Well , the opposition is starting to get a bit thin on the ground and the Dads are reduced to pulling in teams like JJB Sports for a game. Tony Crook from Securicor assures me they are young but not too good and should give us a reasonable game. Rob Thorpe returns to the side after a very exhausting period when he was presented with a beautiful baby girl, Rhia - 7lb 15oz (are you allowed to have babies by imperial measure?), Dee is a little pooped, too. No Martin Kingsbury - played this week sometime and one game a week is about all the poor dear can manage these days.

SPRINGHILL DADS
Rob Thorpe
Tim Hart - Tony Pascoe - Brian Medway - Paul Hanvey
Dave Hedges - Jim Allen - Jason Furness - John Frisby
Andy Simpson - Les Maros
Sub; Mal Barton                                  

Eventually, John Frisby turned up - with the kit (I thought the kit man was supposed to be first?) and everyone got changed. The game kicked off with a rush and JJB were into the Dads straight away but Tim was up for it and a crunching challenge resulted in a corner. The corner was put over but a poor clearance by Tony Pascoe fell at the feet of the winger whose shot, luckily, flew into the side netting.
  The game had been under way for some time and was passing John Frisby by, 'I'll get a kick, soon!'
  Another challenge by Tim flattened midfielder, this time and the resulting free kick flew safely into Rob's grateful arms.
  Then after a bit of JJB pressure the winger overlapped down the flank and wipped the ball across the face of goal for a JJB forward to tap in - Rob and the defence stranded.
  The Dads were playing well and Jason linked up in midfield with dave and Jim who put the ball through for Andy to chase but the JJB defence were alert and the chance was gone. Quickly JJB broke and a ball was played over the top for their forwards to scamper after, they were through break 2 on one and with Rob off his line scored with an audation lob. Not very likely, that, beating Rob with a lob!
  From the kick-off Andy was upended by that big defender, boo! Dave Hedges was shaping up to take the free kick - and from somewhere behind him came a call, 'LEAVE IT' luckily Dave stepped aside and JIM ALLEN came pounding up to strike the ball, 'a la' Roy Race and curled a thunderbolt just inside the post.
  From the kick off, JJB again broke through but Brian was covering back and caught the forward in the box, oops! - play on.
Spurred on Brian then had great run on into the JJB penalty area but the keeper bravely just managed to smothered the ball at Brian's feet.
 Brian was like a man demented, those phylosan & lucozade cocktails are really working.
  Then Jason put a super ball through to Jim whose flick on to Andy was just cut out.
  Tony Pascoe latched onto a ball in midfield and crossed to the far post for LES MAROS to drill under keeper, through his legs.
Les was having a great game causing no end of troubles for the JJB defencewith his trickery on the left up front and drew corner from the right back - the corner was cleared off the line and Dave's lob went aganisingly just wide of the bar and upright.
  Neil who looks out for JJB was playing up front and fancied himself as a bit of an Alan Shearer (when he was any good). He getting a bit frazzled by Tims constant attention - he was having a bit of trouble keeping his mind on the game.
  Then some great play by the Dads was stopped dead by a blatant hand ball in the JJB box and the Dads were without the services of Jon Elms - play on!
  A quick throw in by Jason to ANDY SIMPSON who turned and struck, the keeper managed to get a hand to the ball but couldn't keep it out. Then Tony flicked on to Dave who touch a touch and shot but the keeper pulled off a great save.
  Some terrific work by Jim gave himself a scoring chance but his shot was well saved with Dave, unmarked, screaming for the ball on the edge of the box. Another chance fell to Dave who's volley was tipped tipped over this time.

HALF TIME
DADS 3 - 2 JJB

  The Dads were in front and feeling pretty good - revolutionary tactics for the second half, keep hold of the ball and get it in the opposition goal. Right from the lick off the Dads were into them and John had a shot block which was deflected for a corner, the corner came over and somehow Jim's point-blank header was saved on the goal-line.
  JJB's Neil was through and Rob sprinted off his line . . . panic Neil drilled the ball . . . . wide!!! Oooer Neil's really loosing it, he may have a bit of Italian blood in him, I think.
  Tim was getting those challenges in, one after the other, poor Neil!
  The Dads were getting bodies in box and Jim came pounding into join the fray. Jim's strike came off the keeper and off the bar.
The Dads seemed to run out of steam about now, as usual. The young uns usually have just that bit more stamina. The defence were caught a bit flat footed as a runner came through from mid field to side foot passed Robbie.
  Then that wiskered little winger (aptly named 'Ferret') caught Tim out at last cross for Neil to finally get his goal! What celebrations . . . anyone would have thought they'd won the Dads cup!
  A ball through for Andy to chase the keeper made his save but fell over and the ball ran on to Les who's shot was saved as the keeper scrambled back. Tony and Tim came away with the ball and played it out to Jason who's right cross/shot cross was saved.
  With 11 Dads in the goal mouth defending, the ball was played across the face of box and Neil did a little juggling act and his shot severely embarrased the Dads team.
  In the last few minutes the Dads finally got their second wind on Les extracted revenge on the right back who'd been making those crappy arm pumping actions everytime he managed to thwart a chance of Les. Les received the ball to the right of the area left the right back for dead and drilled in into the back of the net and showed the defender a different kind of arm motion!

FINAL SCORE

DADS 4 - 5 J.J.B.

    Man of the Match

           Les Maros

REVENGE OF THE FOOTBALL WIDOWS
By Suzy

  FOUL SIX:
Rifling through his pockets, you find a wad of bookmaker's slips. He's blowing £20 a day betting on the games but, oddly, never has any cash when you need to pay the milkman. For this he's earned a yellow card for UNGENTLEMANLY CONDUCT
. THE PUNISHMENT:
   He waves you goodbye as you head off for some late-night shopping. You return with some receipts of your own - £1,000 worth spent on his credit card which you borrowed from his wallet when he was too drunk to notice.

      THE ECHO        25.04.01
  Nice to see Alistair McGowan in the paper again, in his column in the money pages – thought they’d forgotten him! It appears that he is the ‘employer solutions manager’ at that firm that no-one can pronounce. ‘Employer solutions manager’, what’s that all about, Alistair – ‘I think it’s about time you got a proper job. The article wot he wrote was about paye and employers – ‘must have given you a right head ache when you wrote it, I’ve got a blinder and I only attempted to read it!