Sholing 4-1 Tavistock AFC

Scorers : Jordan Rose 6, 19, 63, Cohwen Whitaker 83  /  Liam Prynn 70 (pen)

Date: Saturday 15 April 2023, 3pm – Southern League Division 1 South

Venue:  Imperial Homes Stadium  Attendance: 204

Sholing : Ryan Gosney, TJ Cuthbertson, Dean Frampton (Marv McLean 46), Rob Flooks, Jordan Rose, Leon Baker, Wayne Robinson, Charlie Wagstaffe, Dan Mason © (Sami Makhloufi 73), Lee Wort, Jake Cope (Cohwen Whitaker 62).  Unused subs : Byron Mason, Josh Batt

Bookings : Charlie Wagstaffe, Lee Wort

Tavistock : Josh Oak, Ben Cross (Oscar Massey 82), Dan Evans, Warren Daw ©, Tallan Burns, Liam Prynn, Edward Harrison, Joseph O'Connor (Ben Fowles 74), Alex Battle (Josh Battle), Brandon Pursall, Sean Thompson.  Unused subs : George Beardsmore

Bookings : Josh Oak, Dan Evans, Tallan Burns, Stuart Henderson

Clarke Willmott Man of the Match : Leon Baker

It was a momentus day for two players at either ends of their careers.  33 year old Jordan Rose scored his first ever hat-trick and 17 year old Cohwen Whitaker scored his first senior goal.  The big win ensured Sholing of 2nd place and a home tie in the Promotion Play Offs.

Team News : Byron Mason & Dan Miller were rested, whilst Brad Targett nursed an injury. In another first, Dan Mason in his 522nd appearance for the Boatmen, took the Captain's armband. Ryan Gosney returned in goal.

Another astonishing transformation of the pitch from flooded on Friday to playable 24 hours later, as the crowd enjoyed a rare warm and sunny match day.

5th place Tavistock, who currently occupy the play off spot to face Sholing, had the first shot of the game, but it was straight at Gosney.  On 6 minutes, a corner from the left was swung into the box by Jake Cope and met with a goalbound header by JORDAN ROSE that deflected in off a Tavistock player for the big defender's first goal for the club.

Boatmen were looking dangerous from set pieces and another corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Leon Baker hit it first time, with his volley going narrowly wide.  The League's leading scorer, Liam Prynn, got in behind and lifted the ball over the advancing Gosney, but it dropped just wide of the far post.

Sholing doubled our lead on 19 mins with another goal from a Jake Cope corner. This time from the right, where the delivery to the far side was headed back by Rob Flooks to give JORDAN ROSE an easy nod into the net from 2 yards out.

After a Tavistock effort was cleared off the line, the visitors frustrations got the better of them, with their manager talking his way into the book.  Then a wrestling match between Wort and the defender, looked worse than it was as both players got up smiling, but it was the crowd who was then smiling and laughing as the always vocal Tavistock keeper tried to get involved, slipping over on his backside in the process.  To rub salt in his wounds, he also received a yellow card.

Prynn flicked the ball over his head for Harrison to run into the middle of the box, but his effort was comfortable for Gos to hold onto.   HT 2-0

Tavistock tried a training ground routine from a freekick outside our area, but TJ Cuthbertson was alive to it and got in a great block.   Charlie Wagstaffe did well to rob a Tavistock player of the ball outside the box and he stood up the cross nicely for Lee Wort, but he didn't get the contact he wanted on his header.

Jake Cope ran at the backtracking defence, cutting onto his right to fire a low shot that was pushed out by the keeper, Lee Wort hooked the ball from behind him, but it was scrambled away near the line.

Another corner and another scramble saw us got 3-0 up on 63 minutes. Dan Mason had an effort blocked, but the loose ball fell to JORDAN ROSE to fire through the crowd and claim his hat-trick.  The big man ran to the stand and celebrated with his family.

It wouldn't be a Sholing home game without a debatable penalty to the opposition and it happened again on 70 mins when a shoulder-to-shoulder saw the ref point to the spot. Liam Prynn dispatched the penalty, his 27th goal of the season.

Our best move of the game saw some interplay in midfield and Leon Baker was found with a great ball as he burst down the right wing. His cross into the middle was met by Wayne Robinson with a poked effort that beat the keeper but went agonisingly wide of the far post. 

It was a similar story a minute later, this time Dan Mason slid in to get the ball before the keeper, but it picked up a deflection and dribbled inches wide.

Sholing got a deserved 4th on 83 minutes when Wagstaffe was tripped on the edge of the D.  COHWEN WHITAKER stepped up and curled a sublime freekick over the wall into the top left corner!  What a way to score your first senior goal.

We might have got more goals, Lee Wort went through and tried to lob the keeper, but it was saved. Oaks then kept the score down by firstly denying Charlie Wagstaffe and then Wort again.   FT 4-1

Sholing will now be at home in the Promotion Play-off semi Final on Wednesday 26th April.  We might well face Tavistock again, but Bashley, Frome & Evesham are also in with a chance of 5th spot.   Congratulations to AFC Totton on their automatic promotion.

Today was the last home league game for our long-serving club secretary, Greg Dickson. Many thanks and all the best to Greg after 13 years doing so much work for the club at all levels behind the scenes.

Also moving on is Phil Moody, who is taking up a role with the Southampton FC Women's team.  Thanks to Phil for his work at the club, especially with the Education Scholarship.   Replacements are lined up and will be announced in due course.

Next Game : Larkhall Athletic v Sholing - Tuesday 18 April 7:45pm - Southern League

Photos courtesy of EspieJaz, swipe to view pics :