The Spanish Bun Boy was on fire at the Academy today. El Jay hit four in four games as the Front Side started its preparation for the upcoming season. But if you thought the big hitters had it all their own way then think again. They were given a tough run-out by Pinks and Blues, showing the depth of talent we now boast in our ranks.
Experimentally, the Magnificent Seven played matches against teams of eight and nine and were never knowingly overwhelmed thanks to the usual marshalling from the field marshal himself, Iron Russ.
Match 1 saw a tense 1-1 draw. The Yellows opened up with a driving move that saw the Cat narrow Beaky’s angle only to see him square it to Deadeye for a simple tap in. After that, Deano stuck to the crafty striker like glue and the five top saves the Cat made came from other teammates. He kept the Pinks in it until late on when Beaky put a foot in the box and Oh My Cod stepped up to equalise with a well-taken penalty. It finished 1-1.
Match 2 saw an El Jay double to beat explosion-in-a-paint- shop-clad Jezza. El Jay missed his hat-trick by clattering the bar with his late penalty chance after Doc Dyer stopped a GSO with a foul on Beaky. Moment of the match was an unbelievable turn from Deadeye and a shot just wide. He always turns well but this one left fans breathless from the touchline. 2-0 Yellow v Blues.
Match 3 was a tight draw between Blues and Pinks. Wingnut opened the scoring with an absolute pearler which beat The Cat’s desperate drive. The keeper made two good saves to keep the score down before Ali scored from a Legendary Rog assist to finish it 1-1.
In Match 4, Beaky slipped in under the toppling Cat to open up, and Jimbo equalised with the goal of the session. He pounced on a through ball and absolutely leathered it with precision past Colin. Ref Doc blue-carded Jay for foul language after Jimbo kicked his ankle and the kick was awarded the wrong way. He went off muttering imprecations and then The Cat saved a penalty from Russ that will haunt the great man for weeks. Truth be known he scuffed it!
El Jay returned with a vengeance in Match 5. The Fronts finally put their opposition to the sword with a four-goal thriller. Two each for Russ and El Jay. Russ’s opener was the softest he’ll ever score, rolling it into Jezza’s far corner with all the power of an asthmatic Eskimo blowing through a straw. It was such a clever finish.
The last game finished one-nil to the Blues thanks to a Wingnut goal. A good session, boding well for the new season.
MoM: El Jay. Not just for his fab four but his superb dribbling and being able to calm himself in his two minutes off.
