London Falcons will go into their final group stage game knowing that a draw will be enough to secure a semi-final berth, after a spirited 2-1 win against Wimbledon Saints.
Falcons XI: Matt H; Matt D, Jimmy, Jeff, Joe; Baptiste, George (c), Marshall; Will, Stevie, Duncan
Subs: Rob, Danny
Goals: Stevie, Marshall
POTM: Duncan
On a sun-kissed Spring afternoon in Barnes, the Falcons took little time to breach the Saints’ backline. Some neat interplay in the middle saw the ball meet Player of the Match Duncan wide on the left, whose pass set free Stevie to drive the ball into the net within the opening three minutes. Soon it was two, with this time Marshall benefitting from a Duncan assist, as he cut in from the right to drive a finish across the face of goal and double the visitors’ advantage.
Going largely untroubled for most of the first period, it seemed as if the Falcons would hold onto their two-goal lead heading into the interval. However this was not to be the case as the Saints scored with their first attempt on target. When a long ball over the top caught the Falcons napping, a looping finish from the edge of the box saw the Saints half their deficit at the break.
From here ensued an intense and attritional second half, with both sides threatening to add to their tallies. But as time ticked on, manager Jimmy rang the changes and used his squad’s versatility to sure up the back line and see out the game. There was still plenty for Matt ‘The Cat’ Hall to do to secure the points, pulling off some vital late stops to secure all three points for the Falcons and put their destiny into their own hands going into the final game of the mini-league stage.
Now all roads lead to Kingston, where London Falcons know that avoiding defeat against Kew Antigua will see them soar into the semis, in a comeback to rival Lazarus, Joe Biden or indeed Britney Spears.