http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml Hartlepool Raglan F.C. (Saturday): Blog Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:03:11 -0500 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/6a80488bc97682eebea076630680f924_4815d91e.writeback Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:03:10 -0500 Raglan retained the League title when they ran out 6-1 winners at home to Rileys M.B.M. A struggling Rileys were always on the back foot against the in-form Raglan & it was after only 8 minutes Raglan got on the scoresheet - Lee Campbells long ball found Robbie Thompson who finished with a low drive. Anthony Chapman then set-up Thompson for his 2nd on 15 minutes. Raglan were in full control now and leading scorer Shaun Atkinson unselfishly laid Raglans 100th League goal on a plate to Mark Henderson. Atkinson then got on the scoresheet himself on 25 minutes to give Raglan a 4 goal half time advantage. H-T 4-0 The 2nd half proved to be more of the same with Mark Henderson completing his 2nd of the game with a fine header & veteran John Dobing proving once again his ability to find the net with his bullet header which the Rileys keeper got both hands on but was too powerful to keep out. Rileys did manage a consolation goal in the last 5 minutes, but Raglan had the victory they needed. Full credit to an understrength Rileys for their part in what proved to be the decisive points for Raglan & good luck to them in the Challenge Cup Final. The day belonged to Raglan though & although they haven't dominated the cup matches & League as they did last season - they still proved to be worthy Champions. F-T 6-1 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/253e1e7c9cf33fc3f0ca2385bf11f74e_480b0d11.writeback Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:29:54 -0500 Raglans excellent current form continued as they scored 7 goals against a struggling Headland side. Shaun Atkinson knotched his 1st of the afternoon from the penalty spot after a Headland defender handled in the area. His next - the goal of the game was a 20 yard chip after Robbie Thompsons through ball. Atkinson scored his hat trick with only 30 minutes on the clock after Mark Hendersons good delivery. Tosh Chapmans mazy run down the right wing gave Atkinson the opportunity for his 4th - but the goalbound shot ricocheted off Mark Hendersons backside & into the net giving Raglan a half time lead of 4 goals. H-T 4-0 The second half proved to be more of the same as Raglan were hungry for more goals. Lee Jacksons header on the hour & Mark Hendersons drive on 75 minutes gave Raglan a 6 goal lead. Tosh Chapman had the last word for Raglan - as his 25 yard unstoppable strike sailed into the Headland net. Headland were unfortunate to be missing some regular players - but in the mood Raglan are in - any team would find it difficult to take anything from them. Best for Raglan was Mark Henderson & 3 goal Shaun Atkinson. F-T 7-0 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/40c4edd40815284fc9eadb8309cccd38_48036de5.writeback Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:44:53 -0500 Raglans 3rd victory in a row came in pretty emphatic style as they ran roughshod over the St' James defence. The first half was dominated by Raglan as they attacked the James goalmouth and should have been 2 or 3 goals up. However - they were unphased by the lack of goals & waited patiently for the deluge to begin. H-T 0-0 Predictably Raglans stronger offence came out of the blocks in the 2nd half and after some good work from Kevin Bennet - Robbie Thompson made no mistake with a tap-in on 50 minutes. This was quickly followed by a goal from leading scorer Shaun Atkinson when Robbie Thompson delivered a perfect pass to put him one on one with the keeper - Atkinson calmly slotted the ball home . A goalmouth scramble lead to Robbie Thompsons 2nd & Raglan were coasting. St' James hit a goal back on the hour, but it was not enough to see Raglans heads drop & Anthony Chapmans free kick restored Raglans 3 goal cushion. Chapman scored again when he hit home from the penalty spot, and Kevin Bennet put Liam Lewis through to finish off a 6 goal demolition of Jimmies. F-T 1-6 Best for Raglan were Thompson, Gareth Morgan & Kevin Bennet however all players were in excellent form. http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/1d599a5446218c4a9c283c57f564b630_47ffd9f3.writeback Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:36:51 -0500 Hourglass Stranton were the in-form team going in to this fixture & gave Raglan a good game however Raglans better finishing earned them the 3 points. In the 1st 20 minutes both teams had chances to take the lead, but were unable to get past both keepers. Robbie Thompson was in the danger zone on a couple of occasions & on another day would have scored maybe 3/4 goals. Mark Henderson rose highest to head home from a cross - the header was too powerful for the Hourglass keeper & Raglan had the lead. Hourglass hit back immediately after a good run down the left wing - and powerful shot beat Swinbourne. H-T 1-1 In the second half it was Hourglass who started strongest & they deservedly took the lead on 47 minutes. Raglan though were not going to lay down in this crucial League game & Shaun Atkinson together with Robbie Thompson were battling hard up front for Raglan. The chances were coming their way but they did not seem to have lady luck on their side. Atkinson got the equaliser for Raglan when he picked up the ball just outside the box & showing great vision - lobbed the stranded Hourglass keeper from 25 yards. With theur tails up now - Raglan put pressure on their opponents defence & Mark Henderson chipped the keeper from an accute angle from outside thebox. The game still had almost 40 minutes left to run & Raglan could have made the game safe a couple of times but spurned several opportunites. Gareth Morgan replacing the injured Mark Taylor - made a welcome return to the Raglan fold & was at his absolute best when called upon. The last 10 minutes was an edgy period as Hourglass fought hard for an equaliser, Raglan though were not going to let their slender advantage slip - and hung on for the 3 points. F-T 3-2 Best for Raglan was Shaun Atkinson with Mark Henderson and substitute Gareth Morgan also in excellent form. Derek Martin put in yet another solid performance as referee. http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/abf0e4a947eb296d312452b4831d2726_47ffc7d2.writeback Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:19:30 -0500 Raglan scored 5 times in the first half without reply to give them the lead at the top of the table. In a nervy first 5 minutes - Raglan conceded a penalty, Graeme Swinbourne saved excellently from the spot kick and bravely dived on the rebound to deny Grays an early lead. This spurred Raglan on & they laid seige on the Grays area with shots coming from all angles, the blustery conditions playing their part in some off target shots. Anthony Chapmans corner saw a Grays defender connect with the ball & he unluckily guided it into his own net to give Raglan the lead. Chapman then pounced on a goalkeeping error to slot home for Raglan. Robbie Thompson then capitalised on a further mistake in the box to give Raglan a 3 goal cushion. Brian Littlewood knotched a 4th & Liam Lewis set up Robbie Thompson for his 2nd of the day. H-T 0-5 In the 2nd half - Raglan had to make a few changes due to injury - this totally changed the balance of the team & it showed when Grays scored 3 times to give Raglan a kick up the backside. Robbie Thompson completed his hat-trick on 85 minutes to give Raglan the 3 points. Best for Raglan was Graeme Swinbourne who kept the Grays tally down to 3, and Robbie Thompson for a well taken hat-trick. Full credit to Grays who may on a different day have taken something for their 3 goals. F-T 3-6 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/e359ae1f6510e7fe65e2eb8555d01a19_47ef7148.writeback Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:54:00 -0500 Hartlepool were fortunate to be playing a heavily depleted Raglan side who were missing no less than 5 regular team players - however Raglan still had enough quality to make more of a game of it. The opening exchanges all came from Hartlepool, but for some poor finishing could have gone into the interval at least 5 goals in front. Graeme Swinbourne kept out H'pool on a few occasions as well in thefirst half. Hartlepool deservedly took the lead though halfway through the first half & Raglan seemed to have little by way of reply. H-T 0 - 1 Raglan managed an equaliser when a pools player miskicked on the edge of the area - Shaun Atkinson pounced on the error & guided the ball wide of the keeper & into the net. Hartlepool hit back straight from the restart when Raglan were caught napping. Again Raglan equalised when Mark Henderson picked out John Dobing with his cross - Dobing headed home to lift the Raglan with 25 minutes still left to play. Hartlepool though were more mobile & clearly wanted this tie more than the holders - with some good attacking football from H'pool - Raglan were unable to cope with the much hungrier outfit. Hartleppol hit 2 goals late on to clinch the tie & book a place in the final. Iain Bickerstaff suffered cruciate ligament damage - all players & officials wish him a speedy recovery. Hartleppol deserved their victory - but Raglan will rue the absence of some key players. Best for Raglan was Mark Taylor. Derek Marin had a fine game - well supported by his two linesmen Phil Harrison & Mark Walsh. F - T 2 - 4 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/5b1b6870cda53b74818df2cff4f792e9_47dd8b91.writeback Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:05:21 -0500 Seaton scored twice against Raglan without reply in a scrappy game with Seaton taking their chances & Raglan looking ineffective in front of goal.The first half was Raglans as they played good football at times - but failed to hit the target when they did find themselves in the danger area. This would prove to be costly as Seaton came out in the second half & grabbed two goals. The first coming from the spot as Anthony Chapman was unlucky when the ball bounced up & hit his hand. Seatons second goal came from a free kick on the edge of the box - proving again Raglans vulnerability from set pieces. The senior members of Raglan were the men to hold their heads highest as Mark Taylor & John Dobing put in the effort for an otherwise uninspired Raglan team performance. F-T 2-0 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/a1fae1975050a5eedacc6a6274225e9f_47d43ffc.writeback Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:52:28 -0500 Raglan hit 7 goals without reply against Sports Bar in this game spoiled by the windy conditions. Sports Bar were game enough early on but as they started to concede a few goals their heads dropped & Raglan took advantage to take all 3 points. In the first half Raglan found it difficult to control the ball with the heavy winds making good football virtually impossible. Raglan eventually found the net after four or five clear chances werent put away - Mark Hendersons cross found Robbie Thompson unmarked to head home easily. Shaun Atkinson put Thompson through for his second & Henderson provided him with his 1st hat trick of the season on the stroke of half time. H-T 3 - 0 Sports Bar put in some good work early in the second half, and on the occasions they did enter the Raglan goalmouth - John Dobing playing at centre half for the first time in a few seasons - was in commanding form to thwart any Sports Bar ambitions. Anthony Chapman set up Shaun Atkinson for his first of four good goals, with Mark Henderson providing his second. Norman Dawkins - making a welcome return to the fold - came off the bench to set up Atkinson for his third and fourth goals. This was a good solid performance from Raglan after a recent spell of poor games. Best for Raglan were Atkinson Thompson & Henderson with Dobing also starring. F-T 7 - 0 http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/551df3cf57c34bc52d908dfa1af259d0_47cb0874.writeback Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:05:08 -0600 Raglan had no reply to Greensides hardworking outfit, and made defensive errors which cost them the tie. With the wind at their backs - Raglan rarely attacked the Greensides goal & when they did - most shots were off-target. In the blustery conditions both teams found it hard to play good football, but Raglan did find the net when Iain Bickerstaffs corner was headed home by Lee Jackson. Greensides were never out of the game and kept pushing on at Raglan. Greensides eventually & deservedly equalised on 35 minutes to give them a chance in the second half. H-T 1-1 With the second half only 5 minutes old - Greensides found the net again, and they were again playing the better football. Raglan seemed to find a bit in the tank and piled on the pressure but kept falling short in the final third of the field. Eventually their efforts were justly rewarded when a goalmouth scramble saw Mark Henderson thumped the ball in. Deep into injury time & with the last kick of the game Greensides took the tie. F-T 3-2 Best for Raglan was John Dobing who came off the bench to add a bit of grit & determination to the Raglan efforts http://raggylads.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/c62e43f1f6e7f5dc65ca7c48f7933fe0_47c1c35b.writeback Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:19:55 -0600 Gillens rocked Raglan early on when a Paul Garthwaite long throw was eventually turned into the net.For much of the first half Raglan had to defend as the blustery conditions played a part - Gillens continually pumped the ball over the top & although they had the lions share of posession - Raglan were resolute in defence. Two minutes before the half time whistle - a freakish goal gave Gillens a two goal cushion. Peter Gale kicked from his own area, and a mix up between centre backs & goalkeeper led to the ball bouncing over them & into the Raglan net. H-T 0-2 This two goal deficit proved too much for Raglan - but they certainly gave it a fine go in the second half. On 48 minutes Lee Campbell hit home & it looked as though Raglan may get back level with the better of the football coming from them. They had several chances to pull level but were found wanting in front of goal on a couple of occasions. As is the usual with these two teams - tempers were starting to play a part, & once again Raglan were on the receiving end of some interesting refereeing decisions. Raglan were reduced to 10 men in the last 5 minutes, which gave them even more of a mountain to climb. Gillens just about edged this game in the end - and Raglan need to get the bit between their collective teeth if they are to remain champions for a second successive season. F-T 1-2