It's ages since I was able to give the time required to sit down and plonk through a post or two for my blog and I have to say there's quite a bit to catch up on! Work has been manic but here we go!
I'm gonna have to keep it concise and brief in places (cue mass cheers all round), or I'll be here all day...
So since my last outing back at the start of February, there were two games scheduled that I was always going to unavailable for as me and wifey were off to Poland to visit my inlaws. It was around the time that we had that bit of snow so rather selfishly, I was quite please that the game against Atlas was actually postponed. So that would mean missing just the one game against Rayners Lane... which of course ended up becoming a double-bloody-header! So yes, I did miss two games and of course it had to happen....the boys won out first game of the season without me!!
OK, so in the land of double-headers (where in Vets football one game = one x 40 minutes match!!) the opportunity to get a win is a tad easier but it still chuffing counts and I missed out! Don't get me wrong, I was mega please that we had finally won but had a revisit of that thought that the common denominator to a season long losing run in any team I've played for (1XI, 2XI, 3XI & 5XI to date) is fucking me! I text Lev from the airport as we waited to board our flight back to Blighty for the results: we won the first game 2-1 but lost the second 4-0. Lev had donned the gloves again in my stead, but he's a good lad and wasn't smug at all.
So was back and literally chomping at the bit to get back playing again. And the next two games featured consequetive ties against one of the top teams in the division, Winchmore Hill.
We played them at their ground on both occasions (those that know it will know why) and tried to give a good account of ourselves. Jonesy was absent for both (skiing) but for the first game We did have Swailsey running the show in the middle of the park. Nick the super skipper was finally back playing after ages on the sideline with an ankle problem and it was great to see Paul who had just become a father again only a few days before.
As I said I've not had the time to sit down and write in ages so my usual memory recall is a bit lacking but we did start quite brightly. Swailsey thought we in a karate tournament as he double dragon kicked one of their lads and was duly sin-binned. Any other game and it was a straight red all day long. It was nice to see Scottish John as I hadn't seen him for ages it seemed.
We lost the game 5-1 but I had a decent enough game. A flying dive to my right in the first half to finger tip the ball round the top corner received a fees oohs and aahhs from the group of ten year olds on the pitch behind my goal but the best for me personally was in the second half. The ball was crossed over to their centre forward who was level with the penalty spot (and who was on a hat-trick by the way). I could see he was going to hit it first time so did a Schmeical and came flying out all star jumpy and keen. His effort, goal wards bound, smashed against my knee and looped up and wide and over to safety. More oohs and more ahhs from small group of more kids behind the goal and I was thought I was ready for the Euros!
I should have stopped their fourth goal - the shot seemed to go straight thru me but I was really pleased to have blocked at least 5 really decent one on ones with their players who were clean through.
Paul scored our goal - a rebound from a Matty free kick fell for him just outside the box and he rammed it home through a crowd of players. Sweet. We actually played pretty well despite the scoreline and had our chances. Nick is true battler and does make a difference at the back, and I was really pleased to have him back.
So the second game and it was a bit of a similar story really. We played well again, I pulled off a ream of one on one blocks again, we had our chances - again, and of course we lost the game- again! 6-2 this time featuring more crosses into our box than than on buns at Easter. Winchmore Hill have this bloke who plays for them who is admittedly extremely good and the rumour is that he used to play for Marseille! Now I don't know if this is true but boy he can put the ball on a flaming sixpence. He hadn't played in the first game and Wrexy had taken me through what to expect before the second game kicked off as he'd had a bit of previous experience. He told me the ball would land on the Six yard line without fail, finding the head of their striker to nod home. Well I think that's how they scored half their goals so Wrexy ended up being right. Their first goal was literally exactly how Wrexy had said it would be. I think he must have a crystal ball up his sleeve somewhere Both of our goals were sort of bundled over the line either side of half time and we were never really going to have enough to get any points of this lot. But both games were really really great to play in and on a personal note I felt I'd put in my two best performances of the season for the vets.
Their striker found me after the final whistle and said:
"It's not often that someone can let ten or eleven goals in over the course of two games and can say they've had a couple of blinders but you have been superb - well done.".
I'll take that all day long.
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