This is your official Opta-sponsored MOTM reporting on a 0-1 defeat to MHP, in a game with 9 less goals than the last time the two sides met, when players were dropping like flies and the final score was an improbable 4-6. Obviously I'm well chuffed to have been singled out by the Coach for a performance where at least some of my runs and passes worked a treat. But the night was tinged with sadness which had nothing to do with the defeat.
No, the sadness is because I learnt we shall shortly lose one of our number, our number one. Ant and (huge) family are moving to Northampton (seems ridiculous when the team you support is Southampton, but I digress), and of course I'm so happy for them because they've been wanting to make the move for a good while now - but gutted to lose a long-serving comrade. I can still remember the Saturday when I met Ant and discovered that he was a goalkeeper. It so happened that the following day we were off to Oxford for an 11-a-side match against some contacts of Joe's and, lo and behold, Ant duly played his first game for the Accies!
For a good while he divided his loyalties between Effra and Blue Flag, but we ended up his only team because we simply lasted longer than the Sunday Leaguers. It's been a pleasure to play alongside Ant, although maybe I should save the footballing obituary because he's got a few weeks left! As I type I can remember his first clean sheet, in a 0-0 vs Dolphin Riders if I'm not mistaken - all the defenders triumphantly hugging Ant as we'd finally compensated him for all the times our shoddy work meant he had to pick the ball out of the onion bag.
Huge congrats to Ant, Lesley and the lovely little Emerys. I'll miss you and I really hope we can bag at least one more clean sheets for you before you depart. (NB Naturally as we walked to the Paxton and Ant said he had some news, Miami piped up: "She's not pregnant again, is she?")
A quick note on the match: we were below par in the first-half against a beatable team, but we upped it in the second half and especially in the last 25 mins, the ball was barely out of the opposition half and we really should've scored at least one. Dangermouse will probably be enduring a sleepless night as he relives two good chances to get a goal, Thorny will wish he'd kept that header down and the Match Of The Day cameras will surely focus on the push on yours truly that stopped me getting a header on target and might've deserved a penalty award.
Goodnight!
Team: North-Ants, Elbows, Gobby, Barry, Marathon Man, Miami, Spudgun (sub: Paddington), Thorny, Mickael (sub: Rushy), Dangermouse, Shaky
2 comments:
Fewer goals not 'less goals' surely Stu.
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