Sydenhams Wessex League - Division 3

Colden Common 2, Otterbourne 1

A PERFECT, warm evening and two well-matched, competitive sides served up a smashing advert for Wessex League football at Main Road on Tuesday, writes Greg Boughton.

With ex-Otter James Banks in the Common ranks and Otters fielding ex-Commoner Ben Arnold - as well as several players from Common's old rivals Pirelli - there were plenty on both sides with a point to prove.

Both sides gave it their all, and it's a shame that both couldn't have won.

The first fifteen minutes were furious action, but there were no real chances of note until Otters' Danny Keyworth had a shot blocked. Straight away Common went up the other end and opened the scoring. With the Otterbourne bench appealing in vain for a foul, Dean Higgins made ground through the inside-left channel and fired home via the base of the right-hand post.

Common had the better of it for a while after that, but as half-time approached Otters had a spell in the ascendancy. It took a breathtaking Marc Cole save to keep out a Stewart Carstairs shot that had seemed certain to go in.

After the break Otters pressed hard, and equalised after 57 minutes when James Bedford controlled a long ball over the top of a strangely static Common defence to fire across Cole into the corner of the net.

At that stage it was anyone's game, with fierce tackles and flowing end-to-end football making for a compelling spectacle.

But Common made the breakthrough, Richard Lang making himself space to hammer in a shot that was too hot for Dan Chapman to handle. Higgins seized on the rebound and drilled it under Chapman for the eventual winner.

Next it was Chapman's turn to make an unbelievable save, somehow turning Simon Stillwell's venomous volley over the bar after good work by Joe Hodge on the Common left.

But Otters still fought, and Danny Edwards must have wondered how his close-range header from a right-wing corner failed to find the net.

Otters subs Liam Houghton and Andy Samuels combined to good effect as the visitors threw everything into a final assault, but the home side came through with flying colours to secure the points in the end.

Ref Mark Pointing also deserves mention for handling a difficult match very sensibly.

There was more good news for Common when central defender Simon Lemon, who had 'retired' during the close season, found the magnet of playing football too tough to resist - he's signed on again.

Keeper Marc Cole is to move up a division with Alton Town, but youngster Dave Nicol has done well in the Reserves and looks capable of filling Cole's boots. In addition, manager Dave Riddell expects to sign another experienced keeper in the next few weeks.

Yateley Green 0 Otterbourne 8

Saturday's visit to bottom placed Yateley Green turned into a stroll in the sunshine for Otterbourne, who heped themselves to a hatful of goals.

Steve Trott and Danny Keyworth set the tone with one each in the opening eight minutes. Otters keeper Danny Chapman did well to turn Gareth Evans' shot over the crossbar as Yateley launched a rare raid, but the visitors would have led handsomely by half-time had Trott and Liam Houghton not spurned gilt-edged chances.

The hosts capitulated again in the early minutes of the second half. Keyworth and Trott both doubled their tallies, Keyworth going on to complete his hat-trick, and sub Andy Samuels made it 6-nil.

James Bedford's header and rasping shot completed the carnage.

AFC Portchester 4, Colden Common 3

After playing well for the first twenty minutes at Portchester on Saturday Common caved in. Home striker Luke Sweeney smashed in three goals - all of which owed something to defensive frailties - to put the hosts firmly in the ascendancy.

A fourth Sweeney goal after the break seemed to have ended the contest, but Common fought back. A foul on Simon Everett gave Jim Hart the chance to drag it back to 4-1, and two late Dean Higgins goals at least made the scoreline respectable.

But the damage had been done for Common, whose star performer was keeper Marc Cole.