Vale prove fortune favours the brave
FOOTBALL JACOB Emanuel believes fortune favoured the brave as Hertswood Vale took a major step to winning the MGBSFL title with a hard-fought win over promotion rivals Redbridge JC B.
A game bereft of clear-cut chances was slugged out predominantly in midfield, with neither of the teams managing to string together more than five passes throughout.
The first half in particular was pretty dire, with both sides limited to pot-shots without any particular hold on the game.
Vale were superbly marshalled by goalkeeper Adam Zaidman, who produced an important save from Sam McCarthy midway through the second half, and defenders Ben Davis, Alex Trup, James Neidle and Ashley Hirschberger.
Just when it looked as though both teams had run out of ideas, Vale settled the contest with two fortuitous goals, but “both were testament to the team for never giving up,” according to Emanuel.
The first came when Josh Wood ran half the pitch to close down RJC goalkeeper Dan Lee, who smashed the ball against Wood’s back, looping it over him and into the net.
And Vale secured the points soon after when Jordan Harris chased down a sloppy pass and the ball rolled agonisingly into the net.
Vale joint-manager Emanuel said: “In a game which lacked any quality, we managed to force through a win when a draw looked most likely.
“Individually we struggled to show our quality, but as a team, it was an absolutely resolute defensive display with James Neidle and Co thwarting Redbridge on every occasion and limiting them to one solid chance on goal. Not even Nate Kashet could get a sniff on goal.”
The win took Vale to 37 points for the season and they will finish their campaign against Faithfold B on Sunday. Emanuel added: “We’ve got one game left in the league and we’re going to need to pull another quality performance out the bag to get us up to 40 points.”
RJC boss Richard Bronzite did not mince his words after the final whistle. He said: “It was a shocking game of football by two teams who can a lot better than they did today.
“I can honestly say it was a very boring game to watch, with hardly any chances from both sides and a draw would have been the fair result.
“The quality of Vale’s goals says it all. It was a game to forget. We need to bounce back next week if we want to compete for the title.”