Eight To Say I Told You So

<p>The new year began with a bang for Buckden, after the management team had worked all week to get the fixture to go ahead on the 3G and the St Ives management doing their best to ensure it was cancelled, the boys were in a confident mood coming against a side that they had already put 14 past earlier in the year.

<p>With a big strong squad and the message being that everyone needs to be playing for each other the match kicked off with Buckden using every inch of the pitch leaving St Ives chasing shadows, Luke Fennell was back to his composed best in the middle of the park effortlessly pushing the ball around with Lovey looking to impose his physicality on the game early on.

<p>The majority of the chances were coming from the flanks with Dom Smith having the beating of the full back, winger and centre half time after time and this is where our first goal came from with Dom getting to the by line before pulling back for his brother to tuck home the first of his hat trick. Graeme Marks quickly added another following up on his own shot which had hit the post and the stage was set for another comfortable afternoon for the boys from The Den, this did not suit the agenda of some of the squad however and after Josh got his second Jonathan Love took it upon himslef to give St Ives a fighting chance and picked up two yellow cards within 5 minutes and was given his marching orders.

<p>The shape was hastily reshuffled but in the remaining minutes of the first half St Ives managed to sneak a goal and went on to celebrate like they had won the FA cup.

<p>Halftime came and went with 3 changes and the message that we had to fight and work for each other if we were to see the game out, St Ives had a different game plan and decided to take no advantage of their extra man and allowed Buckden's changed team to continuously get in behind them with Woo, Sam and Josh finding space in the channels.

<p>In no time at all Josh had completed his Hat Trick, the industry of Shane McDonald and later Kieran Dale gave the team exactly what they needed to consolidate control of the midfield and find passes into the runners out wide.

<p>James Woo, Sam Underwood and Darren Scutt all added to the tally with Graeme getting his second. Kieran and Shane were both unlucky to see their efforts miss the target.

<p>A decent afternoons work with the next game (Chatteris I think....) another opportunity to move up the table.