Old Name, New Team

In case anyone thinks they recognise the name of this Thursday's opposition, I should clarify that Atkins FC has no connection other than the name to Atkins Rail. The Railwaymen are one of a few teams over the years who we've elected not to play any more. Atkins FC are simply named after Atkins Road, apparently. Pure coincidence. They might feature some familiar faces from West Wickham Musicians and apparently they recently played Dolphin Riders on the Bar Pitch, in a match which finished 4-3, although I don't know which team prevailed.

So a sort of new opposition this week, and I owe a debt of gratitude to West Wickham Musicians' gaffer Hugh, who made a few phone calls to help make sure the Accies had a match this week. Beyond the call of duty and I propose the next time we play WWM, either we give them a discount on the match fee or the club buys Hugh and his old mates a post-match beer each. Any objections?

In other oppo news, you may remember that last summer we played against The Queen Vic, a pub team based on the coast of Kent who include an ex-schoolmate of mine, Danny Rhodes. They beat us 4-0 – I remember it as a closer game than the scoreline suggests but they took their chances very well. I've taken the liberty of scheduling another match against them, a pre-season friendly for them, which will actually be our last match before playing the Dutch in Rotterdam. I reckon it'll be a proper workout against a well organised side, a good test ahead of the Dutch.

Up the Accies!