As Helen Keller said "Optimism is the father that leads to achievement" and tonight both teams kept their heads high to come back from behind and appropriately enough the result was a draw.
It was an exciting high scoring contest. The bibless played a Chelsea style 1-2 formation with Dave in a John Terry holding role whilst Paul bombed up the wing with the sprightliness of Ashley Cole, and Dwayne played a tour-de-force attacking midfield role akin to Frank Lampard.
The bibbed had their hands full but nevertheless played with the flair and style of Manchester City on paper (though not in practice). Newcomer Nat showed the agility and accuracy of Gareth Barry, Rory had the blend of lethal finishing and persistence of Carlos Tevez whilst Danny played the ball out of defence in a manner reminiscent of Wayne Bridge.
In spite of the difficult conditions there were a plethora of quality passes and shots and energetic tackling and moving off the ball.
It was great to see such athleticism on the pitch. The players' pre-match preparation called to mind the words of Usian Bolt on what he did on the day he ran the 100 metres in the Olympics and broke the world record:
"I never had breakfast. I woke up around 11, I watched television and then I had some nuggets for lunch. I went back to my room, I slept for two hours, I went back for some more nuggets and came to the track."
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Match report 18 February 2010
With a 4v3 game it was always going to test the stamina and energy levels and as the clock continued to tick and the lights refused to go off, many players were doubting the veracity of the Chines proverb "The journey is the reward", instead wishing that the journey was bl**dy well over with.
It was a cracker of a game with more twists and turns than Silverstone. The three men (Yusuf, Dwayne and Danny), playing with a narrowed goal, took an extraordinary 10-2 lead, but anybody who writes off a team containing Nick, Matt, Jason and John is a fool of gigantic proportions and so it proved as they pulled the lead back and with a couple of minutes left took the lead, only for Dwayne to score the leveller to make it 17 all with seconds left.
In the end a draw was a fitting end to such a fantastic contest.
It was a cracker of a game with more twists and turns than Silverstone. The three men (Yusuf, Dwayne and Danny), playing with a narrowed goal, took an extraordinary 10-2 lead, but anybody who writes off a team containing Nick, Matt, Jason and John is a fool of gigantic proportions and so it proved as they pulled the lead back and with a couple of minutes left took the lead, only for Dwayne to score the leveller to make it 17 all with seconds left.
In the end a draw was a fitting end to such a fantastic contest.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Match report 4 February 2010
Another cracking game tonight where 5 men took on 6 and managed to come out on top.
When the teams were eventually settled, many in the crowd might have thought that the six men might have the advantage, but the five men took to heart the words of Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
A great part of their success must be ascribed to the newcomers Ben and Josep (an old hand of Regent's Park but new to Camden). They made their mark all over the pitch, as effective in attack as defence and emitting so much energy that they had displayed more joules than Ratners.
Ben's style of play was reminiscent of Didier Deschamps, combining effort with flair and always displaying great footballing know-how. Josep was like a young Patrick Vieira breaking down attacks and distributing the ball with surgical precision.
Whilst the newcomers shined the old hands performed well too. Paul O'C successfully defended numerous moves down the left and meanwhile was a real handful for the other side's defence, whilst Yusuf showed his usual mix of silky skills and lethal finishing.
The five men were a class act too. Luke played with his usual high level of energy, determination and skill, Matt was a powerful force in the centre of the pitch akin to a young Steve Perryman, David's tenure between the sticks saw him magically keep out numerous chances that seemed certain to find their way to the back of the net, whilst Chris and John showed flair and imagination - John taking on and beating numerous defenders with his majestic ball control, and Chris using his industry and know-how to find more space than in many a solar system. Meanwhile Nick, as always was tenacious in defence and additionally created many a chance for his side through a heady mix of skill and determination.
When the teams were eventually settled, many in the crowd might have thought that the six men might have the advantage, but the five men took to heart the words of Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
A great part of their success must be ascribed to the newcomers Ben and Josep (an old hand of Regent's Park but new to Camden). They made their mark all over the pitch, as effective in attack as defence and emitting so much energy that they had displayed more joules than Ratners.
Ben's style of play was reminiscent of Didier Deschamps, combining effort with flair and always displaying great footballing know-how. Josep was like a young Patrick Vieira breaking down attacks and distributing the ball with surgical precision.
Whilst the newcomers shined the old hands performed well too. Paul O'C successfully defended numerous moves down the left and meanwhile was a real handful for the other side's defence, whilst Yusuf showed his usual mix of silky skills and lethal finishing.
The five men were a class act too. Luke played with his usual high level of energy, determination and skill, Matt was a powerful force in the centre of the pitch akin to a young Steve Perryman, David's tenure between the sticks saw him magically keep out numerous chances that seemed certain to find their way to the back of the net, whilst Chris and John showed flair and imagination - John taking on and beating numerous defenders with his majestic ball control, and Chris using his industry and know-how to find more space than in many a solar system. Meanwhile Nick, as always was tenacious in defence and additionally created many a chance for his side through a heady mix of skill and determination.
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