Potton United slip to defeat at Cockfosters
Potton made the trip to Cockfosters on a cold afternoon and can feel a little unlucky to leave empty handed after a 1-0 defeat, writes Bev Strong.
Potton were still missing a number of key players due to illness and injury but Jack Galatis was able to bring new signings Brogan Matthews into the starting line up and Ben Watford was on the bench.
Elliott Powell started his first game in defence with Ben Holmes moving up front and Powell had a tremendous game that earned his the man of the match award.
Neither side had played for 2 weeks and it showed to start with although Cockfosters looked the stronger side putting Potton under pressure in the early stages.
In the 7th minute a shot from Conrad Holland was deflected by Powell and the resulting corner was headed over. Sam Galatis took a quick goal kick and Ben Holmes timed his run perfectly to beat the home defence but the ball ran through to Coulson in the Cockfosters goal. A Cockfosters free kick from the touchline was flicked on and Cameron Watson headed off the goal line.
The home side did take the lead in the 21st minute when a free kick was headed back across goal and Kendall Gyamfil was left unmarked to slot home from close range. Sam Galatis was kept on his toes and made a great double save to deny the hosts doubling their lead. Charlie Clark had Potton’s best chance of the first half but dragged his shot wide from 18 yards.
The second half started similar to the first and a great block from Cameron Watson denied the home striker who had beaten the Potton defence. The last 20 minutes saw Potton come into the game and control the play for long periods. A ball from Sonny Gardner found Matt Gilbert who chose to cross instead of shoot and saw the ball evade all in the Cockfosters box.
A deep cross to the far post saw Cole Butler header hit the outside of the post and go out for goal kick. It was Butler again who made a good run as the clock ticked away in stoppage time and his fierce 25 yard shot forced Coulson into an excellent save. With Potton pushing up in search of an equaliser Cockfosters caught them on the break and Matt Gilbert headed off the line to deny the home side a second.
Potton United: Sam Galatis, Myles Jackson (Mamadou Diallo), Matt Gilbert, Sonny Gardner, Elliott Powell, Cameron Watson, Cole Butler, Harvey Vegh, Ben Holmes (Jack Moriarty), Charlie Clark (Gabriel Charnock), Brogan Matthews (Reece Crowter)