EM95 5 v 2 Red Star

Sunday Jan 26th, 2025

Watsons Mud Bowl

TEAM: Sir Lee, Marcus, Bri, Jim, Dan, A Ringer , Stu, Duds, B Ringer, Yinka, Drane

SUBS: Rob, Neil, Ben

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MISERABLE WEATHER. EXCELLENT RESULT.

The first challenge was getting to the ground. Parking on the muddy field was a real treat, like a traction test for your car.

Yinka observed… “The clever players (of which I was one, obviously) did their warm-up in the changing room, minimizing time spent in the cold and rain."

Monday wanted to get the game finished as early as possible, probably so they could all go home and defrost.

The 35s team playing on the next pitch abandoned their game after 20 mins because it was ‘too wet and slidey’…pussies!

Despite the conditions, the 95ers started on the front foot and consistently applied pressure on Red Star.

The first goal came from a simple ball to Dan, who played a ball to Yinka. Yinka turned his man, powered up the line, and crossed the ball to Draner, who clinically finished with a first-time shot.

After that, it was all Monday. Dan often ran up the right wing, playing one-twos with Yinka and getting crosses into the box. The service the forwards were getting was excellent, and shots were flying in. However, the Red Star keeper was having the game of his life and saving everything thrown at him. He must have had magnets in his gloves!

Corners in the first half caused him problems. Yinka recalled… “I remember one I put in, Jimbo got his head to it, touched it to the floor, and then there was a scramble in the mud to try to force the ball home, but the keeper made another save."

Dan scored a good second-half header from a corner, giving the keeper no chance.

Rob made a dazzling run past two Redstar players, with only the keeper to beat. However, the enormity of the situation got to him (chance to score his first goal of the season), and the shakes hit him. He tamely passed the ball to a surprised keeper who had already hit the deck, expecting a shearing shot.

Yinka told his millions of TikTok fans after the game… “One other abiding memory was a 50-yard cross-field ball from our mouthpiece, Brian. He rolled back the years and, for once, did not shank this one but picked out a pinpoint pass to Yinka, who gleefully controlled the ball on the spot and put in another reading cross. Pass of the game by a mile!”

To put the literal icing on the cake it was later reported that there was very little (if any) warm water in the showers!

MOM: Dan Thorpe