Teams:

Bibs: Rich N, Mike, Andy L, Tony – guest, Darrin – guest, Rick – guest

Shirts: Todd, Dave, Roy, Johan, Rob – guest (not the usual big bald bloke), Adam – guest

Result: 4 – 4

Match Report: (from your on pitch reporter -Baresi)

COLD!!!!!!

First 10 mins – Todd in goal – bibs hit the post 4 + times and Todd save 3 one on one’s. Then Todd comes out of goal, Dave passes and Todd’s first touch hits the back of the net!!!

(a bit like the start of the Arsenal game except that Arsenal didn’t go and score!)…0-1, 1-1, then the tables turn and Johan hits the post twice for the shirts..

3-1 and bibs in control with 15 mins to go.. (I even managed to score the 2^nd goal – as usual from a long way out..)

8.59: 3-4 – all going wrong for bibs…. – goals 3 and 4 gifted by bibs – seems that Ed’s passing across the back disease has spread…

But 5 minutes comes up on the board and in the fifth minute of injury time Mike brings the scores level…

So 4-4 and probably a fair result…

Teams:

Bibs: Todd, Richard A, Nick, Keith, Roy, Andy L

Shirts: Mike, Richard N, Rob, Clive, Dave, Steve

Result: 7 – 6 Bibs

Match Report:

Highlights only: Dave scores 5 and loses. Bibs score twice (once  from own half) – while shirts were changing keepers!  Shoddy turn-out in the pub.

Result: 5 – 3 Bibs

No more match reports until your reporter is fit again!

Result: 8 or 9 – 3 Bibs

Todd (more than 1), Rich A (o.g.)and some others

Shortened, late and rather vague match report due to the continued absence of your reporter.

There was some doubt expressed in the usual quarters about the team selection; although anecdotal evidence from the terraces suggests the teams were not that unbalanced. Indeed for 30 minutes at least, this match was a contest, despite recent man of the match Rich A deciding to lob his own keeper (Andy L – no mean feat to get that up and over).

But then one man got the game by the scruff of the neck to make a difference.

Ed, clearly feeling thirsty, decided that Todd wasn’t getting enough service (check the teamsheets) and was in need of a hat-trick or two.  Ignoring the age-old advice of ‘get it away’ he opted for not one, but several, across the back-line passes leading one observer to comment that his game was best summed up as ‘raped and pillaged’.

There’s always next week – as ever.

Result: 4 – 2 shirts

Roy(1), Russ(1), Dave(1), Grant(1) – Rich A (1), Allen (1)

Well – where to start?

On a bitterly cold night a cursory glance at the match programme showed we had pitched all the defenders against all the attackers – not so much a game of football more a scientific exercise. But more of that later.

A late call-up for Roy (apologies again Ian) following a mix-up with the teamsheets -  Roy may have felt he had been dropped, so was out to prove a point. And it was fitting that a week after my ‘Powerplay’ comment he produces the performance of the night, scoring, turning defenders – all crowned by a majestic left hand save onto the post from a typically accurate rising drive from Todd. The word Tomaszewski was mentioned in the pub. There were names for me too – as I put in, without a shadow of the doubt, the worst goalkeeping performance of all time – including talking, yes – you did read that right, as a ball that I could easily have saved (taking nothing away from the shot Grant) flew past me into the net. In true Lehmann style – I passed the blame onto my teammates.

Anyway – back to the scientific exercise – I think we have conclusively proved that a team of (mostly) defenders can’t play together. Me and Rich N up front, Todd and Rich A at the back. Yep. That’ll work. What was our strategy – the element of surprise maybe? That’s not to say we didn’t have movement – we had to move to find space – space at the back as 6 defenders lined up in front of the keeper. Shirts played well – but spent most of the night working out how to plot a course through the Hampton Court Maze that was our defence.

Remarkably, all looked OK at 2-2, but then Taibi went in goal and 2-2 became 3-2.  And then 4 -2, although this reporter is not taking the blame for Russ’ last minute goal – as, having spent most of the night with 6 men at the back, we decided to have 6 men up front. Ok – we were pressing for the equaliser – but really?

And so 4 – 2 it ended. Deep frustration for many I’m sure. Or maybe just me.

Happy times at the post-match interviews with Andy N, matching the great Sir Stanley Matthews, still playing at 50. Long may it continue.