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Match report: 16.03.14

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Colours: John, Oz, Chris, Matt
Red: Daniel, Patrick, Colin, Tufan

Three-a-side until John arrives for Colours and Red take on Patrick who was an too late for the Hairdressers. And what a contrast between the two late arrivals. John – safe, calm, accurate; Patrick – young and naive. He whoops and hollers for himself for the one and only trick that comes off, a chip over Oz. He fails at a nutmeg and Oz shows him how it’s done soon after and he attempts numerous tricks and dribbles whilst last man in defence and fails every time and is accordingly punished, mostly by John. Otherwise, it would have been much closer.

Final score: Colours 19 – 13 Red
March 16, 2014
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Match report: 09.03.14

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Us: Oz, Daniel, Chris, Colin, Matt, Larry, Rob
Them: Femi, Stuart, Prit, Alan, Damon, Phil, ?, ?

Oz returns after a self imposed niggle-fixing absence for his first game of the year and Phil returns from a seven week injury lay-off to play in goal. Rob and Larry kindly joined Yellow to even up the teams but they were still a man down.

Firm…ish but bobbly. Warm! Sunny! Femi started brightly and fired in a couple of snap shots to put Red up 2-0 within ten minutes. Yellow tightened up the ship but couldn’t muster much as their attack was short in numbers and opportunities were rare.
Yellow were offered Phil to give them the numerical advantage for the second half but turned down the sporting gesture – would they regret it? Initially it didn’t look good – Prit poked in a simple diagonal short ball and Femi got his hat trick, both within three minutes of the re-start. Oz finally managed to get Yellow on the score sheet with one of his much-missed low pile drivers. He got another similar goal soon after and the belief was there. Rob curled in a cross from the right and Chris volleyed in beautifully – goal of the game. Then controversy up the other end as Rob got in the way of a shot in the area. It hit his arm, you could see the mud but it had been right in front of his body…you’ve seen them given. And it was. Harsh. Femi stepped up to drive in his fourth. Colin dived the right way but couldn’t get down quick enough. Matt and Chris added two more for Yellow but Red kept their one goal margin for their first win in seven attempts.

Final score: Us 5 – 6 Them

March 9, 2014
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Match report: 02.03.14

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Us: Ahmet, Matt, Colin, Tufan, Daniel, Prit
Them: Femi, Rob, Alan, ?, ?, ?

Prit joined us (thank you) to even it up. John turned up at around 11.00am! Five minutes after one of theirs had stopped to watch. But we were at least 15 minutes into the game so they sauntered off after a while…sorry chaps. Can’t recall the order but the following actually happened at some point…..
A high Yellow cross came in from the left wing and evaded striker, defender and lastly goalkeeper to go in off the base of the far post. Daniel sprinted down the left channel and deftly touched in a Colin through ball at a tight angle. Tufan, in goal, dribbled out, his pass was intercepted and launched back at the empty goal from the right wing. Tufan rushed back from the wing and leapt at the off target shot, gently patting the ball into the back of the net. We haven’t had a calamitous own goal for ages…thank you!
3-3 at half time.
The beginning of the first half was marred bit of a contretemps which lingered in the air for the rest of the game. And as it became more stretched, we took our chances, they didn’t take theirs.

Final score: Us 6-3 Them

March 2, 2014
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Match report: 23.02.14

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Us: Keith, Chris, Paul, Daniel, Ahmet
Them: Rob, Pete, Femi, Prit, Danny, ?

We started with a man down and promptly went 2 – 0 up, both from Chris I think. Daniel then came out of goal and from his first outfield touch he dribbled out of defence, through the middle of midfield and with the opposition backing off, strode into the penalty area, dipped a shoulder and fired in. 3-0 up. Paul arrived about this time and we promptly stopped scoring. 3-1 at half time.
Can’t recall much as I’m writing this a week later but in the last 15 minutes the flood gates opened, Chris and Keith became ruthless, so much so that Danny conceded before the whistle.

Final score: Us 10 – 3 Them

February 23, 2014
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Match report: 16.02.14

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Red: Paul, Ahmet, Keith, John, Daniel, Rob
Yellow: Prit, Femi, Mani, Alan, Zavier, Kenneth

6-a-side and we borrowed one of them – thank you Rob. Quite a classy game considering the conditions, actual moves and passing working out. John got our first and Kenneth (his first game for them) then capitalised on a dawdling defensive error to draw level. Paul, on the left, picked out Daniel in acres of space on the right wing who fired in a hard and fast cross and Keith, just managing to get between keeper and defender, touched it in at the far post at full stretch. A tasty move. Red 2-1 up at half time.
More of the same in the second. John got our third and then we all broke forward in a failed attack, upon which they pounced and went three on one with Ahmet in goal and scored – shocking lack of discipline from us. 3-2 with 25 minutes to go. Both teams had plenty of chances but in a nod to last week, no one could put them away. Daniel came close when he hit the post though he should have crossed and John had a few shots well saved, goal keeping was generally very good at both ends, though theirs was possibly the busier of the two. Sadly Kenneth didn’t seem to grasp the concept of no sliding tackles and dangerously went in studs up and both feet on Keith in goal who managed to jump out the way. A large and protracted argument ensued with about half the people on the pitch. It was made clear that, at the age of 50, that’s not how we play and if that’s what he wants, he should find another game. He in turn suggested that John was in fact at the wrong game and muttered something about being the best player. The behaviour of an eight year old and ultimately no apology. Oh well. Rather gallingly he got the equaliser in the last minute. We added five minutes for the delay but no one tasted victory.

Final score: Red 3 – 3 Yellow

February 16, 2014
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Match report: 09.02.14

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Red: Keith, Jim, Daniel, Ahmet, Martin
Yellow: Chris, Andy, Darren, Matt, Colin

So the Hairdressers didn’t show up. They didn’t even warn us that they weren’t going to show up. Calamity? No! All our yesses show up and Jim returns after six weeks away, Darren makes his annual appearance, Colin and Ahmet represent the maybes and Keith introduces Andy.

5-a-side!!!!!! Just us!!!!!

But no one could predict what was about to happen.
The ground was sodden, the worst of the winter period so far, waterlogged with plenty of surface water, even on the slope where we decided to play.
I shan’t go into details but the number of wasted opportunities, off target shots and missed open goals was biblical. The most embarrassing attempt came from Matt who, half a metre from the goal let the ball run between his standing and kicking leg. It wasn’t even moving that fast. But there were a plethora to choose from, possibly 50 shots or chances to score. To a man, everyone was guilty. The only person who seemed to come out of the game with any dignity was Andy. After having a couple of chances he decided to retreat to a more defensive position, thereby removing himself from debacle which was developing in front of both goals. And Darren clearly has a fetish for mud. A slow ball, gently rolling towards his goal  encouraged him into a making a completely unnecessary diving save into the slop. And he couldn’t keep himself from out of it after that.

Matt described the events as “the best worst game.” He wasn’t wrong. But he also said Yellow were easily the better team. I’ll let him have that – it just means that they were far worse at taking their chances. Most likely to panic in front of goal? Everyone is up for the award after this game.

Final score: Red 4 – 4 Yellow
February 9, 2014
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Match report: 02.02.14

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Us: Chris, Ahmet, Steve, Keith, Daniel, James
Them: Prit, Stuart, Femi, Alan, Daniel, John (ours)

And that’s why John wins the “most likely to be late” award. A good ten minutes after the start, which was probably at about 10.45am, he decides to grace us with his presence. We donate him to Red as they’re a man and two goals down already. Initially he’s a liability and they go 4-1 down but by half time they’ve somehow evened things up, 5-5!

A closer affair in the send half, a goal each to make it all to play for. Chris was particularly ruthless for Red, adding four goals to their tally. However the surface does contribute significantly to the game due to the ball getting stuck in the mud. Dribbles come to an abrupt end as the ball gets left behind, imminent shots fail to materialise as the ball stops rolling, interceptions aplenty as passes fail to reach their target….amusement, annoyance, frustration, satisfaction, relief – all dependant on which team you’re on and where you are on the pitch….Daniel (theirs) and John were both thwarted in front of goal in the last five minutes because the ball got stuck at an inopportune moment. So they lost.

Final score: Us 7 – 6 Them

February 2, 2014
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Match report: 26.01.14

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Us: Paul, Ahmet, Chris, Colin, Daniel, Stuart (theirs)
Them: Prit, Femi, Jack, Scott, Zavier, Daniel (theirs)
 
Very soggy and wet which meant, as it transpired, that you couldn’t tell if the ball was going to skim off the surface or get stuck dead in the slop. Chris fired a warning shot of intent with the first attack of the game and promptly made it 1-0 shortly afterwards. They weren’t causing too much trouble but Jack then let off a speculative shot which Daniel let squirm through him and in. They capitalised on the error and went 3-1 up by half time.

Paul restored hope by reducing the difference to one and then Colin crossed through a forest of defensive legs only for Daniel to fire at the keeper but watch gratefully as the saved ball fell kindly for him to side-foot in at the second attempt. And with five minutes to go, Yellow broke free with a counterattack and Ahmet unselfishly crossed for Paul to sweep in. And controversy right at the end with their Daniel dribbling into the area and shaping to shoot but going down under a challenge from Paul. Shouts for a penalty from a few of Red but most tellingly not from Daniel – Paul had got the ball. But like he said, you’ve seen them given.

Us 4 – 3 Them

January 26, 2014
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Match report: 19.01.14

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Yellow: Gerald, John, Tufan, Keith, Ahmet, Daniel, Matt, Chris
Red: Phil, Rob, Tom, Prit, Larry, ?, ?, ?

So here we are again, another year. So to start it off with a bang we took on the Hairdressers for an 8-a-side. An even sided game though I think we edged it a bit. Their danger came from Rob getting in some tasty crosses from the right but the Yellow defence was resolute. Yellow got the more chances but couldn’t make them pay. 10 minutes to go, 0 – 0. Would this be the first ever goalless game? No. Yellow combined up well up front to fire in. Red scratched it off for offside. Shocking. There’d been no shouts for offside all game and suddenly a goal….cynical. So we’ll keep it. We’d been knocking on the door, hitting the post twice, firing wide several times and forcing a few saves. Phil, who’d been in goal all game tweaked his hamstring making a save so had to go off so the other chap who’d given up earlier came back on and John had to leave early so both teams finished a man down. They chanced an equaliser against the run of play and although we chalked it off for offside, we’ll keep it. With the clock ticking down, Gerald cut inside from the left and fired in a lovely shot. Victory was ours!

Final score: Yellow 2 – 1 Red

January 19, 2014
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Match report: 12.01.14

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Yellow: Keith, Tufan, Ahmet, Gerald, Matt, Colin, Jack
Red: Paul, Chris, James, Richard, Kevin, Daniel, John

Great turnout for 7-a-side. Garnering support for the awards? We’re not that cynical. Tufan took advantage of some bobbles to help Yellow to romp away to a 3-0 lead. James swiped in a lovely volley in response and Chris fired in twice to even it up at 3-3 at the break.
Red took the lead in the second half followed by a prompt Yellow response and then Matt and Tufan increased the gap to 6-4. Daniel restored hope but Yellow finished the job. Rubbish report.

Final score: Yellow 7 – 5 Red

January 12, 2014
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