Eve of tournament training tonight at Les Academias.
Hornets’ manager Massive Mark laid on an excellent skills workshop: trapping, passing, ball-facing and pinging, and Chairman Phil did the fitness work-out – nothing too strenuous before our club’s biggest test against 15 other teams at Pilot Field.
So when it came to the evening’s games they were brilliantly strictly reffed by Chris. After three minutes of incessant blowing for running, the teams got the hang of it and let the ball do the work.
Game One saw the Pinks beat the Blues two-nothing with goals from Massive Mark and New Phil – scoring his first since joining United last month. Both keepers were busy with The Cat and Tug both making three good saves each. Again there was some lovely movement from The Riddler – boding well for tomorrow’s tourney.
Rid took a fine goal in Game 2 to see his Pinks beat the Oranges by a solitary goal. The Cat made a fine save to his right to save a shot from Legendary Rog who continues to improve week on week. At the other end, Ricky DLTN made an incredible double save from Riddler and Skid – just getting his eye in for the Pilot Field epic. But the moment of the match was the superb hounding of playmaker Iron Russ by Posh Andy who pushed him from one side of the pitch to the other.
Russ ran every move as usual and is the coolest of all cucumbers with the ball at his feet. Posh is another of our players who just works tirelessly on the pitch and gets better every time he plays.
The third Game saw the Oranges beat the Blues two-nil with goals from El Jay and Matty. The Spanish kid’s goal was a lovely side-foot slide-rule finish but unlucky for Tug who went full length to a shot that came back to Jay off of the post.
Matty’s left-foot finish was the goal of the night and he deserves his place up front for the United team tomorrow.
Rick made an outstanding double save again in this one to deny Cookie twice. For a big, old bloke he is incredibly agile and his reactions are those of a keeper 30 years younger. Rog impressed again in this one with some excellent one-twos with El Jay, and Big Andy was unlucky not to score with a thunderous shot which rattled the bar from 15 yards.
A front side run-out for the last 15 minutes was a gentle affair and a nil-all draw which troubled none of the three keepers used.
We have the Riddler to thank for the new Orangey bibs he got at the car boot in Pevensey and Matty’s glam wife who put him off his stroke by turning up to take the car, but not her sports kit, which he singularly forgot to bring. Oops.
Man of the match Ricky. We are lucky to have him.
