Summer five-a-side tournament

Will Errington

 

Our season began in late May, the World Cup a week away, St George fluttered from every upright and Rooney still an idol not yet an adulterer. Fabio was fabulous and confidence was high that Saint Gerrard could hold aloft the coveted trophy.

Pre season hopes matched those of the England team, confidence was high we could be title contenders. Our first fixture was against eventual runners up Racing Maylan. A squad larger than some Sundays turned up which unfortunately meant some missed out. Dave as Rafa the Gaffer stood aside, clipboard in hand and bellowing instructions from the line – useful practice for glories further down the line. We won and won well 4-0. Matt Turner inspired in goal not only saving a penalty but setting up goals from his accurate throwing. The only dark note was the injury Felix suffered which was to keep him out for the rest of the season. However he did get to have a ride in an ambulance, so every cloud…

The next 3 results however changed the mood. A draw and two losses, 1-0 against Kilburn Grange, 1-1 v the Jets and  2-0 against The Academicals pretty much strangled our hopes of silverware before the season was even halfway through. The latter game being disappointing as from an early squad of 10 we now had only 4.

The following week brought a better performance however. From 2-0 and 4-2 down we fought back to gain a credible 4-4 draw with eventual league winners The Academicals. If nothing else it proved we were the equal of anyone in the league and our downfall was not our ability on the pitch but the number of players who turned up. We were finding 30 minutes of non stop 5-a-side a stretch and without being able to rotate the team frequently we were beaten by teams with superior numbers and fresher legs.

Despite the improvement defeats in the next 2 games snuffed out any lingering hopes of a charge from the back to claim the title. Disappointingly 4-1 against Racing Maylan and 2-1 against Tequila Party Gnomes.

At this stage of the season we were second bottom having a record of w1d2 l5. We had 5 games to turn round our fortunes and claim a bit of respectability. The next week was a double header against Traf FC and The Jets, teams with similar records to us. However we would be playing an hour of 5-a-side so we needed a strong squad. Dave badgered and cajoled and in the end we had 9 turn out. This allowed us to play virtually a fresh team in each half of every game. The turnaround in fortunes was dramatic, 5-0 and 5-2 wins propelling us 2 spots up the table.

The penultimate week of the season brought another double header. Our aim was 2 wins to guarantee fourth spot. However a 3-1 defeat to Traf FC in the first game left us with a must win game in the second. Defeat would consign us to the bottom 3 and our hopes of a top half finish out of our hands, a win and it would all come down to the last game against mid table rivals Kilburn FC. Our opponents, Tequila Party Gnomes, were at the time title contenders and fancied us an easy 3 points. The match was spirited and contentious but we came away victorious 2-1 via a somewhat dubious winner.

And to the final week, build up was all about getting a good squad together. We wanted to avenge the early season defeat and put clear daylight between us and the lower end of the table.  However our opponents Kilburn Grange failed to show so we were awarded the win and fourth spot was ours. A bit disappointing to not have the opportunity to win on the pitch but we took a paper victory and played keepy up instead.  We celebrated our ‘victory’ at Mosob in Maida Vale on Daves recommendation - it was a good one, great food and brilliant service.

So all in all glorious mediocrity and a season of what ifs. We played well in a few matches, poorly in others but mostly we were undone by having a small squad. Nothing emphasised this more than the 4-0 win against Racing Maylan reversed to a 4-1 defeat just a few weeks later. From a squad of 10 for the first game a bare 5 played the second. As our legs gave out they were able to rotate their players.

Thanks must go to Dave for running the team he did a brilliant job in organising as well as playing in virtually every game.

I have listed all those who played a part in the season. Apologies to anyone I have missed out: Will, Dave, Matt Turner, Andy, Matt Prout, Andrea, Jonni, Ally, Khan, Rodrigo, Kofi, Felix, Michele, Mauro, Paul French, Owen.

 

Final league table

Team

Pld

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

Pts

The Academicals

12

9

2

1

37

16

21

29

Racing Maylan

12

8

0

4

24

14

10

24

Tequila Party Gnomes

12

6

2

4

27

13

14

20

Philosophy Football FC

12

5

2

5

24

20

4

17

Traf FC

12

4

2

6

18

25

-7

14

Kilburn Grange FC

12

4

2

6

12

26

-14

14

The Jets

12

0

2

10

4

32

-28

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Full results

Wednesday 26/05/2010          Philosophy Football FC           4:0       Racing Maylan
Wednesday 02/06/2010          Kilburn Grange FC                  1:0       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 09/06/2010          Philosophy Football FC           1:1       The Jets
Wednesday 16/06/2010          The Academicals                    2:0       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 30/06/2010          Philosophy Football FC            4:4      The Academicals
Wednesday 14/07/2010          Racing Maylan                        4:1       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 21/07/2010          Tequila Party Gnomes             2:1       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 28/07/2010          Philosophy Football FC            5:2      Traf FC
Wednesday 28/07/2010          The Jets                                0:5       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 04/08/2010          Traf FC                                  3:1       Philosophy Football FC
Wednesday 04/08/2010          Philosophy Football FC           2:1       Tequila Party Gnomes
Wednesday 11/08/2010          Philosophy Football FC           3-0 (w/o) Kilburn Grange FC did not show