EM95 4 v 4 Chew Magna

10th September, 2023 Watsons Field

TEAM: Sir, Teague, Jim, Neil, Alex, Yinka, Stu, Duds, Drane, Sheri, Morgs SUBS: Elford, Ford, Colonel

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DRAMATIC DRAW KICKS OF EM95 SEASON

The 95ers welcomed the Magna to Watson's field for the first game of 23/24 season. The normal pre-match team debate mostly consisted of where to play Draner for his 30 minute cameo, at the back or up front? He started on the wing. The team suspected it was going to one of those days when it took them several minutes to work out where the pitch was….a choice a two neatly laid out pitches caused confusion as to which was ‘Pitch 1’, despite a map, photographic evidence and a well laid out numbering system it wasn’t until Sheri made a decisive call that we trooped off to the changing room.

Sheri then made another hasty shout that we should don red bibs, a decision overturned by a shocked Chairman who thought he was watching some sort of Aussie Rules wannabes warming up or as Sheri put it… “Colonel was not having the League and Cup double champs looking like tramps. The 3 stars blue tops quickly replaced the red bibs…anti Welsh I reckon.” Jim added… “The first big tactical call of the day saw the Colonel deftly deal with a changing room mutiny and over-rule the 95ers change of kit from the tropical climate appropriate bibs into the warm long sleeved proper kit. Probably the right call as the vest look is an unbecoming appearance for multiple Champions."

Alex commented that… “Our sky-blue shirts looked magnificent on a perfectly green grass surface to start the new season as champions and double winners.” The Blues decided attack was the best form of defence and started as they meant to go on. From kick off Sheri passed forward to Draner, a few more nice passes later and Morgs slotted the ball home. 1-0 after one minute! Monday were in the mood. A good move from Sir Lee to Alex, to Sheri who put Yinka through on the left, he managed to get on the ball and cross to the centre. The keeper and Yinka then clashed and the ref gave a pen. An opportunity for Monday to go two nil up. To be fair (probably a little too fair), Yinka did say to the ref that he didn’t think it was a pen because he had already crossed the ball when he collided with the keeper, as Sheri later told reporters… “It was as soft as last seasons that sealed a last minute 3-3 for the Magna. Anyway Yinka to his credit and Corinthian style said no penalty.”

Much to his annoyance the ref overturned the decision to no penalty…but he would get his revenge later! Against the run of play, a dangerous ball into the Monday box resulted in a bit of pinball with Jim’s last-ditch clearance from Sir Lee’s hands bouncing off Duds’ shin into the net.

OG 1-1.

The 95ers reacted well to this and continued pressing down both flanks with Yinka and Draner. The Magna keeper was also having a blinder pulling off several great saves including a very impressive double save from Morgs. As Jim observed… “Their keeper made some incredible saves, two from powerful drives from Morgan that looked set to burst the net and then another from a sweetly hit volley from point blank range from Elford.”

Monday's second goal came after good play by Alex up the pitch keeping the ball alive, passing to Yinka who managed to pass his man and whip in a fierce cross for Jimbo to power a header pass the keeper. Monday we’re duly on top and surely the game could only go one way. The Blues carried on playing some good passing football when Sheri slotted Yinka in and he finished nicely bottom left corner. 3-1.

On 30 mins Draner left and it started to go pear shaped. Jim blew air onto the back of someone’s neck. No one appealed but the ref gave a pen. After much discussion with half of the Magna team wanting to accept it and the other half not, it was agreed to even things up, the penalty got rescinded as well. At this point Monday lost concentration and flow, Magna started to push with the result that a slide tackle from Lee where he got the ball was deemed a penalty. Enough said 3-2 at half time, as Sheri observed… “It was an overall travesty given our play although their keeper had been immense.”

Ford came on for Teague and as with all the subs, played well, both defending and creating chances. Despite Monday pressure, Magna got back into the game with an overlapping move down the left that saw them equalise. 3-3.

Neil went off injured to be replaced by Colonel who as Yinka observed… “defended well, made darting runs up the right with several excellent crosses.”

Yinka continued… “Morgs was unusually wasteful in front of goal. After chesting the ball down beautifully in the box, he fired the ball wide, then from six yards out he blasted the ball over the cross bar following an excellent cross from Colonel.” A quality free kick from Elford was not cleared and Alex calmly slotted the ball home at the back post. 4-3. It was all Monday attack and attack however Chew remained in the game and the final nail in the coffin was the large centre forward who hit a worldy from 30 (some say 40) yards!..4-4. The Blues had a final chance when in the dying minutes Sheri broke through and hit a super shot heading to the bottom left hand corner, however, their MoM keeper pulled out another fine save getting finger tips to the ball pushing it out for a corner. Jim told his Tik-Tok fanbase after the game… “Thier keeper denied us but as a defender to concede four is annoying!!! Reckon we weren’t quite on it defensively today, couple of preventable goals means we’ll need to step up a level for the away game…Good fun though on a cracking pitch… And we keep the unbeaten run going…good sportsmanship too, with the possible exception of that bit where I accidentally kicked the ball away to get my breath back.”

Alex told reporters at his post-match press conference… “All our goals were well constructed, with good finishing and passing. The majority of their goals was the result of us sometimes not sticking to our plan to pass the ball and getting us on the break... combined with some bad luck for us… the game feels like a defeat to most of us as we were so much more competent than the opposition.” Jim summed it up nicely by adding… “The game itself provided a list of anything and everything that amateur football has to offer, comical refereeing, overturned dubious penalties, comical own goals, more dubious penalties, elite level diving headers (!) ridiculously good goal keeping and lots of goals.”

MoM: Their keeper