Old Wykehamist Football Club

To the passing spectator, last Saturday’s match might have seemed like a case of role reversal. In years gone by, a bench packed with talent far exceeding the opposition’s starting eleven would have been Bradfield’s luxury, not Winchester’s. Similarly, the superior fitness needed to rub home an advantage over the closing minutes would have been something Winchester would have coveted jealously. Ultimately, sitting top of the league and playing the role of favourites might have left some veterans scratching their heads in confusion, and yet, that was the reality and nothing in Winchester’s warm-up or the opening skirmishes appeared to belie their meriting such status.

True, the first exchanges were tight and there was little difference between the two sides in terms of possession. But, in a similar manner to England’s recent international against Belarus, Winchester’s class eventually told, and in the manner of true champions, once ahead, Winchester never looked back. An hour after Premiership favourites Chelsea had tied up a 5-0 drubbing away at the Riverside, it was over to this league’s frontrunner to turn on the style.

Bradfield actually came closest to scoring in the even opening period: a well struck free kick just clearing the bar with Ed Neale a spectator. But, as is almost becoming routine, Winchester continued to play the game to which they are becoming accustomed and their aesthetic poise soon bore fruit. The interplay was precise: White, Masefield and Skinner exchanging passes on the right, pulling defenders out of position as they did all afternoon. Masefield still had work to do when through on goal but this is a man in Rooney-esque form and his low shot across the keeper surprised none of his team mates. Some might say uck was on our side for the second goal as Skinner’s attempted cross looped over the keeper into the net but that would be to ignore both our right midfielder the tireless running and the consistent pressure to which Bradfield had been subjected.

At 2-0 at half time and with a quality bench champing at the bit, the skipper rightly rang the changes. Walters chose to rest his ankle, Merriott moved to left back, Hogan replaced him in the middle and Sutton was a straight swap for White. It can be hard as a substitute, especially when the team has finished the first half so on top as to be disappointed not to have scored a third. But the substitutes slipped into the rhythm in double quick time: Sutton showed a promising understanding with the other attackers and Hogan had the discipline to shield the back four and distribute the ball, allowing man of the match Baker to roam free. Faced with this renewed vigour, Bradfield visibly wilted and it became a question of how many when Masefield added to his tally early in the half. Any dejection Bradfield were feeling at that moment was swiftly compounded by a moment of pure slapstick. The keeper received a throw-in to feet, looked up to see Sutton bearing down on him, made to take him on, lost his confidence, then the ball, and could only watch in resignation as Sutton walked the ball into the net. Thereafter, Winchester dominated entirely with Bradfield limited to long balls which the defence of Rann, Toone and Wakiwaka repelled with consummate ease. The only question remaining was whether Winchester could keep the clean sheet that had eluded them so long but which their captain/goalkeeper and his well-marshalled defence so deserved. It looked to be plain sailing until, in the final minutes, a testing Bradfield cross deflected off a Winchester leg, wrong-footed the keeper, and lurched towards the unguarded net. On another day, the ball would have hit the post and gone in, souring an otherwise perfect day. Instead it bounced into our Captain’s grateful arms. A clean sheet, goals for all our attacking players, four straight wins, three consecutive away victories, four wins out of five, and top of the table: there truly is a buzz about this club.