Pre-Season 2013/14: Preparing For The New Season

After a great 1st season, we were ready to start our preparation for the 2nd season.

Our first game of the pre-season was against Sidley United.

I started with what I felt was our strongest team, as I wanted to get as good a start as possible to the season.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, A. Ahmed, C. Moore,

D. Freeman, N. Kanu, V. Pericard, D. Bembo-Leta

Subs: R. Richardson, S. Jenkins, B. Gayle, N. Koo-Boothe, A. Legg, T. Williamson, W. Brooksby,

D. Lee, M. Panther, J. Nurse, S. Dobie, R. Dennis

Nwankwo Kanu gave us the lead in the 47th minute, after a dull first half, with a volley, right into the top corner, from Bembo-Leta's cross. 18 year old keeper Raphael Richardson made a good save in the 61st minute, when the ball was played through to Salmon who broke through the defence, one-on-one with Richardson, who spread himself, and made the block.

A decent win to start the pre-season, and there was some good performances, such as Raphael Richardson, and Nwankwo Kanu.

Final score: Sidley United 0-1 Wembley

Our next pre-season friendly was against Northwood FC.

We made 5 changes to the starting XI, with R. Richardson, W. Brooksby, M. Panther, T. Williamson and
R. Dennis replacing M. Ranieri, A. Ahmed, L. Moore, D. Freeman and N. Kanu.

Starting XI: R. Richardson, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, W. Brooksby, M. Panther,
T. Williamson, R. Dennis, V. Pericard, D. Bembo-Leta

Subs: M. Ranieri, S. Jenkins, B. Gayle, N. Koo-Boothe, A. Legg, A. Ahmed, D. Freeman, D. Lee,
C. Moore, M. McCammon, S. Dobie, N. Kanu

Djeny Bembo-Leta got us off to a great start in the 2nd minute, when he was played through by Ronnel Dennis, and curled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area. Ronnel Dennis then doubled our lead in the 16th minute, with a well timed finish into the back of the net after receiving the ball from Wayne Brooksby and taking the ball around two defenders. Stefan Powell then pulled one back in the second half, when he was played through by Bullock, and took the ball past Ranieri before passing the ball into the back of the net. Powell then equalised after a quick one-two with Barker put him one-on-one with Ranieri, and was able to slot the ball past the Italian keeper.

The game was a game of two halve, which either team was able to take an advantage.

Final score: Wembley 2-2 Northwood

Our next game was against North Greenford United.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI with M. Watkins, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, A. Legg, D. Lee,
A. Ahmed and S. Dobie replacing R. Richardson, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, T. Williams, W. Brooksby,
T. Williamson and D. Bembo-Leta

Starting XI: M. Watkins, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, A. Legg, D. Lee, A. Ahmed,
M. Panther, S. Dobie, V. Pericard, R. Dennis.

Subs: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, B. Gayle, T. Williams, C. Moore, D. Freeman, T. Williamson,
R. Beckham, M. McCammon, N. Kanu, D. Bembo-Leta

We dominated the first 25 minutes possession-wise, with Ronnel Dennis and Scott Dobie going close multiple times, but failing to beat the North Greenwood keeper. This was the case for the rest of the game, which eventually came to an end after a slow 90 minutes.

The game was poor, and we failed to take our chances.

Final score: North Greenwood United 0-0 Wembley

Our next game was against Arlesey Town.

We made no changes to the starting XI, mostly because I forgot to make the changes.

Starting XI: M. Watkins, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, A. Legg, D. Lee, A. Ahmed,
M. Panther, S. Dobie, V. Pericard, R. Dennis.

Subs: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, B. Gayle, T. Williams, C. Moore, D. Freeman, T. Williamson,
R. Beckham, M. McCammon, N. Kanu, D. Bembo-Leta

Pericard almost sent us in-front in the 4th minute, with a half-volley from just inside the penalty that went just over the crossbar. Arlesey took the lead in the 44th minute through Tom Ward, who headed Johnson's corner past Michael Watkins, and into the back of the net. Mark McCammon equalized for us in the 57th minute, when the Arlesey keeper spilled the ball on the edge of the box, and McCammon was able to poke the ball into the back of the net. McCammon then gave us the lead in the 84th minute, when he was able to get above an Arlesey defender, and head Tom Williamson's corner kick into the the bottom corner of the goal.

This was a good win overall, against a better team than us, and we were especially happy after coming back from behind.

Final score: Wembley 2-1 Arlesey Town

Our next game was against Maidenhead United, who were like giants compared to us.
I felt like trying out a new tactic, which would be an attacking 4-2-3-1.

We made 8 changes to the starting XI, with M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, T. Williams, D. Freeman,
C. Easton, D. Bembo-Leta and J. Nurse replacing M. Watkins, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, A. Legg,
A. Ahmed, T. Williamson, R. Dennis and M. Panther

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, C. Easton, D. Freeman,
D. Bembo-Leta, S. Dobie, J. Nurse, V. Pericard

Subs: R. Richardson, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, B. Gayle, A. Legg, C. Moore, N. Durrant,
T. Williamson, J. Baldwin, T. Betteridge, C. Wrigley, N. Kanu

Djeny Bembo-Leta gave us the lead in the 5th minute, when he ran inside from the right wing, getting on the end of Dobie's through-ball, and slotting the ball past the keeper. Scott Dobie then doubled our lead in the 9th minute when Pericard had an effort saved by the Maidenhead keeper, who pushed the ball into Dobie's path who was able to fire the ball into the empty goal. Maidenhead then pulled it back in the 19th minute through Alex Wall, who was able to get on the end of a long ball forward from his keeper, before knocking the ball past Ranieri, and passing the ball into the net. Raphael Branco then re-established our two goal lead in the 31st minute, when he was able to beat Alex Wall in the air and head home Craig Easton's corner at the near post. We gained an easy 4th in the 37th minute, when Bembo-Leta put the ball into the danger area, and the ball hit Maidenhead's defender, Charlie Clough, who put the ball past his own keeper. Simon Rhodes got one for Maidenhead in the 75th minute, after a quick free-kick led to Brown getting a ball into the box, which Rhodes was able to hit home from point-blank range. 

This was a great win against a team we were expected to be beaten by, and the new tactic looked pretty strong.

Final score: Wembley 4-2 Maidenhead United

We did well in pre-season overall, not losing, and beating teams such as Maidenhead, I was confident we could get our second season off to a good start!

April & May 2012/13: Ending On A High

So now that we had won the double after being crowned Combined Counties Premier League, and Isthmian Ryman League Cup Champions, we were looking to complete the treble by winning the FA Vase. Seeing as though we only had one game scheduled for May, I decided to do both April and May in the same post.

The first game of the month was against Epsom & Ewell in the league.

We made 5 changes to the Starting XI, with S. Locke, A. Ahmed, C. Easton, L. Head and M. McCammon replacing M. Ranieri (Rot), A. Love (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit) and J. Nurse (Fit).

Starting XI: S. Locke, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,

C. Easton, L. Head, M. McCammon, V. Pericard

Subs: M. Ranieri, J. Anderson, T. Williamson, A. Love, D. Bembo-Leta

McCammon almost opened the scoring for us in the 23rd minute, when, after a good bit of passing between the front 3, he received the ball from Pericard, but his strike could only hit the post before getting cleared for a corner. McCammon then scored from the resulting corner, when he attacked the ball at the near post, and hit a bullet header past the keeper. Pericard then doubled our lead in the 31st minute, when McCammon flicked on Nzuzi's cross, and Pericard placed the ball into the bottom corner.

This was a good win, and we looked ready for the FA Vase Semi-Final 2nd Leg that was a few days later.

Final score: Wembley 2-0 Epsom & Ewell

Our next game was in the FA Vase Semi-Final 2nd Leg against Sunderland Ryhope, and we held a one goal advantage that we picked up in the 1st leg.

We made 5 changes to the starting XI, with M. Ranieri, A. Love, M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta and J. Nurse replacing S. Locke (Rot), C. Easton (Per), D. Fazlic (Fit), L. Head (Per) and M. McCammon (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, A. Ahmed, A. Love,

M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, J. Nurse, V. Pericard

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, D. Fazlic, M. Panther, S. Dobie

We started well, and Ahmed forced the Sunderland keeper into a good save with a shot from just outside the penalty box, and the keeper was able to push the ball wide. Thompson pulled it level on aggregate in the 23rd minute, when Lambert got to the byline, and put a low cross into an unmarked Thompson, who was able to just pass the ball into the goal at the far post. Vincent Pericard then leveled the match from the kick-off with a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty box into the top corner. Jon Nurse then doubled our aggregate lead in the 52nd minute, when Bembo-Leta found him on the edge of the box with a back heel, and Nurse was able to hit the ball into the bottom corner. Perciard gave us another in the 59th minute, when he was able to beat Lambert to the ball at the front post, and head in Ahmed's corner. Manny Panther then had a goal disallowed for off-side in the 95th minute, even though he was behind the ball when it was played.

This was a great result, sending us into the final, and one step closer to the treble!

Final score: Sunderland Ryhope (1) 1-3 (4) Wembley

Our next game was against 19th placed Hartley Wintney.

We made 1 change to the starting XI, with M. Panther replacing A. Ahmed (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, M. Panther, A. Love,

M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, J. Nurse

Subs: S. Locke, B. Gayle, D. Freeman, L. Head, S. Dobie

Manny Panther put us in-front, and scored his first ever Wembley goal in the 15th minute, with a scorching effort from 30 yards after receiving the ball from Bembo-Leta. Djeny Bembo-Leta then dobled our lead in the 30th minute, when Manny Panther played a lofted through-ball over the top putting Bembo-Leta one-on-one with the keeper, and the striker showed his composure, by slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Bembo-Leta then got another in the 55th minute, with a great half-volley from the edge of the box with the assist from Panther. Bembo-Leta then got his hat-trick in the 63rd minute, when he was played through by Nzuzi, and Bembo-Leta placed the ball into the corner of the goal.

This was a great dominant win for us, with a great performance from Bembo-Leta, and a very good goal from Manny Panther.

Final score: Wembley 4-0 Hartley Wintney

Our next game was against Egham Town, who were in 5th place in the league.

We made 8 changes to the starting XI, with S. Locke, S. Jenkins, S. Galinski, A. Legg, A. Ahmed,
D. Fazlic, R. Dennis and R. Limb replacing M. Ranieri (Rot), P. Nzuzi (Fit), Raphael Branco (Fit),
T. Williams (Fit), M. Panther (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit) and V. Pericard (Fit).

Starting XI: S. Locke, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, S. Galinski, A. Legg, A. Ahmed, A. Love, D. Fazlic,
R. Dennis, R. Limb, J. Nurse

Subs: M. Ranieri, Raphael Branco, T. Williamson, C. Toner, S. Dobie

Ryan Limb sent us into the lead in the 40th minute, when he was played in by Dennis, and placed the ball calmly past the keeper, and into the back of the net. Locke made a good save to keep us in-front in the 79th minute, when Lynch played O'Toole in on goal, and Locke made himself big, spreading himself out, and O'Toole couldn't get the ball around the big keeper.

Overall, the game was poor, but it was another win for us, extending our unbeaten run.

Final score: Egham Town 0-1 Wembley

Our next game was against 14th placed Badshot Lea.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with S. Galinski, T. Williams, D. Freeman, M. Johnson, S. Dobie,
S. Opinel, L. Head replacing N. Koo-Boothe (Rot), A. Legg (Per), A. Ahmed (Fit), D. Fazlic (Rot),
R. Dennis (Rot), R. Limb (Fit) and J. Nurse (Rot).

Starting XI: S. Locke, S. Jenkins, Raphael Branco, S. Galinski, T. Williams, D. Freeman, A. Love,
M. Johnson, S. Dobie, S. Opinel, L. Head

Subs: M. Ranieri, N. Koo-Boothe, T. Williamson, C. Toner, J. Nurse

We broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when Matt Johnson launched a long throw into the box, and Liam Head flicked the ball into the far corner with his head. Head almost headed another into the net, when he got on the end of Ahmed's corner, but the Badshot keeper was able to save, and hold onto the ball.

Another poor performance, but we still managed to get the win, and remain unbeaten.

Final score: Wembley 1-0 Badshot Lea

Next up was 10th placed South Park.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, A. Ahmed,
D. Bembo-Leta, J. Nurse and V. Pericard replacing S. Locke (Rot), S. Jenkins (Per), S. Galinski (Rot),
D. Freeman (Per), S. Dobie (Per), S. Opinel (Per) and L. Head (Fit).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, A. Ahmed, A. Love,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, J. Nurse, V. Pericard

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, M. Panther, D. Fazlic, R. Limb

Matt Johnson almost opened the scoring in the 9th minute, with a great strike from 30 yards, and hit the crossbar, and the ball then fell to top-scorer Bembo-Leta, who placed the ball into the bottom corner. Nathan Koo-Boothe almost doubled our lead, when he got on the end of Ahmed's corner, but could only find the cross-bar with the header. Ahmed doubled our lead in the 72nd minute, when Nurse gave him the ball from a wide position, and Ahmed was able to slot the ball past the keeper. We then won a penalty in the  79th minute, when Archie Love went in the air to head the ball, and he was taken out by South Park's Macari. Jon Nurse stepped up to take the penalty, and blasted the ball into the top corner.

A good win against South Park, keeping our momentum going, heading towards the FA Vase final.

Final score: Wembley 3-0 South Park

Our next game, was our penultimate game of the season, and was at Villa Park against Haringey Borough in the FA Vase final, and we were looking to secure the treble!

We made 1 change to the starting XI, with R. Limb replacing J. Nurse, as I felt that we may as well play our three top scorers upfront.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, A. Ahmed, A. Love,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, S. Galinski, M. Panther, D. Fazlic, J. Nurse

Ryan Limb gave us the lead in the 6th minute, when Ahmed played the ball to him in the box, and Limb was given time by the Haringey defence to turn, and place the ball past the keeper. Haringey levelled it in the 10th minute, when Crabb was able to get on the end of Cox's cross, and volley the ball past Ranieri. Matt Johnson put us back in-front in the 22nd minute, with a well-placed effort from outside the box, into the bottom corner. Bembo-Leta almost doubled our lead in the 68th minute, when he mishit a cross, which curled towards a goal, and hit the crossbar. Cox then equalized again for Haringey, when he was found in the box by Randell, and volleyed the ball into the goal.

That was all for regular time, and the game had to go into extra time.

Full Time: Wembley 2-2 Haringey Borough

Vincent Pericard gave us the lead in the 114th minute, after Nurse was tackled in the box, and the ball fell to Pericard who volleyed the ball into the back of the net. Pericard missed a great chance to double our lead in the 119th minute, when he skied a shot from 18 yards.

That was it. We'd won the FA Vase for the 1st time in the clubs history, and we'd completed the treble!

AET: Wembley 3-2 Haringey Borough.

Our final game of the month, and of the season was against Croydon, who were in 13th place.

We made 10 changes to the starting XI, with S. Locke, T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, S. Galinski, A. Legg,
M. Panther, D. Fazlic, S. Dobie, R. Limb and L. Head replacing M. Ranieri (Rot), P. Nzuzi (Fit),
N. Koo-Boothe (Rot), Raphael Branco (Rot), T. Williams (Fit), A. Ahmed (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit),
D. Bembo-Leta (Rot), V. Pericard (Rot) and J. Nurse (Inj)

Starting XI: S. Locke, T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, S. Galinski, A. Legg, M. Panther, A. Love, D. Fazlic,
L. Head, R. Limb, S. Dobie

Subs: M. Ranieri, N. Koo-Boothe, C. Easton, D. Lee, D. Bembo-Leta

Croydon took the lead in the 5th minute, when Scott Wallis was found in the box by Fanibuyan, and Wallis was able to volley the ball into the back of the net. Manny Panther missed a sitter to pull us level in the 42nd minute, when he broke through on goal, but couldn't find the target, hitting the ball well wide. Stefan Galinski equalized in the 56th minute, when he was able to poke the ball over the line from a goalmouth scramble from Legg's corner. Liam Head then sent us into the lead in the 79th minute, when Craig Easton hit a shot from 30 yards, which bounced back to Head off of the crossbar, who placed the ball right into the bottom corner.

Not a great performance, but a good result to end the season.

Final score: Croydon 1-2 Wembley

April and May went extremely well, completing the treble by winning the FA Vase, and remaining unbeaten for the whole season.

Here are the results from April and May:

Although we had been crowned league champions back in February, we continued to perform well, and ended the season 40 points clear at the top. Here is the league table:

March 2012/13: Achieving the Double

 After being crowned Combined Counties Premier League Champions in February, we were looking to get into the final of the Isthmian Ryman League Cup, and at least the Semi-Finals of the FA Vase.

Our first game of the month was against Hampton & Richmond Borough, in the 2nd Leg of the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Semi-Final, and we had a 1-0 lead on aggregate from the 1st leg.

We made 10 changes, with some new names in both the Starting XI, and on the bench, with

P. Nzuzi, new signing Nathan Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, A. Legg, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed, M. Johnson, 

D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, and new signing Jon Nurse, replacing S. Jenkins (Per), B. Gayle (Per), 

J. Anderson (Per), T. Williams (Fit), N. Durrant (Per), J. Baldwin (Per), D. Lee (Per), L. Head (Fit), 

M. McCammon (Per) and R. Limb (Fit). New signings Manny Panther, David Freeman and Scott Dobie also made the bench.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, A. Legg, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed, M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, J. Nurse

Subs: S. Locke, N. S. Galinski, M. Panther, D. Freeman, S. Dobie

Hampton gave us a scare early on, when he put the ball in the back of the net from Simmonds' free-kick, but  the linesman flagged for off-side, and the goal was ruled out. Noble pulled it level on aggregate for Hampton, with a curling shot from the edge of the box, and he was helped thanks to poor keeping from Ranieri. Pericard put us back in-front on aggregate in the 63rd minute, when he was able to intercept a poor backpass, and slot the ball past the Hampton keeper. Moone then put the ball into the back of the net with his head in the 70th minute, however, his goal was disallowed for offside. We then had to play the last 20 minutes with 10 men, as Tom Williams picked up an injury, just after we used our last substitution. We got a penalty a couple of minutes later, when Pericard was pulled down by a Hampton defender, and the referee pointed to the spot. Adnan Ahmed stepped up to take it, and put the ball right into the bottom corner, giving the keeper no chance, and doubling our aggregate lead.

This was a great result for us, with the only downside being the injury to Tom Williams, but we were in the final!

Final score: Wembley (3) 2-1 (1) Hampton & Richmond Borough

We would be playing the Isthmian Premier League's Kingstonian in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Final

Our next game was against Dorking in the Combined Counties Premier League Division

We made 4 changes to the starting XI, with S. Galinski, S. Opinel, new signing Craig Easton and S. Dobie replacing N. Koo-Boothe (Per), T. Williams (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit) and V. Pericard (Fit) with new loan signing from Burnley, Archie Love, making the bench.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, S. Opinel, C. Easton, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, J. Nurse, S. Dobie

Subs: S. Locke, N. Koo-Boothe, M. Panther, A. Love, V. Pericard

We got off to an awful start, with Mirko Ranieri unfortunately putting the ball into his own goal in the 1st minute, after a Dorking free-kick rattled the crossbar, before hitting Ranieri on the back, and rolling over the line. Jon Nurse got his first Wembley goal, pulling us level, in the 6th minute, when he was played in by Scott Dobie, before curling the ball into the top corner from 12 yards. Bembo-Leta then scored his 20th league goal of the season, putting us in-front in the 38th minute, when he received the ball from Johnson, before taking the ball around two defenders and placing the ball past the keeper, and into the bottom corner. Scott Dobie then scored his first Wembley goal in his first start, after receiving the ball from Nurse, and slotting the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Sam pulled a goal back for Dorking, when he was able to dribble the ball past 3 defenders, before placing the ball past Ranieri. Dorking's Darren Armstrong got sent off after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Love in the 79th minute.

This was a good win, seeing as though we gave them a head start early on.

Final score: Dorking 2-3 Wembley

Our next game was against St. Helens Town in the FA Vase Quarter Finals, and we were looking to get into the Semis.

We made 6 changes to the starting XI, with N. Koo-Boothe, T. Williams, A. Love, D. Fazlic, L Head and V. Pericard replacing S. Galinski (Fit), S. Opinel (Per), M. Johnson (Fit), C. Easton (Fit),
D. Bembo-Leta (Fit), S. Dobie (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, A. Ahmed, A. Love,
D. Fazlic, L. Head, V. Pericard, J. Nurse

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, M. Panther, T. Williamson, R. Limb

Grimes almost put St. Helens in-front, when his curling free-kick hit the inside of the post, before bouncing across the face of goal, and then was cleared by Koo-Boothe. Vincent Pericard gave us the lead in the 38th minute, when Head's cross found him at the far post, and he was able to head the ball into the back of the net. Ahmed was then brought down in the box, and the referee awarded the penalty. Ahmed got straight up to take the penalty, and slotted the ball into the top corner, just out of the reach of the St. Helens keeper. Cooke then put the ball in the back of the net for St. Helens, however the goal was ruled out for offside.

A good win to send us into the FA Vase Semi-Finals!

Final score: Wembley 2-0 St. Helens Town

Our next game was against Horley Town, who were sat in 19th place in the league.

We made 3 changes to the starting XI, with C. Easton, M. Panther and D. Bembo-Leta replacing
A. Ahmed (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit) and L. Head (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, C. Easton, A. Love,
M. Panther, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, J. Nurse

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, D. Fazlic, M. Johnson, R. Limb

Craig Easton scored his first Wembley goal in the 19th minute, when he received the ball from Bembo-Leta and hit the ball from the edge of the box, and into the back of the net. Bembo-Leta then doubled our lead, when he received the ball from Nzuzi, and thanks to poor anticipation from the Horley keeper, Bembo-Leta was able to pass the ball into the open net. Pericard extended our lead even further, when he was able to bring down Ahmed's corner, and buried the ball into the bottom corner.

This was a good win, and once again, we showed how good we could be in both attack, and defence.

Final score: Wembley 3-0 Horley Town

Our next game was another league game, this time against 7th placed Camberley.

We made 5 changes to the starting XI, with S. Locke S. Galinski, A. Legg, D. Fazlic, M. Johnson and R. Limb replacing M. Ranieri (Rot), Raphael Branco (Fit), T. Williams (Fit), C. Easton (Fit) and
V. Pericard (Fit)

Starting XI: S. Locke, P. Nzuzi, N. Boo-Koothe, S. Galinski, A. Legg, D. Fazlic, A. Love, M. Johnson,
D. Bembo-Leta, J. Nurse, R. Limb

Subs: M. Ranieri, J. Anderson, D. Freeman, A. Ahmed, S. Dobie

We got off to a flyer, when Matt Johnson gave us the lead in the 2nd minute, with a good effort from outside the box, right into the bottom corner. Jon Nurse doubled our lead, when he was able to take the ball past two Camberley defenders, before slotting the ball past the keeper in the 32nd minute. Green pulled it back for Camberley in the 42nd minutein the 42nd minute, when his mishit cross hit the inside of the post before hitting the back of the net. Camberley's Shaun Wimble then headed a cross into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on Locke.

This was a good win overall, with Locke performing well in goal, and extending our unbeaten run.

Final score: Camberley Town 1-2 Wembley

Our next game was against Sunderland Ryhope in the FA Vase Semi-Final 1st Leg, and with the Isthmian Ryman League Cup only three days away, we needed to balance the squad well.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with M. Ranieri, S. Jenkins, J. Anderson, C. Easton, A. Ahmed,
S. Dobie and L. Head replacing S. Locke (Per), P. Nzuzi (Fit), S. Galinski (Inj), M. Johnson (Fit),
D. Fazlic (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit) and R. Limb (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, S. Jenkins, N. Koo-Boothe, J. Anderson, A. Legg, A. Ahmed, A. Love, C. Easton, S. Dobie, J. Nurse, L. Head

Subs: S. Locke, Raphael Branco, D. Freeman, M. Panther, D. Bembo-Leta

Andy Legg almost gave us the lead in the 24th minute, when his 25 yard free-kick was saved well by the Sunderland keeper. Liam Head gave us the lead in the 50th minute, with a strong half-volley following Nurse's knock-down from Ahmed's long ball forward. Nothing much else happened, with both teams missing half chances, and the game finished.

This was a good win for us, against a team in a higher league, and it gave us a good platform for the second leg.

Final score: Wembley 1-0 Sunderland Ryhope

Our next game was against Kingstonian FC, and was in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Final, and was a return for Jon Nurse, to Barnet's Underhill Stadium!

We made 7 changes to the Starting XI, with P. Nzuzi, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, M. Johnson,
D. Bembo-Leta and V. Pericard replacing S. Jenkins (Per), J. Anderson (Per), A. Legg (Per),
A. Ahmed (Per), C. Easton (Per), S. Dobie (Per), L. Head (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, N. Koo-Boothe, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Love,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, J. Nurse

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, C. Easton, A. Ahmed, R. Limb

Matt Johnson gave us the lead in the 29th minute, with a scorching 20 yard, half-volley from Bembo-Leta's through-ball, right into the top corner. Sheppard pulled the game level for Kingstonian in the 37th minute, when he was able to beat Raphael Branco in the air, and head the ball past Ranieri from Scannell's corner. Vincent Pericard put us back in the lead in the 79th minute, when he was able to pick up the pieces from Bembo-Leta's saved shot, and poke the ball into the open net. It looked as though Matt Johnson had doubled our lead, after he headed in Ahmed's free-kick, however the linesman raised his flag, and the goal was ruled out for offside.

And that was it! A great win against Kingstonian who were in 2nd, two leagues above us, and we were two thirds of the way to the treble!

Final score: Kinstonian 1-2 Wembley

March was another great month for us. It was a month where we got a 100% record, and we were able to add another piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet, acheiving the double after winning the Isthmian Ryman League Cup.

We were involved in the cups more than he league this month, but we were still able to pick up 9 points from a possible 9, and get our point tally over 100!

February 2012/13: Pushing For The Treble

Following a busy January, we were looking forward to a short break at the beginning of February, before getting back into action, keeping our strong push for promotion, and the cup going.

The first game of the month was in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Quarter Finals against fellow Combined Counties Premier League Division team Guernsey.

We made no changes to the starting XI that played against Marlow, as I felt it was our strongest team.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,

M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, C. Toner, D. Lee, M. McCammon

Guernsey took the lead after just 1 minute, when Ross Allen intercepted a poor pass back by Nzuzi, and slotted the ball past Ranieri. Matty Johnson pulled us level in the 50th minute, when Pericard headed down Fazlic's lofted ball forward and found Johnson, who hit the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Allen put Guernsey back in-front in the  55th minute, when Allen was again able to capitalize on a defensive error, and poor goalkeeping allowed him to bury the ball into the back of the net. Pericard equalized for us again from the kick-off, when, after a good phase of passing, he received the ball from Bembo-Leta, and placed the ball into the bottom corner. Matt Johnson then sent us into the lead, with a scorching effort from 30 yards right into the top corner following a poor clearance from the Guernsey defence. Pericard then doubled our lead, when he was able to head Ahmed's corner past the Guernsey keeper, and into the back of the net. Johnson then got his hat-trick in the 91st minute, when he hit another long-range shot, right into the bottom corner. McCammon gave us another just a minute later, when Limb was able to pick him out with a header, before hitting the ball from 20 yards into the back of the net. Bembo-Leta scored again a couple of minutes later, when Limb played a through ball into him, before firing the ball into the bottom corner.

A great result for us, after going behind twice to win by five goals, and sending us into the semi-finals.

Final score: Wembley 7-2 Guernsey

Our next game was supposed to be against 6th placed Windsor for a chance to win the league, however the game was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

Our first league game of February was instead against 2nd placed Molesey, and we really wanted to beat them and win the league.

We made no changes to the starting XI as I felt none were needed.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,

M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, C. Toner, D. Lee, M. McCammon

We got off to a great start, when in the 4th minute, Raphael Branco was able to head Ahmed's corner in at the near post. Fazlic then doubled our lead in the 10th minute, with a good strike from 12 yards into the bottom corner of the goal. Pericard scored the final goal of the game in the 31st minute, when he was able to chip Bembo-Leta's through-ball over the keeper.

This was a great win for us against 2nd place, and because of it, we were league champions!

Final score: Molesey 0-3 Wembley

Our next game was in the FA Vase 5th round against GE Hamble.

We made 3 changes to the starting XI, with new signing Andy Legg, T. Williamson and M. McCammon replacing T. Williams (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit) and D. Bembo-Leta (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, A. Legg, T. Williamson, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, M. McCammon, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, T. Williams, C. Toner, D. Lee, D. Bembo-Leta

Ryan Limb gave us the lead in the 25th minute, when Raphael Branco flicked on Ahmed's corner with his head at the near post, and Limb was there to volley the ball past the keeper at the far post. Vincent Pericard doubled our lead in the 28th minute, when he got on the end of Ryan Limb's through-ball, and slotted the ball past the keeper. Buckley pulled one back for Hamble in the 86th minute, when he was able to get onto the end of Upson's cross after a poor bit of marking, and hit the ball into the back of the net. We had a scare a couple of minutes later, when Bukley once again put the ball past Ranieri, however the linesman deemed him to be off-side when the ball was played through by Shakespeare.

This was a good win overall, against a team in the league above us, and it sent us through to the FA Vase Quarter Finals.

Final score: Wembley 2-1 GE Hamble

Our next game was our re-scheduled match against Windsor which had been postponed a couple of weeks previously.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with J. Anderson, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, N. Durrant, D. Lee,
D. Bembo-Leta, R. Dennis replacing Raphael Branco (Fit), A. Legg (Per), T. Williamson (Fit),
A. Ahmed (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit), M. McCammon (Fit) and R. Limb (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, N. Durrant, D. Lee,
D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Dennis

Subs: S. Locke, Raphael Branco, C. Toner, M. Johnson, R. Limb

The game was poor start to finish, with both teams wasting great chances. Vincent Pericard came closest for us, with a shot from around 10 yards, which was saved well by the Windsor keeper in the 93rd minute.

Overall, we played poorly, and I really couldn't say that we deserved more.

Final score: Windsor 0-0 Wembley

Our next game was against Hampton & Richmond Borough, in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Semi-Finals First Leg.

We made ... changes to the starting XI, with Raphael Branco, T. Williamson, M. Johnson and R. Limb replacing S. Galinski (Fit), N. Durrant (Per), D. Lee (Per) and R. Dennis (Per)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, Raphael Branco, J. Anderson, T. Williams, T. Williamson, D. Fazlic,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, B. Gayle, C. Toner, A. Ahmed, M. McCammon

We got off to a great start, and Vincent Pericard gave us the lead in the 4th minute, with his 6th goal of the cup campaign, when he was able to get on the end of Johnson's through-ball, before cutting inside, and slotting the ball past the keeper. Pericard wasted three chances between the goal, and the end of the first half, hitting two wide, and heading the third over. Benjamin missed a great chance to equalise for Hampton, when he hit a shot from 12 yards, which bobbled past the post.

This was a great win, against a team two levels above us, and it gave us a great chance in the second leg.

Final score: Hampton & Richmond Borough 0-1 Wembley

Our next game was against Hanworth Villa, who were sat in 21st place in the league.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with new signing Steve Jenkins, B. Gayle, N. Durrant, J. Baldwin,
D. Lee, L. Head (returning from injury) and M. McCammon replacing P. Nzuzi (Fit), Raphael Branco (Fit),
T. Williamson (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit), D. Lee (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit) and V. Pericard (Fit).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, S. Jenkins, B. Gayle, J. Anderson, T. Williams, N. Durrant, J. Baldwin, D. Lee
L. Head, M. McCammon, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, S. Galinski, C. Toner, M. Johnson, V. Pericard

The game started poorly, with neither team passing well, and possession kept switching hands. Our best chance came in the 52nd minute, when after a good phase of passing, Limb played the ball through to McCammon, who hit the ball first time, however, the Hanworth keeper was able to tip the ball past the post for a corner. Liam Head then had a good effort saved by the Hanworth keeper, who looked unbeatable, in the 61st minute. Vincent Pericard gave us the lead in the 69th minute after coming on from the bench, when Jenkin's cross found Pericard at the far post, and Pericard was able to volley the ball into the back of the net.

This was a poor performance overall, even with us playing back-up/youth players, I expected to see more goals.

Final score: Wembley 1-0 Hanworth Villa

February was another good month, but it did contain the first game of the season that we didn't win, but we also won the league!

Well, we're league champs, which means we'll finish top no matter what happens now. Here's the league table!

January 2012/13: New Year, New Fortunes?

We went into January with our 100% record intact, and we were looking to extend it to at least 26 league games in a row.

Our first game of the month, and the new year, was against Colliers Wood United, who were sat in 7th place in the league.

We made only 1 change, with P. Nzuzi making a return to the Starting XI, replacing T. Betteridge (Fit). This was Patrick's first game in 5 weeks, following a twisted ankle.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, T. Williamson, A. Ahmed,

M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, L. Head

Subs: L. Pearce, J. Anderson, D. Fazlic, C. Toner, R. Limb

Aarons almost headed Colliers Wood in-front, but his header only hit the cross-bar before bouncing over for a goalkick. Bembo-Leta gave us the lead in the 66th minute, when Pericard's shot was blocked by a defender, which fell to Bembo-Leta who was able to slot the ball home. Pericard doubled our lead in the 73rd minute, when he got onto the end of  Bembo-Leta's through-ball, and hit the ball past the Colliers Wood keeper. Tom Williams then gave us a third in the 79th minute, when he curled a free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards. 

A good win overall, however, we left it until quite late again.

Final score: Colliers Wood United 0-3 Wembley

Our next game was against Chessington & Hook United, who were in 19th place

We made 6 changes to the Starting XI, with T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, D. Fazlic, D. Lee, R. Dennis and
R. Limb replacing P. Nzuzi (Fit), Raphael Branco (Fit), T. Williamson (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit),
D. Bembo-Leta (Fit) and L. Head (Inj)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed, D. Lee, R. Dennis, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: L. Pearce, Raphael Branco, C. Toner, M. Johnson, M. McCammon

We got off to a great start, with Ryan Limb giving us the lead after 4 minutes, when he was able to volley Fazlic's cross past the keeper. Chessington's Storey got sent off in the 17th minute for violent conduct, after elbowing Lee in the face. From the free-kick, we were able to double our lead, when Williams' cross found Pericard who headed the ball past the keeper. McCammon gave us a third in first-half injury time, when he was able to head Betteridge's cross across the keeper, and into the bottom corner. Jordan Anderson then tried a hopeful effort from his own half after seeing the Chessington keeper off his line, however the keeper was able to get back and save easily. Pericard doubled his tally, when he was able to get onto the end of Limb's cross and knock the ball past a defender before burying it into the bottom corner. Pericard finished his hat-trick in the 88th minute, when his 30 yard effort hit the underside of the bar before hitting the back of the net.

Overall, this was a great win, which showed our quality we had in both attack and defence.

Final score: Chessington & Hook United 0-5 Wembley

Our next game was against Leiston FC in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Fifth Round

We made 4 changes to the starting XI, with P. Nzuzi, Raphael Branco, T. Williamson and M. Johnson replacing T. Betteridge (Fit), J. Anderson (Per), D. Fazlic (Fit) and D. Lee (Per)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, T. Williamson, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, R. Dennis, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: L. Pearce, J. Anderson, D. Fazlic, C. Toner, D. Bembo-Leta

Leiston started well, and they forced Ranieri into a number of good saves in the first 15 minutes. 18 year old Ronnel Dennis came closest to scoring in the 21st minute, when his short range shot was tipped onto the post by the keeper, and cleared by a defender. Ronnel Dennis hit the post again in the 28th minute, with a 3 yard header from Nzuzi's cross. Stefan Galinski finally gave us the lead in the 82nd minute, when Pericard knocked the ball down for him from Ahmed's corner, and Galinski was able to volley it past the keeper.

Overall, this was a poor win, and we had a poor day upfront

Final score: Wembley 1-0 Leiston

Our next game was against 12th placed Ash United in the league.

We made 5 changes to the starting XI, with J. Anderson, D. Lee, D. Fazlic, D. Bembo-Leta and
M. McCammon replacing S. Galinski (Fit), T. Williamson (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit), R. Dennis (Per) and
R. Limb (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, J. Anderson, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed, D. Lee, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, M. McCammon

Subs: L. Pearce, S. Galinski, M. Johnson, C. Toner, R. Limb

We started well, and McCammon came close to opening the scoring in the 4th minute, when he was played through by Bembo-Leta, but failed to find the target, putting the ball wide of the post. We opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Vincent Pericard, who was able to beat the Ash defender in the air at the near post, to head Ahmed's corner past the keeper, and into the back of the net. Djeny Bembo-Leta then doubled our lead in the 79th minute, when he was able to get in-front of the United defender, and volley Pericard's cross into the bottom corner.

A decent win against Ash, which extended our lead at the top of the table to 31 points.

Final score: Ash United 0-2 Wembley

Our next game was against Sandhurst Town, who in the early stage of the season were our closest competitors for the top spot in the league, however they were now sat in 8th place

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, S. Opinel, T. Williamson, C. Toner, M. Johnson and R. Limb replacing P. Nzuzi (Fit), T. Williams (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit), A. Ahmed (Fit),
D. Lee (Per) and M. McCammon (Per)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, S. Opinel, T. Williamson, C. Toner,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, D. Lee, R. Dennis, McCammon

We started brightly, and opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, when Betteridge's cross found Ryan Limb in the middle, who volleyed the ball into the back of the net from close range. Pericard doubled our lead in the 23rd minute, when Toner's long ball forward was knocked back to Pericard by Bembo-Leta, and Pericard was able to hit the ball into the net. Matt Johnson gave us a third just after half-time, when he curled a free-kick from 25 yards into the bottom corner.

This was a very good win, especially seeing as though we only fielded a half-strength side.

Final score: Wembley 3-0 Sandhurst Town

Our next game was against bottom of the table Raynes Park Vale.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with J. Anderson, B. Gayle, N. Durrant, D. Lee, C. Wrigley, M. McCammon and R. Dennis replacing Raphael Branco (Fit), S. Opinel (Fit), C. Toner (Fit),
M. Johnson (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit), V. Pericard (Fit) and R. Limb (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, B. Gayle, T. Williamson, N. Durrant,
D. Lee, C. Wrigley, M. McCammon, R. Dennis

Subs: S. Locke, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, C. Toner, D. Bembo-Leta

Rayns Park took the lead in the 37th minute when Barton was able to curl his free-kick around the wall, and past Ranieri. Bembo-Leta pulled it level in the 68th minute, when he was able to get on the end of McCammon's knock on, and hit the ball past the keeper. McCammon put us in-front in the 85th minute, when Bembo-Leta played the ball into him, and he was able to slot the ball into the bottom corner.

This was an awful performance, and I was not happy with the result.

Final score: Wembley 2-1 Raynes Park Vale

Our final game of the month was in the 4th Round of the FA Vase against Marlow

We made 9 changes to the starting XI with P. Nzuzi, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard and R. Limb replacing T. Betteridge (Per), J. Anderson (Per),
S. Opinel (Per), T. Williamson (Per), C. Toner (Per), D. Lee (Per), C. Wrigley (Per),
M. McCammon (Per) and R. Dennis (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, P. Nzuzi, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, J. Anderson, T. Williamson, C. Toner, C. Wrigley

We started well, having many shots on goal, but couldn't find a way past the Marlow keeper. Pericard came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute, when he hit a shot from 30 yards which whizzed just past the post. Pericard finally gave us the lead in the 84th minute, when he was able to head Johnson's cross past the keeper and into the back of the net. Pericard then doubled our lead in the 91st minute, with a great strike from 30 yards, catching the keeper out.

Another poor performance in my eyes, and I was extremely thankful to Pericard for getting the late goals that sent us into the next round.

Final score: Marlow 0-2 Wembley

Overall, this was a good month, however we seemed to drop-off, performance-wise, in our last couple of games. Here are our January results.

January added another 15 points to our overall point tally, and moved us 34 points clear at the top.
This is how the league looked.

December 12/13: A Happy Christmas?

We were looking to extend our 100% record for another month, but december would get off to a very congested start, playing 5 games, in just 2 weeks.

We started a busy December against Croydon who were sat in 14th in the league.

We needed to balance the squad carefully this month with so many games coming up, so we made 6 changes to the Starting XI, with T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, T. Williams, D. Lee, N. Durrant and V. Pericard replacing S. Opinel (Fit), Raphael Branco (Fit), R. Beckham (Per), C. Toner (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit) and
M. McCammon (Per)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, T. Williams, D. Lee, A. Ahmed,
N. Durrant, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, Raphael Branco, M. Johnson, C. Toner, L. Head

Bembo-Leta almost put us in-front in the 18th minute, when he was able to head Ahmed's long ball over the Croydon defence towards goal, however it was at a comfortable height for the keeper. Durrant then had a chance cleared off the line, when his 10 yard shot was spilled by the keeper, and cleared by a Croydon keeper. Ryan Limb had to be taken off because of an injury in the 39th minute, after a hard challenge from a defender. We finally opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, when Bembo-Leta was able to get on the end of Durrant's through-ball, and place it past the keeper. Liam Head then doubled our lead on 45+2, when he was able to curl Pericard's lay-off into the top corner. Liam Head then scored a header in the 48th minute, from Betteridge's early cross, however it was ruled out for an offside decision against Head. Bembo-Leta then scored his second of the game, when he was able to control Head's low cross, before turning in the box, and burying the ball into the bottom corner.

Overall, a great performance, with only a half-strength side, where we were able to get the goals we needed, and also limit the opponent to having no shots on target. Ranieri has now gone 407 minutes without conceding.

Final score: Wembley 3-0 Croydon

Our net game was just 3 days later, against 13th placed Camberley Town.

We made 9 changes, with B. Gayle, R. Beckham, Raphael Branco, M. Johnson, C. Toner, D. Fazlic,
R. Dennis, M. McCammon and L. Head replacing T. Betteridge (Fit), S. Galinski (Fit), J. Anderson (Fit)
D. Lee (Fit), A. Ahmed (Fit), N. Durrant (Fit), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit), V. Pericard (Fit), R. Limb (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, B. Gayle, R. Beckham, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, M. Johnson, C. Toner
D. Fazlic, R. Dennis, M.McCammon, L. Head

Subs: S. Locke, S. Galinski, T. Williamson, A. Ahmed, D. Bembo-Leta

Dennis put us in-front in the 24th minute, when he was able to get on the end of Johnson's long throw, before turning in the box, and burying the ball into the bottom corner. Dennis then repaid the favor to Johnson, by setting him up in the 30th minute, when Dennis received the ball in the box from Head, and was then able to flick the ball to his left for Johnson to run onto, and hit across the keeper, and into the far corner of the goal. Camberley's Martin Girling pulled one back in the 59th minute, when he hit a shot from 25 yards, straight past Ranieri, who stood no chance, into the top corner. Dennis almost regained our 2 goal lead, when he hit an effort from 30 yards, but the Camberley keeper got across and saved well. Dennis then missed another good chance to extend our lead, when he got on the end of Fazlic's through ball, but put the ball over the bar from 9 yards. We then had to take both McCammon and Williamson off because of injury. Gayle then gave away a penalty in the 81st minute. Ranieri guessed the right way, however he couldn't keep out Smith's penalty. Top scorer Djeny Bembo-Leta then scored the winner in the 90th minute, when Matt Johnson played a long ball forward, which he was able to bring down well, before chipping the ball over the Camberley keeper, and into the back of the net.

Overall, it was a good win after making 9 changes to the starting XI, and it also continues our 100% record this season.

Final score: Wembley 3-2 Camberley Town

Our next game was 3 days later, and was against Sidley United in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup 4th round.

We made 7 changes to the squad that faced Camberley, with T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, J. Anderson,
S. Opinel, A. Ahmed, D. Bembo-Leta and V. Pericard replacing B. Gayle (Per), R. Beckham (Per), Raphael Branco (Fit), T. Williams (Fit), D. Fazlic (Fit), R. Dennis (Fit) and M. McCammon (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, S. Opinel, C. Toner, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, L. Head

Subs: S. Locke, Raphael Branco, D. Fazlic, T. Williamson, R. Limb


Vincent Pericard gave us the lead in the 9th minute, when Liam Head was able to head Toner's stray shot back across goal, for Pericard to hit past the scrambling Sidley keeper. Pericard then doubled our lead with his 10th goal of the season in the  26th minute, when he was able to bring down Opinel's cross with his chest, turn, and hit the ball into the bottom corner. Pericard almost scored his hat-trick in the 36th minute, but saw his 18 yard shot saved by the keeper. Sidley's Gwilliams then hit their only shot on target towards the top corner, but Ranieri managed to save it easily.

Overall, this was a good win, which sent us into the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Quarter Finals, but we would have liked to have won by more goals.

Final score: Wembley 2-0 Sidley United

We were given a home draw against Isthmian Premier League outfit Leiston in the Isthmian Ryman League Cup Quarter Finals.

Our next game was against  3rd placed South Park

We made 5 changes to the starting XI, with B. Gayle, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic and R. Limb replacing T. Betteridge (Fit), J. Anderson (Fit), S. Opinel (Per), C. Toner (Fit), V. Pericard (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, B. Gayle, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,
M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, R. Limb, L. Head

Subs: S. Locke, R. Beckham, C. Toner, T. Williamson, V. Pericard

Nothing much happened in the first half an hour, with Ryan Limb, Bembo-Leta and Matty Johnson putting chances horribly wide. The first goal came in the 38th minute, when Ahmed's corner found Ryan Limb at the front post, and Limb was able to walk to the line with the ball, before firing into the back of the net. Limb then doubled our lead in the first 30 seconds of the second half, when straight from the kick-off, we were able to pass the ball forward, and Bembo-Leta found a gap in the defense to play in Limb, who was able to slot the ball past the keeper from around 12 yards. Ryan Limb kept missing chance after chance to get his hat-trick, with his best coming in the 54th minute, when Gayle played a great ball forward, to an unmarked Limb, who made a horrible first touch, and the ball rolled into the arms of the South Park keeper. We, unfortunately, had to take Stefan Galinski off injured in the 85th minute, and Raphael Branco had picked up a knock, but I kept him on in the hope that it was nothing too serious. Well. That, and the fact that I'd run out of substitutes.

Overall, a good 3 points, with Limb unlucky to not get a hat-trick. Fortunately, Galinski was fine after getting taken off, but Raphael Branco would be out for a maximum of 11 days.

Final score: South Park 0-2 Wembley.

Our next game was against Kent Premier League's Corinthian FC in the FA Vase 3rd round.

We made 7 changes to the starting XI, with T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, R. Beckham, , C. Toner,
T. Williamson, V. Pericard and M. McCammon replacing B. Gayle (Fit), S. Galinski (Fit),
Raphael Branco (Inj), A. Ahmed (Fit), M. Johnson (Fit), L. Head (Per), D. Bembo-Leta (Fit)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, J. Anderson, R. Beckham, T. Williams, T. Williamson,
C. Toner, D. Fazlic V. Pericard, R. Limb, M. McCammon

Subs: S. Locke, B. Gayle, M. Johnson, A. Ahmed, D. Bembo-Leta

Ryan Limb forced the Corinthian keeper into a good save in the 3rd minute, when he was able to get onto Pericard's through ball, but couldn't get it past the keeper. Limb then went close again in the 9th minute, heading the ball onto the crossbar from Toner's cross. Ranieri was in top form in goal, and it showed as Corinthian had a free-kick acrobatically saved in the 51st minute. Freeman scored for Corinthian in the 64th minute, when his 20 yard shot deflected off Beckham, and caught Ranieri out, creeping into the bottom corner. Corinthian didn't hold the lead for long, as Djeny Bembo-Leta picked the ball up around the half-way line, before taking it around a couple of Corinthian players, before hitting a shot from 30 yards, into the bottom corner. We then took the lead in the 76th minute, when Ahmed's free-kick found Anderson free in the box, who headed the ball goal-wards, hitting the post, and Vincent Pericard was able to hit the rebound into the net. Pericard then made it 3, when he was allowed to bring down Ahmed's corner, and pass the ball into the back of the net. Matt Johnson scored a 4th, when the Corinthian keeper misinterpreted a back-pass, which Johnson was able to intercept, and pass into the open goal.

Overall, it was a good win, however I was disappointed with how long it took us to really get going, and the fact that we went behind first.

Final score: Wembley 4-1 Corinthian

For the 4th round, we were given an away draw against either Colney Heath, or Marlow, dpending on who won the 3rd Round Replay.

Marlow won the replay 3-1, which meant we would play them in the 4th round of the FA Vase.

Our next game was against Cove FC, who were in 10th place in the table.

We made ... changes, with B. Gayle, S. Galinski, A. Ahmed, M. Johnson and D. Bembo-Leta replacing
T. Betteridge (Fit), R. Beckham (Per), T. Williamson (Per), D. Fazlic (Fit), M. McCammon (Per).

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, B. Gayle, S. Galinski, J. Anderson, T. Williams, C. Toner, A. Ahmed, M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, R. Beckham, D. Fazlic, T. Williamson, L. Head

Vincent Pericard put us in-front after just 33 seconds, when Cove's clearance only got as far as Tom Williams, who played a ball into the box, which was controlled, and slotted into the corner of the goal. Pericard then went close again in the 35th minute, when he headed Ahmed's corner onto the crossbar, which bounced back into the keeper's arms. Cove's Blake forced Ranieri into a good save at the near post with a shot from 20 yards in the 49th minute. Cove's Brawley then made a very similar save from a 25 yard effort by Djeny Bembo-Leta just a few minutes later. Pericard doubled our lead in the 78th minute, when he headed Ahmed's corner onto the underside of the crossbar, which then went into the back of the net rather than bouncing out.

This was a good win against Cove, which put us 23 points clear of Guernsey, having payed a game extra.

Final score: Cove 0-2 Wembley

Our next game was against 8th placed Farnham Town.

We made 3 changes to the starting XI with T. Betteridge, D. Lee and D. Fazlic replacing J. Anderson (Fit), C. Toner (Per) and M. Johnson (Inj)

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, B. Gayle, T. Williams, D. Fazlic, A. Ahmed,
D. Lee, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, R. Beckham, T. Williamson, C. Toner, L. Head

Tom Williams went close in the 22nd minute, when his 25 yard free-kick whizzed past the far post, and went for a goal kick. Limb forced a good save from the Farnham keeper in the 31st minute, when he was able able to turn and shoot from Bembo-Leta's pass, but Marshall got down at the left-hand post to save. Pericard gave us the lead with a precise finish in the 35th minute, when he was able to turn on Ahmed's ball forward, and slot the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Brooks-Meade missed a sitter for Farnham when he headed the ball across goal, and wide of the post from 2 yards in the 71st minute. Dwane Lee then doubled our lead, when he was able to bury Ryan Limb's pull-back from 9 yards, into the top corner. Bembo-Leta then gave us a third in the final minute of added time, when he was able to bring down Pericard's volleyed cross, and slot the ball past the keeper from inside the box.

This was a very good performance, with some key players (Johnson, Nzuzi etc) missing, and I was impressed with how Lee played

Final Score: Wembley 3-0 Farnham Town

Our next game was the Boxing Day game against 10th placed Bedfont Sports.

We made 4 changes, with Raphael Branco, J. Anderson, C. Toner and T. Williamson replacing S. Galinski (Fit), T. Betteridge (Fit), A. Ahmed (Fit), and D. Lee (Fit). This would be Raphael Branco's first game in two weeks following a bruised rib.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, B. Gayle, J. Anderson, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, T. Williamson, C. Toner,
D. Fazlic, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, R. Limb

Subs: S. Locke, S. Galinski, N. Durrant, A. Ahmed, L. Head

Both teams started brightly, with both having multiple chances in the first 10 minutes, with both keepers forced to make some good saves. Raphael Branco almost scored on his return, when he volleyed Ahmed's free-kick just wide, in the 51st minute. Preicard hit the post a couple of minutes later, when he was able to hit Limb's knock-down on the half-volley from just outside the penalty area. Dino Fazlic finally gave us the lead in the 75th minute, when he was able to get on the end of Gayle's long ball forward, and place the ball under the keeper, and into the back of the net. Liam Head then doubled our lead a few minutes later, with a blazing shot from 30 yards, right into the top-corner, where the keeper had no chance of saving it.

I was very impressed with the result, especially seeing as though we ended up playing Fazlic up-front because of an injury to Ryan Limb.

Final score: Wembley 2-0 Bedfont Sports

This game broke two records for us, as it extended both our win streak, and our unbeaten run to thirty games. My main concern now, was making them to 31.

Our last game of December, and of 2012 was at home against 2nd placed Guersney who had won 5 out of their last 5 away games.


We made 5 changes to the starting XI with T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, A.Ahmed, M. Johnson and L. Head replacing B. Gayle (Fit), J. Anderson (Fit), C. Toner (Per), D. Fazlic (Fit), R. Limb (Fit). This was Johnson's first game in 7 days, following a gashed arm.

Starting XI: M. Ranieri, T. Betteridge, S. Galinski, Raphael Branco, T. Williams, T. Williamson, A. Ahmed, M. Johnson, D. Bembo-Leta, V. Pericard, L. Head

Subs: L. Pearce, J. Anderson, N. Durrant, C. Toner, M. McCammon

We started well, with Bembo-Leta forcing a good save out of the Guernsey keeper in the 6th minute, with a fierce shot from 20 yards towards the bottom corner. Despite us dominating possession, Guernsey took the lead from a David Pearce free-kick in the 25th minute, when Ross Allen was able to beat Johnson in the air, and head the ball past Ranieri. Bembo-Leta replied for us almost instantly, when, after receiving the all on the edge of the box from Pericard, he was able to skillfully turn the defender, and slot the ball past the keeper and into the bottom corner. We then took the lead in added time, when Williams was able to find space on the wing to cross into Pericard, who headed the ball over the keeper, and into the back of the net. Ross Allen pulled it level for Guernsey, when he was able to get on the end of York's through ball, and blast it past Ranieri in the 54th minute. Johnson then scored on his return from injury in the 68th minute, when he was able to get into the box unmarked, and was found by Ahmed with a good ball forward, and Johnson was able fire the ball past the Guernsey keeper from  around 12 yards.

This was a great result against a strong Guernsey side, and pretty much confirmed that we would win the league title.

Final score: Wembley 3-2 Guernsey

December was another good month for us, progressing to the next round of both the FA Vase and the  Isthmian Ryman League Cup, and winning 7 out of 7 games in the league.

The win against Guernsey moved us 26 points clear at the top of the season after having played 25 games.