Clapham Old Town 0 – 6 Pacers

By Ed

Putney Pacers returned to Tooting Bec Common in search of back-to-back wins

After last week’s first league win of the season, confidence was high in the Pacers dressing room but below the surface there were sure to be nerves with much of the pre-match build up focusing on the team’s difficulty defending leads.

There were no surprises with the formation this week, as the Pacers stuck to a traditional 4-4-2 for the game against league newcomers Clapham New Town. Antonio made his return in goal after three weeks on the treatment table. The back four comprised Ash and Oli at centre-back, with Spracks at right-back and Ben at left-back. In the centre of the park were Alex and John, with Sean and Stephen providing width. There were no changes up front as Martin and Lewis continued in attack. Matt and Ed made up the match day squad.

The game started with a high tempo and the Pacers showed early promise – dominating much of the possession and putting Clapham New Town under plenty of pressure. After some crisp passing along the ground, someone (can’t remember who) was upended on the edge of Clapham’s box. Up stepped Lewis for the free kick, who calmly picked his spot and guided the ball into the back of the net.

Aware of their record of letting leads slip, the Pacers refused to sit back and maintained pressure on Clapham. Despite packing midfield by playing five across, Clapham found it hard to break down Putney and managed only a single chance on goal, which came from a desperate route one attack. It wasn’t long before Putney made it 2-0, when Stephen slotted home after some clever build up play by the Pacers midfield and attacking full-backs. Not satisfied with a two goal lead, the Pacers continued to get players forward, with Ben putting in a particularly hard-working shift at left-back. Eventually, a dangerous cross from Ash took a deflection off Martin’s back and found its way over the line, possibly via another deflection off a Clapham player. 3-0 HT.

At the break, Pacers knew that they were in control but also that, after conceding 23 goals in the last five games, a win was far from secure. More pressure from Putney led to Martin making it 4-0 after less than five minutes of the second half. Another quick goal, this time from Lewis, put the game beyond doubt at 5-0. Not content with his side’s 5-goal margin, Martin hit the floor in the box for the second week in a row. This week’s referee was more convinced by Martin’s tumble and awarded a penalty to the Pacers. With Matt not on the pitch, there was some confusion as to who was on penalty duties. Quick work by Kev on the side-lines identified Ben as next on the list, and before we knew it, he had put the ball on the spot and buried it. 6-0 Pacers.

Stephen and Spracks came off for Ed and Matt respectively for the remaining half hour. The rest of the match saw the Pacers spending more time in the opposition half, with just the one or two Clapham attacks to deal with. When the final whistle went, it meant an important clean sheet for the Pacers – their first of the season – and, after scoring six goals, they maintained their position as the league’s second top scorers.