 Archives
 |  Game Ten
versus Wacky Waving Inflatable Flailing Arm Tube Men won 4-2
(Goals - Black2, Yates 2; MotM - Ciaran Black; Numpty - Lee Mason)
A new team for The RazorBacks to face. It was a young Wacky Waving Inflatable Flailing Arm Tube Men who took to the pitch and with all the enthusiasm of a new team they forced and harried The Piggy Ones so much so that for the first ten minutes they hardly had an attack let alone shot. Looking slightly out of sorts it was not surprise when after failing to clear their lines the 'Tube Men' rifled home a low shot passed the startled Strover. Nevertheless The RazorBacks stuck to their task, even though things weren't going too well and they started to put the new club to the league under pressure. Unfortunately the Inflatable Ones broke clear three on one and rattled the ball home with, it has to be said, some aplomb. For the first time in some while The RazorBacks were 2-0 down against a reasonable side but the breakthrough they needed came when Ciaran Black topped his hardworking defensive display by crashing home a great shot after been teed up by Simon Curd. Turning around at 2-1 late arrival Lee Mason replaced Michael Hinde and The Piggy Ones started with renewed hope. The game was definitely turning as the Wacky team's goalie was now being forced to make several good saves notable from Yates and Black as the hardworking RazorBacks made inroads into their defence. Notwithstanding this the Wacky Waving Inflatable Flailing Arm Tube Men were not to be outdone and two quick passing moves forced Strover into a couple of smart saves to keep his team in the game. Soon after this a great defence splitting pass from Darren Wallis was crashed home by Man of the Match Ciaran Black for the equaliser. Now revitalised The RazorBacks went in search of the winner and the Flailing Arm Tube Men's goalie was once more called into serious action. Finally the breakthrough came when in a series of strange errors Colin Yates forced the ball home to make it 3-2 in front of goal past the despairing Tube Men goalie. Moments later and another great pass by quick-thinking Darren Wallis gave Yates another good chance which he slotted home to win the game. There was still plenty of time left but a resurgent RazorBacks kept the Wacky Waving Inflatable Flailing Arm Tube Men at bay, so much so that they never managed another shot on target. A great performance by the team. They could have folded at 2-0 down and not playing well but stuck to the task and worked hard and finally got their reward. Lee Mason got the Numpty award for once more arriving only minutes before kick off time, Ciaran Black was unanimously named Man of the Match for two great goals and a sterling defensive display to top it off.
Game Nine
versus Vicaima F.C. won 2-0
(Goals - Brewer, Black; MotM - Jamie Brewer; Numpty - Lee Mason)
This week 'The Piggy Ones' were short staffed themselves with Colin Yates, Darren Wallis and Steve Winchcombe all injured and Lee Mason earning his second Numpty in two weeks for once again turning up at exactly kick off time it looked as if the game might be a tough one. In the end Ciaran's mate Jamie Brewer came along to help out and made all the difference. A slick combination of passes ended with Brewer slotting home the first goal midway through the first half and in truth Vicaima had no shots on goal at all in the first half and had to thank their goalie for only being one down. The second half was much the same as the same player turned away shot after shot whilst his outfield players finally mustered a couple of efforts on goal. The RazorBacks worked very hard and after having two further goals chalked off for encroaching in the penalty are Ciaran Black doubled the team's lead and his goal tally for the season after a great pass wide on the right by Simon Curd. From that point it was game over and only a matter of whether the score would stay 2-0 or get higher. Next week it's a chance for revenge over Shabba but ominously it looks like the did not arrive for their game against The Has Beens. Surely not the third RazorBacks game this season were the opposition don't arrive? Let's hope not. Game Eight
versus Goals on Toast won 3-0
(Goals - Flinthoff , Curd, Yates; MotM - Eddie Flinthoff; Numpty - Lee Mason)
A short staffed Goals on Toast looked have luck on their side as The RazorBacks arrived 'short handed' with Lee Mason - once again - not turning up on time. Luckily for The Piggy Ones Darren Wallis rolled up to be sub and ended up playing. Up until this point The RazorBacks had been holding up well with a man short. With Darren back on the team the balance of the scales tipped and once Lee finally turned up, earning his Numpty award in the process, The RazorBacks finally started to get the upper hand. A few shots had skipped just wide of the post and the Toastie Ones goalie had pulled off two good saves. Eventually a slick pass by Colin Yates was forced passed the despairing dive of the custodian by Eddie Flinthoff and The RazorBacks were on their way. Just before halftime Darren Wallis supplied Simon Curd who drove home competently for a two goal lead going into the change over. With the stuffing knocked out of them Goals on Toast battled valiantly but only in the final stages of the game did they force The Strovinator into making a save when the pressured four successive corners but from the final one a breakaway goal was slotted home by Colin Yates and it was definitely game over. All in all another good performance. Perhaps, and only perhaps, The RazorBacks have finally turned the corner and good times are ahead. We shall see....
Game Seven
versus The Bulldog Boys won 4-0
(Goals - Flinthoff 2, Yates, Mason; MotM - Eddie Flinthoff; Numpty - Lee Davey)
At last The RazorBacks broke their duck. All this despite two last minute drop outs and Lee Mason and Simon Curd arriving about thirty seconds before kick off. The game started off with The Bulldogs cracking in the first shot on target but after this the team quickly settled into a swift, crisp, passing game and then it was for most of the match The RazorBacks versus The Bulldog Boys goalie as he palmed, punched and kick away shot after shot. For a long while it looked very much as if a similar pattern to a lot of other 'Piggy Ones' games would be repeated. Would the team be caught with a sucker punch once more? This time it was pleasing to see the tackling, tracking back and downright hard work was as it was and any attempts at breakaways or scoring were quickly snuffed out by The RazorBacks. The opening goal finally came after some nifty footwork on the edge the box allowed Colin Yates a couple of seconds to tee one up and he fired home. The next goal came just before halftime and was probably the pick of the bunch when great inter-passing play by the whole team fed the ball to Eddie Flinthoff and he played a short pass, some way out, to Lee Mason who drove home a piledriver that no goalie could stop. The second half was more in the same vein as Colin, Eddie, Ciaran and Lee were all foiled by some good goalkeeping and moments after The Bulldogs had a little purple patch where they forced three saves and two corners some close control near the edge of the penalty area resulted in Eddie Flinthoff sealing it with the third goal. Another similar goal late on, once again by Eddie, gave him the Man of the Match votes and put the icing on the cake. All in all a great display as the passing and battling continued from the start of the game to the end. Lee Davey gets Numpty of the game, after asking if he could play since the last game and then phoning up at eight o'clock and dropping out (he also sounded as if he was under the influence) it turns out he was going to play for someone else - 'nuff said. It would have been Lee Mason but I couldn't be mean - Mase spent a couple of minutes rummaging through my bag looking for his car keys before he realised that Simon drove him to the game!
In all this euphoria it is easy to forget poor old Mike Hinde who arrived, on time, kitted up and paid his three pounds only to not get a game without complaint. Next week, if fit, Mike will start and at the moment it looks as if we may have too many players!! I did reimburse Mike his three pounds by the way.....
Game Six
versus The Has Beens lost 2-5
(Goals - Black, Mason; MotM - Lee Mason; Numpty - Lee Davey)
Finally The RazorBacks played a proper league game! Unfortunately it was against as suspiciously 'pro' looking Has Beens and to further compound things Steve Winchcombe was unavailable and Mike Hinde was still injured. In what turned out to be a tough sporting game things looked ominous for 'the piggy ones' when after kicking off The Has Beens passed the ball back and forth amongst each other not allowing The RazorBacks even a touch of the ball. After making Strover work in the first minute and then hitting the post The Has Beens finally knew they were in a game when a fine sweeping move saw Ciaran Black, on his debut, hammer home a beauty of a goal to give The RazorBacks a shock 1-0 lead. Hard work and flowing football allowed The Has Beens back in the game when they culminated a great passing movement by hammering one low into the net and then just before halftime an error at the back allowed them in once more and they took full advantage to turn around at the break 2-1 in front but not before Lee Mason forced a great save from their keeper. The second half started awfully as Strover was once again finding it difficult to distribute the ball to a team mate and his woeful throw out was controlled and eventually stroked home to give the new club to the division a 3-1 lead. An opportunistic goal by Lee Mason that perhaps the goalie should have stopped brought the score back to 3-2 but as the game closed out tiring legs and at times naive play allowed The Has Beens to dominate and two late but well deserved goals ended the game at 5-2. All in all there were more positives than negatives to take out of the game and The Has Beens were a very good, sporting team that played the game the way it should be played. No complaints from us Piggy Ones but we do know any other teams will have to be on good form to beat the team of 'Has Beens' that played against us. It's eight games and counting now since The RazorBacks last competitive win. The team said goodbye to Lee 'Mr Fitness' Davey who ironically had his best game for the team and ended his tenure with a Numpty winning but not unexpected 'puke up'....how unfit is that boy? Still thanks for you help and support Lee and good luck at university, remember it is about learning things and not just going to parties and getting drunk! Game Five
versus Raskals F.C. won 5-0 with a forfeit; Raskals F.C. failed to arrive
Friendly versus Shabba won 13-1
Once again a big thanks to Shabba for taking up the slack after Raskals F.C. failed to arrive. Somehow I can't see them turning up early next week because the keep getting roped into friendlies against us. Obviously they did not take it too seriously and once new signing Steve Winchcombe found his boots they soon stopped playing and concentrated on their upcoming league game! The final score ran out 13-1 with 'Winch' getting six (a club record in any type of match) and returning original RazorBack Colin Yates hammering home five himself. Lee Mason (also returning) managed a goal and the one reliable player from the last few weeks, Tony Fitzgerald. was rewarded with a solo as well. Nothing should be read into this game at all but it has to be said that some of the early game passing, tackling and finishing was of the highest calibre and if the nucleus of the this team can play every week then perhaps the next 5-0 win in the league will be a real one. Strovey can only hope that players like Lee Mason, Colin Yates and Steve Winchcombe were not put off by the 'Rag Arse Rovers' organisation and approach to this game. Game Four
versus The Tawny Owl
Leisure League cancelled all fixtures this night Game Three
versus Shabba lost 0-5
(Goals - we only had on half hit shot on target!; MotM - David Strover; Numpty - Tony Fitzgerald)
First things first Tony Fitzgerald only gets Numpty for his inability to get the ball back over the fence from the field opposite after three attempts when he went to get it after hoofing it over in the warm-up, in no way can he be singled out in this tragic game. A strangely lackadaisical warm up was a prelude to an even more lackadaisical game as The RazorBacks were intent on impressing each other by showing how hard they could kick the ball at the goal. Ironic that after twenty-six minutes the outfield players mustered one shot on goal in the whole game! The game started off with Shabba getting the first shot off on goal and then just continued with them hammering in shot after shot. Some went wide, some were saved. If the ball was controlled by the defence there was no one to pass it to so it came straight back for another shot. Somehow the teams changed ends with the score at 0-0. The second stanza started in much the same way and once Shabba scored with only probably six or seven minutes to go, it was obvious The RazorBacks were never going to score, it was just a case of how long the beleaguered defensive players could hang on and keep the score down. Even if I say so myself (apparently Chris won't, "nobody deserves Man of the Match") I played very well but being forty-six years old as the game approached it's end I was worn out and battered and I just couldn't stem the flow of shots any longer. No doubt about it Shabba deserved to win by a minimum of ten goals but to say they were just fitter than us disguises an underlying problem. Time to step up and be counted I say. Like I predicted a score like this was on it's way I also predict we'll start losing players soon - no matter there is always others to replace them!
Strovey says: Oh and I'd just like to say to the players who told me that teams don't keep clean sheets much in six a sides that is the second clean sheet for Shabba in three games and second time we have failed to score in three games! Game Two
versus Vicaima F.C. draw 2-2
(Goals - Rob Dixon, Chris Gregory; MotM - Mike Hinde; Numpty - Chris Gregory)
The Piggy Ones haven't won a league game for six games now and most of them are starting to feel like the same game over and over again. After once again changing ends in front and without conceding a goal The RazorBacks collapsed like wet cardboard for the second thirteen minute spell. Vicaima plugged away in the first half but actually did not have a shot on target and in the second half probably mustered three, having said that they scored two of them whilst The RazorBacks squandered at least double that amount. Most of the team weren't too disappointed with the game except for fiery old goalie David Strover who did not even work up a sweat during the game yet still picked the ball out of the net twice. How long can this form continue before something snaps? Either The RazorBacks will hammer home ten in one game or concede them.... Game One
versus SMFC match awarded to The RazorBacks 5-0, SMFC failed to arrive
Friendly versus Shabba won 7-0
A hastily arranged friendly game was played in this league game's place and a big thanks must go to the lads of SHABBA who although they play in our division and had a tough match against Raskals F.C. directly after this game sportingly turned out to make sure the new signings of The RazorBacks did not go home disappointed. Needless to say the Shabba lads did not play at full pace and with The RazorBacks keen to get some sort of game under their belts once a couple of goals went in there was only going to be one winner. Unfortunately for everyone concerned Chris 'The Mouth' Gregory had his 'cherry picking' tactics pay off as he sat around the Shabba penalty area and blasted home five easy chances. The rest of the team figured he had about twenty-five to thirty efforts so his shots to goals ratio looked pretty poor. Andy 'Scabby' Arnold had another reasonable game and even went close on several occasions. New players Dom 'Thunderbolt' Virgilio looked impressive in the short time he had - his shooting wasn't quite as wayward as Chris' but give him a few more games and he'll be scoring - Lee 'Mr Fitness' Davey had less time to impress but looked comfortable and Andy 'No Nickname' Rayment had a solid second half. The other new boy Tony 'My Shirt Has Shrunk' Fitzgerald thumped home a dubious goal to open his account for the team. Be aware we have Shabba in the league in a fortnight and I for one can't see this game being quite the same - we have been warned!
|
.gif){kind=icon}
