Jets Run Title Chasers Close
Oxhey Jets 1 Westside 2
Combined Counties Division One
17th October 2017
Jets suffered a harsh defeat to second-placed Westside, beaten by a 50-yard-plus wonder strike that was duplicated by Brighton 24 hours later against Crystal Palace.
Joe Brown slots Jets into the lead.
It was a much better performance from Jets than in recent games, and against the league high-flyers they deservedly took the lead thanks to a 15th-minute strike from Joe Brown into the bottom corner. 1-0.
Jets denied by the post.
No luck for Jets. Joe Brown beats the keeper but it rolls across the line.
Jets almost got a second when Brown again beat the keeper from the tightest of angles, only for the ball to roll agonisingly across the face of goal with nobody on their toes to convert.
The windy conditions made life difficult for both sides, and some of the decisions didn’t make things any easier, but it was a good game.
Lady Luck has deserted Jets of late, and Lucio Cappuccini was struggling badly with a training injury after being clattered by one of our own players. Then the influential Alex More was left flat out with a head injury.
As per the FA directive, More had to leave the field and was kept off by the referee. With Jets daydreaming, the visitors went racing down the line and a pinpoint cross found Zachary Johnson to head home at the back post.
The Jets defence was frozen and hesitant, and of course Alex More was off the field watching the player he would have been marking completely unchallenged. 1-1 (44 mins).
There was still time before the break for Jets to be denied by the post.
Lucio Cappuccini was lost to injury, with Oliver Grieves coming on in a straight positional swap, and both sides continued to create and miss chances.
But the game was to be decided by a super strike, a remarkable effort from over 50 yards that gave Jets no chance and left them with nothing to show for a much-improved performance.
Man of the Match: A difficult one to decide as this really wasn’t a poor performance from Jets. Joe Brown was in contention, and Simon Poulton was right in the frame, but the final decision from the management went to Alfie Herd for his dynamo performance in midfield.
