Due to too many games at home, we agreed to switch venues and went to play at Nicholas Wanderers’ ground at Dundridge Farm Playing Fields.  We still treated it as a home game in terms of Green and Yellow teams however.  Max had gone to watch Chelsea (we hope he soon gets over it) and James was ill Saturday night, which left us with 18 players.  Jordan agreed to play for the Yellows, which meant we had nine in each team.  With James away, that meant Anita was away and so Andy took to reporting.

Game 1 - The line up was:

Joby

Callum     Oscar

Spike     Josh     Dan

Joe

Rolling Subs: Tom & Jack

After a bit of a melee, we started to play.  Dan won the ball and passed wide to Joe.  He waited for a defender to commit himself, before skipping past and going down the wing.  His shot was beaten behind for a corner, which he took.  It came to Dan and he played it nicely back to Joe.  His cross however was a bit too hard and it went for a throw.  It was a good passage of play however.  We got the ball to Joe, he beat the last defender, but the ‘keeper was off his line quickly.  Joe went around him but went very wide and so had to cross and it was cleared up field where Oscar was facing three.  He had no chance so it was down to Joby, and from the edge of his area, he produced a magnificent save and pushed it for a corner.  Callum won the ball in defence and played it forward to Josh and he found Joe.  Again the ‘keeper was out quick and although Joe hit it past him, was unable to get after it himself.  The defender got back and cleared as far as Josh who hit it, although not too hard.  It was going towards the ‘keeper when a defender got his leg to it, although all he managed to do was deflect it past the ‘keeper and it trickled in.  We all shouted goal, the ‘keeper grabbed it, pulled it out of the goal and onto the line and said “Look ref’ it was on the line!”, but the ref’ had had a good view and gave the goal 1-0. 

They won a corner and hit in a dangerous ball, which they went for, but Joby fell on it and made the save.  Dan played the ball down the line for Joe but again the ‘keeper was out and blocked Joe and the defender was able to clear.  The break was on, but Callum chased back and as they bore down on goal, he cleared it.  The ball was hit through our defence but Joby was quickly out to make the save.  They attacked wide, but Oscar closed them down and forced a tame shot.  They attacked again and this time the cross did come in, and it was glanced past Joby 1-1.  Tom went down the right, cut inside and leathered it just wide of the right post.  Tom then took a big throw, which beat them all and came to Spike.  He hit it past the advancing ‘keeper, but also just wide.  Tom threw again over all the defenders to Joe.  He beat the ‘keeper, but two defenders got back on the line to clear for a corner.  Jack played Tom down the wing to win a corner.  Joe hit it in and Tom volleyed it just the wrong side of the post.  Joby kicked to Tom, and he played a great ball inside the defender for Joe to hit from 20 yards, but the ‘keeper got his legs to it.  They then had a corner, but Oscar got his head to it to clear it. 

HALF-TIME : FRYS   1     NICHOLAS W   1

Callum won the ball from a melee in our defence, ran half the length of the field before playing it through for Dan to run on to, but the ‘keeper, who had been quick off of his line all game, was out again to clear.  There was then a melee in their area.  It came out to Josh, but he hit it with the wrong side of his foot and it went just wide.  Tom threw long again, and Josh beat the ‘keeper with a great turn and passed it into an open net 2-1.  A drop kick came down to Jack and he played a lovely ball through to Joe, and his shot beat the advancing ‘keeper 3-1.  From a throw, Joe turned to beat a player, but his shot was into the side netting.  Spike was then left defending on his own but shimmied one way and went the other to beat two attackers and came clear with the ball.

FULL-TIME : FRYS   3     NICHOLAS W   1

Game 2 - The line up was:

Jamie

Mark     Jim

Jordan     Ethan     Luke

Josef

Rolling Subs: Sam B & Sam K

The game was a bit dull to start with, with Ethan’s shot the only noteworthy bit.  They then broke and three beat Mark, but Jim came back like an express train and slid in as they entered the area to clear for a corner.  We attacked down the wing and the ball came inside to Ethan.  He controlled it and shot for the far corner, but their ‘keeper got down well to save.  Jim was there again with a last ditch tackle to clear.  Sam K then rode three lunging tackles, before shooting.  The ‘keeper blocked and Sam shot again but three defenders had gotten back and cleared it.  Sam K went down the line, crossed to Luke who played it out to Jordan .  He turned with the outside of his boot and crossed in again but they cleared it.  Their big player attacked and Sam B went in with a thundering tackle and you heard the shin pads clash.  He won the ball, played it up the line to Jordan, who in turn found Sam K, but his shot was into the arms of the ‘keeper. 

HALF-TIME : FRYS   0     NICHOLAS W   0

They attacked quickly, and Sam missed the tackle, but Jamie was out quickly to smother the ball.  Josef played a superb ball through to Ethan, but he was tackled as he tried to shoot.  Jim tackled their attacker, but was unable to get it, and suddenly it was three onto Sam B.  He bided his time and when the attacker played it just too far ahead of him, Sam stepped in and cleared it.  From their drop kick, Sam K won it, played it through to Ethan, but his shot was hit around the post.  They had a throw level with our area.  It came in to a player who was inside the area and in space.  He had time to control it, turn and shoot, as no one made any attempt to get to him and the shot crept inside of Jamie 0-1.  Their ‘keeper hit it out to Sam K.  He ran forward past two and as the last defender came to him, he passed inside to Ethan and he took a shot from 15 yards into the far corner 1-1.  Josef took the ball wide and passed to Sam K.  He passed inside to Ethan but rather than shoot, Ethan tried to return the compliment and it was cut out. 

From a corner it came out to Sam B but his shot ricocheted off of Jim and they were through.  Luke came charging back and made the tackle only to find their big attacker falling onto him.  He was ok however and carried on.  Sam K then counter-attacked down the right, crossed the ball over the last defender to Ethan, but as he went to shoot it got tangled under his foot, and they got back.  Sam B hit the ball long to Sam K and he threaded it through two defenders to Ethan.  As the ‘keeper came out, he calmly slotted it past him, but it rolled just wide.  Mark won the ball in defence, passed wide to Luke who played it down the line to Ethan.  He crossed/shot and everyone missed it, but it went just past the post. 

FULL-TIME : FRYS   1     NICHOLAS W   1

OVERALL RESULT : FRYS   4     NICHOLAS W   2

Afterthoughts…………………………………………………………

We battled hard in both games, and in all honesty could have had a hatful in the second game with the way we played.  Regardless of the result, both teams were excellent again and we deserved to win.