It was a damp, dreary morning at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium on Saturday as both Over-60’s Walking Football teams played their final games of the first phase of the league.

The Blues (playing in green due to a colour clash) met Ashford Internazionale. They were looking for a win to guarantee second spot and a fine haul of points to carry forward to the Second Phase of the league. Ashford, meanwhile, needed a win to force their way into the top five. The visitors had a very strong first half and disrupted the Angels normal free-flowing play. However, towards the end of the half, Nigel Bragg managed to slot home the opening goal to give the Angels a lead at the break. 

A change in tactics in the second half led to the Angels totally dominating play, forcing an error from the Ashford keeper that allowed Bragg to slot home his second. A few moments later a screamer from Graham Smith made it 3-0. Bragg followed up with a fourth to complete his hat-trick. In the final few minutes following an excellent pass from Kelvin Champion, Craig Knowles slotted home a good team goal. Ashford did manage a consolation goal with the final kick of the game shooting high into the net from the edge of the area. 

The Over-60’s now move into the second phase of the league competition playing games in March and April before the finals in May.

This game was also notable for the fact that the Angels didn’t give away any running offences!

Report from Glyn Hollands

Picture: The Over-60's Blues prior to the game