Rams Share The Spoils In Eight-Goal Thriller

IN the proverbial game of two halves, the Great Notley Rams produced a memorable comeback to share the points against the Galleywood Youth Hawks for the second time this season.

Having already drawn two-all with the Hawks earlier this year, the Rams went into this game with Jamie McNeilly in goal, a back three of Ben Rodley, Matthew Norris and George Morris, a midfield pair of Sam Donnelly and Olivia Hales, with Emma Root up front.

However on a pitch which was significantly larger to their home base on Notley Green, they struggled to adapt to the wide open spaces, and some defensive confusion led to an opening goal for the home team.

There was more concern for the Rams however, as despite the intervention of substitute Tom McInenerny, they went further behind following a brace of goals before the half time whistle to go into the break three goals down.

However early in the second half, substitute Jonathan Stoneman gave the Rams some hope when he stabbed home an instinctive finish from inside the box.

And there was more reason for optimism when Donnelly followed up on his snapshot by charging down the clearance which rebounded into the back of the onion bag.

Donnelly quickly added to his tally with a well taken second, before Matthew Norris marauded forward to fire home a sweetly taken right foot effort which put the Rams ahead for the first time in the game.

For a time it looked as though the Rams were set to leave the Marconi Leisure ground with a real smash and grab raid, but some sustained pressure from the Hawks towards the end of the match led to a sweetly taken volley direct from a corner which beat Hales in the Notley goal to clinch an equaliser.

Following the thrilling fifty minutes, Rams boss John Stoneman was reflective on sharing the points. He said: "Even as their third goal went in I was confident that there was something for us in this match, and I told the team the same at half time.

"Our comeback showed the resilience that we have within this team, and even though we had our noses in front at one stage, I think that a draw was probably a fair result for both teams.

"Once again we learned a lot about our squad of players."

More pictures from the game can be seen by Clicking Here

Rams Eye The Hawks Again

THE Great Notley Rams travel to Great Baddow on Sunday to face the Galleywood Youth Hawks for an 11am kick off, so will meet at the ground at 10.30am.

The Hawks play at the Marconi Leisure sports ground in West Hanningfield Road, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 8HN. A map of the Ground can be seen by Clicking Here.

The teams met earlier this season at Notley Green where the visitors saw their two-goal lead pegged back by a spirited Rams performance.

Since then they have been beaten by Danbury Juniors and recorded a win over Maldon Saints Tigers to currently sit in mid table.

Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Wilvale Rangers	4	4	0	0	27	1	26	12
Focus Ferrers Dynamos	4	4	0	0	19	5	14	12
Danbury Juniors	5	3	0	2	14	8	6	9
Great Notley Rams	4	2	2	0	13	10	3	8
Woodham Radars	5	2	0	3	14	11	3	6
Galleywood Yth Hawks	5	1	1	3	9	14	-5	4
Dunmow Utd Falcons	4	1	1	2	12	18	-6	4
Maldon Saints Tigers	3	1	0	2	9	10	-1	3
Torquespeed Storm	2	0	0	2	1	19	-18	0
Writtle Minors	4	0	0	4	0	22	-22	0

Third Win For Rams

THE Great Notley Rams continued their unbeaten start to the league season with a win over the Danbury Juniors at The Green on Sunday.

The Rams showed real character in this match, coming from behind after letting in an early goal when the Juniors capitalised on some slack defending at a corner to take the lead.

However James O'Reilly continued his prolific goalscoring streak by equalising with his left foot and then helping the Rams to take the lead with his right foot before half time.

O'Reilly was supported by some energetic play from George Morris and Sam Donnelly, while Jamie McNeilly and Harvey Ricci produced some important tackles whenever the Juniors threatened.

In the second half, Mc'Neilly switched from defence to between the sticks, allowing Jonathan Stoneman to take up a position in defence, while Emma Root, Tom McInerney and Henry Wright buzzed around in attack.

Matthew Norris showed his tactical awareness by providing as much threat up front as defensive savvy when asked to play a sweeping role after the break, and the Rams looked comfortable for most of the second half.

However the Juniors were offered a lifeline when they won a free kick on the edge of the Rams box and managed to ricochet one in off the home team's defensive wall.

The game looked set for a draw until the last few minutes when Great Notley won a corner, and when the ball was swung in it fell to the feet of Stoneman who retained his composure to slot home and secure the three points.

Extra Training For Would-Be Goalkeepers

ANY Rams player interested in attending a special course for goalkeepers should take a look at this website which has details of a half term goalkeeping course which will be held at Silver End Recreation Grounds on Wednesday October 27th.

The course runs from 10am to 4pm and costs £30 for the day. More details and a booking form are available at: http://www.keepersunited.co.uk/J/

Rams Set For Stormy Encounter

THE Great Notley Rams are on the road again this Sunday when they face the Torquespeed Storm in another Osea Division encounter.

The Rams have strung together an unbeaten start to the season with two wins and two draws to their name and are hoping to continue in this form at the weekend.

Tiptree-based Storm have played just one fixture so far this year and went down by 15 goals, although this was against Wilvale Rangers - the team which currently tops both the league and the League Cup Group A.

The match kicks off at 10am so the Rams will be meeting at 9.30am at St Luke's Primary School in Church Road, Tiptree, CO5 0SU.

A map and directions to the ground can be seen by Clicking Here.

www.torquespeedfc.co.uk

Rams Snatch Late Equaliser

RAMS completed a fine second half comeback to share the points with the Galleywood Youth Hawks at Notley Green on Sunday.

Goals from Matthew Norris and James O'Reilly ensured that the Great Notley newcomers continued their unbeaten run in their maiden season of mini soccer.

Absentee boss John Stoneman, who was attending an FA course, said: "When I got the text through on Sunday mid morning saying that we had got another draw I was absolutely delighted. Especially when I found out that we came back from being two-nil down at half time.

"It shows that the team has a very determined spirit and says a lot about their characters. Although we have only been together for a couple of months, it is clear that the team is bonding well and that they are all prepared to go that extra mile for their team mates.

"We had a full squad to pick from on Sunday which shows the commitment that everyone is making.

"I must also thank all of the parents for their hard work and support in keeping things going while I was away on my course."

The point gained sees the Rams securely in mid-table in the Osea Division of the Blackwater & Dengie League having played three games, and just one point behind the leaders Wilvale Rangers.

Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
Wilvale Rangers	2	2	0	0	17	1	16	6
Woodham Radars	3	2	0	1	12	3	9	6
Focus Ferrers Dynamos	2	2	0	0	10	3	7	6
Danbury Juniors	3	2	0	1	9	5	4	6
Great Notley Rams	3	1	2	0	10	8	2	5
Dunmow Utd Falcons	2	0	1	1	5	10	-5	1
Galleywood Yth Hawks	3	0	1	2	5	10	-5	1
Maldon Saints Tigers	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0
Writtle Minors	2	0	0	2	0	11	-11	0
Torquespeed Storm	1	0	0	1	0	15	-15	0