Hambedon A kickstarted their 2020-21 campaign in impressive fashion as they deservedly edged out promotion hopefuls West End Village Reserves 3-2 at Holloway Hill Recreational Ground. Goals from Ben Taggart, Connor Martin and Perry Harper either side of a contentious penalty decision for the visitors welcomed the new Lewis Gunner era with optimism and entertainment.

A late flurry from the away side threatened to spoil an otherwise comfortable afternoon and tarnished the performance somewhat, but the three points were no less than the Dons deserved as a combination of superb goalkeeping and wayward finishing preventing the score-line ending in a rout.

The first half kicked off with the Rec bathed in glorious sunshine, the Dons boosted by the return of Andrew Michelmore and Andy Parkin in defence. Freddie Forrest-Foster was also able to overcome a spout of niggling injuries to captain the team. However, it was the away side that made the early running. Their midfield were comfortable on the ball and neat inter-play threatened to send their pacey forwards clear, only for Grant Flint to sweep up comfortably each time. It highlighted the visitors’ credentials and confirmed early season predictions that West End Village could potentially be major players in the league this season. However, despite the early pressure, the Dons stood firm and restricted the away side to a couple of speculative long-range efforts. The only major scare coming from a headed corner that was cleared off the line from Freddie Forrest-Foster.

The Dons gradually wrestled back control through the tenacity of Perry Harper, Elijah Taylor and Jonno Hill in the midfield. The possession areas moved into the visitors half thanks to brilliant hold up play from Mark Clements and the running from Connor Martin. Ultimately, the break-through came in scrappy fashion. A corner was swung in from the left and Ben Taggart (as has been the case recently) was in the right place at the right time to prod the Dons in front. Soon after, another corner caused havoc in the West End defence, with Andy Parkin narrowly heading over the crossbar. Hambledon didn’t have to wait long for the second though. A wonderful solo run from Conor Martin earned space within the 18-yard box and he got his reward with a calm finish past the keepers dive.

The Dons sensed a chance to kill the game. Good work from Sammy Coombe down the right side set up Perry Harper whose well-timed shot was gathered at the second attempt by the keeper, and a long-range effort from Jonno Hill whistled over the bar. However, the home side were pegged back just before half time against the run of play. A quick succession of corners was forced by the visitors, with the third ultimately earning them a spot kick for hand ball. The Dons protested that the ball clearly did not strike the unnaturally positioned flailing arm of Taylor, but the decision stood. The penalty taker sent Grant Flint the wrong way and kept the away side within touching distance going into the break.

Despite the setback, the Dons started the second half as they meant to end the first. Freddie Warburton was introduced and immediately set about causing havoc in the away defence; a bulldozing run ending with a powerful shot that sailed over the bar. Connor Martin was then fed through by Perry Harper, only for his placed effort to be expertly tipped wide by the away keeper. A trend was set for the remainder of the half with the West End keeper galvanising his team with a string of fantastic saves, denying Martin, Harper and Warburton to keep the score respectable. The third duly arrived however with 15 minutes to go. Connor Martin picked the ball up on the edge of the area and found the onrushing Perry Harper beyond the back line, who unerringly finished left-footed into the bottom corner.

With the two-goal cushion restored, player manager Lewis Gunner came on in defence alongside Danny Ridge who was making his competitive debut for the A’s. Both seamlessly fitted in and were comfortable on the ball. It was also a welcome return for Dominic D’Donnell who stepped into midfield for the first time since early 2019 and helped to keep the West End attackers starved of chances.

Freddie Warburton had another header saved on the line by the keeper and another header from a corner was sent just wide as the game started to drift towards its conclusion. With 3 minutes left, the visitors grabbed a lifeline. A hopefully lofted ball dropped into the corridor of uncertainty and a scuffed effort wrong footed Grant Flint with the away side pulling a goal back. Fresh impetus was given to the comeback and the game suddenly sparked into life. A succession of corners at the death caused confusion in the Dons defence but the home side held firm, despite the brief scare, to claim all the spoils.