West Lancs Utd 2 - 1 Ventura FC

Sunday 18/09/2011
Sandbrook Rd, Southport

Scorers: Mahmood (1)

Ventura's trend of conceding crucial late goals continued to haunt them in this fixture against top of the table West Lancs Utd. Once again Ventura came out flying & gave the current third division leaders a shock as they dominated the possession & created a host of chances that ultimately they squandered. It is possible that West Lancs looked at the current league table & saw this as an easy fixture. They were given a reality check ten minutes in however as Ventura deservedly took the lead, Ali Frank being released down the right flank & after his shot struck the near post the rebound fell invitingly for Mahmood who smashed home.

Playing 4-5-1 with O'Malley being moved to centre-midfield, Ventura then bossed the game & were only held back by some dubious offside decisions before Hand put Conkling through on goal. Expecting another offside call he then found himself one on one but his finish was straight at the keeper & West Lancs survived. Ventura were hoping it would not prove critical and their cause was helped by the impressive goalkeeping debut of Matty Slocombe who dealt comfortbaly with anything thrown his way. Frank then put an inviting ball across the six yard box but Conkling was unable to make a contact as he was trying to stay behind the player and onside.

Miller makes his debut for Ventura

The start of the second half saw little change in the play & soon enough both the West Lancs players & management started to argue their differences as frustration set in, the referee even having to book two of their players for dissent. They did however, on around seventy minutes, claim an equaliser as Ventura failed to clear their lines. A deep cross was then put in & two West Lancs players were able to work an opening between them to level. It was harsh on Ventura but they replied well & created some more chances, Frank lashing home only for the referee to rule it out for offside. Following a free-kick on their left-side, Ventura then conceded a second goal as the ball fell to a West Lancs winger whose shot was parried by Slocombe & their striker hit the rebound home.

Again it was harsh but again Ventura responded in the right way & pushed for the equaliser, their best opportunity being when Lang sprang the offside trap to go one on one again, only for a moment of hesitation to ruin the attack as he opted to pass rather than shoot, the keeper having committed himself. The fact that the score remained 2-1 was then largely down the West Lancs keeper as he palmed away two Trecharichi strikes & Frank hit a post. The introduction of the 'Orang-Utan' Damo Ginginho for his debut nearly paid dividends too as his long range strike seemd destined for the bottom corner only for the keeper to pull off a stunning save. Despite the late surge of pressure & forcing a series of corners, Ventura just couldn't quite grab their deserved equaliser & ultimately the result will not help what they perceive to be a false league position. Certainly their performances so far have justified better.

Also, congratulations to both Dan O'Malley & Allison Frank on their MOTM performances against Banks & Chatsworth respectively.

Banks 4 - 2 Ventura FC

Sunday 11/09/2011
Moss Lane, Banks

Scorers: Slocombe (1), Hand (1)

Following their first points & win of the season against Chatsworth on Thursday, Ventura slipped to defeat against Banks in a closely fought game where they will feel they should have come away with a least a share of the spoils.

Once again Ventura made a blistering start to the game & were ahead within the first ten minutes. A goal kick was intercepted by Conkling with the rebound falling to Matty Slocombe who slotted home. Injury troubles then hindered Ventura one again as Paul Leigh, in his comeback game since his groin injury, limped off to be replaced by Mahmood, who then instantly provided a cross that Slocombe was oh so close to converting. Ventura's lead was then quickly tested too as Banks forced a series of corners before heading home from a deep cross into the Ventura box. Banks then added a second from a free kick awarded for a dubious foul given against Brocklebank, the ball being driven in low & deceiving both defenders & goalkeeper. To add insult to injury, Ventura then conceded again from another set piece, again awarded for a foul on the edge of the box.

In a turn around from some of their fixtures so far, Ventura then came out in the second half & produced some of their best football to stage a comeback. With their passing & movement becoming more crisp they pulled a goal back to make it 3-2 with Allison Frank down the right wing. His pull back was then met by Mike Hand who slotted into the bottom right 'hand' corner. With Ventura pressing they then came close when Conkling's left foot strike seemed destined for the top corner before the Banks keeper pulled out his best & somewhat unexpected save of the match. At this point Banks started to struggle & gave away a free kick which was met by substitute Joey Lea who headed home. His run of bad luck in front of goal continued however after the referee inexplicably ruled the goal out for offside. To make matters worse, Banks then broke down the right hand side & their winger sealed the game with a wonder strike that Uttley had little chance of reaching. With the scoreline at 4-2, the game then began to fizzle out & Ventura were unable to provide a late rally.

A tough fixture against West Lancs awaits for Ventura next, who have taken maximum points from their first three games. Can Ventura flip the form table & really kick start their season to challenge at the top of the league?

Ventura FC 3 - 2 Chatsworth (3rd division)

Thursday 08/09/2011,
Bedford Park, Southport

Scorers: Nuttall (1), Frank (1), Herron (1)

After Sunday's defeat against ASM Athletic, Ventura got their first points of the season with what turned out to be an edgy win following a superb start that saw them score three goals in the first twenty minutes. In a flying start Ventura controlled the game & probably should have been more than three goals in front. Their first goal came from a corner with Matty Herron heading home when arriving unmarked in the area. Nuttall then doubled Ventura's lead when he managed to convert after initially slipping in the penalty area with the keeper stranded. Allison Frank, on his 3rd division debut, scored after a neat piece of skill following a corner. In one move he was able to control the ball, roll it back, flick it up & then volley it into the net, much to the Chatsworth defence's frustration.

Half-time however served only to interrupt Ventura's flow & dominance of the game as once again their second half performance left alot to be desired. Without several key players including Palfrey in midfield, both first (Uttley) & second (Collum) choice keepers out, Alty injured against ASM, Paul Leigh sidelined, Ventura had been forced into a very different line up with player-manager Nolan deputising in goal. After having little or nothing to do in the first half he was then called upon frequently in the second period as Ventura somewhat lost their way.

The first Chatsworth goal came after Ventura failed to clear a high ball into the box, the rebound falling to a Chatsworth player who fired through a crowd & into the net. As if the first hadn't been bad enough to concede, the second goal was a gift as a Chatsworth corner fell to the back post where somehow, after a series of rebounds, the ball crept inside the post to give the visitors a real life-line & belief of pulling off a shock comeback. Ventura did then have a couple of chances to extended their lead with both Conkling's long range strike deflecting for a corner & when Nuttall's finish let him down when one on one. In the end however Ventura managed to keep their composure & see the game out to claim their first points of the season.

Well done again to Matty Herron for another MOTM winning performance against ASM Athletic.

Competition Time - Spot the Ball

Here's a chance for you to win a totally inappropriate & useless prize by entering our spot the ball competition. In the photo is the rare occasion when Conkling wins a header, to celebrate simply pick the grid square where you think the ball actually is, e.g. if you type 3,6 then that would read as 3 across, 6 vertical. Use the 'post comment' feature below to submit your name & your chosen grid square. Good luck!

Ventura FC 2 - 5 ASM Athletic (3rd division)

Sunday 04/09/2011
Bedford Park, Southport

Scorers: Conkling (1), Hand (1)

In a tough opening fixture & with several players sidelined, Ventura slumped to their first defeat of the season & will be disappointed after having led the game for sixty minutes. The game started brightly for Ventura & they had the better of the opening exchanges with Mike Porter hitting the bar after a good run down the left wing. Defensively solid with Matty Herron again on form, it was looking promising for Ventura until left-back Tony Alty was forced off with an ankle injury. This then forced the side into a re-shuffle which saw Conkling moved to left-back & Lang deployed in midfield. Ventura then took the lead through an unlikely source when Conkling drifted in from left-back & picked up the ball from Palfrey around 20 yards out before hitting a shot into the top right corner. Following the goal Uttley then made a good save at the other end to ensure that Ventura went into the half-time break still on top.

It was no more than Ventura deserved but after the break it was truly a story of two halves. ASM came out in the second half a different team & managed to grab an equaliser after a spell of pressure around the Ventura penalty box. The next ten minutes were not good for Ventura though as they then struggled to get back into the game & leaked another three quick successive goals. The introduction of Mike Hand, injured in the previous pre-season friendly, then helped Ventura find their feet again as he rose to head in Trecharichi's cross. A Mike Porter chance then gave Ventura real hope only for him to drag his shot wide. The final goal for ASM then came when their striker Danny Ball fed his team-mate & he was able to find the net with Ventura furiously appealing to the referee for offside.

Despite the defeat, overall there were some encouraging signs for Ventura, especially after completing pre-season unbeaten. They will no doubt be looking to bounce back on Thursday & really kick the season off by getting three points. Certainly this was as tough a fixture as they will face this season & the physio room is already busy at Bedford Park.

Also, well done to Matty Herron on his MOTM performance against the Scarisbrick.