Match reports

Yellow: Jeremy, Kevin, Jim N, Gerald, Richard N, Tim
Red: JP, Matt, Jack, James, Richard P, Daniel

6-a-side. Sunny. Sketchy recollection, apologies for inaccuracies. Red took the lead with a protracted scuffle near the goal with Matt finally poking in. Yellow replied soon after but Red took the lead again. JP then took a goal kick. Well, I say goal kick. He passed it to Jim who took a touch and hoofed it back with interest into the goal. 2-2. JP redeemed himself though, running down the left channel to the goal line, cutting back in and finding the back of the net – just before half time too. 3-2 to Red.
Yellow equalised shortly after the break with Tim getting on the scoresheet. They then got in front only for Red to equalise with a low struck daisy cutter from Richard P, nice. A couple more here and there with Jim completing a hatrick – clearly saving up from last week and Gerald restored calamity parity with a weak pass across the back for James to pounce on and score. At some point JP was closed down after a few dragbacks and was encouraged to pass “To Jack! To Jack!”, his only unmarked teamate. “Not necessarily” came the response.
Final score: Red 5 – 5 Yellow

Meanwhile, in other news, Oz missed this game. Strangely this week he took back those useless gloves for a refund after being reimbursed for the original expense by the club – yes, suspicious indeed. Rumours abound with sightings of a man matching his discription recently arriving in Turkey, sitting on a yacht just off the coast, and sipping Piña Coladas purchased with his ill-gotten gains (£8.00). Interpol have been informed.
Oz – tell me this isn’t true!?

(For some unknown reason a different hairdresser joined us for the second half – and those present earlier in the summer will remember just how good he is). In the second half we played downhill and they had no answer to our counter attacking football. Goals from JP(2?), Oz (a delightful nut meg on the last man)and Jack (sweet strike from 20 yards) were met with only one from them.

7-3 the final score to us.

The game was memorable for our Dunkirk spirit vs their potty-mouthed bickering.  On paper, the teams were quite close and they prob had more possession than us. However, they had no answer to our resolute defending (even JP putting in several good shifts at the back) and general team spirit.  By the end they were shouting insults at each other and even wanted the game to stop before time.  (Maybe if it were a boxing match it would have been….)

Also memorable was a succession of misses from Jim. No one can deny he was taking up some good positions, but missed some very close range chances in the first half.  By miss, I mean miss the ball entirely.  By the second half some contact with the ball was being made, and his final shot of the game was even on target. You sensed that if we had just kept playing for another hour or so, then that elusive goal would have come. (This is not to detract though from Jim’s overall input and work rate).

Version Gerald

Marvellous. Although I’m sure it was 8-3 as the second-half ringer scored a brilliant solo effort. it’s important that we keep faithful records for posterity (in 100 years when Peckham Commoners are bigger than Real Madrid and geeky historians defossilise our website to find our match reports).

Version Oz (part 2)

For some reason I thought the score was 7-3 to us. Can those who played remember our scorers? I remember the 1st ringer scored two and Jeremy 1 in the 1st half. In the 2nd half I scored the 4th. Not sure about after that… I think JP got a couple, the 2nd ringer got one(?) and Jack definitely got one. So that’s 8! Well remembered Gerald!

A final word from El Capitano

Official Final score: 8-3

Thanks to Oz and Jeremy for the consistency of the two reports.  Exemplified by Oz saying we went 0-1 down whilst Jeremy says we went 1-0 up.

Also this quote: “….the four of us, (OZ, JP, Jeremy, Jim) nervously approached 8-strong hairdressers to ask if we could join in.” That could be construed to mean so much more.

Yellow (6): Richard N, Jonathan K, John G, Colin, Gerald, Oz
Red (5): James, JP, Richard P, Tufan, Daniel

Good turn out chaps. Yellow take the extra man – a vision? A mirage in the heat? No, it really is Jonathan Key, his only appearance since May 9th, 2010.
He got things started too with a dart down the left and a left foot shot, 1-0 up. Red had discussed this exact scenario but clearly didn’t take any notice. I don’t recall what transpired after this. Red equalised but then Yellow started to pull away. I can’t recall the score at half-time, Yellow up a couple I think. The highlight of the half was a Gerald trick down the left stunned everyone, a sort of skip and run with the ball – a cheer from everyone on the pitch.
Yellow began to pull away after the break, getting to 5-1. Red got a reply to make it 5-2, quick one touch stuff between JP on the left passing to Daniel who deflected to James who calmly struck in. The belief for a fightback was there! This quickly evaporated when JP in goal tried a dragback or two with Colin on his back. It looked good until he hoofed it up and out but into Colin’s face and it richoceted into the only space there was – the goal. Awful. Yellow pulled away then with a certain amount of lady luck on their side. John G kept possession just to the left of goal for what seemed like an age and then fed for Colin to tap in – poor defending. Another shot from Colin took a deflection and went between Richard P’s legs. It just wasn’t Red’s day. It could have been worse though, Oz hit the woodwork thrice and John G once and several times the ball hovered around the Red goal after trickling out of a tackle/blocked shot tempting Yellow to poke in but there was no one there. Red could only try and attack, such was the scoreline but it left them empty at the back, a similar situation to last week. Richard N took advantage and nodded in from a long ball. Red didn’t help themselves – Tufan was strangely off target with his shots and Colin made a good save from Daniel who also brilliantly stopped the ball dead from a JP pass with the goal at his mercy. Too brilliantly though as the ball was right under him so when he finally got his shot off, he was off balance and it went wide. He also scuffed a sitter which went out for a throw. A frustrating game for messrs JP, Daniel and Richard P who’d been on the same team and on the wrong end of a similarly frustrating game last week. Well done to Yellow though – good passing and took their chances. Hot and draining stuff

Final score: Yellow 11 – 4 Red

Yellow: Tufan, Kevin, Jeremy, Colin, Paul
Red: Matt, JP, Daniel, Richard P, Oz

5-a-side. Warm and sunny.
Two weeks away had JP champing at the bit. He made it count too with after a quick one-two and a dribble down the wing in the first few minutes and shooting in at a tight angle.
They seemed to be in control too, limiting Yellow in the final third. However they couldn’t increase the advantage as their final ball was rather poor. An example was Daniel trying to cut the ball down the pitch which would have put Richard P free on goal. But he cut it too flat and Tufan intercepted, took a short dribble and shot low. 1-1 after 20 minutes.
The rest of the half was close. Red just couldn’t sort that final ball but were resolute in their defending. No change to the score at the break and the only other event of note being Paul (on his first game since July 3rd) succumbing to his dodgy knee after 10 minutes and taking on the keeping role for the rest of the game.
The second half was much more interesting. Yellow took the lead but I can’t recall who scored. Red replied very shortly afterwards. JP released Daniel down the right who took a touch and shot. Sadly straight at Paul in goal who saved but the ball bounced up for Kevin to sidefoot calmly into his own net. 2-2. Retribution was quick though. Richard P accidently handballed in the area and owned up very honourably. Tufan shot hard and high, Oz dived and got a touch but not enough, 3-2 to Yellow. A couple more goals took it to 5-3 and then Red became frustrated and decided to attack. All of them. Which left Daniel in goal. Invariably Yellow intercepted that poor final ball and Daniel picked out the ball from his net three times in two minutes, two for Tufan (who was the Yellow kingpin in attack), one for Kevin. 8-4. Disastrous tactics. They didn’t recover. JP screamed with frustration upon his final blocked shot before going into goal. Matt (on his first appearance since March 27th due to cricketing commitments) shouted at anyone in frustration and Daniel niggled Jeremy and dispossessed him with the clocking ticking down but his frustration clouded his judgment and he lunged to shoot but ended in a tangled heap betwixt Paul, Kevin and Jeremy. My apologies. The only highlight for Red was the support. Richard P’s family gave a cheer once or twice in the seond half and a cross/corner from the right reaced Oz in the last few minutes. He volloyed low and hard into the net and got a cheer from some passing walkers.

Final score: Yellow 10 – 7 Red

Oz paid £8 pairs of two crap pairs of gloves. Jeremy paid £15 for one pair of very good ones. Is this an excessive use of clubs funds without consultation? Doesn’t it leave one side with a distinct advantage? Discuss.
Daniel bought a new clock. £10.99

Red (4): Daniel, Kevin, Jeremy, John G
Yellow (4): Ahmet, Oz, Jim N, Tufan

Oz buys new gloves – yay!
And what gloves they are. The first five minutes were an utter shambles. Jeremy takes a low shot. Jim has it covered, crouching down blocking the ball but the slippery gloves don’t grip and it trickles between his legs and in. Hilarious and Red 1-0 up. In response Ahmet goes on a run, one-on-one with Jeremy in goal who stood firm and made himself big. Except he’s standing a metre to the side of the goal. Ahmet notices this and calmly sidefoots in to the empty chasm. But those gloves….a plethora of slips and butterfinger moments filled all those who donned them with dread. Skill eventually made itself visible with Daniel receiving the ball on the left, dribbling around a defender, taking the ball to the goal line and then cutting it back for Jeremy to tap in. The lead restored. Not for long though, Yellow attacked on the break and eventually pulled away to an 8-4 lead at half time.
Red had a hard chat during the break but Daniel didn’t contribute, he was concerned with his hair. And still stewing upon the fact that ‘er indoors puked in his G&T the night before bringing about a premature end to the evening. Speaking of which, may I take this opportunity to congratulate James on his marriage to Kim this week. A “Skål!” from all of us at PCFC. And well done to Kevin, Daniel and Jeremy who all turned up today. Richard N – not so much. Lightweight.
The second half kicked off and Daniel made a spritely dart across the pitch, taking possession on the right this time, dribbling again around the defender towards the goal line. He was selfish this time and shot, the ball going in from a tight angel betwixt keeper and post. The belief for a comeback was there! Then Oz had a suspicious glint in his eye whilst lining up a goal kick and launched a long high ball. Perfect – top corner!
It was better game in the second half with 50% fewer goals than the first and Red regularly closed the gap with a few goals from a multitude of shots, a poor conversion ratio.  Which suited Yellow as they just about stayed ahead. I think everyone scored, which is always nice. Apologies for not recalling more goals. And the first game for ages where astros just didn’t cut it. Have your mouldeds and studs at the ready gentlemen for Autumn is upon us!

Final score: Yellow 10 – 8 Red

Yellow (6): Tufan, John G, Tim, Darren, Kevin, JP
Red (7): Oz, Daniel, Colin, Asif, Ahmet, Ed, Richard P
 
A protracted discussion about teams led to a swap at the last minute and finally starting with Red taking the extra man.
Even sided stuff and a good game unfolded with Ed opening the deadlock. A low cross from the left arrived in the middle and was immediately fed to the right of the area for Ed to fire in back across goal, a nice move and just before half time too. In response just after half time a though ball just evaded Daniel’s defending outstretched leg as well as Ed the keeper and with Darren lurking to take advantage, the threesome became a melée and Darren came out trumps with the ball coming out of the kafuffle and trickling over the line. Ahmet restored the lead – not for the first time going on a dribble with a couple of feints before shooting but this time the show was on target. Yellow equalised with a corner deflecting in off the knee of a defender, calamity. The last ten minutes became and end-to-end effort, both teams trying to make a break. They both aired their frustration too with a couple of rash tackles as the game ticked down – you can’t deny the lack of passion. Nice of Bishop Desmond to turn up in honour of El Capitano’s birthday.  

 Final score: Red 2 – 2 Yellow

Match abandoned as only three (Oz, Daniel, Tim) confirmed.

Red (7): James, Darren, Colin, Tim, + 3 ringers (Stuart, Eric, ? (didn’t catch his name))
Yellow (7): Jeremy, Kevin, Daniel, JP, Oz, Richard N, Jim N

7-a-side including three ringers from the other slack team who clearly can’t be bothered to show up anymore. Dying a death I say.
Anyway….unsurprisingly I don’t recall many specifics. I blame the idiot who gave me sambucas. And red wine. And guinness. And gin. And lager. And cider.
Er….who scored first? I do know that Yellow scored, Oz persisting. And persisting even more down the left towards the goal line and just when you thought the moment had gone he bundled in a shot at a tight angle. Red had scored first but if not they then equalised. In response Jeremy left his defensive position and ran at their defence and sliced it open with a wonderful through ball for Oz to fire in to put Yellow 2-1 up. Daniel then shouted at yellow that a red was unmarked near his goal. Unfortunately for him another player had the ball and fired in past the distracted keeper. Poor. He was released from goal keeping duties shortly afterwards and made amends, latching on to a loose ball and firing in scrappy goal. It really wasn’t that ugly and it was just before half-time, wonderful timing and the lead restored.
The re-start came far too quickly and after a short while the constant threat of the Red attack made an impact. Eric (I think) gaining possession on the left of the area and curling a shot just inside the top far post to restore parity. Yellow heads didn’t dip though and Oz lofted a perfectly weighted cross into the area. It was heading for the far top corner with Tim probably covering it but Daniel rose and with a wonderful deft touch of his head, guided it past the keeper and in at the near post and notch up his 250th goal for Peckham Commoners. Sadly it wasn’t the winning goal. The attacking line of Red was rather effective and they equalised with about 10 minutes to go. Both teams went for the win but there was no glory or spoils to be had. A fair result.

Final score: Red 4-4 Yellow

Red (4): James, Richard N, Richard P, Daniel
Yellow (5): Darren, Colin, Ed, Kevin, Jim N

For the third week in a row the other team wanted us to subsidise their poor attendence and join up. No thanks, we have a loyal and loving team. A little too much loving possibly after Colin minced up with a rather effeminate spotty bag and a copy of Heat in his car.
4 v 5 it was.
The game game kicked off and the after ten minutes the deadlock was broken with Jim running down the wing and crossing low. The ball was going out but then hit a line marker and bounced back in, rolling just out of reach past Daniel in goal for a simple tap in. Fortuitous. Yellow got another soon after with another bit of luck. Can’t quite recall what happened but it wasn’t a skillful assist – I think this is the one where Ed tapped in the loose ball. 2-0 up. Not to be outdone, Red went looking for lady luck and found her. Bad luck though for Richard P who took a shot from Colin in the face. Good luck came though – a rising strike was palmed away by Kevin in goal but sadly rather upwards and backwards over his head and in. 2-1 and no quality to speak of. 2-2 came along with Darren and Daniel having a tussle on the wing with Daniel gaining possession and crossing. A passage of play during which at no point was Daniel balanced and the the only quality was James’s first time finish. Red then went ahead for the first time only for Yellow to equalise. Jim N then fired from half way (’twas a small pitch) with Red backing off and the ball flew low under the diving Richard N. 4-3 to Yellow two minutes before half time, a perfect time to score.
The second half was a little tit-for-tat with both teams taking turns to be in front. Yellow pulled away to a 6-4 lead, one of which came from Kevin who fancied a bit of Jim N’s cake. Red didn’t close down in time and he hit a hard shot from just in front of half way which flew past several players and the keeper. Red didn’t despair with the two goal margin and fought back. Richard N shot, Colin jumped to head away but succeeded in merely skimming the ball and it looped over the keeper and in. Jim N as keeper then dithered in his area so Daniel pounced, gaining possession just near the line, spinning and firing into an empty goal. 7-7.  A couple more goals came and went and then in the last three minutes (with both teams going for the win and several breaks happening for both) the ball was released for James who calmly chipped the ball over Colin. Would it go in? Would it go over? Would it hit the bar? It seemed like an age. Luckily for Red it just went under the bar and Yellow couldn’t find a reply before the whistle. The lead changed hands five times!

Final score: Yellow 8 – 9 Red

A special mention to Jim N’s son who was the best ball boy we’ve ever had, sterling work young chap!