Career Prospects…
AFC Heathrow Reserves 0 GPR 5
Clean sheets are rare commodities in Sunday League, but the Salads got the job done amidst a weekend in which every game had only one scoring team. For a while, it looked as if both sides would be sharing the spoils, but after a dreary first half the boys did the work in fine fashion. Once they started, they never looked back, compounded by a hat trick from Rory and a game to remember from both Sam and Yannick. Despite this, we didn’t make things easy as a full 16 ended with just 12 through injuries, work and train strikes - most notably Jack T pulling out last minute as he showed us his purple ankle. Not sure how he slipped it past us to be honest as he’s had it since Tuesday, but you can’t argue the determination to play…
We’d already gone down to 14 come the warm up, and injuries to keeper Jack B forced a last minute change to the side. Oli took the gloves, a former keeper himself, and the game began. Or, should I say, both sides waited patiently for the game to begin with the ref absent from the pitch. 10:30, 10:35, 10:40, 10:45. Finally we got the message that he wasn’t coming and made the decision that each half would be refereed by a player from both teams. With this absurd, albeit hilarious, twist to the game, we finally kicked off. Luckily for the officials, the pre-match was far more entertaining than the first half itself. Neither team really got going, both keepers having a largely quiet start to the day. Both sides had a shout for handballs in the area, but neither were given on lack of evidence. We were spreading play well and targeting the wings, but couldn’t get it going in front of goal. A few scuffed shots here, a few overhit balls there, and an aggressive sweeper keeper ensured that the half ended 0-0. Fortunately, it was the same story for Heathrow, although we’d probably just about edged it for quality. As the half-time whistle arrived (somewhat suspiciously early), we knocked our heads together and got clear on where we needed to improve.
Now, there are two ways the narrative of the second half could be played out. With nobody else on our side wearing boots - apart from the players themselves, who gladly volunteered to referee - I took the whistle and got the second half underway. Depending on how you look at it, you might say that the fact all of our goals came in the 45 minutes I officiated was a sign of dubious fair play. Moving on swiftly, Rory scored the first goal about ten minutes in when he passed two defenders and knocked the ball across the box. It trickled in, and Marcus was gracious enough to make sure the right man was awarded the goal despite firing it in for good measure. From there on, the lads’ tails were up and Heathrow’s - despite flashes of real quality - dropped slightly. An identical run from the first goal once again found Marcus a yard out, who this time was all-too-happy to oblige and put the Salads 2-0 up. Then, a powerful sprint from Sam beat the onrushing keeper, who clipped him right on the line of the box in an attempt to salvage the ball. I gave a penalty, which understandably wasn’t well received but (in my honest opinion) was the right one, and Rory dispatched the spot kick to kill the game.
It was mostly one-way football after that, save for a few wild efforts that Oli struggled to deal with, owing to a strong headwind and bobbly surface. The opposition number 8 almost fired in a contender for goal of the season when he caught a rebound on the volley from a corner, but Oli stepped up to make the stop, albeit at the expense of his fingers. That’s now three keepers with injuries, but he’s a tough lad and was all smiles at the pub afterwards. Shortly before the end of the game, Robin capped off a superb cameo with a powerful cross into the box and the defender, in a desperate attempt to clear the ball under pressure, found the back of the net. Then, with the final touches of the match, a powerful counter attack down the left flank found Rory with plenty of time to bag his hat trick. It was an excellent recovery from the first 35 minutes (we counted), one that pushes us back into the top half of the table. We go against league juggernauts Sandgate next week and this was the perfect reset after a disappointing collapse to Eutectic the week before. COME ON THE SALADS!
MOTM 🤌 = bagging a hat trick is always going to be rewarded, but Rory’s overall play combined with his finishing made it unquestionable. With that said, Sam and Yannick had arguably their best games in the mighty black and blue.
DOTD 💀 = the referee. Not me, the bloke that didn’t turn up. Apart from the penalty call, the opposing team were kind enough to admit I was fair overall. Call me Peterluigi Collina - perhaps I have a new calling in life. Only kidding. Best of luck to Heathrow - good group of lads, I hope they can push on for the rest of the season.
