Russell Athletic 1 v 3 EM95

November 23rd 2025

Venue - BAWA

TEAM - Sir Lee, Neil, Jim Bri, Teague, Rob, Stu, Manny, Yinka, Morgs, Dan

SUBS - Draner, Ricky, Colonel

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SWAMP THING STIKES BACK: MONDAY WRESTLE 3 PTS FROM THE BOG

A week of pitch panic on the chat ended with the groundsman’s immortal verdict: game on. What awaited was less BAWA pitch, more BAWA swamp, complete with a suspiciously fertile central bog and the sudden appearance of a pop-up away stand for the Morgan Youth Academy.

Still, spirits were high as EM95 welcomed back Manny, Draner, Ricky and Colonel, rolling out a strong squad of 14 on a lovely sunny morning following overnight rain. A tactical coin-toss win saw the Mondays playing into the wind, which immediately suited Russell’s subtle game plan of “boot it very far and hope”.

Despite the conditions, EM started brightly and tried to actually play football on grass that clearly hadn’t signed up for it. Midfield control was strong, particularly down the right, with crosses going in and pressure building. The only small issue was that nobody fancied the near post, so several decent balls fizzed harmlessly across goal.

Chances came. Yinka rattled the post after driving past his man, Morgs forced a sharp save tipped onto the bar, and there were plenty of speculative efforts as EM camped in Russell’s half.

Then, inevitably, Muggeditus struck again.

One big, wind-assisted punt from their keeper, a moment of collective hesitation involving approximately four defenders and one goalkeeper, and the ball ran kindly for a grateful striker to tap home. Russell’s first, last and only meaningful effort: 1-0.

Undeterred, EM continued to dominate but ran into a stubborn ten-man defensive block. Even Draner, usually ice-cold when through on goal, showed a hint of rust as the keeper pulled off another save. Plenty of neat play around the box, very little end product. Half time arrived with EM somehow behind.

The break was lively. A few fruity exchanges were aired, Yinka demanded the ball (twice), Neil demanded movement, Jim apparently demolished Morgs’ kids’ Maltesers, and a general sense emerged that this wasn’t acceptable.

The response was immediate. EM pushed higher, moved the ball quicker and kept probing. It still felt like one of those days until a beautifully measured long ball from Jim (who would like it noted that not all of his passes were mishit) found Yinka stealing a march on his marker. Rising like a salmon, he powered a header back across the keeper and into the corner. Relief. Belief. 1-1.

Russell’s legs began to go. Dan and Dr Rob started dominating the right flank, wave after wave of pressure followed, and the breakthrough soon came. Another delivery into the box caused chaos, Dan challenged, and Stu was perfectly placed on the line to nod home from close range. Ricky later demonstrated that missing from two yards is, in fact, still technically possible.

At 2-1, EM were fully in control but kept hunting the third. Eventually it came. Yinka combined neatly with Morgs, who drove forward and slipped a perfectly weighted return pass into his path. One defender beaten, one calm finish past the advancing keeper, and the game was settled at 3-1.

The final half hour was essentially attack versus defence. Brian once again auditioned for the role of roaming centre forward, creating mild confusion among teammates. Yinka experimented with several optimistic free kicks disguised as time wasting. Chances came and went, some disappearing into the mud, others into low orbit.

Russell never threatened again. The defence adjusted, the midfield kept control, and EM comfortably saw the game out.

On a brutal pitch, against a packed defence and a strong wind, EM95 showed patience, resilience and a welcome ability to come from behind. Many teams wouldn’t recover from that early setback. This lot did, and did it with style.

Three goals, plenty of laughs, minimal long-term injuries, and only a small Malteser incident. MoM - Yinka