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.
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.
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