The Blog title this week covers the story of how someone’s luck can change in an instant and continue to deliver good news for days to come in the face of despair If that sounds too profound, do yourself a favour and listen to the song It will bring a smile if nothing else
SHWFC members are generally blessed with good weather breaking through to enable our sessions to proceed with only rare incidents of inclement conditions Monday morning’s Ruskin Sports Village session bucked that trend with a real downpour making it testing for one and all The usual gripe about people failing to notify about their intention to play wreaked havoc Twenty Six declared runners and riders became Twenty Nine A logistical nightmare for Andy Man and his dedicated team of selectors
It is not difficult If you intend to play simply press Yes I’m available in the Monday morning poll that interrupts your breakfast It saves time It saves frayed tempers and means we can get underway as soon as possible
The hardy souls that played were;
Pink - Tom Derby, Tomo, Barry Wizz, Lee Jenko, Citeh Geoff, Charlie and Snakehips
Sky - Steve J, Julie, Les H, Chris 10P, Eamon, Geoff P and Kirsty
Yellow - Steve J, Barry Wizz, Roger, Eamon, Mark NR, Les H and Les Meldrew
Sky - Tom Stretch, Kirsty, Grav, Lord Rainford, Citeh Geoff, Debutant Glen Morris and Brian
Black - Gonzalo, Eileen, Chopper, Mark Dav, Tomo, McSpeed and Phil Moss
Orange - Phil the Power, Andy Man, Amazon Prime, Little John, Willo, Haggis and Triallist
At this stage it’s fair to say that the teams above contain a number of ringers or was still subject to late ‘adjustments’
Debutant Glen Morris was a late deadline day signing, vouched for by Eamon as a former rugby chum His discipline should be exemplary then, if we can get used to Refs being referred to as Sir
There was an unsavoury incident prior to the Off with the late and now all too frequent lowering of Tony Snakehips Byrne’s trousers in the grandstand Winter drawers on can’t come soon enough
We do have scoring details supplied by Jeff Betty who was again resplendent in his Refereeing kit (available from all good sportswear stockists)
His first duty was to keep time and order of the game featuring Black and Orange (in theory) though the teams might be somewhat different from those in your programme In the event no goals resulted from the match to spare the blushes of any member falsely accused of being a ringer
In the other match rookie Referee Andy Enoch Powell did have to award at least one goal as Yellow overcame Sky thanks to a solitary goal from Brian Later it emerged that Sky had the luxury of an additional team member But we are all fairly used to that by now
In the Second Round another Brian goal for Sky was enough to plunge Black into the depths of defeat 1-0 Goals at least weren’t raining down Full marks to Kirsty who enjoyed a purple patch as keeper We are told that there was some tremendous team play with prodigious inter-passing that created the goal, but alas the source for this tale of derring do was modestly reluctant to talk about it (if only!)
Orange faced Citrus rivals Yellow (or lemon for the poetic among our membership) The outcome was Lemon pipping their colourful juicy rivals by the odd goal in a three goal drizzle Chris (though which one is unclear) claimed a bewildering goal for Orange whilst one of the many players named Les chipped in with a vital goal to add to an Eamon effort 2-1 to Yellow (lemon) and time to lie down once more in a darkened room
The final set of games and a goal frenzy under Herr Betty’s guidance Jill and Gonzalo for Black not quite enough to prevent Yellow triumphing with Eamon, Mark and Barry on target 3-2 for Yellow Enough for Black hotshot Mark Dav to issue an apology to his team mates at the conclusion for his misfiring shooting No apologies necessary we’ve all been there Though some of us can only dream of being in those positions to miss
The last action was a simple affair with Sky claiming a narrow win over Orange courtesy of another goal from hotshot Brian Our correspondent invoked comparisons with inter-galactic force fields protecting the Sky goal The deployment of external stimulants is of course banned by WFA and after the routine Dope Test further arrests can be expected
Apologies to any keen sighted readers who may have noted the appearance of multiple players for ..er multiple teams Don’t shoot the messenger - though I’d probably be ok depending on who was shooting! We blogaristas rely on reports sent by carrier pidgeons from individuals who prefer (rightly no doubt) to remain anonymous
There is the clear certainty that cake and other confectionery was put to the sword at the end of play in the sumptuous surroundings of the Slipper Salon The Editor regrets he was unable to attend due to a pressing engagement with a buffet table elsewhere
Wednesday evening’s Sutton SoccerDome session continued in the same vain The mid-afternoon arrival of a rain front ensured that numbers were down on usual levels The very suggestion that some Mums might have insisted that their son or daughter had to stay indoors to ward off a potential cold is baseless speculation
Eighteen took the leap of faith to play with Herr Jeff Betty switching comfortably from Ref to Player to balance the two teams of 9
The teams were;
Red- Simon, Andy Man, Deano, Graham, Grav, Eamon, Chris 4G, Kirsty and Jeff Betty
Blue - Will, Les Meldrew, Haggis, Mark Dav, Lord Rainford, debutant Peter Teeling, Citeh Geoff, Little John and Joe the Ghost
There followed a truly inspiring game with Blue playing especially well in defence and midfield Red were in contrast especially effective in the final third with Eamon and Deano proving to be a constant threat
The rain always a factor, settled to a light drizzle after 7 or 8 minutes As Peter Kaye claimed it was that light rain that soaks to the skin Consequently all players were thoroughly soaked Play continued unabated Just the odd reminder for over exuberance or running as it is sometimes called We did have a brief interlude when Grav was dispatched to the naughty step for a 2 minute cool off He accepted with good grace and rejoined the game shortly after
Blue included new boy Peter Teeling making an impressive debut in midfield But it was Red that went ahead when some impressive passing produced an opening that Simon fully exploited to give Red the 1-0 lead their teamwork deserved
Blue were very deliberate in their build up but the Blue rearguard stood firm to hold out The lead doubled with some defensive errors punished by Deano
Red now turned the screw with more pressure and little respite for the Blue rearguard When Eamon swooped in to extend the lead to 3-0 El Presidente decided to take executive action and swapped Deano for Joe the Ghost to stem the flow
The resulting play brought about change with Deano exerting a calming influence, whilst Joe was better suited to the Red shape
Blue started to show greater cohesion stringing some good passing together, with Citeh Geoff, Lord Rainford and Little John now commanding at the Red attack Little John struck the post with a crashing drive
Andy and Kirsty battled to wrest back control for Red Haggis produced a couple of fine saves during his spell of net minding Full marks for Graham and Chris 4G who resolutely defended the Red goal
All the time the rain continued it’s merciless soaking of all and sundry Dav found the net for a Blue goal, having been set up by Will 3-1 with just 12 minutes left to play
Lots of hard graft and honest endeavour but no further goals followed Time elapsed with both teams battling for victory
The final whistle was the signal for genuine respect for all Well deserved handshakes allround No injuries no mishaps A great game in really testing conditions with plenty of great football to enjoy
Enough to restore faith in the game Well done to everyone who played
When It Rains It Pours* - Luke Combs (great lyrics for y’all to enjoy)
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