Sunday's game was the first time in a long time that I have come away from a match feeling really really frustrated and really really pissed off. Going straight to the punch-line - we lost 10-4! Not a great result at all but made so much more annoying because we were actually winning at one stage 3-4...
I hate feeling the way I did because, like everyone else, I play to enjoy it. Getting spanked each week in the end becomes proper tough and eventually heads are down before you even start the next game - invariably resulting in another heavy defeat. Prior to joining Latymer I managed and played for my work team, ALC FC and the first half of our inaugural season saw us get hammered nearly every week. Thankfully, after Christmas in that season we did turn it around and enjoyed a bit of a winning streak that saw us finish a very respectable mid-table and in turn we all loved our football again. It just goes to show that things can turn around very quickly - especially at Sunday morning football level where the gap between teams often comes down to fitness, belief, and commitment.
Football literally is a funny-old-game (another great cliche - I think I'll try and cram lots in to this post) because one minute the team you play for look like they would be better playing netball than football, and the next minute it's just like watching Brazil - well OK then, Barnet - but you know what I mean.
I think the problem the Vets are facing at the moment is putting out a settled side each week. For whatever reason, availability is an issue as we seem to only be able to keep a set of about seven or eight usual faces, with different players from the squad making up the numbers each week.
Without doubt this is no-one's fault. Vets are of the age where families and wives and other necessary commitments mean it's not always easy to be around every Sunday. I think that all the boys would love to play every week - but for different reasons just aren't able to. We're at the age where knocks and scrapes take longer to heal too so there will always be weeks where someone can't feature because some big lump kicked them the week before! We're not kids anymore so the freedom to do what we like every Sunday just isn't realistic and responsibilities in other parts of our lives play their part too.
I do think, however, that with a settled team or squad each week we would have more, essential discipline in our actual play resulting in better performances and of course more wins.
Yet again, the opportunity to play in a 'stadium venue' presented itself on Sunday because North Greenford United allow their Vets to use the main pitch complete with the odd tiny stand and dug-outs etc. Once again, the pitch was massive although the actual playing surface wasn't the best. A bit bobbly in places and a wee bit hard.
It was nice to see a couple of the lads who I'd only seen on my very first game such as Andy (AK) and Luffy, and in total we had 13 players - not too bad really. Lev announced that Pete wanted to play midfield today which in truth was met with the odd raised eyebrow from one or two - Pete would have the last laugh though as he put in a proper shift during the game and claimed our third goal (more of that later.)
I was well up for it as I hadn't played for three weeks and hoped that wouldn't have too much of an effect.
The game started and I remember talking to myself "Come on Greg - let's have a good one today."
Two minutes later we were 1-0 down - and yep, it was kinda my fault. The ball came forward into the left corner of my box and Nick the Skipper had time to get it away - in-fact I did call "AWAY" as their attacker charged in. Nick chose to trust me and rolled it over to me to kick it clear. Good idea - except I totally scuffed my kick straight to one of them. OK, so it did get defected for a corner but of course as it floated over to my back stick their big number 10 rose and headed home.
I'd seen him before kick-off and had thought he'd be good in the air. We always seem to come up against big blokes and this chap looked like Grant Mitchell - bald, a bit fat, and like he could rip my head off with one hand. Oh what joy...
Latymer Vets then decided that for the next thirty five minutes they were going to play some of the best football I think I've ever seen from any team mates I played with. It was unbelievable. Nick did his usual and organised the defence, Mark and Luffy were so in tune with each other down the left hand side it was silly, Lev was doing a sterling job moping up any loose balls and Jonesy was (as ever) totally running the midfield. Add to that Paul and Matt up front who were running their socks off and Shamsey who, standing in at Right-Back was putting in a great performance. I like Shamsey - he's a quiet lad who just wants to be involved and is happy to play wherever and whenever he is asked. I also think he's a better player than he's perhaps given credit for. Lots of energy and quite skill full too.
The passing on show was simple but very effective. We kept the ball and created space by actually moving for passes back. We really deserved a goal and a second of quick thinking saw Matt (I think) deliver a superb throw-in for Paul to run onto down our left channel. The finish was bloody brilliant as a firm chip flew over their keeper who was nowhere as it went over his head. 1-1.
Minutes later and we were only bloody 2-1 up!! This time it was Matt who was put through (possibly by Paul - I couldn't see) and again an almost carbon copy of a superb finish from just about the same position as Paul's goal was lofted over the hapless Keeper who looked gutted to have been beaten twice by the same sort of shot.
Delirium nearly set in as not long after that we only went and chuffing scored again!! And yes it was that man Pete who calm as a cucumber slotted past the keeper after yet another superb quick throw-in went past their back line in to the path of 'Powerhouse Pete.' Shamsey had done brilliantly (although a little dangerously) dribbling the ball out of the Right-back position and past two of their players and then managing to win the all important throw-in. I'm not sure if this throw-in tactic is one that we've developed or planned because I think Lev had said that our goal the week before came in a similar fashion, and we also scored one in the same way a few weeks back against Garston. Even so, Pete found himself with all the time in the world and had plenty of time to get 'the fear' and miss. He didn't, and we would have loved the game to have ended their and then. Alas not...
Yet, again we did what only we seem to be able to do - self-destruct and implode.
Greenford managed to pull us back to 3-3 with 2 quick goals which probably came from a lack of concentration somewhere. I wasn't having my best game. It must be said my earlier scrappy kick had pissed me right off and I was doing my best to get my head back into the game properly. The way we had been playing had helped ease pressure of my goal area but then with ten mins to half time we just stopped doing all the good things that we had been doing to get our three goals. The break came and I think we were glad to go in at 3-3 as they had taken control back of the game.
We were well in with a chance of winning the game if we could only recapture half of the form from the first half. We even managed to go 4-3 up inside ten minutes of the restart as we pushed on to try and take all three points. A super free-kick into their box saw Paul rise and get a headed flick past their keeper and we thought game-on!
Then came half an hour of naive football and we simply imploded. There were no-more highlights and we conceded two quick goals to go 5-4 down. They cut us open down our right and we switched off too much. Goals six and seven followed quickly and while on a personal note I was pleased to get a double stop in with a push onto the bar from one looping shot and a Hollywood leap to my left to turn the follow up round the post - I was to blame for goal number eight when from the resulting corner I came flying out, screamed "Keepers!" and totally missed my punch on an easy ball leaving Grant Mitchell an easy powerful header to score. Gutted.
Grant Mitchell ended up scoring five as they added two more goals to finish at 10-4. Unbelievable. There was even another slightly smaller bald fat bloke who scored a couple for them - must've been Grant's brother, Phil.
Totally a game of two halves. Embarrassing really because we let ourselves down and our tails were well and truly between our legs as we trudged off.
The positives are there to take away - my only hope is that we don't let this result and second half performance get to us too much. Lots more games to play still, so fingers crossed for a bit of luck next week.
This weeks look-a-like has to go to Wrexy - who I actually haven't seen for a few weeks but genuinley looks like Steve McClaren!
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