Ventura FC 4 - 1 Wanks FC

Sunday 26th February 2012,
Bedford Park, Southport

Scorers: Nolan, Leigh (2), Trecharichi (pen)

After exacting revenge for their defeat earlier in the season against ASM, Ventura this time set about achieving the same feat over Banks FC, who in the previous fixture were fortunate winners in a closely fought game. On this occasion however some more clinical finishing from Ventura, including a sensational Di Canio-esque volley from Leigh, ensured they secured the three points.

Unsurprisingly & true to form, Ventura started well & took the lead when Nolan headed home from a corner. Palfrey then came close to adding a second as his volley struck the post, leaving him remarkably yet to find the net for Ventura this season. Not long after he was seemingly brought down in the box, only for the rebound to fall to Leigh whose side foot finish into the opposite oozed composure & promptly left the Banks keeper stranded.

The second half came to life for the away team when they produced a copy-cat of Ventura's opening goal, a corner was floated into the Ventura box & the Banks defender produced the header into the corner. Any hopes of their revival were shortlived however as Ventura were awarded their 4th penalty in two games. On this occasion the lone striker of Chris Ball was brought down in the box, just as he was ready to shoot at goal. In the absence of last week's penalty machine Dalton, this time it was Trecharichi who stepped up & converted the spot kick, his record of never having missed a penalty for Ventura remaining unblemished.

The goal bred frustration amongst the Banks team as both their lack of composure & consistent complaints to the referee brought about Ventura's best spell of the game. Whilst the Banks players lunged in repeatedly the Ventura players simply passed around them & wasted a series of chances to extend their lead. Frank missed connecting with a volley from all of five yards before Ball narrowly shot wide when put through on goal. Leigh then showed his team-mates how it was done with an outrageous scissor-kick volley following a cross from Frank, the ball thundering into the bottom corner. Banks had little to offer & struggled to make any impact on the Ventura goal as the home side recorded an incredible 11th straight win in a row, moving level on points with ASM in second place.

4-5-1 formation used against Banks FC

Statue to be unveiled to commemorate Foley Penalties!!!

The Foley Memorial

ASM Athletic 4 - 5 Ventura FC ...It's 10 in a row!!!!!

Sunday 19th February 2012
Portland Street, Southport

Scorers: Conkling, Foley, Dalton (3 pens)

The 2011/2012 season has seen many records broken for Ventura FC & Sunday's crucial clash against ASM proved to be no exception as it delivered yet another win in Ventura's record run & also in delivering 3 penalties, the highest Ventura have ever received in any one game. Ironically it was the awarding & non-awarding of penalties that led to this being such a fascinating duel.

Determined to overcome their opening day defeat by ASM, Ventura started brightly & took the lead when Foley pulled back for Conkling to poke home his fourth of the season from close range. A foul that was blatantly inside the penalty area was then refused by the referee, who instead awarded Ventura a free kick on the edge of the box, this despite clear marks on the turf of where the offence was committed. Justice was done however as from the free kick the ball was crossed to Dalton who's header struck the bar & into the path of Foley who bundled home. Ventura then were very much in the ascendancy.

Justice was shortlived however as the referee then inexplicably awarded ASM a penalty in a similar position only this time the foul was clearly outside of the penalty area, again the turf showing the evidence. ASM slotted home to make it 2-1 & suddenly found their confidence again. Shortly before half-time however Foley was brought down again inside the box & this time the referee pointed to the spot for Ventura. Up stepped Dalton to convert the pen & restore Ventura's 2 goal lead going into the break.

The second half had an equal amount of drama as ASM fought their way back into the game, first with a goal from a break through the centre & then from a shot that was deflected in past Slocombe following a corner. Painfully for Ventura they slumped to concede another goal as ASM unbelievably took the lead at 4-3. Thankfully for the reds it was short-lived however as Foley drew another foul inside the ASM box & for the third time in the game the ref pointed to the spot, again the same defender at fault. Dalton again stepped up & with a change of direction in his penalty kick secured the equaliser. 4-4.

Foley & Dalton weren't finished however as yet again, incredibly, Foley was brought down by the same ASM defender & the ref awarded the final penalty of the day. A 3rd change of direction in his penalty kick from Dalton then gave Ventura the lead, ASM finally subbing their guilty centre-back. The reds also had a small re-shuffle & Nolan moved into the centre, putting Conkling to right-midfield to offer cover to Burgess. It worked as Ventura held on resolutely & saw out the remainder of the game with ASM unable to find an answer.

Ventura's line-up against ASM

Capello quits England shock! Nolan considering the role!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Fabio Capello has quit his post as manager of the England national football team. This revelation comes after he publicly criticised the FA over their stance regarding John Terry being stripped of the England captaincy. Fabio is not the first Italian in recent times to abandon a sinking ship, as highlighted in the image below:

Caio Fabio!

In a shocking development we understand that after 9 successive wins, Ventura FC manager Carl Nolan has not ruled out the possibility of applying for the vacant England manager's job. In a statement he said, "Yeah why not. I won the World Cup with them on PES 2012 so I don't see why I couldn't do it at the Euros."
Ventura striker Damien-Mark Miller also expressed an interest in the post but has yet to pay his subs, which essentially rules him out of the running.

Adam Lang cleared of Tax Evasion by Jury!

BREAKING NEWS:

After a 13 day trial, Ventura star Adam Lang expressed his relief today at the court's ruling to find him 'not guilty' of tax evasion. The case came to light after HMRC stumbled upon a Monaco bank account belonging to Mr Lang under the name 'Dexter78'. He simply argued the money in the account had been a gift & that Dexter was his dog's name & 78 represented his year of birth.

Dexter makes a withdrawal

The Bedford Park Cat!

Once again Ventura FC's fixture list was thrown into chaos by the local council. As they are running out of reasons for postponing fixtures we decided to blame this one on a local cat invading the pitch. It is known as the Bedford Park cat & has already opened a Twitter account that has over 30,000 followers.

The Bedford Park cat in action

 

 

Pete Brocklebank on loan to Forest!

Stoke City FC have allowed their defensive star Peter Brocklebank to go on loan to Nottingham Forest. In a statement manager Tony Pulis said, "We appreciate the need for Peter to sort his hammer skills out & due to a lack of first team opportunities here, we've decided to send him out on loan."

Ventura FC star Danny Higginbotham is said to be very disappointed at the news.

Disappointed: Pete Brock