2009-10 Season

Wayne flies in but ‘Chels still crash against BA

It’s always a long haul against British Airways, whose 11-1 massacre of the ‘Chels this time last year is still a red and weeping scar in our collective memory. We were in for a bumpy ride for sure – but at least this time we weren’t carrying any excess baggage (yes,  Jake, Euan, Jamie and Alex had all found better things to do on this particular Sunday).

Games like this are often won and lost in the dressing room. Motivation is everything. So I did my bit to get the boys properly psyched with a bit of good-natured banter. ‘Looking forward to another good thrashing, gents? Craig, how many do you reckon you’ll have let in by half-time? New boots, Tom? Why bother?’

I could tell the Boss appreciated my motivational chit-chat – as did the boys, who taxied out on to the lush green playing surface of Pitch No 1 looking even more nervous than usual. After last week’s offside fiasco – match report t/c – I was surprised to find myself running the line again in the first half but it was an excellent position from which to observe the action.

If you were listening on radio, you’d have thought we were playing uphill. We couldn’t really get the ball in their half and BA were smothering every attempt to break  forward. New boy Cliff, in at the left back spot, was pinging balls forward but we struggled to get on the end of them. We were fighting very hard just to stand still – and indeed, it seemed like some of us were standing still (something the boss pointed out at half-time)!

Twenty minutes gone and we were two-nil down to a pair of  outstanding strikes – one a thunderbolt header from a superb cross, which gave Craig little chance. The second was a cracking volley from a headed clearance by Stevie B which didn’t quite go far enough.

Our only goal-scoring opportunity in the entire  half was a John Murphy run round the edge of the box which was blocked by the defender.

Then came the save of the game. I’d like to say it was Craig who managed it but unfortunately it was Wayne, who stopped a certain goal on the line with a flying save. Spectacular stuff but the ref had no choice but to give a penalty, which BA tucked away quite nicely.

So three-nil down at half time (a lot better than ten-nil it must be said) but it didn’t bode well. EP only had one sub and swapped me for Newbs and jiggled the back line a bit.

The second half started well for the ‘Chels and we had a good 15 or 20 minutes where we began to play football. Their forwards Trigger and his Oppo struggled to get on the end of the final ball and at the other end, we began to apply some limited pressure. Why, we even won a couple of corners!

The spell was broken when their big forward broke free on the right and slotted a fourth in maybe 15 minutes before the end. It was a bit of a blow, especially to me who’d been trying to mark him.

So four-nil but it could have been worse – and we did have a good second half performance to boast of. But it was, nevertheless another defeat in what has been an inglorious start to the season.

To quote Pliny the Elder, as Jake might have done had he been here, ‘From the end spring new beginnings.’

Let’s hope old Pliny is right and we get a win under our collective belts against Popes Grove this Sunday!

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