory and it will be all about how well Invicta react in an away fixture v Surf next week.