FC Samba Online

Samba were again on cup duty, this time away to Division One side Vernon Villa Reserves in the 2nd Round of the League Cup. Samba had endured a poor record against Vernon Villa as a club, with five defeats out of six, three of which had come against the reserve side.

For the first time this season Samba named an unchanged line up, maintaining their 3-5-2 formation. There were three different substitutes these week in the form of Gamba, Johnson and Crowther, with Francis, Hawkins and Jones playing for the reserves.

Samba were kicking down the slope in the first half but playing into the wind. It was the Sandboys who started the brighter, quicker in the tackle and better in possession. Vernon Villa were lacklustre and Samba took advantage by claiming the first goal of the match. G.Taylor laid the ball off to Brewer, who was allowed to advance towards the penalty area. The play opened up for a shot and Brewer didn’t need a second invitation, driving a right foot effort that had dip and swerve and nestled in the top left hand corner. It was Brewer’s second goal in as many games and give Samba a good platform to build in the match.

For the next 15 mins Samba looked comfortable and were creating more of the chances. Whyatt headed wide from a corner and Gibbons pulled a shot into the side netting from 12 yds after good work down the Samba left.

Vernon slowly got into the game and had a decent spell leading up to half-time which saw Samba lose momentum in their play. Set pieces looked the greatest threat and on a couple of occasions Samba looked nervy defending corners and free-kicks. Vernon’s best chance of the half came when a through ball wasn’t cut out by Bassett and the Villa man sprinted to the by-line to retrieve the ball. His sliding cross was pulled back from the Villa man but Whyatt produced a good block to divert the ball for a corner.

Half Time: FC Samba 1 v 0 Vernon Villa Res.

Boss McDonald was critical of how Samba had slacked in the last 15mins of the half and sent them out for the second period with a clear message that they needed to improve.

For a while it seemed that the message hadn’t got through. Vernon had their best spell of the game and put some pressure on the Samba backline. Samba were having some problems with catching players offside and on two occasions the Villa man broke through. Firstly, the striker took the ball too wide, under pressure from Bassett, and Nicholls produced a comfortable save with his feet. The second chance was probably the defining point in the game. It appeared clearly offside but no flag was raised and the Villa striker sprinted towards goal. His connection was good but Nicholls save was exceptional turning the well hit shot over the bar.

At a time when Vernon Villa felt they could get back in the game, they committed suicide by giving away a rash penalty for a poor challenge on Misiuda. The ref awarded the penalty and then played re-spot the ball with G.Taylor half a dozen times before the Samba striker converted for 2-0.
This spelled the end of the Vernon challenge and Samba looked comfortable for the rest of the game. They added a third goal when Wilford found Misiuda just inside the penalty box, with a good ball that released the wing back. However, the pass was outshone by the finish, an exquisite chip that left the keeper with little chance.

Samba used all three substitutes with Gamba, Johnson and Crowther, replacing C.Taylor, Rose and Misiuda, the latter of which had picked up a minor knock. G.Taylor nearly had his second of the game when he received the ball with the keeper off his line. He choose not to shoot immediately and by the time he manufactured a second shooting opportunity, he should have passed the ball to Gibbons, who was not particularly impressed with the striker. G.Taylor did get his second goal however, benefiting from a long pass from Wilkinson which gave the score line a flattering look for Samba but nevertheless it was a welcome win and clean sheet. It was the second successive week Samba had scored four in the cup, with identical goalscorers in the form of Brewer, G.Taylor 2 and Misiuda.