Thursday 9 June 2016

June 7th

Teams

Blues:- Andy Inker, Martin C, Dan S (c), Martyn, Mike Barker

Oranges:- Grant, Mike Inker,  Little Andy, Neil (Dave Blatch)

With the sun blazing down on the astro pitches it was always going to be a battle of finess and durability, so with Barker, Big Inker on the same team the Blues needed to establish a good lead before their legs went.

Starting with 9, the 5 men blues got their noses in front with some good passing and moving. the 4 man oranges not doing too much going forwards and not doing too much defensively.

the (late) arrival of Dave Blatchford and an injury to Martin C changed the game. The legs of the blues team turning to jelly, only ginger Martyn still capable of running, and the passing turning to shit, the Oranges got on top and turned the score upside down.

The blues had little left in the energy tanks and capitulated under pressure. Dan showing some woeful long range shooting not helping the cause.

the oranges playing with a rush keeper for most of the game, then crying when a goal was scored against them.... suggesting not having a keeper ready in the middle of goal was unfair. Hypocrites...

anyway Oranges won.... blues were knackered.

Tuesday 3 May 2016

May 3rd

Teams

Blues:- Dan S (c), Martyn, Sean, Mike Barker, Jick, Lee

Oranges:- Greg (c), Owain, Mike Inker, Dave Blatch, Andy Inker, Little Andy.


With Greg volunteering to captain the opposition, and demanding first pick, the sides looked a little biased in the Oranges favour on paper. But paper means nothing, and a monumental team effort from the Blues saw them taking home the bacon.

The blues came out all guns blazing with new boy Lee showing some silky touches, and a range of passing, but an alarming inability to put the ball in the back of the net... 1 in 5 giving him that Andy Cole ratio.

But the blues foraged ahead non the less, with some fine finishing from Sean, who appears to have finally gotten over his stagefright in from of the net, and putting away some chances with composure and aplomb!

Martyn and Jick doing a good amount of running, the Oranges were forced back.

It wasn't to last and the Oranges fought back. A long range effort from Greg nestling into the net after an unchallenged forage through the middle of the blues defence as they parted like the Red seas.....

Owain only denied by a fine save from the cat Strophair, pouncing to his left... the next one went in though, via the post and keepers face for a unfortunate own goal.

Andy Inker stopping a certain goal with a deliberate hand ball on his own goal line... shockingly unsporting, with Strophair rightly demanding either a goal, or a 5 minute sin-bin. It's just not right Andy.

But even with the cheating, and Little Andy showing his accounting skills and forgetting a few goals here and there, the oranges never quite got level. Break away goals from Jick and Sean wrapping up a marvellous victory, with groin strained Lee putting a good shift in between the nets.


April 29th

Teams
Blues - Mike Barker, Martyn, Andy Inker, Little Andy, Neil, Resh, Lee

Orange- Dave Blatch, Dan, Dave Zanetti, Greg, Mike Inker, Sean

A change of captains with youth giving way to experience and Growling Mike Mad Barker taking on Dave the Destroyer Blatchford.

Mike in he more senior years, was a little confused at picking the teams, and thought it was walking football, and not the fast paced action we see on a Tuesday night.

Mike Inker, Sean and Greg ripped the slothenly blue side to bits, and put together wave after wave of beautiful attacking football. Dan playmaking from the back reeling back the years to his youth, on the day of celebration of his 44th year.

A brief respite from the massacre came with the introduction of new boy Lee on the half hour, bringing a previously unseen attacking force into the game. Sadly it wasn't to last, with iron-lung Lee, rapidly fading.

Goals a plenty with Blatchford firing one in from the wing ala Stevie Coppell. Zanetti also scoring a goal as the Oranges dominated the game.


Tuesday 19 April 2016

April 22nd

Teams
Blues - Mike Inker, Jick, Little Andy, Sean, Resh

Orange- Dan, Craig, Martyn, Owain, Growling Mike Barker

the teams were picked with 4 on 5, before the arrival of Resh for his first appearance of 2016. A timely return.

The blues got off to a bad start with the Oranges creating many chances and taking a good few of them, Owain swivelled / turned / twisted and ended up with 7.

Martyn ever industrious walked off with a hat-trick. Dan scored a thunderous header from a ball drilled straight at his head with a corner by Owain. The beating could have been greater with Mad Mike Barker having a few chances well saved by the keepers.

A moment of contention and controversy, with a Mike Inker shot clearly not going over the line, but the Blues sulking like scorned children at the correct non giving of the goal....  the whole of the ball needs to cross the whole of the line.

After some discussions between the referee, and the most experienced player on a Tuesday night - the "goal" (in quotes as it was a shot that didn't actually go over the line") was correctly not awarded and play allowed to continue.

the Oranges were always well in front and deserved winners. :)

Tuesday 29 March 2016

March 29th

Teams
Blues - Owain (c), Dan, Finny, Sam Finn, Martyn, Redshaw, Dan K

Orange- Neil (c), Andy Inker, Jick, Greg, DZ, Mike Inker, Grant

The match started with the blues congratulating Owain on picking such a fine side... almost guaranteed a fantastic victory - what a team.

then the game started and football can be a great leveller... redshaw and finny failed to live up to their reputations... or did they?

anyway - a busy game with 14 players on the pitch - no real amazing moments to report.. jick the glass man broke his knee in half, but managed to play on.

Greg smashed one in from distance (with Finny in goal (who let 4 in))

Sam played well but was a bit greedy with the ball.

the Oranges played well, and deserved at least the draw.......

anyone got anything to add? I'm so bored of doing match reports.....

March 22nd

Teams

Orange - Neil (c), Owain, Martyn, Mike Barker, Craig, Redshaw
Blues - Andy Inker (c), Dan, Blatch, Grant, Mike Inker

to be fair - this was over a week ago now and I can't remember much about it. Owain scored a few goals, and Andy Inker gave a few away.

I think we may have swapped teams after a bit - I'm guessing Barker, who was probably rubbish for 30 mins and then had a blinder on the other side just to spite me... that's only a guess though!

Thursday 17 March 2016

March 15th

Teams

Orange - Neil (c), Martyn, Jick, Andy Inker, Dave Blatchford, Greg
Blues - Dan (c), Mike Inker, Craig, Owain, Dave Zanetti, Desperately late Mad Mike Barker

Neil put together a nasty team of hatchet men against the more skilled blues... the blues started well, with 5 men and were still well in the game although outnumbered. Just at the point they were going to have the advantage of the extra man, the arrival of Barker levelled the numbers up. Sadly by now, the effort of playing a man light left the Blues exhausted. The oranges ending the game a goal up.
 
Highlights of the game included a rasping effort from Craig Erksin, beating the keeper on his near post from the best part of twenty yards. 

Strophair made an amazing triple stop in front of goal, with Neil unable to force the ball home. 
Neil did go on to score a hat-trick... Zanetti was a little out of sorts and far from his best.

Andy Inker having lost almost half an ounce since announcing his half marathon challenge excelled at the back, completely dominating his younger, slightly dafter brother.

Martyn had a solid game, up and down the pitch, seemingly back to fitness after a sluggish couple of weeks. 

Greg back on form fouling all before him. A stamp on Strophair (perhaps exaggerated a little) his own personal highlight.

Owain / Mike Inker / Strophair failed to reach the standards of Messi / Suarez / Neymar - a better selection on paper than it proved to be on the pitch... the extra running of Neil , Greg, Jick and Martyn proving the decisive factor.

End result was close.... but Neil goes into next week as the victorious captain.....