Ooh aah up the… Argh 🤦♂️
Chiswick Celtic 3 GPR 0
Greg’s giving it large at the post-match pint session. If he was as big in goal as his mouth is after the final whistle I might have more sympathy for the fella. He asked me what I was going to write on the blog this week so have a good Sunday lad, you’ve earned it 👍. To be fair to him though, if our game was as good as his chat, then we might not be in this position.
It was touch and go until kick off as with torrential rain and a pitch face only a mother could love, it was clear that the Mars Rover would have had an easier time of things. What proceeded was a relatively muted rendition of the Old Firm Derby today as the home side went 1-0 up within minutes, and at this stage I might retire the ‘clean sheet’ column on our stat sheet for good. Then again, a tough defence proved too much for our forward line, who certainly won’t want to be firing blanks for long, so at least we’re all in it. Injuries struck once again as both centre-backs were forced off within minutes, but with a bit of luck our friends at Autoglass Repair should have us back up to speed in no time.
To our credit though, a rocky start was replaced with some steel and promising link-up play that almost saw The Salads draw level, prevented only by a couple of great saves from their keeper and a lack of finishing training midweek. Sean was a monster at CB, and full-backs Chris and Robin nearly found the ball over the top a number of times, adding to some great box-to-box action from Ben J. We went into the break 1-0 down but with plenty of optimism that we could pull it back and get the result we’d shown signs of deserving.
The second half started positively. Pete was put in 1-on-1 with the keeper early in the second half, and Will was right there to tap home a sweaty goal for the equaliser, but GPR stands for more than points - club culture always comes first. Anyway, he skied it and before long we went two down. Nice one lad, all that chat about being top scorer’s really working out for you (happy now, Greg?🖕). The game went back and forth after that thanks to a top referee who let more slide than Joe’s rectum, who himself deserves an honourable mention for DOTD after he let us know all about his Saturday night plans at 5am.
Debutants Antony and Ben J stepped up with some quality play in the second half, and tricky winger Mark almost pulled one back, but the keeper was there again to make a fine stop. Brutally, with seconds to spare, Celtic made it 3-0, and the final whistle blew. Ultimately, it was a disappointing result to a performance that didn’t really reflect the scoreline, although we have to give credit to a complete performance from the home side. It’s probably the first game of the season where we haven’t improved week on week, but we’re definitely finding our level and can’t wait for the relegation scrap towards the end of the season. Up The Salads, now and always.
MOTM 🏆 = Sean’s outing against his fellow compatriots proved he belongs in the heart of the back four. Let’s just hope we can keep prying eyes off of him come the January window.
DOTD 💩 = Prince, for calling the beautiful game ‘soccer’. Get in the bin matey boy and think about what you’ve done, unless you want a touchline ban.
