Sunday 14th January
SPRINGHILL DADS v SECURICOR
A
big welcome back to Les - his knee was much better. No Robbie he was still
recovering from Jon Elms' 40th birthday bash.
Wot didn't you get an invite - you didn't miss much;
the beer and wine flowing like beer and wine - Oh! and champers, tables
groaning with yummy tucker, scintillating company - then a select group
of Dads arrived, genuinely - music and dancing like you've never seen
before.
Paul Hanvey and Mark Shipside available for a
Sunday match - just as well cos there were one or two cried off - must
have been because it was so bitterly cold and howling a gale! Lucky there
are the faithful (foolhardy) few. Because it was so bitter it was agreed
to play with twelve a side just as well cos it was a big old pitch and
Andy won't have to hang around as sub, now.
SPRINGHILL
DADS
Les Maros
Paul Hanvey - Tony Pascoe - Brian Medway - Mark Shipside
Jason Furness - Andy Simpson - Dave Hedges - Jim Allen - John Frisby
Dave Smith - Mal Barton
Well,
much to Mal's amazement, he was instructed to go up front with Dave and
was instructed to terrorize the opposition. I suppose the lads must have
thought the defense would have an easier ride that way.
Even more amazingly Ali Dia - Oops, sorry - Mal
got into the box early doors and his powerful volley only just missed
the top corner of the goal. That surprised a few.
Following some enterprising build up - Jim, Dave,
Jason and John combining, Oh and Andy (he was lurking somewhere) - Dave
Smith laid the ball off to DAVE HEDGES
who tried a hopeful shot from distance towards goal, the keeper made to
scoop the ball comfortably into his arm but he didn't reckon with the
power of the shot. He just couldn't handle it and it burst through his
grip into the back of the net.
Brian made some great show-stopping tackles pulling
up the Securicor manager, Tony Crook in his tracks.
Released by Andy (ran out of puff), Dave Hedges
played the ball out to the right and Mal cleverly (acted) played a dummy
to leave the ball carry out to John Frisby on the wing. John fired the
ball over - low and hard (text book stuff) - leaving DAVE
SMITH the relatively simple task of toe-poking it into the
net.
Les made some great saves to maintain the score
until the break - one fantastic finger tip save over the bar.
Half
Time
Securicor 0 - 2 Dads
The
Dads at half time, you should have seen them - talk about the cat that
got the cream. I definitely saw Tony licking his whiskers. But to be fair
they had played well and deserved to be in front.
The Dads kicked off the second half full of confidence
and quite pleased with themselves. But that didn't last long - they soon
realized that they were playing a team much younger than themselves and
they were still full of running.
Some extended pressure from Securicor was rewarded
with a corner. The ball was crossed into the area and a thumping header
had the beating of Les.
Some more great saves by Les kept the score sensible,
a brave dive at the forwards feet and a nasty swerving shot turned around
the post.
Early
on in the second half Mal started to struggle (? - no comment, Ed) luckily
Rob Frisby had come along for a laugh but ended playing. Rob certainly
gave the Dads another dimension (some might say cruelly - a fourth) up
front but the rest were pooped now and Rob was a bit of a lone ranger
up there.
With Les pulling out all the stops and Tony, Brian,
Paul and Mark defending resolutely, they were reducing Securicor's chances.
Then, out of the blue, a rocket. From 25 yards a loose ball was picked
up by a midfielder and he hammered it into the top corner. No chance for
Les.
It wasn't all one way traffic and the Dads did
manage some possession, Tony and Brian both managed to get forward. Jason
amazingly got six shots off; two went over the fence, one went out for
a throw-in, two hit the bodies in front of him, but one did hit the post
- Jason's claiming that as a half-goal. That's what Jason told Scoop in
the pub, anyway, Oh and he said that Andy was crap! But Steve Coppell,
playing for Securicor, had the answer to all the Dads' flowery play by
breaking through and for once managing to beat Les.
A lovely little cameo towards the end saw Securicor
manager, Tony Crook, trying to keep up with Dave Smith making one of his
mazey runs but was left floundering and lost his dignity completely in
the end by falling in a snotty heap.
A ball over the top and a break-away by that nippy
Securicor forward was doomed by the anxious off-side calls of the massed
ranks of the red, faced Dads, stranded up-field.
FULL
TIME
Securicor 3 - 2 DADS
Man of the Match
Les
Maros
For keeping the score sensible
