ENGLAND RE-TAKE TROPHY!

 

 

After two years of heartbreak, England’s expats turned the tables on their Scottish counterparts with a comfortable 3-1 victory in the annual clash at the Al Ahli Club.

 

Johnny Lord answered the England supporter’s prayers by slotting home all three goals to become England’s third hat-trick hero in this fixture after Nick Leishman (1999) and Joss Millar (2002). Scotland never looked like getting into the match and they were a tired and dejected team long before the end.

 

Disaster struck for Scotland as early as the fifth minute when influential midfielder John Morrison was forced to leave the field after straining a calf muscle and things went from bad to worse for the Scots after 15 minutes when John Lord stroked home his first goal following a fine cross from Joe Hughes on the England right wing. Scotland were forced to make further tactical changes when their keeper Don Dunlop also had to then leave the field with a shoulder injury, and England continued in the ascendancy after their fine start. Lord then responded to the constant urgings from the England fans in the stand by firing a second goal midway through the first half. Scotland had their only bright moment of the afternoon when Brian Whelton nicked in to slip one past England keeper Dave “The Cat” Kelly as half-time approached.

 

 

In the second half England continued to press forward for more goals, penning the Scots in their own half for much of the period, and any rare flashes of brilliance from Scotland going forward were snuffed out by England’s solid central defensive partnership of Chris Duffy and Andy Nickerson who reminded the watching England fans of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

 

With committed tackling and aerial duels the match had all the ingredients you would expect from an England v Scotland International, and England’s Wayne Symons’ name went into the referee’s note book for a tough challenge on Scotland’s marauding full-back Declan Fenwick. Although England missed at least another couple of glorious chances the icing was finally put on the cake by Lord with a cool finish for their third goal. After collecting a neat pass on the edge of the Scot’s 18 yard line, he rounded the keeper and buried a powerful right foot shot into the back of the net to earn England a decisive victory.