Okehampton 3 - 3 Alphington 3rd May 2008

With this being the last game of the season, you may well expect a dull and uneventful game but that was not the case as both sets of supporters were well entertained with a well contested game and the man in black. It only took 2 minutes for the goal scoring to start and it was the Alphas who got the ball rolling, when Symonds sent the ball up from the back for Lawrence Khoo to quickly fire across the penalty box where Scott Forster coolly lobbed the keeper making it 1-0. After another five minutes Forster was unlucky not to double the lead after Wes Johnson sent Forster on a solo run into the box where he unleashed a powerful shot and unfortunately it went wide. Just after 10 minutes Okey had a chance to equalise after some slack defending but the resultant shot was well wide of the target. At this point it seemed that the Alphas were the better side and Okey were trying to work to catch them on the break. The next chance fell to Gary Hayes who, like Forster earlier, was in on goal but the shot went over the top. Around the 20 minute mark Forster's game came to an end after an extremely rash challenge in the box where the Okey player got Forster before the ball. Forster was left polaxed on the ground and with the referee in a great position to see the offence, he had clearly made his mind up he had no intention of giving a penalty. The foul was such a bad one that Forster had to leave the pitch and was unable to take any further part in the game. With Alphington down to 10 men whilst Neil Whittaker was warming up, Adam Mortimer equalised for Okehampton with a simple shot after the Alphas were caught napping at the back. Ten minutes before the break was due Craig Russell in goal for the Alphas stopped Okey taking the lead with a fantastic point-blank save. The remainder of the half, from a footballing perspective, was fairly uneventful but the entertainment was still there when the referee decided to send John Moore to the stand after he remonstrated against a decision the referee had made where he deemed Symonds to have committed a foul for kicking the ball whilst receiving treatment. If the referee had been paying full attention, he would have realised that Symonds at no point had left the field of play and was merely adminstering some vaseline to his own leg (I guess referees have a difficult job and they can't always get it right).

Okey started the stronger in the second half and if it was not for some great last stand defending in front of goal by the Alphas they would have gone behind within the first two minutes. Around about 12 minutes in Freddie Loveday scored his first Alphington goal to send the Alphas 2-1 up after a goalmouth scramble that the saw the ball come back to him to punt in. It was only a matter of moments later that Okey's Phil Evans equalised with a great strike on the edge of the box. With just under half an hour to go Okey took the lead after catching the Alphas short of pace at the back with a well taken but contentious goal that could well have seen the player who scored to be adjudged as being in an offside position.

The spirit of the Alphas was still very high which was probably helped by the rowdy following supporters (yes all 6 of us!) and they still looked lively and were getting chances but it just didn't seem like they were going to get the break they needed. With 15 minutes to play it looked very much like that Alphas would be down to 10 men as Symonds was struggling with a leg injury but like the true trooper he is he managed to carry on. Five mintues from time the Alphas got the equalising, and very much deserved, goal after Gary Hayes delivered a great corner in that was finished by Warren Smith. With little time remaining, other than the five minutes the referee added on, the Alphas were bombarded at the bottom of the hill by the Okey attack,but they held out and the game finished 3-3.

A great game and a great finish to a very hard season and here's looking forward to seeing the Alphas do well in the 2008/09 campaign under the leadership of John Moore.

Ed's Man of the Match: Freddy Loveday

All first team reports are written by and are the sole view of Russ Murch, they are in no way endorsed by Alphington AFC

Click on a link below to see this seasons match report for the Alphas 1st Team
Axminster 6 - 2 Alphington 18.08.07 - Shocking display at the back
Alphington 2 - 0 Exeter Uni 22.08.07 - A great display by the Alphas
Alphington 5 - 3 Crediton 8th Sept 2007 - A team that looked like they were "Vaughan again"
Alphington 0 - 1 Exmouth 15th Sept 2007 - Lacklustre display
Galmpton 2 - 2 Alphington 22nd Sept 2007 - Clawed back for the point
Alphington 3 - 4 Appledore 29th Sept 2007 - Too little too late!!!
Liverton 7 - 0 Alphington 6th Oct 2007 - Speechless!!!
Alphington 2 - 1 Newton Abbot 13th Oct 2007 - Never Has My Gob Been So Smacked!!!
Alphington 0 - 2 Ottery St Mary 20th Oct 2007 - From elated to deflated in 7 days!!!
Alphington 4 - 1 Teignmouth - Devon premier Cup 3rd Round 27th Oct 2007
Alphington 2 - 2 Okehampton Argyle 3rd November 2007
Ottery 3 - 0 Alphington 10th November 2007
Alphington 4 - 3 Plymstock 17th November 2007
Alphington 2 - 1 Plymstock 24th November 2007 Devon Premier Cup 4th rnd
Totnes & Dartington 3 - 1 Alphington 15th December 2007
Alphington 1 - 0 Liverton 22nd December 2007
Alphington 1 - 5 Budleigh Salterton 5th january 2008
Alphington 2 - 1 Galmpton 19th January 2008 - Devon Premier Cup quarter final
Alphington 4 - 1 Buckfastleigh Rangers 26th January 2008
Crediton 4 - 2 Alphington 9th February 2008
Exmouth 6- 0 Alphington 16th February 2008
Alphington 1 - 3 Galmpton 23rd February 2008
Alphington 2 - 0 Stoke Gabriel 8th March 2008
Alphington 1 - 6 Totnes & Dartington 22nd March 2008
Teignmouth 0 - 3 Alphington 5th April 2008
Alphington 1 - 2 Appledore 12th April 2008
Alphington 3 - 1 Teignmouth 16th April 2008
Exeter Uni 2 - 1 Alphington 19th April 2008
Pylmstock 1 - 0 Alphington 21st April 2008
Stoke Gabriel 1 - 0 Alphington 26th April 2008
Appledore 5 - 1 Alphington 28th April 2008