Match Report: Loko v Putney Ferrets

Sunday 31st October 2010
Sportsmans League Division 3

Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 v Putney Ferrets 2

Hutton's Driven Goal Not Enough

It was a bare eleven Loko players that turned up on Halloween morning with our two main strikers, and two of last seasons top scorers, unavailable.  We still had a decent team and we set up with a 4-4-2 formation and started the game as we did the week before, passing the ball around really well and camped in their half.

The first chances fell Loko's way when good build up play between Adrian and Rhyce saw a ball into James laid off to Dale who hit his shot about two inches over the top left corner, moments later Terry swung over a corner and found Dale unmarked just outside the six yard box but Dale couldn't direct it down and it also went just over the crossbar.

Vincent was winning the tackles in midfield and Loko were using the wide men well but out of nowhere and on pretty much their first attack we were behind, they attacked with numbers and put the ball into the box, we swung and failed to clear twice, it came through to the back post and they had two unmarked, one shot and Gary could only kick it straight back to them instead of finding touch and they tapped home the rebound.

Loko responded well and were level within minutes, Terry swung over a corner and the defender failed to clear, Steve was first to the loose ball and headed towards DALE who took the ball on his chest, turned and slotted home from six yards out.

Ferrets had their only other shot on target in the first half when their midfielder turned inside and hit a very good drive which Gary did equally as well turning over the crossbar.  Ferrets started to get more physical, Dale had a stray hand to the face twice and was taken out from behind on another couple of occasions, then Terry was taken out extremely late and this resulted in the only booking of the game.

Loko had further chances in the first half, Terry was sent away by Dale but couldn't hit the target, Vincent nearly got through three tackles on the edge of their box but a good last ditch tackle blocked his shot and Dale almost got a drive from the edge of the box through but another good slide tackle sent it out for a corner.

The goal did come five minutes before half-time, Vincent found Dale in space in the centre circle, he knocked it forward to Rhyce who slipped a fantastic ball behind the centre back and left back, which TERRY (pictured above) ran onto and had his first shot saved but drilled a fantastic second shot into the bottom corner.

Half-Time Loko 2 v Putney Ferrets 1

With no substitutes, it was a case of keeping the shape and discipline in the second half.  Unfortunately, we never really started and Ferrets stepped up their game and this resulted in more play just inside our own half.

They were knocking the ball around well and won a few corners, Loko defended these solidly and tried to get forward when we could with Rhyce providing a good outlet and he was holding the ball up with his excellent ball skills.  They had a couple of goal mouth scrambles which saw Dale get in a slide tackle block and then Steve get in a block.

Ferrets continued to be physical and Terry was taken out again, from the free kick Rhyce found Dale on the edge of the box but he could only curl the ball a yard wide of the post, then Rhyce and Vincent worked the ball well and Rhyce got a shot away which was tipped around the post by the keeper at full stretch with a very good save.

Putney increased the pressure and one of their players had too much time unmarked on the back of the penalty area but he could only shoot wide and they headed another corner wide after a good defensive leap to put them off by Chris.

You could see Loko were tiring and they were enjoying the lions share of possession but in the main we restricted them to long range efforts but we failed to do the simple things like hold the ball up front and take our time to get organised, we were rushing things and surrending possession and field position on too many occassions.

Loko were unlucky not to extend their lead when Rhyce had a goal disallowed, Morris played a great ball over the defence, Rhyce beat the keeper to the ball, rounded him and slipped home only to have the goal disallowed for off-side, it was a very close decision.

Their equaliser came with ten minutes remaining and it was another sloppy goal, they had a free kick just inside our half which they floated to the back post, there was no Loko challenge on a player who had slipped his marker and he had a free header from eight yards out, Gary who had started to come but got nowhere near it, was easily lobbed and Ferrets got a relatively soft equaliser.

The last five minutes saw a midfield battle and Loko could and should have won when a Terry corner was headed back across the area by Steve and Adrian had a free header from six yards in front of goal but could only head over the crossbar.

They had a goal disallowed when a glanced header home was called offside by the referee before the ball had hit the net, and there were few complaints with the decision.  The last action saw Rhyce jink into the box but instead of pulling the ball back for a tap in, he hit his shot over the bar.

The result on balance of play was probably fair as we shaded the first half then them the second, but Loko had more clear cut chances and again couldn't hit the net enough to kill the game allowing them to come back late in the second half.  At least we are creating the chances!

Final Score Loko 2 v Putney Ferrets 2

Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"We had some players missing this week but I thought we put up a good showing.  We could and should have been further ahead by the break and missed a number of chances to build a lead.  In the second half, they stepped up their game and we didn't do the basics well enough, we were sloppy in possession and the shape, which had worked so well in the first half, disappeared as players tired.

I thought we created some clear cut chances and worked the ball around well, Gary wasn't worked too hard in goal and credit goes to the back four for working hard towards the end.

I'm a little disappointed with their goals, we had chances to clear our lines for their first and failed to do so which was combined with us not picking up at the far stick, the second was slack marking again mixed with indecisive keeping, we have to stop making things easy for our opponents, in the space of two seconds from the free kick being taken the man found five yards of space eight yards out, unacceptable.

Let's look at the positives, some good football for sixty minutes, we never looked like conceding apart from a couple of scrambles in the box, and we picked up a good point."

Team
1. Gary
2. Morris
3. Stefano
4. Chris
5. Steve (c)
6. Vincent
7. Terry
8. Dale
9. James
10. Rhyce
11. Adrian

Goals
Dale (1)
25th Minute - A Terry corner was headed down by Steve, Dale chested the ball down and turned to fire home from six yards.
Terry (1)
40th Minute - Dale played the ball into Rhyce who slipped it behind the defender for Terry to chase, his first shot was blocked but he drilled the rebound into the bottom corner.

Man of the Match
Rhyce - I thought he did really well at picking up the ball and not letting go of it, they struggled to get it off him.  He was composed throughout and comfortable on the ball, his through ball for Tel was a delight.

Match Report by Dale Mellor.

Captains Corner: October 2010

Your Captain Steve Haley:
"I'm sure most of you will agree it's been a frustrating start to the season, I stand by what I said last time that this is the strongest squad Loko have had for a while but for whatever reason things just haven't quite clicked yet.

Discounting the 8-0 game we have played some good stuff for long periods of each game but cannot seem to kill teams off and silly errors or lapses in concentration have been cruelly punished almost everytime costing us dearly.

On a positive note the cup victory over London Rangers was excellent and showed we have a fighting spirit especially compared to last season when we lost both cup games in extra time. This has given us a great chance of winning some long overdue silver wear to be proud of.

I know in recent games there has been a touch of unrest amongst certain players on the field, this shouldn't be taken to heart but interpreted as a passion and desire to win which some players show differently than others.

We have a big game this weekend against Putney Ferrets who last season thought fit to deface our website so it's time to pull together and fight for each other just as we did in the cup game and get our season back on track."

Match Preview: Loko v Putney Ferrets

Competition: Sportsmans League Division 3
Opponents: Putney Ferrets (H)
Date: 31st October 2010
Kick Off Time: 10.30am
Meeting Time: 9.30am
Location: Raynes Park Playing Fields, Raynes Park
Directions: Get the train from either London Waterloo (20 Min), Vauxhall (15 Min) or Clapham Junction (10 Min) direct to Raynes Park. Walk out of the station and head south down Grand Drive, about 15 Min walk to the playing fields on your left, just past the mini roundabout and road called Southway. See the map.
Subs: £7 (£3.50 subs/substituted)
See Map:


View Larger Map
Squad: Dale / Gary / Morris / James / Steve / Terry / Stefano / Adrian / Rhyce / Vincent / Chris

Not Available: Dave / Roger / Ivan / Ismail / Daniel / Aaron / George

Sportsmans Division 3 Results

Sunday 24th October 2010
Kew Antigua 'C' 1 v Invictus 2
Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 v Greyhound 5
Mass 3 v London Rangers 2
Putney Ferrets 4 v Valtaro Wasteels 'B' 0
Worcester Park Rangers 6 v Parklife 'B' 0

The table has now been updated.

Match Report: Loko v Greyhound

Sunday 24th October 2010
Sportsmans League Division 3

Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 v Greyhound 5

Gifted Goals & Misses Not A Good Mix

The scoreline does not do justice to what was a relatively positive performance from Loko this cold but sunny Sunday in October.  The team played some good passing football but could not convert enough of the numerous chances they created and gave away some sloppy goals to gift the points to Greyhound.

Loko started on the front foot and started passing the ball around really well.  Terry and James were giving us good width and twice he put balls in the box and first Roger then Dave could only head wide when in a good position.  Shortly after Dave jinked past two challenges on the edge of the box but couldn't get a shot away and then Vincent had a shot blocked by the defender.

The goal came with twenty five minutes gone when DALE (pictured above) picked up the ball in the middle of the park, turned his man and hit a shot from thirty yards that took a slight deflection off a defender and found the top corner to give Loko the lead.  The chances kept coming and it was one way traffic, Roger found Dale on the right wing and he curled a ball behind the defence for Terry whose shot was deflected wide for a corner.  Then from a corner, the ball fell for Chris who hooked a shot onto the crossbar and over.

It had been a strong start but then Loko switched off and the rest of the half belonged to Greyhound, they won a corner and swung it in, Gary shouted, the defenders stopped and Gary didn't get there with the deflected ball landing nicely for an easy six yard strike.

Unfortunately, Loko heads went and the team started to make mistakes, Aaron should have shielded the ball out for a goal kick but the defender got round him too easily and with the striker going nowhere he was pulled back and a penalty was given.  They picked out the bottom corner and Gary didn't stand a chance.

Dale almost scored again when he managed to get past three players in midfield and drill another shot from thirty yards a few inches over the bar. 

However, the mistakes continued, they won a free kick just in our half, hoofed in a highball which Gary couldn't deal with and the ball was palmed straight to their player for a tap in.  In the space of ten minutes we had gone from being comfortably in charge and 1-0 up to 3-1 down.

The half was completed when they played a few passes in midfield, and slipped a ball behind Aaron at full back, James didn't track their wide man and the ball hit the net for the fourth time in fifteen minutes.

Half-Time Loko 1 v Greyhound 4

Ivan swapped with Stefano at half-time with Aaron going to right back and Ivan on the left, Dale said that we had played some good stuff but individual errors were costing us yet again, let's get out their and get at them early and hard.

Loko started quite well again and spent a considerable amount of time in the second half pressing in and around their penalty area.  Greyhound set up for the counter attack and looked dangerous on the breakaway on numerous occasions, with Loko now throwing men forward the game was very open.

George replaced James then Morris replaced Aaron within five minutes of each other and Loko kept trying to take the game to Greyhound.  Terry was twice played in behind the full back by Dale, the first time he couldn't get their ahead of the defender and the second time he got their ahead of the keeper and tried to lob him but the keeper saved it without really knowing how.

George and Vincent linked well in midfield and the ball was played into Roger who turned the defender and had a clear sight of goal but could only pull the ball wide.  Greyhound also created some chances and on one particular counter attack they hit the post and the ball deflected away, they then forced Gary into two good saves low to his right.

They scored another soft goal when the ball found their midfielder completely unmarked just outside the area and he hit a low shot towards the bottom corner that should have been stopped by a defender or saved by Gary, but neither reacted and the score went to 5-1.

Fair play to the lads, they continued attacking and in spells created some good chances, Dave and Terry both got in the box and were taken out, with legitimate claims for penalties but nothing was forthcoming from the referee, then Roger got into the box on the angle but pulled his shot into the side netting.

The second Loko goal did come when Roger played DAVE in down the left side of the box, he took on his man and curled a shot into the far bottom corner, from just inside the byeline for a very good goal from an acute angle.

Dale could have had another when the keeper dropped the ball and picked it up again resulting in an indirect free kick, the gaffer hit a drive which one of the eleven on the line blocked then the rebound was also driven and cleared on the line for a second time.

On another day, with less mistakes and much much better finishing the result could have been so different.

Final Score Loko 2 v Greyhound 5

Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"Another lesson learned this week, we cannot have spells during a game when we lose concentration like we did in that twenty minute spell before half time.  We had controlled the first twenty five minutes then gave away a goalmouth scramble, a silly penalty and a flap at a cross by Gary and we cannot keep coming back in games.

The communication was better but can still be improved and we have to start listening now and laying off the ball when we get in their area, so many times we could have pulled it back for on rushing players but we were too selfish.  Talk and listen in future.

On to the next game and let's start by doing the basics."

Team Line Up
1. Gary
2. Stefano
3. Aaron
4. Chris
5. Steve (c)
6. Vincent
7. Terry
8. Dale
9. Dave
10. Roger
11. James
12. Ivan (Replaced Stefano 45th Minute)
13. George (Replaced James 50th Minute)
14. Morris (Replaced Aaron 55th Minute)

Goals
Dale (1)
20th Minute - Thirty yard strike with a slight deflection off the defender into the top corner.
Dave (1)
75th Minute - Skinned his man on the byline and curled into the far corner.

Man of the Match
Terry - Had a great game out wide and gave us plenty of width, put in some excellent crosses and kept tracking back to support Stefano, Aaron then Morris.  George gets a mention for an excellent cameo in the second half, getting better with each game.

Match Report by Dale Mellor.

Match Preview: Loko v Greyhound

Competition: Sportsmans League Division 3
Opponents: Greyhound (H)
Date: 24th October 2010
Kick Off Time: 10.30am
Meeting Time: 9.30am
Location: Raynes Park Playing Fields, Raynes Park
Directions: Get the train from either London Waterloo (20 Min), Vauxhall (15 Min) or Clapham Junction (10 Min) direct to Raynes Park. Walk out of the station and head south down Grand Drive, about 15 Min walk to the playing fields on your left, just past the mini roundabout and road called Southway. See the map.
Subs: £7 (£3.50 subs/substituted)
See Map:


View Larger Map
Squad: Dale / Gary / Dave / Morris / Aaron / Ivan / Steve / Stefano / Chris / Terry / James / George / Vincent / Roger

Not Available: Ismail / Adrian / Daniel / Rhyce

Sportsmans Division 3 Results

Sunday 17th October 2010
Greyhound 0 v Kew Antigua 'C' 0
Invictus 3 v Putney Ferrets 1
London Rangers 8 v Lokomotiv Londres FC 0
Mass 4 v Real Northern 'B' 4
Wee Hoose Celtic 2 v Worcester Park Rangers 7

The table has now been updated.

Match Report: London Rangers v Loko

Sunday 17th October 2010
Sportsmans League Division 3

London Rangers 8 v Lokomotiv Londres FC 0

Poor Display By Scratch Loko Line Up

It was a disappointing week for numbers available and just an hour and a half before the game we only had ten players who were on their way, luckily we managed to get an eleventh at the last minute.

The game was pretty even for the first twenty minutes and the play was mostly around the middle of the park, they kept going long to their front two and Loko did the same.  It was looking promising when Aaron got in down the right but couldn't play a ball across the backline and then Daniel almost got a good shot away after being played in by Dale but the defender slid in well.

Unfortunately, a scrappy first goal for Rangers saw Loko heads drop and with players out of position throughout the park, the organisation and discipline from the week before was missing.  They scored so simply, a long throw, a flick on, Gary didn't come in his own penalty area and two defenders didn't jump, they headed against the crossbar and for the third time no challenge ment a tap in from two yards.

The second goal wasn't much better, no one closing down the cross and nobody within ten yards of the striker who headed in, the Loko players were ball watching.  A third came from a keeper error as Gary let the ball through his legs and gifted the third and a player got a yard of space in the box and his shot deflected into the bottom corner for the fourth.

Half-Time London Rangers 4 Loko 0

Dale couldn't really do much at half-time with no subs available and told the team to try and tighten up and just keep going.  With five players missing from the starting line up the week before, it was too much of an impossible task.

Loko started the second half ok and had some possession in and around the box, Rhyce (pictured above) was fouled and Aaron hit his shot a yard over the bar, then Daniel was taken out completely from behind nowhere near the ball and the defender was lucky to get away with a yellow, Rhyce hit his shot over the bar as well.

The fifth came on the counter attack through their right wing and should have been saved at the near post but found a way through.  The sixth was a very well taken free kick into the top corner and the seventh was a shot from outside the area that again should have been saved, it went in about two yards under the bar but Gary didn't really move for it.  The eighth went straight through Gary's hands again at the near post.

In reality the Railwaymen had given up at half time and stopped battling, didn't hold any kind of shape and stopped putting the tackles in.  They were not made to work for their goals, no challenge for the first, a keeper error for the third, two from outside the box and two at the keepers near post, which should never be hitting the back of the net.

Rhyce kept picking the ball up and skinned two and three at a time but he was unable to do it himself.  We did create some half chances from the edge of the area on four or five occasions but couldn't find the target with shots.  They were up for it more than us but we couldn't cope with too many regulars missing and had no organisation.  Aaron performed well and kept going to the end but the centre of midfield disappeared after sixty minutes and too many players stopped tracking back.

The big lad up front for them stamped studs first on Dale's leg and left a four inch gash just above the ankle and was his usual mouthy self, which is a shame because the best players in sunday league play with sportsmanship even when they are winning but he fails in that respect.  You have to be gracious in victory as well as defeat and he has shown that he isn't in either situation.  The rest of his team are a good bunch of lads who play the game in the right way, someone needs to have a word.

We will hopefully have the bulk of our regulars back next week and should be able to raise our level to where we have been playing.  Today was always going to be a struggle.

Final Score London Rangers 8 v Loko 0

Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"I knew coming into this weekend that we were struggling to get a team out, let alone one that could compete to the standards we have set in recent weeks.  We only managed to get eleven an hour before kick off and had players playing all over the place out of position.

We gifted them too many easy goals and didn't make them work for almost all of them.  Keeper mistakes and goals from outside the box and in at the near post should be being saved and we can't defend on the half way line in case they take long range shots.  Too many heads went down too early and that was the biggest disappointment, people gave up and lost discipline and you cannot do this in Sunday league, you have to be organised.

Unfortunately this was like Loko of old, no consistency with player availabiity again, some people have already missed two or three games out of six, and unless our regulars commit we won't achieved what we are capable of, especially with our back up squad who unfortunately showed today that they were not up for the battle."

Team Line Up
1. Gary
2. Stefano
3. Ivan
4. Vincent
5. Chris (c)
6. Morris
7. Aaron
8. Dale
9. James
10. Daniel
11. Rhyce

Man of the Match
Rhyce - He was far and away our best player, he battled for the whole 90 minutes and they struggled to get the ball off him, he was skinning two and three at a time, but unfortunately cannot do it all himself and wasn't ably supported by his teammates.

Match Report by Dale Mellor.

Match Preview: London Rangers v Loko

Competition: Sportsmans League Division 3
Opponents: London Rangers (A)
Date: 17th October 2010
Kick Off Time: 10.30am
Meeting Time: 9.30am
Location: Riverside Lands, Chiswick
Directions: Barnes Bridge crossing is by the london platform, once at end of barnes bridge, go down the steps and turn left and follow the path by the tracks until you come to a tunnel on your left, go under and follow the road back to the river until you arrive at Chiswick Boat House.
Subs: £7 (£3.50 Subs/Substituted)
See Map:


View Larger Map
Squad: Dale / Morris / James / Ivan / Stefano / Chris / Vincent / Gary / Daniel / Rhyce / Aaron

Not Available: Steve / Roger / Dave / Ismail / George / Terry / Adrian

Bert Gaby Challenge Cup Round 1 Results

Sunday 10th October 2010

Worcester Park Rangers 7 v Invictus 2

Valtaro Wasteels 'B' 9 v Star 1

Putney Ferrets 1 v Greyhound 6

Wee Hoose Celtic 3 v Lambeth United 3 AET (5-3 Pens)

Mass 9 v Parklife 'B' 2

Athletico Sky 2 v Inter Yalamb 1
London Rangers 2 v Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 AET (1-3 Pens)

Pacific Sporting Jubilee 0 v Clapham Rovers 'A' 11

FC Lonsdale 7 v Tooting Bec Rovers 0

Kew Antigua 'C' 4 v Hurlingham Energie 1

Razors 6 v Wessex Rangers 'B' 1
Real Northern 'B' 0 v Simon Ridge 1

Bert Gaby Challenge Cup Round 2 Draw - 14/11/10 - 10am KO
Lokomotiv Londres FC v Wee Hoose Celtic
Kew Antigua 'C' v Worcester Park Rangers
Greyhound v Mass
Valtaro Wasteels 'B' v FC Lonsdale
Bye - Athletico Sky
Bye - Razors
Bye - Simon Ridge
Bye - Clapham Rovers 'A'

Match Report: London Rangers v Loko

Sunday 10th October 2010
Bert Gaby Challenge Cup Round 1

London Rangers 2 v Lokomotiv Londres FC 2 (AET) (Pens 1-3)

Victory in Battle of Riverside

It was a glorious autumn Sunday that greeted the teams at Riverside Lands in Chiswick, the sun was shining in clear blue skies and the scene was set for a cracking game of football in the first round of the Bert Gaby Challenge Cup.  Unprecedented numbers for Lokomotiv meant that we had three players on standby and we had 17 out of 18 players wanting to play.

The game started with Loko on the back foot after the team failed to take in the managers warning that they would come at us early, in the first ten minutes we did not come to terms with the pace of the game and they had a couple of early chances. 

First one of their players turned Chris and got in on the angle but drilled a yard wide when he should have done better, then they did take the lead when they turned Chris again and drilled a good shot into the top corner.  Steve (pictured above) didn't have a chance with their goal and was his usual excellent self, marshalling the defence and ensuring that he provided great cover for the rest of the back four.

Loko finally started competing and putting in challenges, Rhyce was giving us good width on the right and he was linking well with Roger up front.  He got down the wing and put good balls over on two or three occasions but there was nobody in the box in time to get on the end of them.  Then Roger ran his man and got to the by-line but was unable to cut the ball back with both Dave and Dale attacking the box.

The game started getting very scrappy and both teams were committing fouls and getting upset with each other, the referee wasn't helping matters whistling for shoulder barges then letting full on challenges go.  It was a shame because you could see that both teams liked to get the ball down and play, however, the continual words and petty fouling spoiled the flow of the game.

Loko finally got into the game and won a corner when Aaron played the ball to Rhyce, he held the ball up and played it in to Dale who touched it past the defender and won the race with the defender and keeper on the edge of the six yard box but saw his shot deflect wide.  The corner came in but was cleared back to Rhyce, he floated a ball in and it dropped for Ivan to shoot, his shot was deflected and it landed to DALE at the back post eight yards out and he volleyed in to the roof of the net.

Half-Time London Rangers 1 v Loko 1

George had picked up an injury and along with Ivan, they were replaced by Morris and Stefano for the second half.  Dale asked everyone to pick up their game as we were second to too many first and second balls during the first half.

The second half was much more even and there were few clear cut chances for either team, with both teams reduced to a midfield battle and the whistle being blown every few seconds.  Rangers were appealing for fouls every challenge and it became a bit boring after a while, as they were giving just as much as they were getting but in the end it was a contest that both teams did not want to lose and it was a competitive game.

Dave and Roger were holding the ball up well and Roger almost got on to the end of a Dale ball over the top but their centre half, who had a really good game, managed to slide in and stop a certain one on one.  Morris was his usual self winning lots of tackles and doing the basics much better today and was starting to find his short passes.

The defence was much more solid and in the second half Chris had their tall striker in his pocket and stopped allowing him to turn so easily, with his back to our goal he was much less effective and Rangers were reduced to long range efforts from distance which never found the target.  The referee tried to help by continually giving them soft free kicks outside the box but they never threatened to score another.

Dave was struggling with an injury and we were out of outfield substitutes so he had to play on but this made things more difficult getting forward as Roger was effectively playing up front by himself. 

Rangers took the lead once again and they won't be gifted an easier goal all year, Steve and Terry failed to communicate between themselves as the ball rolled towards the area, Terry got there but the ball squirmed loose and their striker had an empty net to tap home.

The ball should have been cleared and the gaffer made it clear that from now on the ball must find the pitches at the other end of Riverside Lands.  To make matters worse, Terry was injured in the follow through and had to be replaced by Leigh for the remainder of the half.

Loko started to press and swung numerous balls into the box that Rangers were struggling to clear, they kept hitting the ball into touch and couldn't get out of their penalty area for five minutes, eventually the equaliser came when Aaron took a long throw into Dave's injured feet, he turned his man and floated a ball onto the six yard box where ROGER wrong footed the defender and keeper and headed back just inside the near post to take the game into extra time.

Full-Time Score London Rangers 2 v Loko 2

Extra time started and ended with nothing much of note happening other than Dale swapping with Leigh in goal as his ankle was hurting from a crunching challenge.

The extra thirty minutes continued where the game had ended with each team kicking each other up in the air and complaining to the referee every few seconds.

There came great relief from both teams when the referee blew his whistle to signal that this battle of a cup tie would be settled by a penalty shoot out, which neither team could argue was the fairest way to find a winner.

Final Score AET London Rangers 2 v Loko 2

Roger stepped up first and hit the corner for 1-0, Rangers stepped up and did likewise to make the game evens at 1-1.  Dave came next and hit the same corner, which was followed by their big striker hitting his penalty over the bar, 2-1 Loko. 

It was down to Rhyce to consolidate the lead but he shot wide, luckily Dale saved the next penalty with his legs, making the score 2-1 to Loko after three pens each. 

Aaron stepped up and calmly found the corner for a 3-1 lead and with only two penalties remaining they had to score, but the next Rangers player also hit his shot over the bar and Loko finally prevailed to take their place in the second round.

Loko's next league game is once again against London Rangers, at Riverside Lands, so lets prepare for another humdinger of a contest and one hell of a battle.

Final Score After Pens London Rangers 2 v Loko 2 (1-3 Pens)

Manager Dale Mellor's comments:
"This was the sort of game we were losing last season but as I said before play started, this is the best squad we have had in my eight seasons with Loko and you showed me how fantastic you can battle and keep going when you need to.

We played well in spells and battled when we needed to, and it showed in the second half as they didn't hit the target with their long range shots and we gave them their goal.  If Dave hadn't been restricted by injury I feel we could have created much more, but this restricted us somewhat, especially having no more subs and the ball didn't stick up top enough.

We still need to communicate more, too many times two players went for the same ball or people weren't marking correctly and organising, and in future the ball gets cleared and we don't take risks with our keeper.  But it was a fantastic result and we can look forward to Round 2 in November."

Team Line Up
1. Terry
2. Aaron
3. Ivan
4. Chris
5. Steve (c)
6. Vincent
7. Rhyce
8. Dale [Y]
9. Dave [Y]
10. Roger
11. George
12. Stefano (Replaced Ivan 45th Minute)
13. Morris (Replaced George 45th Minute) [Y]
14. Leigh (Replaced Terry 70th Minute)

Goals

Dale (1)

40th Minute - Our corner was cleared back to Rhyce who played a ball into the box, Ivan shot and it deflected to Dale at the back post eight yards out who volleyed home.

Roger (1)

80th Minute - Aaron's long throw was controlled by Dave, he turned his man and chipped into Roger who headed into the bottom corner from six yards.

Man of the Match

Steve - It was a captain's performance at the back from chopper, great tackling, organising and he was really up for it.  Special mention for Roger who battled hard up top, especially after Dave was injured.

Match Report by Dale Mellor.

Match Preview: London Rangers v Loko

Competition: Bert Gaby Challenge Cup Round 1
Opponents: London Rangers (A)
Date: 10th October 2010
Kick Off Time: 10.00am
Meeting Time: 9.15am
Location: Riverside Lands, Chiswick
Directions: Barnes Bridge crossing is by the london platform, once at end of barnes bridge, go down the steps and turn left and follow the path by the tracks until you come to a tunnel on your left, go under and follow the road back to the river until you arrive at Chiswick Boat House.
Subs: £7 (£3.50 Subs/Substituted)
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Squad: Dale / Steve / Roger / Dave / Chris / Terry / Rhyce / Vincent / Ivan / Stefano / Leigh / Morris / Aaron / George

Standby: James / Adrian / Julian

Sportsmans Division 3 Results

Sunday 3rd October 2010
Greyhound 8 v London Rangers 4
Kew Antigua 'C' 4 v Parklife 'B' 1
Real Northern 'B' 0 v Invictus 4
Valtaro Wasteels 'B' 1 v Mass 6
Wee Hoose Celtic 2 v Putney Ferrets 3

The table has now been updated.