Cookham Dean produced a footballing master class to outgun Reading YMCA 2-0 in the Reading Senior Division. Sean Gavagan and Jon Schaaf were the scorers for the home side but it was a great team display who have now won 2 out of 2 against the Young Men this season.
 
YM were at virtually full strength with only Rob Lee and Stuart White missing from the regular line up whilst Cookham were missing Jake Chance and Louis Shepherd.  But Dean did include YM old boys Scott Allen and Nick Seymour in what promised to be a keenly fought contest.
 
Cookham however were fastest out of the traps and looked up for it from the first whistle. And they missed the first chance when a cross found a Cookham player unmarked in the box but with plenty of time to place his shot he rushed it and screwed wide.  YM then had a chance when a mistake from the otherwise solid Allen saw striker Martin Abery in on goal but his lob also floated wide of the upright.
 
It took 25 minutes for the opening goal to arrive, but when it did it was well worth the wait. Several passed were exchanged in the midfield area before suddenly the pace quickened, and from the centre spot Scott Allen found Nick Seymour on the left of midfield his first time pass fell straight into the path of Sean Gavagan’s good run to the by line, Sean volleyed across goal perfectly for the inrushing Jon Schaaf to finish in fine style. It was a superb goal that really fired up the home side and supporters.

Shortly afterwards it should have been two when Andy Duncan crossed towards George Bond, but somehow the youngster missed his header and the chance was gone.

At the back Cookham were immense and with the back four so solid it gave the rest of the team a strong base to play good football. James Clarke in goal was called on to make one good save from a header 5 minutes before the break following a YM corner but other than that Cookham stayed firmly in the driving seat. But it was the workrate and committment that was really causing YM problems with packs of 2/3 players descending on YM every time they had the ball.
 
It was total domination from the home side and YM were lucky to go into the break just 1 goal down.
 
After a decent start to the 2nd half from the Young Men, Dean extended their lead after a superb run from defender Chris Ellis. He picked the ball up 40 yards from goal and powered his way past several challenges to reach the by-line and then whipping in a quality cross that Sean Gavagan finished off from inside the six yard box.

Ellis set up another chance with a long throw ten minutes later but Schaaf, who got on the end of it, was unlucky with a clever flick. The Dean created more opportunities at regular intervals to increase their advantage and a incisive Schaaf pass put Gavagan in but this time his shot lacked sufficient power.

Winger Ryan Jones almost got in on the act too when his run ended with a curling shot that the visitors keeper did brilliantly to turn around the post with his fingertips 

YM boss Mark Lemm said "We were second best in every department for the entire 90 minutes and Cookham really should have won by more.  We haven't played particularly well since Xmas despite winning our 3 previous games but hopefully this will be a turning point for us and the lads will realise what is required of them and put it right next week.
 
We know what we are capable of its just a case of geting back to that and quickly."  

READING YMCA:HODGETTS, HEADLAND (replaced by BICKNELL 35mins), GREEN, FITZPATRICK, CAYZER, ADEY, EDMUNDS, WAGNER (replaced by DALY 68mins), D TIPPER (replaced by C LEMM 60mins), ABERY, JENNINGS SUBS: HEADLAND, WHITE, M LEMM.

LEMMY'S MOM - SCOTT HODGETTS

YM's second string kept up their unbeaten league status with a hard fought victory at Twyford. It was actually the Rapids home game but with the Pangbourne pitch unplayable, the match was switched to Twford. Boss Paul O Boyle had a strong squad to choose from with Adam Cassidy coming back in to the frame and Stuart White making his rapids debut, looking for game time and fitness.

YM came flying out the traps and immediately took the game to Twyford with the impressive Stuart White holding the ball up well bringing Luke Kasonde and Tim Sidwell in to the game. Wide men James Atkinson and Steve Woodrow were also enjoying plenty of possession on the flanks and it was no surprise when Woodrow set off down the left and crossed for Kasonde to head goalwards. The keeper was beaten and a Twyford player handled on the line but the linesman had already given the goal and YM were 1-0 up. It seemed as though YM would grab the game and start to stamp their authority but Twyford grabbed an undeserved equaliser on 25 minutes when a near post corner was tapped in by a Twyford forward after poor defending. This spurred the away side on and they were flying with YM having to defend deep in order to stay in the game. A couple of good saves by Froud kept YM in it and then YM did what they do so well - 10 seconds after leaving the keepers hands the ball was in the Twford net with Sidwell, Atkinson, Kasonde and White all involved. A dubious linesman call was waved away as White smashed the ball home from 10 yards to put YM back in front. It was then a case of De Ja Vu as YM conceeded another soft goal in a similar fashion to go in level.

The Rapids could not have wished for a better start to the 2nd period. Straight from the kick off, Sidwell fed White who slotted Atkinson through. His cross was deflected and Kasonde managed to squeeze the ball in from the most ludicrous of angles to make it 3-2 within 15 seconds of the restart. From then on the game became a cup tie with end to end play. The YM back 4 of Leach, Cassidy, Rolfe and Kenny stood firm and repelled everything that came at them. Darren Cornell was having his usual industrious game in the holding midfield role with Sidwell trying to link play between the front 2 and midfield 4. Twyford huffed and puffed for most of the second half and YM always looked a danger with White, Atkinson and Dave Morrison all having half chances to win the game. Sidwell went close with a free kick and could have sealed the game with a spectacular overhead kick on 85 minutes but the ball just bobbled mid air as he was about to connect. Sidwell burst forward again, free at the back post but Atkinson could only find the keeper's arms with a tame cross. One final counter attack prooved pivotal as Morrison and White burst forward with the latter sealing the win from close range to leave the Rapids unbeaten and chasing the leading pack in Div 2.

YM RAPIDS: FROUD, LEACH, ROLFE, CASSIDY, KENNY, ATKINSON, SIDWELL, CORNELL, WOODROW, KASONDE, WHITE. SUBS: D Morrison (Kasonde 70) R Tipper, P Towner (Not Used)

BOILERS MOM - LUKE KASONDE