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Todoroki, Monday 24th September,
YCAC's TML5 campaign got off to a belated start with a hard fought victory over The Embassy under the lights of Todoroki on Monday night. Not even my 5th Special Brew moves me to describe it as a classic but it was certainly a ding-dong battle, end to end stuff or even a pulsating affair just to use up my quota for cliches for the entire season in one paragraph.
Just as its slow and awkward to get the match report moving after the summer break so it goes with the 1st game itself...or so you'd think given the history of YCACs poor starts in the TML. This time not only were we there first, changed 1st and had the most men (waiting in the dark for the jobsworth groundsman to flick the lightswitch at the stipulated 1 minute to KO) but we scored 1st!! Matty Wallace, toned up and tuned in after zero attendance at preseason training, lumbered onto a Neil Shonhard throughball, waddled past the keeper and trundled it into the empty net, 1-0. It was only ever going south from this point for Matt so he was immediately pulled off (yes, yes, but the Americans may not have heard it so......"my last manager only used to give us an orange" Rodney Marsh c 1980)
There was a time when 1-0 was lights out for YCAC oppo but that was a while ago now. In fact we may or may not have lost the last 4 games of last season all after taking the lead. Sure enough its soon 1-1. Its hard on the BEFC CF to say that the YCAC defence gifted the equalizer but look at it from my point of view. Freekick outside the box. The wall announces 2 things very loudly. 1. "Lets all jump when he hits it" and 2. "make sure we pick up for the 2nd ball". But only one of the 2 orders is followed, and its the wrong one. The wall dutifully jumps and the BEFC 10, Crouchy they call him, quite logically smacks it underneath them straight for the corner. Kouka gets a hand to it and pushes it on to the post. Too late, the defence rememb ers instruction #2 and the 1st of a possee of waiting forwards sticks it back into the net
Crouchy soon gets the chance to repeat the trick but, clearly not expecting the same level of cooperation, decides to shoot over the wall while its still being lined up. Good effort but Henry hes not and it smacks off the crossbar this time eluding the (still unattended) waiting forwards and is cleared. HT approaches and Tommy Taw, just back from BigSchool in the UK, thinks its an opportune time to lash 1 into the net to restore the lead. Hes probably learnt the opportune timing thing from some psychology class and hes not wrong. Education is a wonderful thing and absolutely worth the money.
2-1 up so its time to tinker with the team and tactics. Long story short, its very soon 2-3 as the BEFC strikers benefit from what they call in baseball, albeit in a slight different context, "defensive indifference".Now again its slightly churlish to blame the de fence for 3 goals conceded. They are perfectly good goals and The Embassy are perfectly entitled to them. No way do they deserve to lose 5-0, even 5-3 might be considered a bit harsh. But I get ahead of myself and its still only 2-3.
2-3 and,based on the evidence of recent history,YCAC have blown it. The only way from here is further down. More goals are going to be conceded, somebody from BEFC might get clattered and,worst of all, bad language may be used. A funny thing happens though, YCAC dont wilt. They start to pick it up and push forward. A penalty is given and Joe Takeda slots it in, cool as you like. 3-3. Tyson Masar picks the ball up deep and drives at the defenders frozen like deer in headlights. He slots it in, cool as you like. 4-3. I'm more surprised than elated to be honest but BEFC dont seem to be and by the time Tom Taw does the whole frozen deer, slotting, cool thing one more time its 5-3 and you can stick a fork in The Embassy
Hats off to the Ref for giving a Pen even though the offendee was still standing. If they did that more often there'd be no excuse for amateur theatrics. Now all I need to see is someone get booked himself for imaginary card waving. My faith would be completely restored. Old School you see
I could say BEFC are a decent side and wont have to wait long for their 1st win. I wont say that though as thats exactly what I said about BFC after our TML4 opener last September. Another thing I wont say is that the hybrid pitch is back on the cards at YCAC. I was specifically asked to keep a possible June/July construction date under my hat so as not to embarrass Management should the proverbial ball be dropped again. More TML games at YCAC? Possibly good news for the 22 or so who played Monday and are still removing sand from various orifices and certainly for the Swiss who at least seem to be able to find their way to Yokohama
Report by Steve Taw
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