Old Rutlishians strolled to a comfortable victory in their first ever game in the Surrey Western League.

A hattrick from Alan Morley, a brace from strike partner Lee Poulter and goals from Richard Lines and Jimmy Wilkes (2) ensured Old Ruts took a very early lead at the top of Division One.

"I was very pleased with the result," said manager Brian Kerwick, "the team worked very hard. I wish to say well done to the reserves too, it's good to know there are players waiting in the wings."

by Phil Rea

Old Rutlishians made it two wins out of two with a comfortable victory at Dunsfold.

A sunny morning and a few light showers had left the pitch in excellent shape and Ruts manager Brian Kerwick gave his team a no-nonsense team talk: “Play better than last week, win the game and don’t concede." Simple. And after last week's 7-1 win the team was brimming with confidence.

This confidence soon disappeared and for the first ten minutes play looked uncomfortable and forced. Phil Rea was uncharacteristically edgy, he couldn’t understand why his brain and feet were working against each other, although Dunsfold didn’t look like causing any real trouble to the capable Ruts defence.

“We haven't played with the same back four this season, so there is always a period right at the start of the game where we will be adjusting,” explained Rea after the game.

The team soon settled down and started to pass the ball around nicely. The two central midfielders, Alan Whiter and Ryan Brown were working well, really demanding the ball from the defence and distributing it nicely to the wingers and front two. The wise but slightly ageing keeper in between the Dunsfold sticks was already penciling a shopping list of Ralgex and Ibruprofen.

The Ruts first goal came on 15 minutes - an 80/20 ball in the keepers favour was turned on its head by the never-give-up attitude of Alan Morley, his pace and bravery leaving the keeper in a ball of pain on the floor and 'goal a game' Richard Lines with probably the easiest tap in of his life.

There followed a 10 minute spell of constant pressure from the Ruts which culminated with captain for the day Morley hitting his first into the roof of the net. His marker was left muttering “you lucky bugger” as Morley ran back to the halfway line celebrating with his team mates.

The Ruts cruised through the rest of the half with Dunsfold mere spectators and it was now a matter of how many.

The third soon arrived.

Scott Ryder intercepted a poor throw-out by the keeper and hoisted the ball forward. Good pressure from Brown forced the right back into a sloppy back pass and whippet lookalike Morley nipped in from nowhere and punished Dunsfold with a wonderful left foot strike into the keepers right hand corner.

“I’ve got three, but I want seven and zero in at our end,” was the inspirational call from a confident and pumped up Kerwick at half time. Unfortunately the second half was an anticlimax, producing no goals and very little to talk about. Darren Hatfield's introduction late on almost produced a goal, but it was Dunsfold who played the more attacking, throwing four men forward and picking up their work rate. They came close near the end but the shot was well saved by the impressive Phil Lines.

“The way we played was more important than winning 7-0, I am very happy with the way we worked, a clean sheet and a good performance all round,” beamed a jubilant Kerwick while slurping on a pint of ale.

by Ed Reynolds

Old Rutlishians travelled to Godalming & Farncombe for their third consecutive away game and managed to carve out a slender victory.

A far cry from their previous two comfortable victories, the game turned out to be a sloppy, hard fought affair with both teams struggling to come to terms with the testing conditions.

The first half produced no goals but was edged by the Ruts who enjoyed the majority of possession and chances, the best of which fell to their captain, Phil Rea. From a free kick just outside the area, Ryan Brown swung in a dangerous ball and after beating his defender well, Rea headed wide from just five yards out.

Godalming & Farncombe’s only real chance came when Neil Marshall misjudged a back pass, which left the striker with only the keeper to beat. However, Gavin Coutts was quick to react and parried the shot well.

At half time manager Brian Kerwick brought on Scott Ryder, who was to make an instant impact. From the kick-off Browns’ long searching ball found Ryder just inside the box and with his first touch of the game he poked the ball past the oncoming keeper.

The Ruts kept up the pace eager to wrap up the match with a second goal but, like the first half, the hosts were hard to break down.

Although Godalming & Farncombe were defending well they didn’t have much in the way of attack and never really looked like scoring. That was until Ryan Brown came needlessly deep to receive the ball from Coutts in the 65th minute and was soon closed down by the opposition. All three players scrambled for the ball which finally fell to the number nine who coolly lobbed in for 1-1.

This was a shock for the Ruts but they showed good character to renew their lead almost instantly. With 20 minutes to go it was Alan Whiter who was to save Brown’s blushes when, after some good work down the left, Alan Morley crossed a low ball in for Whiter to slot in neatly at the near post.

Godalming & Farncombe tried in vain to get something from the game by pushing more men forward as the game wore on but the Ruts stood firm and denied them any clear cut chances.

So the game ended 1-2 and although they didn’t play their best football, the Ruts can be happy with the fact that they played poorly but still managed to get a result.

By Brian Kerwick

Old Rutlishians advanced to the second round of the League Cup with ease as they hammered Guildford City.

It took only 11 minutes to open the scoring when a well driven corner from Ryan Brown was met by a superb header from Scott Ryder at the near post.

More chances followed with Alan Morley hitting the post twice, but Morley did not let his head go down. In the 21st minute he got his reward, scoring after a lovely pass from Brown again.

In the 36th minute a chip from Courtney Sewitt sent Ryder on his way who produced a good strike.

A mistake by the Guildford keeper from a goal kick then allowed Morley - who was always ready to pounce - to make it 4-0 in the 45th minute.

Half time arrived and manager Brian Kerwick could now make a change as he was confident of the result but delayed the switch for 10 minutes.

Just before the hour mark a reverse pass from Ryder allowed Jimmy Wilkes to score a fine solo effort. Wilkes was then replaced on the right by Craig Rumbol, who fitted in with no problem.

More goals followed. A three way move between Brown, Ryder and Alan Whiter produced a fine goal from the ever present Morley.

In the 65th minute Gary Langton replaced Marc Hawley, again fitting in with comfort.

In the 70th minute a great run by Sewitt down the left wing was followed by a tremendous cross and a well deserved goal for Brown.

By now the side were in full flight. In the 80th minute a cross from Sewitt allowed Ryder to volley in the eighth and round off a very satisfying afternoon.

The performance by all the players should be carried on in future games.

PS - 'Miss-a-lot' Morley was last seen at Guildford measuring the width of the goal mouth. Keep at it Alan, after all you only scored three!!!

By Jimmy Wilkes

With Old Rutlishians unbeaten in the league and coming off the back of an impressive league cup first round win, manager Brian Kerwick took his troops off for the long trip to face Windlesham in the league.

Amazingly the Ruts turned up an hour before kick off so there was plenty of time to prepare for what could be their hardest test so far. With a few strong words from the manager in the changing room the team were left with no doubt that only a win would be enough to keep the smile on his face.

As the game kicked off the Ruts were soon into their stride with stand-in left back Jimmy Wilkes jinking his way past two, three, four defenders only to find his shot easily saved by the Windlesham keeper.

Next it was the turn of Alan Morley to test the keeper, but his shot narrowly missed the swings in the next field.

It wasn’t until the half hour mark that the Ruts made a clean cut chance. After some neat play down the right hand side Craig ‘Evans’ Rumbol placed a cross at the feet of Morley who took his time and picked out the top corner with a fine effort to put the Ruts ahead.

Five minutes later Ryan Brown went down just inside his own half clutching his groin, and by the look on his face there was no way he would be playing on - perhaps he had overdone it on the dance floor the previous evening. Manager Brian Kerwick wasted no time hauling him off with Mark Kerwick replacing him on the right and Rumbol moving into the centre.

Rumbol didn’t waste any time in getting involved and picked the ball up in the centre circle. Finding himself in a bit of space he looked up, spotted the run of Scott Ryder and played a delightful ball that Ryder sped onto. With a bit of work to do Ryder kept his cool and rounded the oncoming keeper to make it 0-2 to the Ruts, the perfect half time tonic for manager Brian Kerwick.

The second half started pretty much the same as the first, Windlesham having most of the possession but the Ruts carving out the better chances.

On 65 minutes a simple ball into the feet of Morley inside the Windlesham area ended up surprisingly in the back of the net after a lovely turn and shot by Morley to make it 0-3 and the game was beyond reach for battling Windlesham.

This seemed to spur Windlesham on though, and Ruts goalkeeper Gavin Coutts made a superb stop to spare Marshall and Rea’s blushes after a mix up between the two centre backs.

Windlesham’s playmaker wearing No.10 tried to rally his troops but couldn’t find a way past his marker Rea who was having a very good day at the office. The Ruts soaked up the pressure and always looked dangerous on the counter attack.

In the 75th minute substitute Richard Lines was introduced to spice things up in place of Mark Kerwick who went off complaining of a lack of oxygen on the right hand side and the game petered out until the referee called time.

With another three points in the bag and sitting pretty in second position manager Brian Kerwick is pleased with Old Ruts good start to the season, but has one eye firmly on the visit of Knaphill this Saturday.

by Alan Whiter

The first home match of the season for Old Rutlishians saw them produce another fine performance and continue their unbeaten run in the league.

Confidence was high going into the match and with the pitch in great condition (well done Mick), the Ruts set about the task of dominating the visiting Knaphill from the first whistle.

The game started at a furious pace with a few strong tackles going in from both sides. The Ruts took the lead within the first five minutes after a great through ball caught the Knaphill defence square and Scott Ryder kept a cool head to lob the keeper from 15 yards.

The Ruts started to play some great football with good passing moves down both flanks. James ‘Whizzer’ Wilkes and Coutney Sewitt both looked dangerous and the second goal looked imminent.

It arrived midway through the first half with an excellent move down the right. Impressive make-shift right back Ed Reynolds picked up the ball in the Ruts half and found Wilkes just over the half way line. A jinking run from Whizzer took him past two defenders, he cut into the box to strike a goal bound effort which was deflected just past the far post by an out stretched Knaphill leg.

From the resulting corner, Sewitt put across an excellent low driven ball which found Phil Rea who managed to slip the attention of his marker and hit an unstoppable left foot shot into the corner of the net. The Ruts never looked under any real pressure with Knaphill resorting to a few long balls, which were easily dealt with by goalkeeper Gavin Coutts and the back four.

The impressive partnership of Craig Rumbol and Alan Whiter in the heart of the Ruts midfield continued to pull the strings and drive the Ruts forward. Ryder held the ball up well and continued to cause problems for Knaphill. The ever dangerous Alan Morley found himself in space on a number of occasions only to see his efforts saved by the Knaphill keeper or sail harmlessly wide.

The third goal came on the stroke of half time after a good move down the left between Marc Hawley and Sewitt. The cross from Sewitt finally found its way to the feet of Rumbol who saw his shot sent spinning skywards by a Knaphill defender. As the ball dropped in the box it was unselfishly and surprising left by Morley for Whiter to drill home from ten yards out.

The second half saw Knaphill come out looking more determined to claw back the deficit but never really looked like troubling the Ruts defence. Coutts was a virtual spectator in the Ruts goal but kept his concentration to snuff out any half chances the Ruts gifted to the visitors.

The Ruts lost their way for a short period of the second half but managed to get their passing game back together and created three or four good chances before the final whistle, but failed to add to their first half tally.

Manager Brian Kerwick was very happy with the performance and said: “When one hundred percent is given by all that play the rewards will come - the best performance of the season so far."

The win took the Ruts back to the top of the league and they are now looking forward to Saturday’s match when they are on the road again away to Liphook.

By Scott Ryder

Old Rutlishians continued their impressive unbeaten run this season with a hard fought victory over Liphook.

Liphook’s position near the bottom of the table denies their true potential and from the opening whistle the Ruts knew they had a game on their hands.

The Ruts central midfield duo of Alan Whiter and Jimmy Wilkes battled to stamp their authority on the game in the middle of the park.

Chances were few and far between but the breakthrough came in the 20th minute when a flowing move down the left hand side involving Courtney Sewitt and Lee Poulter released Alan Morley on the edge of the box. Morley unleashed a ferocious shot which the Liphook keeper could only parry to the advancing Scott Ryder. A deft touch bought the ball under control and a drop of the shoulder sent the defender the wrong way as Ryder ghosted past his man. In the depths of despair the defender's only option was to perform a sinister foul, which sent Ryder crashing to the ground when a goal would surely have followed.

The ref resisted the urge to produce a red card but awarded the obvious penalty. Poulter held his nerve and sent the keeper the wrong way as he despatched the ball comfortably into the back of the net.

The rest of the first half passed without major incident except for when the referee decided to even up the penalty tally by awarding Liphook a dubious penalty decision in the 36th minute.

Impressive Ruts keeper Gavin Coutts had the measure of his man however and psyched him out with an ancient Scottish war cry! This had the desired effect as Coutts read the Liphook striker's mind and dived to his left to make an excellent save.

The half time team talk worked wonders on the Liphook team as they came out all guns blazing. The Ruts defence weathered the storm, but a few sloppy mistakes let the Liphook attackers in behind the Ruts back line. It was only some superb goalkeeping from man of the match Coutts that kept the Ruts clean sheet in tact.

Richard Lines replaced the injury prone Neil Marshall in the centre of defence in the 61st minute and immediately made his presence felt with some crunching challenges. This steeled the Ruts back four and allowed for some counter attacks against the constant pressure of Liphook attacks.

Poulter managed to wriggle free and under pressure from the central defender was unlucky as his shot went just wide of the post.

The only other chance of the half fell to Ryder who latched on to a Whiter ball over the top and hit a rasping shot that the keeper just pushed past the post with the fingertips of his outstretched arm.

The ref finally called time on this tense encounter and the Ruts team breathed a sigh of relief that the slender early lead was kept intact.

Manager Brian Kerwick summed up the feeling afterwards: “It wasn’t a classic performance but we’ve got another three points in the bag. Lets learn from this and raise our game for next week. The beers are on me!”

By Gavin Coutts

The Ruts maintained their 100% record and sent out a warning to their fellow title contenders with a well deserved victory at a rain swept Poplar Road on Saturday.

Knowing that a win would bring them level on points with their opponnents, Ockham started this encounter the brightest, but failed to capitalise on their early pressure.

Somewhat against the run of play the home side got their noses in front midway through the first half with a well worked goal. Midfield workhouse Alan Whiter picked up the ball after good work on the left from Jimmy Wilkes to lash an unstoppable 25 yarder past the helpless keeper.

This proved to be the spark the Ruts were looking for and now in the ascendancy they were unlucky not to go two up before the interval with Courtney Sewitt striking an upright with an outrageous effort from 40 yards.

Sensing blood the Ruts went all out in the second half looking to kill the game off, but were guilty of passing up some good opportunities.

A goal down Ockham began to show greater urgency and a Phil Rea inspired home defence had to be alert on several occasions in order to claim their fifth consecutive clean sheet.

The game's turning point came towards the end when home keeper Gavin Coutts looked to have fouled the advancing Ockham forward outside the penalty area. Amazingly the man in black showed no interest and from their next attack the Ruts put the game beyond doubt.

Inevitably the goal came from a wide position where the Ruts had looked dangerous all game. Marc Hawley found himself in an advanced position and whipped in the ball at a perfect pace for the newly introduced Lee Poulter to wrap up the game for the league leaders.

On the day there were several key performances with the best coming from Wilkes who put in his best display of the campaign and was at the heart of most of the Ruts good play.

Manager Brian Kerwick was fully satisfied: "We improved on last week's performance and fully deserved three points with each individual giving 110% effort."

After several battling performances against some competitive outfits the Ruts can now look forward to next week's cup tie at home to Premier division Milford & Whitley with added confidence.

By Courtney Sewitt

On a day when the sun shone, so did the Ruts with a storming comeback to keep their unbeaten run going against Premier Division opposition.

In a first half that produced no goals but plenty of chances, the Ruts looked the likeliest to score. Alan Morley had the best chance when he went one on one with the keeper, but unfortunately he pulled his shot wide of the post.

At half time manager Brian Kerwick did his best to rally the troops and the Ruts went into the second half with renewed vigour. To the hosts surprise though, so did Milford, and on 50 minutes they struck a cracking goal. As the ball broke ten yards outside the box it was lofted back in and met with a fierce volley.

A minute later the Ruts went 2-0 down when a hopeful ball split the defence and left Phil Rea in a straight race with an opposition attacker. There was only going to be one outcome as the striker slotted the ball home.

At this point Milford believed they had the game in the bag but the Ruts had other ideas and in a quick attack soon after the restart the Ruts were back in it when Jimmy Wilkes struck a shot which crept in at the far post.

With the wind in their sails the Ruts took the game to Milford and after sustained pressure the lead was wiped out when Alan Whiter latched on to a flick from Morley to knock home the equaliser.

With both teams tiring extra time loomed but there were still chances for the winner to be scored and from a corner Morley blazed over the bar from inside the six yard box.

Luckily for him Craig Rumbol spared his blushes on 89 minutes when he tapped home after a through ball which Wilkes also claims to have had a touch on.

The comeback was complete and the whole team felt they truly earned this win.

By Gavin Lennard

Before this match Old Rutlishians had not conceded a league goal in five games, a statistic that would have been difficult for spectators of this match to believe last Saturday.

The Ruts started the match brightly and within 10 minutes were ahead courtesy of a Jimmy Wilkes effort. Wilkes made a well timed run which caught the Fairlands offside trap flat footed before advancing goalward and calmly slotting home past the keeper.

The Ruts then hit the post and had an effort cleared off the line as they threatened to increase their advantage.

Fairlands rarely threatened the Ruts defence from open play in the first period, although they were to gain much benefit from their superior height advantage as the afternoon progressed.

On 32 minutes Fairlands won a free kick. The set piece was duly dispatched into the Ruts area and cleanly met by the head of a Fairlands player. It was a well placed effort which gave keeper Gavin Coutts little chance to save. It remained 1-1 at halftime.

The Ruts started the second period in the same positive manner they had the first. On 48 minutes Ed Reynolds sped forward to keep the ball in play on the right hand touchline and promptly released Alan Morley who raced down the flank towards the byline. Morley shook off his marker and crossed right footed towards Scott Ryder who had made a superb supporting run and his header restored the Ruts lead.

Less than 10 minutes later Morley was scythed down in the Fairlands penalty area. Morley dusted himself down and promptly fired home to give the Ruts a 3–1 advantage.

In Question of Sport fashion the ‘what happened next’ analogy then began to unfold.

Sensing that the Ruts were settling for their two goal lead Fairlands gradually upped their work-rate in order to salvage something from the match.

The turning point appeared to be when Coutney Sewitt went off injured mid-way through the period. With less than 25 minutes on the clock all the Ruts had to do was defend resolutely, retain possession and ideally increase their own lead to ensure they were travelling back up the A3 with all 3 points (easy in principle eh!?)

Somewhat inexplicably the Ruts were unable to do any of these things, although a lot of credit should go to Fairlands who set about causing panic amongst the Ruts defence.

Firstly, a rare error by Ruts keeper Coutts saw him assist the ball into his own net. Just minutes later Fairlands were deservedly level as they once again converted from a set piece. Sensing that the game was there for the taking Fairlands continue to assert aerial pressure upon the shell shocked Ruts, a decision which duly paid off.

Confusion and indecision amongst the Ruts defence proved even more costly as Fairlands converted again to put themselves ahead 4-3 for the first time in the match.

With just minutes left the Ruts found themselves a goal behind having thrown away a two goal lead and were staring their first defeat of the season in the face.

In an attempt to salvage a point the Ruts poured forward. Marc Hawley’s rasping half volley from 20 yards was well saved and the keeper then denied Kevin Foster who had followed up on the loose ball.

As injury time beckoned a surging run by Craig Rumbol enabled him to shoot home from a tight angle at close range to level for the relieved Ruts and claim a point.

By Gavin Lennard

Old Rutlishians secured a big win without threatening to hit the heights of previous performances as they strolled to victory in this one-sided game.

The only bright spot in a lacklustre first half was a stunning volley from Scott Ryder which gave the Ruts a slender half time lead.

Early in the second period Richard Lines slotted home the Ruts' second after he pounced on a loose ball after the Burymead keeper failed to hold a Ryder corner.

On 55 minutes manager Brian Kerwick made a double substitution, introducing Paul Hull and Steve Berry for Jimmy Wilkes and Craig Rumbol.

Both players made an immediate impact and combined only for Hull to be fouled just inside the Burymead area. Alan Morley converted the resulting spot kick for 3-0 and the match was all but over.

In the 76th minute Hull neatly beat two Burymead players and angled a deft pass into the path of Ryder who rifled home his second of the game.

In the dying moments Hull rubber-stamped his presence on the match with a rasping effort to make the final score 5–0.

By Lee Poulter

On a bitterly cold afternoon at Poplar Road, the spectators who turned up to see this Surrey Cup fixture were warmed by a brilliant display of team football.

The opposition was AFC Guildford and, being a few divisions above the Ruts, could have been forgiven for thinking all they had to do was show up - but as it turned out they were given a harsh lesson.

The Ruts opened brightly and it took just five minutes to establish the lead. An error from the AFC keeper gifted Scott Ryder a tap in that he wasn't going to miss and the Ruts never looked back.

With controlled passing throughout the team and the calming influences of Phil Rea and Ryan Brown at the spine of the side the Ruts never looked in danger.

It wasn't long before they doubled their lead after an exquisite chip 20 yards out from the excellent Jimmy Wilkes.

Minutes later it even looked like centre half Neil Marshall was to going to see his name in lights after a surging run out of defence left him one on one with the keeper, but he decided to tamely "pass" it back to him.

Before the half was out the Ruts spurned more chances and the biggest culprit was perhaps Courtney Sewitt who missed a one on one after Brown's through ball to leave the score 2-0 at the interval.

The second half was much of the same and as time went on the midfield duo of Brown and Alan Whiter was dominating proceedings. The crowd could even hear modest cries from Brown of: "Pass me the ball, no one can get it off me".

The third goal was proving elusive as the Ruts hit the woodwork twice in five minutes through Rea and Sewitt but then the move of the match led to number three. A suprisingly unselfish free kick from Brown went square to Marc Hawley on the wing who found himself with lots of room and picked the perfect pass for Sewitt to convert with ease.

The Ruts fourth and Sewitt's deserved second came shortly after with an outrageous long shot from wide right. Many are unsure wether he meant it as a shot but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for a great display all game, and never being scared to shoot.

AFC had a player dismissed before the end for dissent bourne of pure frustration as they just could not handle the Old Ruts brilliance.

With league duty back next week and a top of the table clash I can see no problems ahead for the lads with displays like this. As for the Surrey Cup - well the Ruts go marching on!!!

By Scott Hawley

Old Rutlishians had a few key players missing for this top of the table clash against an Elm Grove side that has had some good results so far this season.

Elm Grove started the better of the two teams but were limited to long shots which didn’t trouble Ruts keeper James Howarth. That was until a sustained period of constant pressure from the home side produced a goal with the aid of a deflection from a well struck 25 yarder.

The home side then proceeded to do the worst celebration you are likely to see at this level of football, when the scorer went over to the corner flag, picked it out of the ground and started to use it as a gun to shot all of his oncoming players, who then fell to the floor as if they had been shot. This celebration just seemed to spur the Ruts on as they were determined not to have to stand and watch another similar celebration.

The Ruts showed great belief in themselves to level the game when Phil ‘The Power’ Rea flicked the ball past the keeper with his head from six yards out after a good Ryan Brown free kick.

With the Ruts back in the game, the heads of their opponents seemed to drop and the team had a few efforts go just wide from Alan Morley and Courtney Sewitt.

With the first half coming to a close the Ruts attacked down the left with Scott ‘Terry Butcher’ Ryder whose hesitation in challenging for a header left him with a cut on top of his head which was patched up and left him looking like Little Bo Peep with a bow on one side.

The half time whistle went with the score still 1-1. Manager Brian Kerwick's half time team talk was all about getting in amongst them a bit more and lifting the overall performance of the team.

The second half kicked off with nether side having much to shout about in the way of chances until the Ruts got hit by a counter attack and fell behind again from a well worked goal down their right hand side. The lack of a real celebration after this goal must have been down to their manager giving them a telling off after their poor first one or the fact that they actually could not believe that they done that themselves. 2-1 to Elm Grove.

This goal seemed to inspire the Ruts as they began to impose themselves on the game a bit more. The turning point came on 70 minutes when the injured Courtney Sewitt was replaced by Lee Poulter.

Within five minutes of being on the pitch Poulter showed the kind of Bouncebackability that we have gotten used to when watching the Ruts lately, when he latched onto a through ball from Brown to round the keeper and slot the ball into the onion bag.

Then Poulter picked the ball up on the half way line and there seemed to be no danger for Elm Grove at all until he turned and ran at them unleashing a fierce drive that hit the post with the keeper beaten from 30 yards out.

With time running out and entering injury time, everyone seemed to be happy for the game to end at 2-2. There were even cries of ‘that’s it Ref, times up’ from the opposition who twenty minutes before must have thought they had the game sewn up.

When the Referee gave Ruts a free kick on the half way line with seconds to go, the Ruts decided to go for one last effort on goal, piling all the big fellas into the box. Brown drove the ball towards the goal where it was met by none other than Lee ‘Super Sub’ Poulter to glance the ball over the advancing keeper and in to take the Ruts one point clear at the top with a game in hand over Ockham.

3-2 to the Ruts and the crowd was going wild on the sidelines cheering ‘you're not singing any more, you'’re not singing any more’.

The Old Ruts have to bring themselves back down to earth and get their mind set on their next quest against bottom of the table Elstead at Poplar Road in their next league encounter.

By Scott Hawley

Roar, roar, Poplar Road grows loud
More and more screaming comes from the crowd.
As the whistle starts the play
What they were going to do no one could say.
As the Ruts stroke the ball
Poulter strokes the best strike of them all
As he bangs it in the top corner of the net
The supporters roar with great respect.
As Ryder makes a mad dash for it
He sees the keeper and says "This is it."
He's running down the sidelines and spins off a defender
And hits a shot that the keeper spilled with splendour.
Poulter made it three with ease
But all you could see him do was cough and weeze
Ryder added another
As the other team started to shudder
Morley put over the bar from a pen
Some said they can still see it over Morden
To show everyone that he’s still an ace
Morley proceeded to bag a brace
But how Poulter put that one over the bar
Made people think that he did not want to get a jar
Ruts kept going with great intent
And that’s when the final whistle went
They did it - they won the game
The other team's manager said: "Oh what a shame."
And that's how the Ruts won the game.

By Craig Rumbol

With Fairlands Wanderers being the only team to take any points off Old Rutlishians this season, a good early night was needed the night before this return fixture. Unfortunately, this was about as likely as Ryan 'Rhino' Brown trying the Atkins diet and most of the team turned up nursing large hangovers.

The match got underway with the Ruts kicking from right to left and the poor owner of the house directly behind the goal waited nervously for Alan Morley to crack one of his left foot drives against his wall. There was no need for him to worry today though as Alan was on top form. He and strike partner Scott Ryder were a constant threat to Fairlands defence and before long Morley's pace and power created the first goal. A long midfield pass sent him clear but his low shot was saved well by the keeper only for the ball to fall kindly to Brown who made no mistake from eight yards.

The Ruts were in control with Alan Whiter and Brown dominating the rest of the half. The only time the opposition looked like getting a break was through keeper Gavin Coutts' uncharacteristic miss-kicking. On a couple of occasions Matt Crowley and Phil Rea managed to get the usually safe Scot out of trouble.

At half time, manager Brian Kerwick told everyone to keep playing but not to lose our heads (Rea and Jimmy Wilkes were both on yellow cards) and the goals would come.

Sure enough, straight after the restart the rejuvenated Morley struck the back of Fairland's net with a coolly placed shot. At 2-0 the
opposition's heads went down and there was no way the Ruts were going to let a two goal lead slip away again.

It was now only a matter of time before the self proclaimed "poor man's Henry" got on the score sheet and by the hour mark Ryder had grabbed a brace. His first came when he latched onto a Whiter through ball and managed to 'shin' his shot into the roof of the net.

Moments later he found himself with only the keeper to beat again and this time he volleyed home a Craig Rumbol cross-field pass for 4-0.

The job was now complete but there was still time for a few tricks and
another goal from Brown. He managed to beat the keeper from a tight angle even though he had Marc Hawley waiting on the six yard box for the easy pass.

Next up is a Surrey Cup match against Ripley Village. Lets hope we can go into the New Year still unbeaten.

Report to follow...

By Phil Rea

Some would say it was the worst performance of the season, but Old Rutlishians continued their unbeaten run into 2005.

Lack of preparation and match fitness showed, and we were lucky to take the full three points.

There was no time for Scotty Ryder's weekly warm up as we ran straight from the changing rooms into the game.

Guildford started far better and were winning almost all of the second balls. Although they never looked like scoring, they were growing in confidence and it was obvious they were definitely more up for it.
This was a different Guildford side to the one we hammered 8-0 at home at the start of the season, and from their work rate we knew we had to work hard to compete.

Thankfully manager Brian Kerwick put an end to the Neil Marshall and Ed Reynolds circus act after 15 minutes and Craig Rumbol was moved over to the right. This improved the shape, but unfortunately things didn't get any better.

Phil Rea's comedy act at the back was attracting no laughs whatsoever and Marc Hawley's all night bender had rendered him almost useless.

The lowest point of the game came when Guildford were gifted a goal, when a 2mph back pass was met by a Flying Scotsman doing the Highland Spring. A perfect Air Shot was produced and the ball rolled onto the post rebounding at the feet of a Guildford striker who couldn't miss. Keeper Coutt's only consolation was that it wasn't the first air shot of the game. This would have been funny if we were playing well, but the worrying thing was, our defence looked ropey.

The Ruts tempo finally picked up as the half wore on when Jimmy 'Whizzer' Wilkes did some good work, weaving his way through the defence only to tap the ball back to the keeper.

Scott Ryder also went close but again the final shot was weak.

But it was hero of the day Alan Morley who started the Ruts fight back. Good work down the right and a great first time cross from Rumbol allowed Morley to get a shot off which was saved by the keeper, but Morley was sharp and reacted first to side foot into an open goal.

The team were given the full "hairdryer treatment" from Kerwick at half time and it seemed to work as the Ruts came out in the second half with a better attitude.

The defence were more solid and more chances were created as we showed glimpses of how we can play.

But Guildford were always a threat with their hard working midfield and good pace up front. Mistakes at the back let them through a few times, but Coutts made up for his gaffe and saved a crucial one on one to keep the score at 1-1.

On 60 minutes the All Night Disco Drunk Marc Hawley collapsed and was thankfully replaced by nippy Courtney Sewitt who added a bit of life into the game.

After a 10 minute spell of good possession, the Ruts finally took the lead with a great move and an even better left foot finish by Morley which was unusually placed rather than smashed.

The last 20 minutes was a case of holding the lead we had. They threw men forward and mistakes again allowed them to have another couple of attempts. But thankfully the referee's whistle came and the victory was ours.

Quote of the day was from Kerwick after the match: "If I were you I would have gone round the corner and blown my head off."

by Marc Hawley

After their dire performance last week Old Rutlishians had a home game against Hammer. Unlike last week though, the Ruts looked like they wanted it, and it took all of 30 seconds to take the lead.

The goal came virtually from the kick off. After a couple of passes the ball found its way to Ed Reynolds who hit a long searching ball forward. Aided by a little flick from Alan Whiter the ball ended up at the feet of Alan Morley. Surprisingly enough after his first touch the ball was STILL at the feet of Alan Morley!! He then flicked the ball over the top for Scott Ryder who chipped it over the keeper and tapped it in for 1-0.

Despite the early goal the Ruts never really got going untill Morley chased a nothing ball forward and the defender deliberately obstructed him giving us an indirect free kick 20 yards out. But just as the free kick was about to be taken the wall broke early and as Hammer were getting themselves back into position a bit of quick thinking by Ryder saw him tap the ball to Ryan Brown who smashed home for 2-0.

As half time approached the Ruts pushed on looking for a third and their prayers were answered when a perfectly floated corner from the left found Phil Rea in acres of space. Mr Rea made no mistake with his header. 3-0.

The half time whistle blew giving manager Brian Kerwick a chance to put some views across and after a 15 minute lecture he sent back an unchanged side for the second half.

After an uneventful 10 minutes the Ruts made a quick break down the left. The early cross only found a Hammer defender, who in his attempt to clear the ball hit it straight to Whiter who cooly rifled home for 4-0.

In the 65th minute subs were needed by the Ruts. Off came Brown and the extremely talented Marc Hawley! They were replaced by Richard Lines and Steve Berry.

Hammer were still plugging away trying to get a consolation but didn't really look like scoring until Rea stepped up and - attempting a headed clearance - lofted the ball over keeper Gavin Coutts, only for his blushes to be spared (and probably another black eye prevented) by the cross bar!

The ref soon blew his whistle though and the Ruts had another fine victory under their belts.

by Gavin Lennard

Old Rutlishians progressed to the Quarter Final stages of the Surrey Cup for the second year in succession following a hard fought encounter at Poplar Road last Saturday.

Manager Brian Kerwick was forced to make changes ahead of the match after Marc Hawley succumbed to mumps during the week. This meant that Jimmy Wilkes had to slot in at left back alongside Phil Rea, Neil Marshall and Ed Reynolds.

With striker Lee Poulter partnering the in-form Alan Morley up front, the adaptable Scott Ryder moved to the left of the midfield to work alongside Alan Whiter, Ryan Brown and Craig Rumbol.

It became evident very early on that the game was going to be a tight encounter. Both sides were competing hard for possession and although both keepers were being forced into action, it is fair to say that Worcester Park’s keeper was the busier in the first period.

The Ruts created several good openings from Brown and Ryder corners which saw Marshall, Morley and Rea all go close to breaking the deadlock. Additionally a fine solo effort from Poulter saw him gain possession on the right wing and, after wrong footing his marker, he fired a low left foot drive only to be denied by a fine save.

With half time looming the Ruts finally made the all important breakthrough. Brown’s well-delivered corner was forced over the line at the far post by Phil Rea (chest or knee Phil?)

Almost immediately Park forced Ruts keeper Gavin Coutts into action at the other end and his fine save enabled the Rut's to retain their slender advantage at the interval.

The second period was an equally close affair, although this time it was Park who created more openings in the early exchanges. The Ruts were defending resolutely on the back foot at times and as Park piled on the pressure their perseverence paid off and they levelled on the hour mark.

As both sides were snuffing out the others openings clear cut chances were relatively rare. Rumbol had a long range effort saved and Poulter was adjudged offside when it appeared he had beaten the offside trap.

As extra time loomed Lee Poulter was released on the left hand touchline. He then played a delightful pass into the path of Alan Morley whose first effort was blocked by the advancing keeper but Morley then reacted quickest to the resulting loose ball and rifled into the roof of the net from close range to seal the tie for the Rut’s in normal time.

This was one of the best all round team performances of the season so far. Old Ruts can now look forward to playing Sporting Kitz of the Surrey South Eastern Combination in the next round on February 26th.

By Alan Whiter

A fine all round team performance saw Old Rutlishians extend their lead at the top of the table against a determined Liphook team.

Their manager Brian Kerwick decided to take a week off in the Bahamas but left strict instructions with the makeshift management duo of Phil Rea and Gavin ‘El Pres’ Lennard.

The Ruts were forced to make an early change when Lee Poulter injured himself after a couple of minutes. Alan Morley came on from the bench as his replacement. He had started as sub as he turned up late with a few very poor excuses!

Liphook started well but found themselves a goal down within a few minutes of Morley taking the field. A spell of Ruts possession found the dangerous Morley in space and he kept his head to lob the advancing Liphook keeper from 18 yards.

From then on the Ruts were never really under much pressure with a few Liphook half chances being easily dealt with by the excellent Gavin Coutts between the sticks.

The second goal came from a quickly taken free-kick as Courtney Sewitt saw an opening before the Liphook keeper had time to organize his wall. As Ryan Brown turned his back to prepare to take the kick, Sewitt struck a left footed effort into the bottom corner of the goal. The keeper managed to get a hand on it but couldn’t stop the ball hitting the back of the net. It’s hard to tell who was more shocked, Sewitt for scoring or Brown as someone else had taken a free-kick!

The Ruts pressure told again a few minutes later with excellent work from Jimmy Wilkes and then Sewitt down the left. Sewitt managed to beat his marker and slip a pass across the box where Morley slotted into an empty net from 12 yards out.

With half time looming a series of Ruts corners finally produced the fourth goal. Scott Ryder’s perfectly delivered corner was met with a powerful header from Alan Whiter who had escaped his marker with a well timed run.

The Ruts continued to have the majority of possession in the second half with Liphook being limited to a couple of long range efforts on goal. The Ruts back four of Ed Reynolds, Phil Rea, Neil Marshall and Wilkes managed to keep the tricky Liphook strikers very quiet for the majority of the match.

The fifth goal came after good work from the impressive Richard Lines in midfield found Wilkes on the left. After beating a couple of players Wilkes threaded a ball through for Morley to complete his hat-trick!

The Ruts could have easily increased their lead on a number of occasions if they could have beaten the Liphook offside trap. Liphook worked the offside well but Scott Ryder managed to beat it and pick the ball up on the left. He beat three players and cut in on his favoured left foot only to see his tame left foot shot easily saved by the keeper. Ryder’s work rate and build up play was excellent but he could not find the back of the net all afternoon. It could well have been double figures if he had his shooting boots on!

With 25 minutes to go the Ruts made a couple of changes as off went the injured Brown and Lines to be replaced by Steve Nicola and Marc Hawley. The sixth goal came straight after as Wilkes' effort rebounded off the post to Morley. Morley looked like he was certain to score before Sewitt nipped in to claim his second of the day as he smashed home Morley’s effort before it could dribble over the line.

More pressure then saw the Liphook keeper pull off a fine save from a Whiter volley. At the other end Coutts parried a well struck Liphook free-kick.

Steve Nicola got on the score sheet after a good cross from Morley found him unmarked at the back post and he nodded home from inside the six yard box. The scoring was finished off as Morley lobbed the keeper yet again for his fourth after a through ball from Whiter.

The management team were pleased with the performance and result with the only complaint coming from manager Kerwick as he couldn’t get a pint of bitter from the beach bar!

Old Ruts will look to continue their winning run when they visit fellow promotion contenders Ockham next week.

By Phil Rea

The sending off of Old Rutlishians skipper Phil Rea on 25 minutes for a professional foul and two own goals helped Ockham to a 4-1 win, although this was a harsh scoreline on the visitors.

Rea's sending of was his own doing as he tried to square the ball to his right when the only option should have been to clear the ball. The nippy striker stuck a foot out and was through on goal. Although the brave keeper Gavin Coutts was well off his line and looking favourite to smash the ball away, Phil decided he would need to make a challenge and unfortunately before he did, the strikers trailing leg clipped Rea's knee and down he went like a sack of spuds.....

The ref showed no mercy and lifted up an Orange Card, to which it was hard to walk from, but to argue about the colour of his card would have been petty.

Ockham were well organised and adjusted to the conditions better than the league leaders. They had scored earlier with a simple ball over the top, but the Ruts had equalised after good work from Courtney Sewitt on the left and a quick cross suprised the Ockham defence and Scott Ryder scrambled the ball home.

But with ten men it was a big ask and manager Brian Kerwick had some decisions to make. He put Ed "Worzle I like a slice of cake" Reynolds at centre back and Scott "Friday Shed till 3" Hawley in at right back leaving Lee "Trigger" Poulter up front on his own.

The team dug in and held on until half time. But with a recovering Marc Hawley on the bench with injured Alan Morley, there wasn't alot of choices for Kerwick to make. So he sent the boys out asking them to work hard and try and use the pace of Sewitt and Poulter on the break.

The second half saw the Ruts work hard but the extra man took its toll. Ockham heads were up and they looked the fitter side.
Just when the Ruts looked to be holding them though, centre back Richard Lines tried to intercept a cross and instead smashed the ball into the roof of his own net. 2-1

From there the heads dropped and 2-1 became 3-1 when the second own goal from Whizzer capped off a bad day at the office for the Ginger veteran.

The match ended with a good strike from an Ockham midfielder which left Coutts with no chance.

At full time the Ockham players were singing and jumping for joy. It was as if they had just won the lottery. One player was so happy he calld his mum... not the best sportsmanship from the hosts. But that will only inspire us to go on and win the league.

The first loss in the league this season was painful, but the first team have great team spirit and will bounce back at the weekend where we have an important quarter final against Liphook.

By Richard Lines

On a blustery afternoon at Poplar Road we were to see an improved performance from the Ruts compared to the previous week's poor showing at Ockham.

Some people's minds were still stuck in the mud of Ockham’s bog of a pitch when the game kicked off as the Ruts got off to a nervous yet untroubled start in the unfamiliar, yet popular colours of black and white.

With Ed Reynolds only able to make the bench due to a ‘groin’ injury, Richard Lines filled in at right back and brought some much needed youth to the ageing back four.

With weather that would not be out of place in the South Pole the match would see strong winds, rain and sleet pound the pitch and players, sending the supporters scurrying for much needed cover.

Despite the conditions the Ruts continued to try their passing game and even though they couldn’t find the form that had seen them beat the same opponents 8-0 a fortnight earlier, the hard work and determination was to prevail.

The first cracks began to show in the Liphook side after good work down the right by Scott Ryder that resulted in two of the Liphook players having to be pulled apart by the ref after exchanging handbags.

However the breakthrough came on the stroke of half time when the Ruts were awarded a corner. Up came the dangerous Phil Rea and Neil Marshall from the back. Ryan Brown delivered a great in-swinger and Rea rose high above his marker to power a header into the net. Despite a slight deflection off a defender's head there was no need for this goal to be reviewed by the dubious goals panel.

The goal was to be the last action of the first half in which Liphook had given a good account of themselves.

Half time saw Liphook cowering back in the warmth of the dressing room while the Ruts braved the conditions on pitch as they listened to Brian Kerwick deliver one of his "I’m not going to have a go…but I will anyway" team talks.

With his encouragement and the players belief in themselves and each other, the Ruts we up for the second half which would see fit-again Marc Hawley replacing Courtney Sewitt. This allowed Jimmy 'Ginger Whizzer' Wilkes to be pushed back into his favoured left-wing role while Hawley slotted in at left back. Wilkes was carrying a first half booking after a late tackle but this didn't play on his mind and we were to see this in the closing stages of the game.

The second half started brightly with more of the pass and move game that Kerwick had come to expect from his team and the reward was a great ball from the ever influential Alan Whiter in the middle setting Lee Poulter free on 55 minutes. He dazzled the Liphook keeper with his bleached locks and slotted the ball past him to give his team a two goal lead.

More Ruts pressure was to come and with the back four of Rea, Marshall, Lines and Hawley comfortably dealing with anything Liphook could offer it gave the midfield the opportunity to push on and look for those probing passes that Alan Morley and Poulter thrive on.

The third and crucial goal came on 60 minutes from a corner. The ball dropped to the feet of Whiter who showed great skills in the six yard box to find Morley who hit a decent effort towards goal from close range. The keeper could only parry the shot back out to Morley’s feet (you could sense the worry of the people who live in the houses behind that goal thinking they were to get another dent in the side of the house), but Morley slotted the ball sweetly into the back of the net.

Poulter got himself a second goal after a pinpoint through ball from Lines on the right and in a near identical manner to his first Poulter finished well over the onrushing keeper.

The Ruts did not take their foot off the pedal and kept pressuring the Liphook players all over the pitch. With keeper Gavin Coutts dealing with any set pieces the Ruts looked to rest the impressive Morley and replaced him with ‘sick note’ Reynolds who would drop into right back with Lines pushing up top alongside Poulter.

Wilkes was looking to show he is not afraid to put his boot in and took the smallest player out with a high and dirty tackle. He was lucky not to see a straight red. The poor little chap he tackled got a bit carried away with the moment and it took peacemaker Lines to calm matters and help the poor lad find his dummy. The ref, however, in the confusion and heat of the moment failed to take action against Wilkes and instead saw fit to speak to his 'assistant' in the mayhem. With the hand of sportsmanship offered, the Liphook player declined it and instead proceeded to have a hobbit style tantrum which would see both players booked while the lucky Wilkes disappeared from the ref's view.

Lines was to finish the game off in the 85th minute after good work from Brown and Ryder, who combined on the right to release Poulter to lay a perfect pass across goal for Lines to make it 5-0 by sending the keeper the wrong way from close range.

So the Ruts had shown their determination and an improved attitude to bounce back after a poor result and put themselves into the next round of the cup. With room still for improvement they will look forward to the next game and get on with business in the league.

Report to follow...

By Scott Ryder

The twice postponed Surrey Cup quarter final against Sporting Kitz should have seen the Old Ruts progress to the semi-final to join the 2nd and 3rd teams, but it was not to be.

The spring sunshine and flat pitch made for the perfect playing conditions, but the Ruts didn't even make it out of the starting blocks. Pass and move should have been the order of the day, but instead the expectant crowd only watched as the Ruts failed to put more than a couple of decent passes together and the ball fizzed from end to end at 100mph like a hot potato.

The first breakthrough of the game came after 10 minutes when a speculative shot from the Sporting Kitz forward bounced through a melee of players towards Gavin Coutts in goal. A "You've Been Framed" style pick up by the normally reliable Ruts keeper saw the ball trickle through his legs and into the open net.

Although the Ruts didn't play well, they stopped the opposition having any other real clear cut chances in the first half and the best chance of the half fell to Alan Morley. Good build up play from the right hand side by Scott Ryder and Ed Reynolds put the ball through to Ryan Brown who advanced menacingly towards Sporting's back four. As the defender pressed Brown, he released Morley just inside the area and Morley let fly with a good shot which unfortunately bounced off the bar.

The second half started more positively as the Ruts pushed on for the equaliser, although without creating any real clear cut chances. With the game stretched it enabled Sporting Kitz to attack on the break and with 20 minutes to go they got the second goal which looked suspiciously offside. This was closely followed by the third goal which effectively killed the game off.

A double substitution saw Steve Nicola and the impressive Reece Smith bring a new attacking dimension to the Ruts play, but unfortunately this was too little too late. On 85 minutes a great cross by Smith on the left was met by the diving back post header of Steve "Zidane" Nicola and the ball nestled in the top corner of the net. Scoring the best goal of the match was of little consolation though.

The Ruts need to put this game behind them and raise their game by 100% for next week's League Cup semi at Premier Division outfit Tongham.

by Phil Rea

A bright sunny day in Tongham was the scene for the long awaited League Cup semi final between the favourites of the Premier and First divisions.

Although Tongham were unbeaten in the Premier, the sides were of a similar standard and in the end it came down to a bit of luck and who wanted it more.

The Ruts started well, taking only five minutes to carve out a golden scoring opportunity. Neil Marshall rose above his marker only to see his header from four yards scrambled off the line.

The Ruts confidence grew from there. The defence was well organised and kept their scoring opportunities down to only a couple of half chances.

The Ruts hit the back of the net on 15 minutes from a ball over the top, but Lee Poulter's cool finish was cruelly ruled out by the man in black, who from that point on clearly had designs on being the star of the show.

On 30 minutes Tongham broke the deadlock. As the Ruts shaped up to defend a corner, Ed Reynolds collapsed like a sack of spuds and the Seagull-like squawk he emitted failed to impress the ref who let play resume. To make it worse, the Tongham player who inflicted the pain on our big man got a flick on, which rose the ball high in the air. A big confident shout from Gavin Coutts in goal left him unprotected by his defenders and the tall Tongham centre-back headed home unchallenged through the legs of Marc Hawley.

A painful injury and a weak goal in the same minute was a knife through the hearts of the Ruts players.

But there was still plenty of time to get back in it and a glorious opportunity for an equaliser was missed shortly after when Ryan Brown swung in a quality free kick. Richard Lines and Phil Rea, both unmarked, managed to get in each others way though and the clearest opportunity of the match went begging.

It began to feel like one of those days, when luck was not with us, but at half time we knew we could still take something from this game.

The ref once again took centre stage during the interval, making both teams wait what seemed a ridiculous amount of time to restart the match.

The second half was a scrappy affair, but there were chances to equalise. Poulter reacted first from a good flick by Scott Ryder, but edged his lob wide of the post.

Courtney Sewitt and Alan Morley replaced Lines and Hawley, and they offered some hope with their fresh legs, but panic started to settle in as the Ruts pushed forward and the football wasn't pretty.

As time went on the chances became few and far between. Tongham could see a cup final place in their sights and decided to get men behind the ball and close up the game.

Rea was thrown up front in sheer desperation and connected with a corner in the last minute which hit a player on the line and Neil Marshall's follow up was smashed over the bar.

The defeat was tough to take and our men were battle weary, but at the same time we can take comfort from the way we battled and the fact that we should also be fighting for promotion next season assuming we complete the job this year and win Division One.

Winning ways need to be resumed this Saturday if that is to happen.

by Alan Whiter

Old Rutlishians looked to get back to winning ways in the league on Saturday after going out of both cup competitions in successive weeks.

A sunny spring afternoon saw the visit of Burymead to Poplar Road. Manager Brian Kerwick was forced to make changes to the squad due to the absence of keeper Gavin Coutts and injuries to skipper Phil Rea and Ed Reynolds. Craig Wellstead filled the goal and the versatile Richard Lines came in to partner Neil Marshall at the back.

The Ruts started well and created a number of good opportunities in the opening fifteen minutes which neither Lee ‘The Shed’ Poulter or Alan ‘McCluskeys’ Morley could convert. The Ruts continued to dominate the match with Wellstead and the back four being relatively redundant for most of the first half.

The only goal of the half came from a well flighted free kick from Ryan Brown which found Jimmy 'Whizzer' Wilkes unmarked at the back post. A great first touch from the experienced ginger winger left an easy toe punt finish from six yards out.

The remainder of the half was a mixture of good football but sloppy finishing from the Ruts and a few half chances that fell to the Burymead forwards.

A lacklustre second period saw the Ruts pressure the Burymead goal to no avail and beginning to panic as time after time they failed to hit the target. This led to the Ruts giving the ball away too easily on a number of occasions and gifting Burymead a few opportunities to level the score.

The Ruts finally managed to seal the win though when Alan Whiter slipped a through ball to Alan Morley who managed to finish from just inside the box.

On the whole not a great performance but an important three points to start the climb back to the top of the table. Brian can now enjoy his midweek scouting mission to the continent but he will be back in time for next week's visit of Windlesham to Poplar Road.

by Jimmy Wilkes

It was the last game of the season to be played at Poplar Road due to the cricket section needing three months to prepare the pitch for forthcoming friendlies and the Old Ruts were up for this game big time.

The team lined up as follows:

The game started at a very high tempo with the Ruts camped in Windlesham's half. A sweet ball from ‘Massive arse Whiter’ released ‘Whizzer Wilkes’ down the left and a neat pass to the waiting Scott Ryder saw his shot well saved by the keeper.

Against the run of play Windlesham managed to convert a penalty thanks to the cumbersome ‘Spoons Marshall’ but this was to be the only time during the game that they would venture into the Ruts half.

The Ruts didn’t have to wait long for their opening goal. A splendid intervention from ‘The Beast’ in the centre of the park saw the ball drop kindly for ‘Mr Ryder’ and for once he didn’t make a hash of it as he coolly lobbed the advancing keeper.

At 1-1 the Ruts stepped up a gear and started to play some delightful one touch football. ‘Massive arse Brown’ picked up the ball in the centre circle and in a flash ‘Whizzer’ steamed past him, picking up the ball and dancing his way to the byline before what can only be described as ‘the perfect cross’ for ‘Miss a lot Morley’ to head into the goal (not that he knew a lot about it).

At half-time manager Brian Kerwick lost his marbles and ripped into the Ruts, which seemed to do the trick as virtually straight from the kick off Morley claimed his second after some great work by strike partner Ryder.

It was all one-way traffic and when the visitors did try to impose themselves on the game ‘The Beast’ just beat them back with some full-blooded well-timed tackles.

The Windlesham players started getting frustrated and after one of their players was thrown to the mud by ‘Whizzer’ the Windlesham No. 10 took things into his own hands and tried his hardest to take out ‘The Beast’ in full flight. This inevitably ended up with the Windlesham lad dusting himself off wondering what had happened and to add insult to injury getting his marching orders.

The match now turned into a training session for the Ruts as they carried on stroking the ball around the pitch making the oppo chase shadows.

Then out of the blue something happened that will go down in Old Ruts history. ‘Magic Morley’ (as his team mates were now calling him) found himself bearing down on the Windlesham goal with only the keeper to beat. As the crowds ran for cover ‘Magic’ fooled everybody and caressed the ball into the back of the net sealing his hatrick and giving hope to his team mates that if you persist it will eventually sink into that stubborn brain of his.

With a new found swagger ‘Magic’ wrapped the game up with his fourth of the day and the Ruts retired to the bar knowing that if they keep winning their games in hand the league title will soon be theirs.

Report to follow...

Report to follow...

by Gavin Coutts

The Ruts ensured promotion on Tuesday night with a well-deserved victory against a stubborn Old Selesians outfit.

Given the teams respective league positions the Ruts could have been forgiven for thinking the points were a formality - it certainly seemed that way in the opening half with a less than convincing team performance.

This resulted in only a few chances for the home side with Alan Morley and Scott Ryder guilty of passing up some good opportunities.

As if the challenge wasn’t hard enough Neil Marshall thought it would be a good idea to give the visitors a one goal start, slicing an outrageous clearance towards his own goal. Fortunately Gavin Coutts was alert to turn away the danger.

Just as in the previous league meeting it took the Ruts until the second half to break the deadlock. A seemingly harmless corner from Courtney Sewitt in the 48th minute somehow found its way in at the near post.

If Sewitt looked a little embarrassed, the opponents' shambolic defending was to throw up a few more red faces later in the game.

The home side were now in the ascendency and went 2-0 up shortly after with a well struck Morley effort finding the bottom corner after a good through ball from the trusty engine room.

With the points almost safe the home side were able to relax and pass the ball around with confidence, which was epitomised by Richard Lines nutmegging the left back to cross for Ryder’s first of the evening.

The light was by now fading - being a goalkeeper that’s the only excuse I can give my opposite number one for his pathetic attempt at Jimmy Wilkes' 20 yard volley for number four, which brought back memories of the Titanic’s slow submergence.

If that wasn’t bad enough minutes later the centre half and goalkeeper combined to turn in a Ryan Brown free kick when there looked to be no danger at all.

With Ockham going down at Liphook, the Ruts now need three points from four games to lift the championship - hopefully the bubbly will be suitably chilled for 4.45pm on Saturday afternoon.

by Mark Kerwick

After a long and arduous season the Ruts finally secured their first Surrey Intermediate Western Division One title with three games to spare.

The manner in which this was achieved was, however, typical of many of their lacklustre displays this season. The Ruts fell behind early on to a competitive Godalming and Farncombe side after the referee awarded a disputable penalty for handball.

The Ruts found themselves back in the game with a sustained period of possession culminating in a fine headed goal by Richard Lines.

This was not to be the end of the plucky Godalming side, for within minutes of the restart a lapse in concentration by the normally reliable Neil Marshall let in the Godalming centre forward who guided the ball goalwards to the feet of his strike partner for an unlikely 2-1 lead.

Unflustered by their momentary falter the Ruts struck back with the prolific Alan Morley notching yet another to his already impressive season's tally.

The half time whistle brought with it several words of wisdom from Ruts manager Brian Kerwick, none of which the team could understand due to his lack of front teeth!

The second half saw a rejuvenated Ruts side strike at the heart of Godalming defence with quick successive goals from Morley and a stunning thirty yard dipping volley from ‘Roy of the Rovers’ Ryan Brown.

Although at 4-2 many sides would have called it a day Godalming stuck to their task and had several half chances saved by the safe hands of Gavin Coutts, much to the relief of his defensive team mates.

The Ruts appeared to kill the game off with their fifth goal, a powerful run down the left and devastating shot by the graceful Scot Ryder finishing off a slick move.

Cruising at 5-2 the Ruts went to sleep. In defence, the scalped Marc Hawley seemed a shadow of his former self - obviously a relation of the legendary Samson the loss of his golden locks had undoubtedly sapped his strength. Unsuccessfully taking on two Godalming forwards Hawley lost the ball in his own last third, leaving his defensive team mates to look on in disbelief.

The last few minutes proved to be tense for the Ruts with Godalming pulling two goals back with a tremendous strike from the edge of the eighteen yard box shortly followed by a clinical finish from a corner leaving the score at 5-4.

Luckily for the Ruts time was on their side. With the final whistle came a cry of champions with both players and supporters knowing that next season they will need to be greatly improved if they are to challenge for the Premier division title!

by Alan Whiter

After securing the league title on Saturday, the Old Ruts added three points to their tally with a good performance against a strong Knaphill side.

The Ruts were still without their influential skipper Phil Rea, as he was still in Sweden getting treatment on his over worked muscle. It looked like the Ruts would struggle to field eleven players at all, as ten minutes before kick off only eight players had managed to find the ground. Scott Ryder had the only valid excuse as his satellite navigation system had failed!

The Ruts started slowly with Knaphill having the larger share of possession and creating a few half chances that were snuffed out by Gavin Coutts in goal and the Ruts back four. Knaphill were playing a good passing game which caught the Ruts cold although they still managed to pressure the Knaphill goal on a number of occasions.

The partnership of Alan Morley and Steve Nash up front for the Ruts caused the Knaphill back four a few problems. With Nash and the midfield playing some good through balls Morley found himself in on goal on a number of occasions only to be stopped by the Knaphill keeper or have his efforts whistle either high or wide.

After some good work by Coutney Sewitt on the right Morley found himself in space in the box. His stinging effort was blocked by a defender and the resulting header from Alan Whiter was clawed away by the keeper.

The break through came in the last fifteen minutes of the first half when a great free kick from Ryan Brown picked out Jimmy Wilkes’ run at the back post. The ginger whiz’s first touch took him a little wide but he lashed in a volley that gave the keeper no chance. The half ended with Courtney Sewitt, who had moved upfront, trying his luck with his trademark 40 yarder that nearly crept in the top corner.

The Ruts started the second half as they had finished the first with good possession football and pressure on the Knaphill goal on regular occasions. Knaphill were handed a lifeline shortly after the re-start as a miss hit clearance from Richard Lines skewed upwards towards Coutts in the Ruts goal. As Coutts came out to claim the ball Lines went up in a shoulder to shoulder challenge with a Knaphill forward, only to come down to find the referee had blown up and given a penalty against him. I think Knaphill were as surprised as the Ruts but their centre forward gladly stepped up to level the scores at 1-1.

This spurred the Ruts on and almost instantly they regained the lead through Morley. Knaphill battled hard and continued to try and play football but the ruts back four of Ed Reynolds, Neil Marshall, Lines and Marc Hawley continued to keep them at bay and looked as tight as Gavin Coutts at the bar (well, he is a Scotsman!)

Scott Ryder’s introduction at the start of the second half had a huge impact on the game as he never stopped working and held the ball up very well. He brought the Ruts midfield into play and created a few chances for himself out of nothing. His best effort brought about a great save after he had beaten two players on the edge of the box and crashed in a thunderbolt which looked destined for the top corner until the keeper's intervention.

Brown looked strong in midfield and the third goal came after he won a great header from a Knaphill goal kick. It was chased down by Morley who just managed to keep the ball in play. He cut inside onto his left foot and struck a firm shot which was parried by the keeper. The rebound fell at the feet of Ryder who again shot at goal only to see his effort rebound off the bar. The ball looped up and Whiter was on hand to neatly head home for 3-1.

The Ruts continued to get the ball down and play some great football. The goal of the game came with ten minutes to go with Ryder holding the ball up well on the left wing and then playing a one-two with Wilkes. Ryder got to the by-line and put in a superb cross for Morley to slot home.

The Ruts dominated the remainder of the match and could have made it five with the last kick of the game as Morley went through on goal, only to see his effort turned round the post by the keeper.

A good performance by all Ruts players involved but that is not to take anything away from Knaphill. They battled hard and are a good footballing side and have the foundations of a very good team.

The Ruts entertain Dunsfold this Saturday in their penultimate game of the season.

by Matt Crowley

Three points, six goals, a clean sheet and a solid team performance. All this on the day that Chelsea secured their first league championship for 50 years, manager Brian Kerwick could not ask for any more. Except perhaps that Alan ‘Miss a lot’ Morley brings his goals to shots ratio down from 1 in 50 attempts.

On a calm and sunny day against one of the bottom clubs the Ruts were looking to end the season in style. Playing a Dunsfold team already relegated, the champions could have been forgiven for thinking the game was going to be a walk in the park. To their credit, Dunsfold acquitted themselves well and started the game with confidence. They never stopped battling and it was obvious that the Ruts were going to have to up their game and wait patiently for the breakthrough.

With Richard Lines and Neil Marshall dominating the Dunsfold strikers the Ruts were defending well and limiting the visitors to long range efforts. The midfield was also industrious with Alan Whiter and Steve Nash winning everything in the air and providing the forwards with plenty of good service. With more hard work like this the only ‘massive arse’ will be that of captain fantastic Phil Rea after his sabbatical in a Swedish massage parlour.

For all their possession the Ruts lacked the killer instinct up front with both strikers having a frustrating afternoon. Scott Ryder and Morley can be a deadly combination at times but they would struggle to hit a barn door from five yards on the evidence of this performance.

The breakthrough eventually came though after 30 minutes. Some good work from Whiter saw the ball fall to Morley who finally put the ball in the back of the net from 10 yards out.

That seemed to settle the Ruts down as they began creating chance after chance. Jimmy 'Whizzer' Wilkes and Graham Winter were both having good games out wide as their pace frightened the Dunsfold defence. It was Winter who set up the second goal with a precision pass that found Wilkes who coolly tucked the ball away.

With the Ruts now finding their stride it was only a matter of time before a third was added. Some good build up play eventually saw the ball drop to Nash on the edge of the area and he duly smashed it into the bottom right corner.

Manager Kerwick called for more of the same in the second half and with super sub ‘Mad Dog’ Matt Blomeley showing of his finely honed torso on the sidelines, Dunsfold must have been worried they were in for a hammering.

That hammering never really came as the forwards continued to waste chances, one of Morley’s efforts somehow going out for a throw in on the other side of the pitch. He did redeem himself on 60 minutes however when he reminded everyone what he is capable of, a rasping drive from 30 yards leaving the keeper stranded and the scoreline at 4-0. He added another five minutes later to notch up an unexpected hatrick.

Blomeley’s introduction meant the Ruts could benefit from some fresh legs, although how long they stayed fresh is open to debate. His pace and perseverance had a part to play in the final goal. Some good work on the right flank saw the ball played into the area where Neil Marshall’s hard work finally paid off as he cleverly shot home.

The score stayed at 6-0 despite some late chances and credit must go to Dunsfold who continued to battle to the end.

So the Ruts entertain Elm Grove next week in the final game of the season with manager Brian Kerwick wanting to finish things off in style. If the team plays to their strengths and Morley finds his shooting boots the Ruts will be celebrating the perfect end to a successful season.

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