Line-up (4-1-4-1):
Barasso, Moore, Rogers (Griffin, 45), Smith, Murray, Evans, Ameri, S. Newman, Wills, Johnson (Dawson, 45), Kuczynski

CPR stopped the recent rot with a gritty display which halted the 100% run of East End boys The Royal Charlie. The cocky youngsters had obviously thought this would be a canter and had left their support at home; their travelling army consisting of an old bloke, a spotty 12-year-old tyke and a chav in a pink hoodie. Against this CPR had the indomitable Andrews, old heads Griffin and Captain Dawson on the bench and Italian Iron Man Luca Bruni, soon to return to the squad.

Knowing they were up against younger, fitter opposition CPR opted for a defensive formation with Evans as the (drop) anchor man in midfield, relying on Kuczynski’s pace up front to unsettle Charlie’s back line. During the opening 10 minutes CPR looked a little shaky as players adjusted to the new formation and tried to find their position. The team found itself pinned back as there seemed no outlet to get the ball upfield, and the back four looked stretched. However, for all their possession around the CPR box Royal Charlie couldn’t create any clear chances, and gradually CPR adjusted and came back into the game.

Danny had opted to play with the high sun behind us in the first half, and as a result Charlie’s back line had problems with Danny B’s long kicks which dropped out of the sky. Stuart was always waiting to pounce and he had the game’s first clear opportunity when he latched onto one long kick and raced in on goal but the keeper stuck out a leg to block his shot.

Charlie continued to have more possession but they simply were not finding any way through to Danny’s goal. In fact it was CPR who almost went ahead again when Richard’s driven corner was bizarrely bulleted towards his own goal by one of Charlie’s defenders. However, there was another man on the post who managed to chest the ball out and clear.

CPR were letting Charlie come at them but looked good on the break, with Scott Moore showing plenty of willingness to get up the wing and almost setting Stuart clear but for a last-minute intervention. The CPR midfield were trying to squeeze up on the opposition midfield and defence and when put under pressure Charlie did make a few mistakes, with their experienced sweeper Sharkey having to clear up more than once when the dubiously named Courtney had dwelt on the ball too long.

CPR had one more half-chance before the break when Steve sent a cross-shot across the box which resulted in a scramble that Charlie managed to clear. At the other end, Charlie’s striker got away down the right wing but his cross into the box was easily pulled down by big Danny. 0-0 at halftime but CPR could have been two up.

CPR made a couple of forced changes at the interval, as both Danny and Jase were suffering from injuries. Unfortunately the new centre-back pairing were caught cold within minutes of the second half as Charlie’s forward broke free and raced in on goal. Garry just managed to catch up with the striker but conceded a penalty.

The ref opened his book and thought about a red but instead let the ageing centre-back off with a warning. It was an excellent chance for Royal Charlie to break the deadlock, but just like the week before Danny B stood up strong and made a great save. So this one goes straight into the CPR Top Ten Professional Fouls We Got Away With. Although Gary Gatward’s still No. 1 and Danny Rogers also makes an appearance or two…

Wasting no time to make the most of the reprieve, CPR were to go ahead within 5 minutes. It was a simple enough goal but one which they’d been threatening the whole game. A Charlie move broke down on the halfway line and in a flash Stuart was racing in on goal. This time he beat the keeper to put CPR 1-0 up.

The opposition still didn’t seem to quite believe that this was happening to them, and they didn’t seem to respond to the setback in any great fashion. They had the bulk of possession but once again couldn’t create any clear chances: their shots on goal were from distance and most went over the bar or wide.

They paid the price for their lack of drive when CPR got a second 10 minutes later. Stuart had had a thankless task buzzing around the Charlie defence on his own all day, and getting plenty of knocks into the bargain, but it paid off. It was a real comedy of errors from the two opposition centre-backs who bundled into each other going for the same ball, leaving Stuart free to skip beyond them and shoot past the onrushing keeper at the edge of the box.

Finally it seemed to dawn on the opposition that they really were in danger of losing the game, and they stepped up a gear. CPR were pushed back to the edge of their own box and long-range shots rained in. With the sun shining directly in the keeper’s eyes this wasn’t a bad option, and even though Danny was now wearing John’s dog-racing flat cap he was deceived by one shot which spilled up out of his arms and spun over the line in agonising slow motion. 2-1 and Royal Charlie were back in the game.

CPR were tiring now and the opposition midfield began to pick up more and more of the ball, pressing CPR back into their own half. However, CPR hit them again on the break: Stuart sped up the left wing onto a long pass, met the ball on the edge of the box and nudged it past the keeper who then cynically booted the young Scot into the air. There was an almighty melee as CPR and Royal Charlie players swarmed around the referee in protest. After several minutes the ref awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box and let the keeper off without punishment. Rich swung in the free-kick and Alex was only inches away from nodding it home but couldn’t quite reach the ball as it flashed past him.

Charlie were further spurred on by this reprieve and they grabbed an equaliser with just under 15 mins left. CPR conceded a silly free-kick for pushing, about 20 yards out. Not for the first time this season, the CPR defence held a line on the 18-yard-line but failed to track back into the box when the cross came in, leaving an opposition to run in on goal unmarked and fire a header past Danny.

The final 10 mins were simply a case of holding on as CPR had nothing left in the tank and Charlie were gunning for the win. With just a few mins left they came close to getting it when their left mid stole down the flank and pitched over a cross which their striker met full on just 6 yards out: the header was strong but Danny B not only stretched to make the save but also held on to it – somehow – in the midst of a packed 6-yard box. With that final scare behind them, CPR saw out the remaining few minutes.

CPR set out with a gameplan and it was followed to the letter. The fighting spirit was back and even though we were under pressure for most of the game we still created the better chances. Let’s not forget, though, that although this was a good result we need take maximum points from the more beatable teams for it to really mean something.

Final score: CPR 2, The Royal Charlie 2

Match Reporter: Garry Griffin