Old Tiffs vets 5 Old Latymerians vets 2

Barry Robinson

Simon Burton
Pete Stephens
Pete Markham
Carl Naylor

Steve Moodley
Ali Rawlinson
Oscar Omo
Dave Harry

Rob Lee
Steve Reid

Simon Baile
Matt Seabrook
Warren Arlow

Competition to get into the vets team match day squad is increasing these days, so a new player needs to make his mark quickly.

There’s few better ways of doing so than notching a hat trick from left midfield, having started the match as substitute, and in doing so helping Tiffs inflict the first defeat of the season on Latymerians.

Matt Seabrook, take a bow son. You may be picked for next week.

But this was no one-man performance. Tiffs, as they do this season, turned up with 14 and every man put in a shift.

At the back, Naylor, Markham, Stephens, Burton and Baile picked up where they left off with recent solid defensive performances. A particular well done to those who played multiple positions during the day, as that’s no easy task and those who were asked to did it extremely well.

Behind them, our latest stand-in keeper Barry looked like he’d been a Tiffs fixture for years, solid as anything.

In central midfield, that hub of hard tackling and purposeful prompting, Rawlinson and Omo did their stuff, laying the foundations for wide men Dave Harry, Steve Moodley and that man Seabrook to forage down the flanks.

And up front, Steve Reid reminded everyone of his poaching panache, assisted by the roving Rob Lee ‘in the hole’, and old Tiffs legend, wonder Warren ‘Wazza’ Arlow, back from Switzerland and raring to go.

Events unfolded like this.

In the opening minutes, a composed Tiffs took control, passing nicely and looking thoroughly pleased to be playing their first home game since November. They were particularly getting joy down the right hand side, and it was from there that an opportunity was eventually created. Steve Reid made light of a narrow angle to score with a good finish, 1-0 to Tiffs.

Latymer were not unbeaten after ten games for nothing though and they contested the first half fiercely. They began to have a decent share of possession, without fashioning too much, until a free kick from the right was whipped into the box. It dipped and curled, missing attacking and defending heads and boots, then bounced, and continued its trajectory unimpeded. Unfortunately for Tiffs, hit was heading just inside the far post. A soft goal, a bit of a fluke, but quite quickly the opposition were back in the game.

The half ended 1-1 but Tiffs came out purposefully and it wasn’t too long before they took the lead again, this time a cross from the right and there was Seabrook, popping up with a header for 2-1.

Again Latymerians were not for lying down and a second set piece led to a header from six yards, 2-2.

The result was in the balance at this stage but Tiffs kept attacking and got their rewards. Seabrook went on to add two more, left foot right foot, between 60-75 mins, and the game was done. Arlow had a good shot which just went wide, before Omo added the cherry on the cake, a delicate finish for the fifth in the dying minutes.

Well played Tiffs, it was one of our better days.