Month: January 2018

Merton 3s vs City of London

After last weeks loss to table toppers South Bank the boars had a clash with third in the table City of London at Wimbledon common extensions to look forward to.

With the inclement  conditions suiting rugby more than football the boars kicked off and literally straight away offered up a chance when following the ball being played back to keeper Sam his clearance was mistimed straight to their striker who failed to capitalise, the tone for the half had been set unfortunately.

City of London dominated the majority of the first half and scored two goals in quick succession. The first came from some decent play down our right and poor marking that let the forward in on goal inside the box, easily rounding the advancing Sam and slotting home. The second came from a poor goal kick that dropped in midfield to the the usually reliable Neal Davison, who on this occasion misread the conditions while attempting to play the ball back to Sam and only succeeded in play a perfectly weighted pass for there forward to seize upon and slot past Sam. The boars managed to win a few free kicks and corners during the half but never really tested the opponents goalkeeper. The only other thing of note in a testing first half was the first boars player to be sin binned, iain Evans suggesting the referee perhaps may have gotten the decision wrong when not to award Merton a free kick for a blatant pull on Milo’s shirt when taking on the last man.

After a regroup at half time the boars came out and played with more intensity and purpose, getting in some promising positions after so good play but never really testing the keeper. Barry,Glen and Denys causing lots of problems for the visitors defence. The boars best chances coming in the final few minutes when Denys had a shot well saved when six yards out and a great header from Dan B was well saved and proved to be the last action of the of the game.

A much improved second half display from the boars but ultimately our loss was again self inflicted.

Barry – MoM
Iain – DoD

21^st January 2018

Merton Under 9s             0
Westside                             3

MOM                                    Max

I will keep this report short as I try to get the feelings back in my fingers from the cold. The question on all the parents minds was whether the game was on or off, given the wet weather during the week.  Could the pitch possibly be playable, was Roy waiting till the last minute for a call to say it was off.  No the game was on, meet time was still 12.30 at the pitches on Grand Drive.  Sal thinking it was a half nine meet, missed out on a lie in and Stu thinking it was at home and needed to help with the goals.  Note to parents read the What’s App message for meet place and time.

We turned up on time; Neal making sure the boys didn’t get cold took them for a warm up.  Paul again making sure the parents didn’t get cold by getting the teas in.  Westside informed the coaches that they were short of players and if any of our players wanted to play for them.  Decision was made to play 7 – 6, at the last minute they managed to get a player and allow the game to play with even sides.  

We lined up this week with Max who has played every game so far in goal, defence of Harry and Joe (maned up and braved the weather by refusing to base layer leggings), Midfield of Ollie, Percy and David with Louis up top.  Archie and Faris were on the bench. News came in the week that Lewis had fractured his fingers whilst playing in goal with his mates.  The whole team wish him a speedy recovery. Westside were a strong side who started strongly.  They attacked well and put pressure on our defence and goalie.  For some reason we had trouble clearing our lines. This could have been due to the mud bath being created in the goal area or the lack of sensation in the boys frozen feet.  When we did clear the ball, it went straight down the middle rather than out wide.  This led to the ball going  to a Westside player which led to their two goals before the half time whistle.  Two changes made during the first half Archie and Faris on for Joe and Louis. Ollie’s face of disappointment said it all as he looked over hoping it was him being subbed only to see it wasn’t him.  The pile of coats and jumpers were calling him. The team tried to get back into the game, Faris having a couple of chances and Archie hitting a shot to be pushed wide by their keeper.  Half time came and a quick team talk by both coaches so the kids didn’t get too cold. 

Two changes made Ollie and Harry off for Joe and Louis.  The boys dug in deep, one to keep warm and two to get the goals back. Faris, Archie, David and Max were all having a good game. The man of match award could have been shared by all of them but Max edged it with his triple save in the second half and freezing his nuts off between the sticks.  As the game wore on, you could see that the boys, coaches, parents and ref were all feeling the cold.  Stuart pointing out that he may need to wear warmer shoes next time.  Their third goal came from not closing down their player who had space and time to shoot and score.  Last change of the game Ollie and Harry on for David and Percy.  David’s mum taking advantage that it was his last kick of the game, gathered his stuff and headed of home to the warm.  We continued on trying to at least get a goal. Coming close with a ball through by Archie, which had it fallen to Louis may have gone in, only for Faris to hit it first and place it wide.  Parents hoping the ref wasn’t going to play too much added time heard the final whistle blow.  The boys lined up on the half way line to shake hands, those that could still feel them.  The coaches didn’t keep them long for the end of match team talk.  Quick man of match presentation, awarded to Max for his numerous saves including one that he tipped over the bar and his triple shot save.

Max’s sister feeling the cold on the side line, James had the right idea of sitting in the car with the heaters on full blast and watching from there.

Fair play to Bobby and his dad for coming along to watch and cheer on the boys.

No pictures or videos this week as all the parents hands where numb and non functional or holding an umbrella.  

Next week’s game, hopefully in warmer and drier conditions is at home to Walton Casual. 

 

Merton 6-3 West Wickham

After an excellent start to the new year, it was a good opportunity to
continue our fine form, especially on home turf. West Wickham had
proven themselves to be a decent unit, so this was a fixture that
required all of our focus.

Fortunately, the Yellows made a good start through goals from Dom
Plumridge and Aaron Loftus. 2-0, and the ideal way to lay down the
marker.

This being Merton though, few games are ever a cake walk, and West
Wickham hit back with a good goal which Gubby just failed to keep out.
It nearly got much worse too, as Sonny Kennedy gave away a penalty
shortly after. Fortunately though, the West Wickham striker blazed
over the bar, and Merton could breathe again.

They did more than breathe in fact, as Aaron got his second goal of
the day from a lob, following a peach of an assist from the manager.

3-1 at half time then, and the chat was mostly positive. Merton just
had to make sure they didn’t give their opponents an avenue back into
the game. Ryan Burchell, called up due to the 7s being postponed, then
extended our lead with a sweet right-footed drive into the bottom
right. It was the perfect way to get things going in the second half.

West Wickham pulled another goal back to give them some hope, but it
was soon extinguished, as Dom completed his brace.

Infuriatingly, West Wickham pulled yet another back, but it was always
likely to be too little, too late, and the impressive victory was
nicely capped off by Michael Vogt, who finished clinically towards the
end, completing a 6-3 score line which was very pleasing. Another 3
points, and the march towards the title – or promotion at the very
least – continues.

Man of the Match: Sonny Kennedy – Solid Performance as always
Dick of the Day: Sonny Kennedy – Gave away a clumsy penalty
Line Up: Michael Gubby (GK), Joe Plumridge (Chris Outred), Michael
Elgar, Will Toms, Ryan Burchell, Edward Plaistow, Akram Choudhury,
Sonny Kennedy, Aaron Loftus, Michael Vogt, Dom Plumridge.

The day started with a few surprises, Clappers was advised his ban had come through in time for him to miss this game and we realised that a number of people had pulled out the night before. We went from having 14 to the bare 11. Thankfully with a few choice calls we managed to rustle up a few of the old boys who aren’t always available. Snooks and Bosher joined us to make a squad that would certainly be in contention for our strongest in a long time. The bants was strong from the start and all the boys seemed upbeat. The warm up was odd having been left with a small, muddy patch of grass at the side of the pitch but it was sufficient to do the job.
The Merton Men started fast and were instantly on the front foot, creating chances up front from our dominating presence in the air by Chaz. Merton were attacking with purpose and fluidity that was causing trouble for Norsmen, particularly with any ball reaching Vanny and the super duo of Chaz and Charlie. We looked to have the rest of the team under control both in mid-field (even with “casual” /ugly/ Vegan Sam) and in defence. There wasn’t much threat from Norsmen but their best players were their centre mids who had nothing to pass to in their attacking third. It was on the cards from the start and not to disappoint, Chaz and Charlie exchanged a few good passes which resulted in Chaz smashing it in the back of the net from close range to take us 1-0. With some lax passing from Norsmen at the back, Charlie pressured well and forced an error, he was rewarded with an easy finish, but born out of good old fashioned workrate. Vanny continued to terrorise the left back with some support from Rat (with passes that showed he had been absent for a number of weeks). Did we miss Clappers presence on the pitch? Nope!
The first half went without much threat to us but we did try to even the odds by slide tackling on the edge of our area and on occasion in our penalty area, where we were lucky to escape a penalty award against us.
The second half started much like the first with Merton dominating in possession and creating attacking move after move. Suddenly, a flash point, their striker decided to react badly to losing the ball and thought the best way to demonstrate his discontent was to “step up” to Chaz, who stood his ground. The striker decided to lean in and attempt to head butt Chaz, in plain sight of the referee. Checking that the ref had seen the head butt, Chaz acted impeccably and held his arms out to show he had no intention of returning the physical contact, which was rewarded by a straight red card for the opposition. The rest of the half went from good to better, with Vanny marauding down the right wing creating chances for Jonny, Bosher and Charlie. One of the chances was converted, in the end it was a classic Vanny run down the right easily passing the left back and with cheeky step over glided past the centre back to provide a simple pull-back inside the 6 yard box for Bosher to finish neatly. Charlie scored another goal easily and then went extremely close with his third, with the ball bouncing off the post, stubbornly refusing to cross the line.
Snooks made a cameo appearance but thankfully avoided any unnecessary tackles and survived his first match in over a year.
A strong performance from the massive lads and a well-deserved 3 points.

Todays results – 1s match was postponed as was 5s and 7s and as it turned out the 6s as pitch waterlogged and no ref. But 2s lost 3-2 away to Cambridge Heath on good old Hackney Marshes.

The 3s lost 2-0 at home well not really home but a very wet Commons extension but the 4s with the result of the day won 6-3 at West Wickham with the goal scorers Aaron Loftus (2) Dom Plumbridge (2) and Ryan Burchell and Michael Vogt one apiece.

6s pitch at Wimbledon Common Extensions

 

 

 

 

 

 

“4-3-3, we know how to play, get stuck in.”

Ah, the tactical nuances of non-league football. Merton 2s merrie men nodded sagely, for they would line-up with four men at the back, three in midfield, and three up front. And they would get stuck in.

Captain, leader, ginger, Graham Willgoss led the getting in of the stuck by expertly bringing a Dan Rist ball under his spell, inviting the entire defence one way, dancing the other, and then sitting down the ‘keeper for good measure. 1-0. 

St. James stroked the ball about and had a territorial advantage for the whole first half. They didn’t however, create a great deal of clear chances. They had one notable effort, cleared by Joe Grew before it crossed the line. Admittedly, goal-line technology may well have said otherwise, but we don’t use it, so tough titties.

Captain, leader, Grumpole of the Bailey, Willgoss had another chance and stuck it straight at the ‘keeper. Maybe we’d rue it.

We didn’t rue it. Team Handsome took far greater control of affairs in the second half. Nick rip van Tiddlywinkle – adhering to some sage advice to stay a bit wider in the front three – took a terrible first touch, a heavier second touch, and a toe poke into the back of the net. Liquid football from the Socceroo. 

More attacks, a corner, an Ackerman header, a goal. 3-0. Easy street. So easy, in fact, that Ackers passed-up an easy chance, missed a penalty (quite possibly because it wasn’t a penalty, though one should be aware of the searing run that made it by the typically All Action Dom), and then set through DQ from a one-two after a a lovely move fully expecting the fourth goal of the day. The silver sub dinked the goalie, but the ball met the bar rather than the net. Wasteful.

St. James’ scored! That was silly. No matter, Merton 2s held out reasonably comfortably and all was well. Hell, it was better than well, as Ryan Gresty – absolutely toweringly superb for the full 90 minutes despite the fact he wears a sports bra – picked up man of the match and Captain, leader, later for his own team’s meet time, Willgoss convincingly won DOtD. Lovely stuff.

The score of 4-2 doesn’t quite give the boars justice. Following a fanatic 2-1 win last weekend at Old Wilsonian’s, this weekend’s result is a tough one to write about.

 

Coming back from injury – Walshy makes his first appearance this year. Along with Merton’s star striker Glenn coming back to help out his old team mates. And most surprisingly Milo makes an appearance from the bench following his niggling blister troubles (is that even a thing.)

 

The day didn’t go Merton’s way from the off. A kit mix up meant that the Boars were standing around waiting in a cold changing room, but on came the music and the mood lifted.

 

First time in a while that The Hood had been played on due to frozen pitches and waterlogs proved that the pitches were in good nick – if a bit grassless around the goalmouth.

 

From kick off Merton didn’t see much of the ball. HSBC, who are fighting for promotion, keep the pressure up, with the Boar defence doing well to show them wide and keep shots to a minimum. Soon the HSBC pressure paid off, with a simple cross into the box not being dealt with by Walshy and Sam, it fell kindly to the HSBC striker who calmly passed the ball into an open net.

 

20 minutes in and HSBC were still bombarding the Merton goal. Still the Boars keeping their head up with the defence and keeper doing well, as well as midfield and wingers doing well to track back to hold off HSBC. However a mistake from the Boars keeper (myself) resulted in an indirect free kick from the 10 yard mark. All the Boars lined up on the line, but it was again calmly laid off to one of the HSBC midfielders who slotted it into the far corner above Neil’s head. 2-0 down and 10 minutes to play of the first half

 

The only rememberable attack of the first half from the Boars came from the right wing. Glenn playing lovely football, beat at least 2 HSBC players, Merton played it around close to their corner flag, finally the ball was played into the middle to Zhurbily who put the ball out of the reach of the keeper. Going into half time 2-1 down, elucidating the impression that a comeback by the Boars could be on.

 

Second half and Merton looked like a different team. We played higher up the pitch, Neal and Iain doing and excellent job keeping the line and knowing when to drop back. Sam (myself) doing a job of the sweeper keeper, getting to any balls played over the top. The Boars were on the front foot, but a quick counter attack and a lapse of concentration as Merton lost the ball in their own half led to the first goal of the second half. 3-1 HSBC.

 

Heads dropped and Merton retracted into their own half. Sam (myself) pulled off a couple of worldies to keep the score respectable. One being on the 6 yard box, certainly to be put away by a lurking HSBC player smashed into the net however the cat like goalkeeper FLEW through the air and got a nice palm to get it over the bar. Applause from everyone on the pitch followed.

 

It looked like the crucial saves may of kept Merton in the running as Merton got a penalty at the 75^th minute. With Glenn again at the heart of the attack running and cutting into the box only to be brought down. Up stepped Fitz to make it 3-2. Unbelievably it was saved, however calmly placed into the top corner as the rebound fell kindly to the kick taker.

 

Further domination by the yellows, surely it would’ve been one of those days where everything finally came together. However the pressure got to the new merton goalkeeper who fumbled a freekick which again fell kindly to the HSBC attacker who once again passed the ball into the back of the net.  4-2 final score.

 

Ultimately it’s a day to forget for the DOTD Merton goalkeeper, But on the other hand it was a very good performance second half. Another day, any other day, Merton would’ve been wheeling away with an easy win. But a performance that can be transferred into next week, where the mistakes visibly and easily rectified – 3 points are coming. Watch this space. Up the Boars.

 

Team: Sam (GK), Ricky, Neal, Walshy, Iain, Glenn, Mustard, Dan, Barry, Fitz, Denys.

Subs: Milo, Lofty.

 

MOTM: Neal     DOTD: Sam

Merton 5s 3 – 2 South Bank 5th

A group of discombobulated, confused, lost men in a field. No, this was not the result of a 5s night out – it was in fact us at the very start of the game. A double booking on the pitch we thought we had booked left us aghast, in the middle of Wimbledon Common Extensions, not knowing where to turn. Thank the lord for Darren using his initiative; otherwise we may still be there right now.

And we started the game as we prepared for it. They were on the front foot and causing us all sorts of problems in the first 15 – 20 minutes. They created some decent chances forcing us into some last ditch tackles and blocks. A looping, well-placed header seemed destined to find the far corner, however Chris on the line anticipated it and backed up to nod the ball off the line. Kieran made a smart save from a 1 – on – 1, and shortly after was forced to dive from behind their striker, over his knee, to claw the ball away to prevent a certain goal. They did eventually make the breakthrough, however the goal came in unfortunate circumstances for us. With Phil clear favourite to win the ball, their centre forward ploughed through the back of him for what was a certain foul. Despite most players on the pitch [including theirs] stopping, their striker played on and slotted the ball in the near corner. The whistle was not forthcoming and they took the lead.

As the half progressed, we worked our way into it and it is fair to say that we dominated possession, playing good football in our approach play and stringing some passes together. Like Theo Walcott in his 12 years in Arsenal though, we promised a lot but just did not quite break through.

The second half started a bit more open than the first. We maintained the intensity of our passing and were starting to find some spaces in behind. We managed to force a corner and Aaron Byrne met it well, diverting his header narrowly wide having beaten the keeper. At the other end, Kieran saved another attempted chip with their player 1 on 1. In a moment of quality, they played an inch perfect ball through to their striker who rounded Kieran. With the goal gaping, Darren flew out from nowhere to block the shot and save a certain goal. However, the second goal did eventually come. It was from a corner, and the ball seemed to stick to their player at the front post. He managed to get a touch in a crowded area and poked the ball past Kieran to make it 2-0.

In times gone by, we would have got on each other’s backs and collapsed in that situation, however we were dominating possession and all had the belief that we could come back into this game. It got to around the 80^th minute when we struck. It was a lovely, crisp, passing move which resulted in a good shot by Aaron being well saved. Fortunately, Gibbo was on hand at the back post to nod into the empty net, and the comeback was on.

A few minutes later, we drew level. A bit of a pinball in the middle led to the ball getting played out to Neeko at the edge of the box. He took a touch inside and, from what looked like quite an acute angle, curled the ball into the far corner giving their keeper no chance. 2-2.

In the ascendency, we felt we could get a winner in what little remained of the game and complete what would have been a fantastic turnaround. Lo and behold, from what seemed a fairly harmless position, Dwayne picked the ball up on the left and sent a searching ball in. Good movement saw Aaron Byrne at the far post completely unmarked, and he tapped in to complete the fine comeback to snatch the game and win it 3-2.

This performance was not vintage 5s by any stretch. In terms of chances over the course of the game, it could very easily have gone the other way. It is also true that the oppo had some decent players, especially at the back. But where we won it went further than just the possession we maintained for most of the game [barring the first 70 minutes], it was that we played better as a team, did not get frustrated that things were not going our way and maintained our belief that we could get back in the game. This was particularly spiriting to see and although we will need to play better in our quarter final next week, we certainly showed the togetherness that we will also need to pull of what would be an upset.

We didn’t get our strike force of Gibbo and Aaron involved in the game quite as much as we should have, but their movement was good throughout and they got two very important goals for us again today. The midfield of Ackers, Neeko, Dwayne and Josh dominated the midfield and our defence held strong with good saves from Kieran and goalline clearances from Chris, Phil and Darren. It’s a good win and we can take some confidence out of the game into the next one. Man of the match was shared by 4 people – Kieran, aaron, Dwayne and josh – and many more could have been added to that list.

Kew Association 3s vs. Merton 4s
SAL Junior Division 4 South
Saturday 13^th January 2018

With Christmas now a distant memory, it was time to get back to football to try and do what was required to lose the weight gained during the festivities. Last week would have been the start had South Bank showed up for the SAL Cup fixture. Failure to do so resulted in a home walkover and a spot in the quarters alongside the 5s….without kicking a ball!

 

Our first game back after the break, taking last week out of the equation, saw us travel to Kington for a league fixture against Kew Association. The majority of the squad arrived by the required time however John Gridley decided to ignore the satnav, and everyone else in his car, to carry on to Chiswick! Definitely a contender for Dick of the Day but the outcome of who was awarded this will come later. Fortunately, everyone was present at the time of kick off.

 

Having defeated the same opposition 8-3 back in November in the home fixture, we knew what to expect. This time round however we were without Aaron Byrne, who, regardless of a request to step up, decided to remain loyal to the 5s. So without the scorer of 4 our or goals from the reverse fixture in the form of Aaron, Adam Collings and Mike Todt were also unavailable for the foreseeable future having been recalled to the army and migrating to Chester respectively.

 

We lined up in our usual 3-5-2 formation with yours truly slotting into my usual LW role. Akram Choudhury replacing the injured John Gridley at RWB. Will Toms dropped back to support Joe Plumridge and Michael Elgar. Sonny Kennedy was partners in the holding role by the returning Will Harrison with Aaron Loftus playing behind the strike force of Dom Plumridge and Michael Vogt. Matt Shreeve and John Gridley warmed the bench.

 

From the moment the French official blew the first whistle we were on the front foot. Each individual showing signs that this was clearly the first game for a while however giving it their all. The only notable moments to mention from the first 25 minutes were a few lack lustre chances that fell to Dom and Joe having to be replaced by Matt due to a split lip.

 

It didn’t take Matt long to make an impact from the bench as he latched onto a subline disguised through ball from Dom with his effort beating the keeper on the half hour mark. Not long after we found ourselves 2-0 up. Michael Vogt converting from a one on one opportunity.

 

Going into the break 2-0 up the team talk was positive however we knew that we had to change personnel round slightly if we wanted to maintain the level of performance we were giving. Having discussed as a team, we retook to the field with the most suitable shift work possible in place.

 

We were creating chance after chance within the first 15 minutes of the restart however were unable to extend our lead with most chances falling to Dom. One thing we can credit Dom for however is what came next……

 

Having been on the receiving end of a mistimed tackle following a free-kick my Mikey, a free kick was awarded in Merton’s favour 25 yards out. Discussions were had between Dom and Aaron on who would step up to take it. The latter took the reins and what a decision it was! His curling effort caught the keeper flatfooted and with no chance as the ball rustled in the top corner of the onion bag! This was one that Messi would have been proud of!

 

The aim now was to ensure that Gubby’s clean sheet was kept intact. This was aided by the man himself preventing a free-kick finding the back of the net with a top class save to tip it over the bar/around the post (can’t remember which!).

 

Aaron was causing all sorts of problems for the hosts with 3 men attempting to seize the ball from him the majority of the time. The shift in players opened up the left hand side allowing Aaron to deliver a 40 yard pass to yours truly. For a split second it crossed my mind to smash the ball as hard as I could however I opted for a well-controlled, well-directed and composed side foot finish that had enough on it to beat the outrushing keeper. Not evening his ‘Schmeichel-esque’ starfish attempt was going to stop the ball from finding the back of the net to make it 4-0.

 

The final whistle finally went after what seemed a lifetime to keep us second in the league, three points behind Old Salesians. Next week we visit West Wickham in the hope of continuing our impressive run of form and topple to league leaders.           

 

FINAL SCORE: Kew Association 3s 0 – 4 Merton 4s
SCORER(S): Matt Shreeve, Michael Vogt, Aaron Loftus, Edward Plaistow
MOTM: Joe Plumridge – Solid as always at the back.

DOTD: Dom Plumridge – John Gridley was close to getting this having ignored direction and ending up in Chiswick however the vote went to Dom Plumridge due to chances wasted.

STARTING LINE-UP: Michael Gubby (GK), Joe Plumridge (Matt Shreeve), Michael Elgar (John Gridley), Will Toms, Akram Choudhury, Edward Plaistow (Capt.), Sonny Kennedy, Will Harrison, Aaron Loftus, Michael Vogt, Dom Plumridge

Merton 6s 3

Civil Service 2

 

Team: Swanny, Kev, Chappell, Grant, Spencer, George B, Matt, Trey, Callum, Nick, Pete – Subs: Reece, Dan P

 

The 6s retained their 100% 2018 and stayed top of the table – but like all good sides they had to do it despite playing well below par for much of the game.

 

The deck was shuffled again, with Ackers getting the call up (When will he learn) and Ty still being used as a drug pony by the Brazilian mafia – it was left to those who remained to bring the points back to the hood.

It was a strange start to the game, with Merton not really settling very well and Civil .. well lets say the way they stated  I thought it was going to be a walk in the park!. But there were more than a few sloppy passes from the boys in Yellow (Yes Yellow Spanner – thats the shirt you’re aiming for) and somehow this was giving Civil the confidence that today could be their day. Civils attack kept being given a few sniffs a goal because of our sloppyness AND their greater desire for the 2nd ball. Fortunately Swanny was equal to anything thrown at him. At the other end we simply looked like we could score at every attack – but we weren’t being decisive enough with our passes and openings created kept being lost cheaply. Yet again George was the brightest on the pitch and he picked up the ball and danced round a few before putting Nick clean through for him to score and we could relax ..we thought. We really shouldn’t have done as this didn’t really wake us up or make us start to dominate like we should’ve – Soon after the Civil attacker broke clear and finished well past Swanny .. Game ON!

The half time chat was all about us not playing as team, in both defence and attack – sort this out and we should get the win needed to maintain the pressure on Actonians.

Fortunately the 2nd half was better than the first – but far from perfect. We started well and were finally knocking the ball about with confidence – and were soon 2-1 up with Nick doing well before playing in George to tuck it inside the post brilliantly. We started to control the game a little more but there was still the sloppiness in midfield with bad choices and over playing that kept leaving us exposed. Just when we seemed to be on top their Midfielder picked up the ball cut inside Kev and struck a fierce shot that arrowed inside the post – I’m certain hes never hit a ball as true and as well in his life. Its moments like these that you can reflect on when the season is done – was this the league going because of a bit of one off magic by the oppo … But no … Up step the Man – The Myth – The legend – Reece Szreider who having stood like a titan in defensive midfield when he arrived as a 2nd half sub, blocking all that tried to pass, stepped up with the ball at his feet and played a majestic ball taking Civils defence out of play, leaving George the simple task of putting the ball home. Everyone at the Kings House Sports Ground stood and applauded, just thankful they were there to witness the ball of the season, nay, the ball of the century.

The 6s held on to the lead with some stoic defending from Grant and Kev – With Chappell doing his best Terry Butcher (Pat Butcher you mean?) Impression refusing to leave the field with blood pouring from his tiny twee nosey.

Mom – Unbelievable .. It wasn’t Reece … But with 2 goals and a strong all round performance it was given to George – Notable mentions to Grant and Swanny who both played well.

DOD – There were more than a few contenders this week as there was no stand out winner .. Unbelieveably Chappell got votes for bleeding (it seems) and Spence for failing to realise we play in yellow when passing the ball – But the winner was Kev for a mix of not having first aid kit and well, just for being Kev (Love you Gaffa)