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Pikes started well creating some early pressure. Ashley Carpenter found himself in some good positions and had an effort saved. Chances were being created in a game that was being played at a slower pace than Pikes usually play. Morgan Cullen and Tommy Lyons both had efforts saved or go close to goal. The first half was fairly even, but after all the good work, Beacon Knights managed to make an attack where a couple of missed tackles allowed an attacker the space to make a great shot that put them in the lead at half time. The second half saw renewed determination from the Pikes. Jonny Farnsworth and Jimmy Knight were having good games in defence, and found themselves pushing forward in the second half. The introduction of Alex Roberts up front with Tommy lyons in the left midfield role started to work really well and soon Pikes started creating chance after chance. The pressure soon told and Pikes were awarded a penalty which Morgan Cullen duly dispatched to earn Pikes a creditable draw. Pinhoe Pikes 5 v 3 Crediton Saints The second game Pikes started against Crediton with the same line-up as they finished the first game, but they soon realised they were up against a very good Crediton side. Crediton’s number 8 and number 11 dominated the opening exchanges and it was their interplay and Pikes missed tackles that led to the first goal. But to Pikes credit they soon rallied and a move that saw Ashley Carpenter back heel a pass to Alex Roberts who played a through ball to Morgan Cullen to finish, put the scores at 1 apiece. Pikes then dominated, with Ashley scoring on a volley from a Tommy Lyons pass, before Tommy Lyons scored with a good strike. At the back Jonny Farnsworth and Jimmy Knight were dealing with the Crediton attacks well in an end to end game. A few subs before half time saw Crediton take advantage and skip tackles to score two goals to level the score before half time. The second half was a cracking game of football. With two good sides playing attacking football. Pikes squeezed ahead with a Morgan goal from a Tommy Lyons cross, but Crediton kept coming back creating chances that somehow the defence dealt with. The game was finally won, when from a Morgan free kick, Tommy Lyons squared the ball for Alex Roberts to finish. A great game of football from both sides, which both deserve great credit for a great game. Man of Match - Morgan Cullen 28th March 2009 A blustery day saw the Pikes Struggling to cope with the windy conditions against an effective Raiders side. Pikes were under pressure from the start with some players struggling to gain confidence and fluency to their game. Passing was proving tricky and retaining possession hard against some disciplined play from their opponents. By half time Pikes were two goals down and for most of the first half hadn’t looked like scoring except from a good Morgan Cullen chance. Changes at half time saw Pikes restart with purpose, and it was a magnificent strike from the captain Jimmy Knight that saw the deficit cut to one goal. Unfortunately poor defending allowed the Raiders to pull one back, but credit to the Pikes they never gave up and finished the game strongly with Morgan Cullen scoring from a Tommy Lyons cross, before Tommy added to his seasons tally with another great goal. Ashley Carpenter played well on the left wing whilst Daniel Cullen was outstanding in goal for the second week running. Man of the Match - Daniel Cullen Pinhoe Pikes 1 v 4 Sidmouth Warriors A good start to the game saw both teams playing good football, with chances being created from both sides. Tommy Lyons crossed for an Ashley Carpenter effort to go close, but once again poor clearing in defence led to the Warriors taking the lead. Tommy Lyons then pulled one back from a Morgan Cullen assist for the Pikes to go in half time drawing the game. The second half saw many substitutions that led to the Pikes losing shape a little bit and for the defence to struggle. The Warriors being a good side took advantage and scored three times from poor Pikes defending. Charlie Fairchild went close with an effort and created some good openings with some decent passing, whilst the effort from the Pikes was outstanding, none more so than Daniel Cullen who again kept the score line respectable. Man of the Match - Daniel Cullen 28th March 2009 A shakey start by the Pikes soon settled down into a lively game of football with both sides competing hard for the ball. Pikes then started to pass the ball very well and playing as a team. Morgan Cullen worked hard for his team as usual and Jimmy Knight was at his uncompromising best in defence. It wasn’t long before Pikes were threatening the Honiton goal, an attack led to a corner that was well taken by Tommy Lyons and beautifully volleyed in by Ashley Carpenter for the first goal. Tommy Lyons continued his good work with great interplay in the final third with his team mates and it then led to the second goal where a Tommy effort was blocked, but Charlie Fairchild followed up with a tap in. Honiton battled hard but were finding that a lot of their attacks were broken down by the excellent Jonny Farnsworth, who playing in defence was having his best game of the season. His work rate, attitude and decision making was outstanding and was instrumental in the teams overall performance. Pikes continued to press and Morgan Cullen deservedly found himself on the score sheet with a low shot before Jimmy Knight scored with an assured finish. The second half saw a change of keepers with Tom Ferdinand making a great save before a Jonny Farnsworth corner led to an own goal. Honiton deservedly scored two late goals, but Pikes ended worthy winners. Man of the Match: Jonny Farnsworth
7th March 2009 Both sides started the game struggling to gain any fluency or rhythm. Pikes seemed unable to string more than two passes together at any given time, Westhill were proving effective at breaking down any pattern of play Pikes managed to put together. Indeed Westhill looked more eager and hungry for the ball whilst Pikes became frustrated at their lack of fluency. The scrappy first half definitely went to Westhill who created more chances overall. Jonny Farnsworth, Jimmy Knight and Baily Radford proved to be the pick of the Pikes players in the first half and to be fair it was the defense and another solid performance from Daniel Cullen in goal that were the highlights. Pikes had a slightly better start to the second half and in one five minute period played the football we were used to seeing which resulted with a Morgan Cullen cross for a Jonny Farnsworth tap in. Pikes failed to build on this and credit to Westhill for proving to be difficult opponents to break down, whom deservedly pulled a goal back with a good finish for the match to end all square. 7th March 2009 A few changes in positions with Pikes playing with width seemed to make an improvement with passes finding players more than from the first game. A couple of players looked tired and out of sorts, so early subs were made again. Tommy Lyons came on and proved yet again to be a player who can make the important breakthrough with a cool finish from a Morgan Cullen pass, Tommy quickly followed this up with a cracking strike from distance, great vision to see the opportunity. Meanwhile Mason Clifford continued to impress on left midfield with his willingness to take players on and create opportunities. Whilst at the back Jimmy Knight as Captain was leading his troops well, and developing a good understanding with Baily Radford who again is developing quickly. Honiton battled hard and their keeper was outstanding in making several certain goal bound saves. Pikes were just proving a little too strong and Morgan Cullen then capped a fine game by completing a hat trick. The last two of his goals were cracking, one being a good long range effort and the last one being a fine individual effort to cap a good win. Player of the Match : Baily Radford 21st February 2009 Pikes started brightly passing the ball very well and creating pressure from the start. It was good pressure that resulted in Mason Clifford scoring the first of his two goal tally. Soon Pikes started scoring at will against a Rangers side struggling for possession. Morgan Cullen then scored from a trademark free kick, but was fortunate to score due to a goalie error. Pikes continued to press forward and Tommy lyons scored with a cheeky back heel. Morgan Cullen scored from a Daniel Cullen long ball before Alex Roberts scored with a glancing header from a corner. Alex later went onto score a deserved hat-trick. Meanwhile Jed cockram and Baily Radford marshaled the defense well when needed. Further goals from Mason Clifford and Tommy lyons in the second half kept the score ticking over before a recovering Charlie Fairchild scored a great header from a great corner from Jonny Farnsworth, to cap a satisfying win. Credit should go to the Ranger players for always trying and keeping their heads up when the score started to go against them. 21st February 2009 Pikes found themselves in a very different match from the first. Celtic put Pikes under pressure in the opening stages, and Pikes found themselves defending numerous corners. It was some dodgy defending that allowed Celtic a two goal lead in the opening exchanges. Tommy Lyons found himself in a good position to tap in, in one of the few Pikes attacks in the first half. In fact Pikes looked a little disorganized in defence and it was another defensive lapse that led to Celtic scoring from a corner. A strong half time talk resulted in Pikes starting the second half with renewed determination and suddenly the second half looked a much more even contest and turned into a great game of football. Ashley Carpenter scored early on from good pikes pressure and good passing. However, Celtic then scored from a short corner and again from a counter attack that caught Pikes off guard. To Pikes credit they never gave up and good movement of the ball led to Morgan Cullen scoring. He then scored a second from a Mason Clifford cross to pull the deficit to one goal. Unfortunately Celtic grabbed another goal on the break at the end of the match. Encouragement can be taken from a much improved second half performance with a number of missed chances against a good Celtic side. 17th January 2009 Pikes first game after a long break started well with the team playing some attractive passing football. Pikes were soon rewarded their first goal from Tommy Lyons who made a nice turn and finished in the bottom left hand corner. Constant pressure saw Tommy then score a solo goal before completing his hat-trick from a great pass from Alex Roberts (playing his first game for Pikes). A superb through pass from Jonny Farnsworth set Tommy up for his fourth before half time. Pikes continued to press hard and played well again against a competitive Hemyock side. Morgan Cullen the grabbed a brace of goals, the first a tap in the second from another great pass from Alex Roberts. Charlie Fairchild then scored a neat goal before Alex Roberts deservedly got a goal at the end. A convincing display from the Pikes that encouraged the coaches, and a defense that was resolute and no one typified this more than Jimmy Knight for a man of the match performance. Man Of The Match: Jimmy Knight Cullompton Rangers 6 v 1 Pinhoe Pikes Pikes unfortunately made the same mistake they had made in previous second matches, by allowing their concentration and work rate to slip. Against a well drilled Cullompton side they soon went down to a well taken free kick. By half time they were four goals down, two goals from headers and a tap in. In reality as soon as the first goal went in the heads dropped, communication dried up and confidence slipped. No subs were made before half time, so not to unsettle the team any further. A strong half time team talk galvanised the team, and Morgan Cullen managed to score a goal for Pikes soon after the break. A much better performance in the second half saw Pikes only concede one goal; however against a strong opponent pulling five goals back seemed a tall order. Substitutions were made to give players a game and Pikes ultimately finished a lot stronger, but the damage had been done in the first half. Special mention to Daniel Cullen for some outstanding saves and Jimmy Knight for another pretty solid performance. Man Of The Match: Jimmy Knight
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For more information please contact Jo Hamlyn