End-of-year statattack!

Now that there are no more footballs to be kicked in this calendar year, it's time to reflect on what has been a record breaking year of 11-a-sides for Effra Academicals. To preface this round-up of impressive stats, I think it's important to say that we could've done even better and if in 2012 we can get better at doing what Thorny asks us to do for 90 minutes, we will do even better. There's no reason why 12 months from now I shouldn't be typing up another summary of tumbling club records!

But for now, let's concentrate on 2011's stat-tastic achievements. Here's a rundown to tickle your fancy:

- We've played more 11-a-side matches than ever: 49 games in 2011

- 23 wins in 2011 beats our previous 'most wins in a calendar year' by a mile (14 in 2010)

- Our win percentage in 2011 was 46.94%, thrashing last year's club best of 33.33%

- We finished with a plus goal difference for the first time (+3)

- Our goals-per-game average of 2.59 was our best ever

- Similarly, our goals-conceded per game of 2.53 was a club record

- We scored 127 goals in 2011 – a club best by some margin (previous best: 103 last year)

- Sam Herbert broke the club's record for goals in a calendar year, netting 29 times, beating Gary White's 26 in 2007

- Sam Herbert and Perre Heath each played 44 times for the Accies in 2011 – the most appearances in a year by any player

- Sam and Perre's joint goals tally of 55 makes them the club's best ever strike partnership (previous best: 37 by Gary White and Simon Mesner in 2007)

- Ronnie Taylor conceded 1.93 goals per game, by far the best stats for any keeper in a calendar year

Here's a jpeg of our 11-a-side stats year-by-year which shows how well 2011 compares to any previous year (click on the image to enlarge it and make it easier to read):

A milestone worth mentioning is that two players reached the 50-goal mark for Effra in 2011: first Simon Mesner, whose long injury lay-off meant he had to wait a while, but who became the first Accies player to reach a half-century of goals; then Sam Herbert, who now has 52 all-time 11-a-side goals and as such is now our top scorer. With Perre Heath on 41 goals and Andy Thornes on 47, hopefully they'll both reach 50 in 2o12.

There should be plenty of appearance milestones in 2012, with four players set to reach 200 11-a-side games (Dave Rudd, currently on 193; Simon Mesner and Joe Sene, both on 182; and Andy Thornes, on 180). No less than nine players should make their 100th 11-a-side appearances next year: Bobby Rauchenberg is 2 games away from his century; Barry Gardener is 4 away; Sam Herbert needs 10 more games; Phill Arnold needs 11 more; Lee Clifford is on 83 appearances; Tremayne Macdonald is on 82; and Greg Rainey is on 76).

Steve Spurdens is 5 appearances away from his 250th 11-a-side game for Effra. And if Andrew Dade can play a similar number of games next year as he did in 2011, he'll become the first Accies player to reach 300 appearances. If I can avoid injury, I'll get to 300 myself next year, but that seems like a big if!

Don't try this on Thursday

Several of us have been unlucky enough to score own goals over the years – but never as mental as this one:

MoBro - the finished article!

Here it is, after a month of scratching and cursing at it, here's my 'tash in all it's one-month-old glory!

It's still not too late to sponsor me for my Movember effort, it's for a great cause. Go to: www.mobro.co/JoeSene

Thanks!

Accies triple bill v Grafton Strollers, Orient Young Boys and West Wickham Musicians

See the recent games v Grafton Strollers; Orient Young Boys and West Wickham Musicians on youtube now.

Accies number 8 signs for Team MoBro!

Joe Sene, Effra's midfield stroller, has signed up to charity effort Movember. Kicking off on November 1st, the only thing that'll be silky smooth about Sene will be his skills on the football pitch as he grows a moustache in an attempt to raise money for the mens health charity.

Sene, interviewed today over a pre-match pie and chips said: "This is a very worthwhile cause and all donations are gratefully received."

Asked if he felt growing facial hair would help enhance his Thursday night performances, the midfield general responded: "I doubt it, as unfortunately we only ever seem to play with footballs that are attracted to hairless surfaces."

To help aide the fundraising effort, please visit - http://mobro.co/JoeSene

Accies 5 v 2 Southside, Thursday 22nd September 2011

Here is the action (minus 4 goals mainly due the refusal of 3 Accies on the side lines to pick up the camera for 10 mins each) from the game v Southside.

Accies 5 v 2 Flacas and Fatboys, Saturday 3rd September 2011

And the second part of the Rotterdam film.

Accies 5 v 2 Flacas and Fatboys, Saturday 3rd September 2011

Take your minds back to the lazy, hazy days of summer and the trip to Rotterdam. Here is part 1.

It's like "Southside's 'mystery' goal against Effra in Dulwich" all over again…

Except this one, while also definitely a goal, wasn't given! Goal kick given! Shocker.

Accies 1 v 0 Ladywell, Thursday 8th September 2011

You can now catch the action from the one nil win v Ladywell.

All Good Things......Accies 8 vs Tremayne 2

As the saying goes 'come to those who wait'....The Accies are beginning to resemble a team that is united in their endeavours and to all involved this should be welcomed with open arms. After our last attempt to play against Tremayne's team which was undone by his incredible (albeit miraculous) goal, the Accies game into this game looking to set the record straight.


Although it would have been easy for us to go all gung-ho in our quest for revenge, we played as a 'team' and were rewarded with a performance of strong defence, creative midfield movement and dynamic attacking endeavour. The movement, commitment, covering and defending was a joy to behold and at times left our opposition mesmerised.


Great congratulations to 'Bazza' Gardener who broke his outfield scoring drought (for us not opposition) and captured a well deserved MOTM nod for his efforts. It seems Ayattollah Thornes is coming into his own in getting us to play as a team, but be solid and diificult to break down as well as being swift and decisive in attack.


But let's keep this up 'til Christmas as we are improving week in week out and to let this work go to waste would be a silly thing to do as we know we can do this week after week....

Orient Young Boys - A Mini Reportage...

Click here, if you are a facebooker....

From The Beginning Of Recorded Time (Or Thereabouts)

Accies midfielder and founder member of our glorious club, Luis Sandoval came across this photo "while perusing some old pics" recently. The picture was developed in May 2o00 so is definitely from the first 6 months or so of Effra's life. It shows Graham Dietz, Ian "Gaffer" Holmes and Chris Osborne. Not sure why the Gaffer is pointing – possibly it's a post-match post-mortem on how we came to lose again? Also, I'm considering fining the Gaffer retrospectively for not wearing his official club-issue dark blue shorts…

Longest header ever and not by Andy Thornes!! (I'm not having much youtube luck, but 3rd time around this should work now)

Watch Jone Samulsen score from his own half! Unfortunately footage of Andy Thornes' headed goal from his own six-yard box 18 months ago doesn't exist on youtube.

Accies 4 v 3 Atkins FC, Thursday 11th August 2011

Finally, a version that hasn't been censored (thanks to EMI and MPMG for preventing the previous sound track from being heard by about 25 people). Enjoy.

Accies 5 v 3 Wessex Rangers, Thursday 18th August 2011

Watch the hi-lights of the game v Wessex Rangers here copyright permitting!

8 days in my footballing life

Saturday 3rd September 2011, Rotterdam, 4.30pm, Effra Academicals 5 v 2 Flacas & Fat Boys.

Thursday 8th September 2011, London, 8.30pm, Effra Academicals 1 v 0 Ladywell.

Sunday 11th September 2011, Los Angeles, 11am, LA all stars 5 v 2 Burbank FC.

P 3 W 3 F 11 A 4.

One Dietz Cup, two man of the match awards, two assists and one goal.

New Accies Record! (It took me fully 4 years to get round to doing this)

This coming Thursday I'll bring along our other trophy (we're double winners) to Palace to pass on to whichever member of the squad would like it on their mantelpiece for a while. I've been meaning to update/replace the 'WINNERS' plaque on the Anglo-Dutch Challenge Cup for literally years. Finally got round to it yesterday. See below – 3 years of hurt, bookended by the two Accies triumphs.

Southside match

I'm looking forward to the match on Thurs. 

The 11-1 mis-match  in the summer represented a high point for Southside  and a  new low for the Accies.

Since then, the Accies, by all accounts, have morphed into a  really good team. Southside's form, in contrast, has taken a bit of a nosedive.

Will Effra  turn the tables on Southside or  can Southside re-discover    a bit of form?

Rotterdam 2002 Style

For more vintage Accies in Rotterdam pics head over to the Accies Facebook page and check out the new album!

Accies Archive Pics

Here's one of a selection of Accies archive pics now on the Accies Facebook Page. More pics will be appearing in albums on there soon...!

From The Archives: "The Big Cetacean"

Just a couple of months before this blog was begun, back in the days when The Hut maintained an Accies website, the following match report was posted. I'd love to know who wrote it, the author did a fine job (says "the not 100% Dade") and I think I've corrected most of the typos just now. It's a shame Perre didn't play in this match – he must have been an unused sub because his uncle Junior played in goal and mate Keith was in midfield. The reason it's a shame is that this archive post would've been quite apt with Perre due to make his 100th appearance tomorrow night – he made his debut on 4 September 2008, just over 3 years ago. 100 games in just over 3 years: good going. Sadly Perre only got to watch the match described below, not play in it – but I'm glad he stuck with us (and we stuck with him!)

Anyway, into the Accies time machine we go…

Effra Academicals 4 – 1 Dolphin Riders

16^th October 2008

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre

KO 8.30 pm

Attendance: 12

Despite losing 2-4 in to Wycliffe the week before the Accies came into this fixture full of confidence. The squad bolstered in recent weeks had led to an improvement in results, which despite playing well for the previous two months had eluded the team. A win against Dolphin would be the first time Effra had beaten them twice on the bounce.

The team was set out to maintain its defensive shape but break quickly on the counter attack. Andy Thornes was recalled to the midfield and Barry Gardener joined Gary Hutson at centre back. Stuart Dade made a return to left back after missing three out of the last four games, which had left question marks over his ability to hold off the challenges to the position that has been his own for much of the last 5 years. Mickael Lejeune was back in on the left wing with Bobby Rachenberg missing through illness. A strong bench included captain Neill Robertshaw and player/coach Simon Mesner.

J. Heath; P. Caldwell, B. Gardener, G. Hutson, S. Dade (G. Were) (N. Connolly); J. Sene; A. Thornes; K. Cumberbatch (N. Robertshaw); M. Lejuene, (S. Mesner) T. McDonald, B. Monkton.

The Accies started the game strongly with Sene dictating the play from deep. Cumberbatch’s movement caused problems for the Rider’s defence, which looked loose. French wide man Lejeune was also a threat with his pace and crossing from the left wing.

It didn’t take long for the Crystal Palace men to open the scoring when Monkton showed further evidence that he is getting fitter after his 6 month injury layoff by reacting quickest to a loose Dolphin pass and firing through the ‘keeper’s legs from inside the penalty area.

Dolphin stepped up their game and came back into the match. Gardener and Hutson, otherwise dominant had a 15 minute period where they wobbled and words were exchanged between them and Heath behind. A stock Riders lobbed ball over the top was latched onto by the visiting centre forward. With Heath deciding to stay in his area, Hutson tried to make up the ground. He executed a perfect sliding tackle in the area just as Heath went to ground. Sadly for the Accies with both home players down, the big cetacean got up and clipped the ball into an empty net.

From then on the home defence looked unbeatable with anything not mopped up by the back four dealt with expertly by Heath.

The Accies fought back and with Were on for the not 100% Dade, Robertshaw and Mesner to join the midfield and attack respectively they created more chances. Thornes missed a header that he would have normally gobbled up from an expert Lejuene corner but McDonald made the pressure pay with a cool side foot to take Effra in 2-1 at half time.

The game was a battle for the first 30 minutes of the second half with both teams aware of the importance of the next goal. Caldwell, in a brave performance and Mesner tightened up on the tricky Dolphin left winger to stem the flow down the Accies' right. The midfield went from a three to a two and back to a three as Effra sought for the right formation to make the break through. Sene kept pulling the string throughout whilst Cumberbatch was moved over to the left wing and swept past his opponent imperiously several times on dashing runs. Connolly came on for Were to maintain the defensive solidity. Heath was equal to nearly everything that got past his defence and when beaten there was Thornes to hook the ball off the line.

The Accies then started to really stretch their opponents with Monkton’s pace on the other wing complementing Cumberbatch’s and Mesner moved into his fifth position of the game as centre forward. It was no surprise when Monkton made his 2008 total 9 goals after a sweet Thorne’s through ball, pushing the Accies into a 3-1 lead. For the last ten minutes the Riders were swamped and Effra made it four when Monkton’s great cross was met by the accurate pate of Thornes who arched himself to reach the ball that was slightly behind him and place it wide of the keeper. The Accies almost made it a fifth when Mesner’s clever through ball was nearly latched onto by Thornes, now in rampant mood.

Effra Academicals were on the attack once more when the referee put Dolphin out of their misery.

A beaming player/coach Mesner said afterwards that the Riders were swept away by a towering wave of attacking play. The Accies look in good health as they approach the end of the year.

Man of the match: Gary Hutson. A rock at the back against very dangerous opponents. He came back from a shaky 15 minutes to put in a towering performance.

I do like a nice team photo

My dream of course is for there to occasionally, say once a year, be a photo taken of the full squad. But of course logistically that is basically impossible as we're never all in the same place at the same time; there's always someone absent. So I'll have to settle for a pic every time we have a 'big match'. Here are the 12 good men in Rotterdam 2011.

It's official – it says so on the trophy!

To be honest I found it quite tricky to photograph something that's essentially a mirror! Anyway, here's the proof that a week ago today we went and and won The Dietz Cup.

Goals, goals, goals

Last night with Sam's 19th goal of the year, he and Perre's combined total of goals for 2011 reached 38. This breaks the Accies record for a goalscoring partnership of 37 set in 2007.

Most of the 2007 goals were scored by Gary White who grabbed 26, still the best total by one person in a calender year. However that target is well within reach of both Sam and Perre.

Gary White's goalscoring ratio may never be beaten, he got 31 goals in 32 games but Sam's ratio is highly impressive. He now has 42 in 78, or 1 in 1.86, and may well become the first Accie to score 50 11 a side goals at this rate.

Perre's over all goals to games ratio has improved massively this year going from about 1 in 5 to a very respectable 34 in 99 or 1 in 2.91. No doubt he'll be intent on improving this before the year is out.

Toshack and Keegan, Beardsley and Lineker, Shearer and Sheringham, Cottee and McAvennie, Rush and Dalglish, Shearer and Sutton, Cole and Yorke, Bebeto and Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, Heath and Herbert.

Hold The Back Page!

Once again, The Accies have hit the headlines in Rotterdam. Not content with Sam, Graeme and myself being photographed in the Rotown nightclub last year (click here for a reminder), The Accies have been caught up in a Dutch media circus again!

Hopefully we'll get a proper copy of this soon - with full translation from Mr Dietz - but in the meantime here's a photo of the local paper carrying the big sporting story of last weekend: the fantastic game and even better result against our Dutch friends.

Yes Stu, that is you! And you Sam - making it 2 media appearances in 2 years. And yes, I think that's Cuptain Thornes too!

Up The Accies and huge thanks to Flaccas legend Nils Ligthart for alerting us to this!

Zzzzzzztatattack

As previously promised, and as previously encouraged to pull my finger out by Phil C, I have now updated the appearances 'league table' somewhere down the right-hand side of the blog. To say that having done so "throws up some interesting statistics" would be stretching the truth, but here are the 'highlights' of the appearance stats (sans a soundtrack of music by Daft Punk or Steppenwolf that would see this blog post taken down by The Man. This is a reference that approx only one other person will get, sorry.)

• First up, yours truly has passed 250 Accies 11-a-side appearances. Hip hip replacement hooray. My younger brother Andrew is hot on my heels just 3 games away from the same milestone.

• Luis Sandoval, in the form of his life and fitter than ever, is on 196 appearances, so on the verge of becoming only the fifth player to reach a double century.

• Dave Rudd needs 10 more appearances to make 200, so might have to wait until early 2012 to be number six in that exclusive group.

• Perre Heath has played in 98 11-a-side matches for the Accies, so will very soon be the 14th player to have pulled on the red'n'blue shirt 100 times. Perre's hefty total is particularly impressive when you consider that he only made his Effra debut in match number 178 – so those 98 appearances have been from a possible 132 matches. That's impressive commitment (and a sign of a young player who has been thankfully largely injury-free).

And finally, a quick goalscoring stat moment. Graham Dietz almost certainly set an Effra record in Rotterdam for the longest gap between 11-a-side goals for the club. Gza last netted on 17 March 2005, coming on as a sub to score both goals in a 2-1 win over The Pullman. That was our 57th ever 11-a-side game. No less than 2,362 days later – or 6 years, 3 months and 18 days if you prefer – he bagged another brace, this time our first and fourth goals in the 5-2 win that was our 309th ever 11-a-side. Thanks to this site for doing the sums on how many days had passed between those matches! Depressingly, yours truly is the only Accie with any chance of breaking this record (short of some former members making a Dietz-esque comeback in the future, which of course would be most welcome). 30 September 2011 will mark the SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY of my one and only 11-a-side goal for Effra Academicals. I'd be tempted to ask that if we get a penalty against Orient Young Boys on 29 September, could I take it – except that I'd almost certainly miss it!

I think stat's quite enough of stat (hey, that might be my new catchphrase).

Up the Accies!

Cuptain Thornes!

What Andy T doesn't mention in his post below is the pivotal role he played in our win in Rotterdam. Every Thursday, he patiently asks us to play a certain way, communicate a certain way, and so on and so on. As all the club's previous captains and coaches would testify, at times it's a phenomenally thankless task. Some of the first 20 mins of Saturday's match might have been enough to make him tear his hair out (ahem), but during the remaining 70 mins, we followed Thorny's way to the very best of our abilities, and got our reward. Andy is right to say that all 12 of the squad contributed significantly in the match, but for his efforts week in, week out and his leadership on the day – including an inspirational half-time team talk – our number 23 thoroughly deserved to be the first Accie to hold The Dietz Cup aloft. Well deserved honour, mate!

Accies v Atkins FC, 11th August 2011

See the hi-lights of the game v Atkins FC on youtube now!

View From The Other Side #2

From Nils's Facebook photos, a shot of one of Flacas & Fat Boys' two goals yesterday. Good celebrations among the Dutch barmy army and it's less painful to look at knowing what happened next! Nils's comment on the pic is: "Op voorsprong tegen de engelsen 2-1 (eindstand 2-5!). In londen de return.. revanche" – I don't think you'll need a Dutch-English dictionary to work out what that means!

Victory in Europe

A great weekend, a great game and a great win. I will leave the full match report to someone else, but my brief report is that the game plan was excellent and excellently executed by all. Everyone played their part in a very satisfying win against a very good team with more subs on a blisteringly hot day.

Maybe it was something to do with the pre-match preparation

a bike ride around a lake,

and pancakes...

Statapology

Having been gently berated by Elbows for not keeping the stats column of this blog up to date lately, I've duly fixed the all-time 11-a-side goalscorers list. The biggest movers in 2011 have of course been Sam and Perre, who have leapt up to 3rd and 4th in the chart respectively. I believe anyone who scores 30 or more 11-a-side goals qualifies for a special medal - those will no doubt be included in the end-of-year awards dinner later in 2011. Simon's lengthy injury absence has meant his lead at the top has been cut to just 2 goals by Thorny. But Mes has managed one goal since returning to action (as well as one against the Accies!), so he's now just 2 goals away from becoming the first Effra player to reach a half-century of 11-a-side goals. Will he be wearing a "50 goals - just done it" T-shirt under his Accies top in Rotterdam this Saturday?

Bobby's 6 goals in 2011 have catapulted him into the top 10, while Joe's 4 goals have solidified his own place in the top 10 (level with Bob). Paul, Neill and Greg have all made good progress up the list, with Paul having made it to double figures in less than a year playing for the club (he made his debut in September 2010).

I'll work on the appearances stats over the coming weeks - can't sit at a computer for too long because it will hinder my back pain rehab!

In even more dweeby news, the first goal we let in during the recent 3-0 defeat to Crown Agents was the 1,000th goal we've conceded in 11-a-sides. We should have baked the scorer a cake. And on a more positive note, Joe's goal in the 2-4 loss to TPS recently was our 600th 11-a-side goal. Hooray.

Accies v Crown Agents 4th August 2011

At last, hi-lights from the Accies 4-2 win over Crown Agents on Thursday 4th August 2011 are on youtube.

View From The Other Side

Always pretty interesting to get the oppo's view on a match and, as they did when we played them this time last year, The Queen Vic's gaffer forwarded me this match report…

Accies 1 v 2 Queen Vic

It's not often we get to play on a surface like the one at Crystal Palace last night (well, once a year and hopefully an ongoing annual event...) so I hope you all enjoyed it.

This was a far more challenging game than a year ago when we ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. The home side were much more organised and proved themselves to be a stubborn and determined opposition. I thought we played pretty well in the first twenty minutes, carving out numerous opportunities to take the lead but their goalkeeper was excellent and we were guilty of snatching at any half-chances that came our way. The Accies then played themselves into the game, forcing us back as we perhaps became a little frustrated that we weren't ahead. They hit a couple of excellent long shots (one superbly tipped over by Tharpey) before taking the lead thanks to yet another individual error at the back. We've conceeded five goals this pre-season in five games (which is impressive) but they've all been due to errors of one sort or another.

We reacted well to the goal and should have been level by half-time so I was pretty confident that if we kept on doing what we were doing we'd every chance to go on and win the game and as it turned out that's exactly what transpired. What we need to take from the game is that patience is the key. If we keep playing our football, eventually even the most obstinate of opposition defences will crack. You just have to believe it will happen and not get frustrated with yourselves or each other.

A 2-1 win then and I think a deserved one on chances created and the amount of possession we enjoyed. We need to ensure that we take our use of the ball into the real season and not get excited by the fact that we are playing real games where points are at stake.

My only small criticism this week is what we discussed before the lights went out on the pitch. We must play football that demonstrates an awareness of the scoreline and how the game has panned out. You worked hard last night to get into the lead but then seemed (at times) to be determined to go on to score a third goal at the risk of losing the lead we had. Just take it easy. When there is a minute to go there is nothing wrong in working the ball to the opposition corner flag and keeping it there. Okay, it was a friendly but we almost threw the lead away by giving the ball back to them, getting caught on the break, giving away a free-kick and almost conceeding with the last kick of the game, in which case you'd have all come off the pitch deflated...

I want to instill a winning mentality boys...and win some trophies!

The least I want from this season is a cup final for us to enjoy.

Keep it up. Things are looking good.

Radfall will be another tough test on Sunday...

There you go – I should add that my old school mate Danny, the oppo's manager, told me after the game that the key difference from last year to this is that we are now are much more well organised unit, far harder to break down. Good to hear, given that this has been a key area we've concentrated on for some time now! Should also add that we've tentatively been invited to Herne Bay for an away tie, probably in May 2012. Could be good!

From The Archives: "Look At These Cripples" (Spain 2010)

Messrs Fallon and Holmes are the worse for wear following our exploits in the Trofeo Amistoso Something Or Other tournament in sunny Spain - but teammate Sandoval is in fine fettle.

Accies number 12 takes time out from fending off rioting idiots to perform ska tribute to our capital city's current troubles

Possibly.

Accies Blog 2.0

Those of you who prefer to consume your Accies Blog on wee little mobile phones (or, in my case, if I'm in the lounge, on an iPod Touch) will be delighted to learn that I have switched on the relevant setting that makes the blog easier to read on those devices. Those of you who prefer not to consume your Accies Blog at all, are just hurtful and cruel. In other geeky news, I note with "interest" that the blog doesn't seem to look very nice on the Firefox browser, but that doesn't bother me because I normally use Safari. Now go back to sleep.

Ref x2 = victory

Accies who turned up  hoping for their weekly dose of tragi-comic disaster went home  disappointed last night. 

Against all expectations, Effra  motored past Crown Agents with an upbeat, competent display.

Where did it all go right?

Whilst not  quite up to Fash FC  standards of exuberance, there was a  distinctly, relaxed and positive feel about the team last night.  The football was really quite good too. - I wouldn't go as far as to say that i'd have been happy to pay to watch, but i definitely didn't mind not paying to watch.

Great three goal haul from Perre and a nice finish from Paul. Perre got the MOTM award , but   the Ref of the Match award must go to Hassan , who finally found his vocation last night - i guess we're all good at something.

See you all in three weeks.

 

Accies v Crown Agents 28th July 2011

Here is a short clip of the 0-3 defeat to Crown Agents. Not much footage to choose from this week hence the short clip. But an easy to edit piece. Hopefully we'll stimulate the camera men to have the camera on more than it is off this week in the re-match. Hi-lights in this 3 minute 34 seconds video are Phil's inch perfect through ball to Sam and Barry's distal phalanges deflecting the ball around the post.

Accies v Ladywell, 21st July 2011

See the hi-lights from the game v Ladywell including great long shots (sadly mostly by the opposition), a crashing free kick, tough tackles, midfield skill, a crimson sunset and musing on the Accies system as well as how it's all Thatcher's fault by clicking here

More Accies magic on Youtube

Here is the link for the latest video from the game v TPS, 2-4 on 14th July 2011.

2-4 v TPS, 14th July 2011

He May Be AWOL From The Accies...etc...

Vice Vice Baby

Apologies for taking so long to post this, but belatedly I should announce that Barry Gardener has stepped down from his role as our 11-a-side Vice Captain. So the position is currently vacant – should anyone wish to have a crack at the role, which essentially entails supporting Thorny in his duties, and occasionally wearing the armband on pitch, then let me (Stuart) or Thorny know. Thanks – and thank you to Barry for his six months as VC.

Last week's game: work in progress

From the desk of Mr Andrew Thornes:

It's always disappointing to lose, although there were lots of plusses from last Thursday's game. I really don't think 4-0 was an accurate reflection of the game, for, with a little luck, and better finishing, we could easily have got something out of the game. Considering we were playing in a new formation for the first time I thought we all did exceptional well, particularly in the second half, when some of the football we played was very easy on the eye and pretty penetrative. I thought lots of players stood out - Luis, Barry and Phil C immediately spring to mind, but there were others - and it was great to see everybody applying themselves in an effort to get to grips with our new way of playing. I hope we can keep this level of intensity up over the next few weeks, as it's a system that I think, given the personnel we have, could work very well for us. Only time will tell I guess.

On a personal level I was very happy to see Joe finally get back on the pitch after an extended period out with a pretty serious injury. I might be wrong but I think next week will be the first time in a very long time that we will have nobody lounging around on the proverbial 'treatment table' . Long may that continue, even if it means greater selection headaches!

Another piece of team news, which some of you may not be aware of: Lee has decided to hang up his keepers gloves and no longer wishes to be thought of as the Accies main man between the sticks. This will impact the club in at least two ways, both of which I think will be positive. Firstly, until we get another regular keeper the job will be shared out between a pool of players. Several players have already volunteered to take a turn in goal, which is much appreciated. For the time being I'll therefore be picking the keeper on a week by week basis, always giving the lucky/unlucky player as much notice as possible. I think not having a regular keeper will make our squad more adaptable and give everyone a better perspective on the job other players do for the team, which is never a bad thing.

The second consequence of this change will be to intensify the competition for places, particularly in the defence, as I'm certain Lee will be as much of an asset on the field as he has been in goal. I therefore expect his presence to raise the levels of all the players around him and, with luck, have a knock-on effect throughout the whole team.

All of these changes I think are pretty exciting, and will, at the very least, shake things up a little. They will also give us all a new set of challenges at a time when maybe some of our play has become a little stale and predictable. It must be stressed that our play should continue to centre around quick, short passing; informative, concise communication and a well-organised 'default' defensive postion. Therefore, if we stay focused and remain patient, mainly so that the new formation has a chance to bed in, I think interesting times lay ahead for the Accies, not least with the fast approaching Anglo-Dutch encounter. Anyway I'm always happy to discuss any ideas which might improve the Accies - so long as it doesn't start with the phrase: "You should retire!!!!" - so please feel free to speak to me, preferably after the game.

Up The Accies!!!!!!

YouTube link for the game on 23rd June 2011

Click here!

YouTube link for the game on 2nd June 2011

Click here!

Accies v Atkins/West Wickham musicians at Crystal Palace 23rd June 2011

And the video from 23rd June 2011 at Crystal Palace v Atkins/West Wickham musicians.

Accies v West Wickham musicians at Dulwich 2nd June 2011

Here's the video from the game v West Wickham musicians on the 2nd June 2011.

Insert Joke About "Offensive Tackle" Here

Old Hill Wanderers Reserves vs Swinburne Reserves in Melbourne, Australia. Wanderers player Aaron Eccleston, formerly resident of Macclesfield in the UK, is sent off for refusing to remove his genital piercing. The referee takes him off for a look at the crown jewels before brandishing a red card. I don't actually know whether any Effra players have any such adornments, but Andrew Dade will be checking you all before our next fixture…

Tips For Thorny's Next Half-Time Team Talk

Many of you will have seen this before, but it bears repeated viewing! Warning: the audio is not office friendly! Then Leyton Orient manager John Sitton displays a mastery of man management - does anyone know how they got on in the second half?!

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!

Goal Line Technology

I've checked out the video footage of Yusuf's controversial  goal 9 days ago.

Bilal watched it 4 times and was  fairly sure that it wasn't a goal. - he texted me to say we should offer to chalk the goal off. I watched it and i was 95% sure it wasn't a goal either. Then i slowed it down. To my surprise you can clearly see the ball hit the back of the net and bounce out. It was a goal. 100%*. 

Big thanks to Thorney for his sportsmanship on the day for trusting the Southside player's word. 

(*video clip available on request)

By the way - great performance this Thursday. Thoroughly enjoyable  game vs a decent  Crown Agents side.

Penalty taker distraught; keeper jubilant… and yet…

The slow motion replay of this penalty kick is almost, ALMOST unbelievable... If you haven't already seen this, you will love it. I'm told it's in a playoff final for the Italian Serie D or some such:

From The Archives

If you score the club's first ever 5-a-side hat-trick, which also happen to be your first, second and third ever goals for the team, what better way to mark that achievement than by printing out the intheteam.com news report and sticking it inside a notebook?! Love this jpeg, courtesy of Mr Patterson:

Last week's game… and a new formation

From Mr Thornes:

Firstly, to score six goals for the second week on the trot is no mean feat, so well done. Secondly its nice to get a couple of consecutive wins. Although i'm not really a fan of naming names i did think several players stood out for me. Luis was excellent, especially during the last twenty five minutes of the second half. Barry had a superb second half, looking back to somewhere near his best after a relatively quiet period. Greg had a particularly effective first half, poaching two real strikers goals. Sam capped off an excellent personal week with the goal of the game- a crisp volley into the roof of the net after a Zicoesque aerial flick from Neill. My choice for Man of the Match though, was Dave. Apart from one pass that went astray early in the second half I thought he didn't put a foot wrong. All night he either won the ball, or received it, and then quickly played a short, incisive pass to a team mate. It's exactly how I would like us all to play.

Anyway, along with all the good stuff there was also, unfortunately, lots that should give us cause for concern. The first fifteen minutes of the second half were really poor. We totally stopped passing and moving, against a team that, in reality, were beaten. Our lack of composure and a sense of panic gave such encouragement to the opposition that they could, and probably should, won .With better application, a couple of special bits of skill and a fair amount of luck, we rallied to score three quick goals. Against better teams we will not be able to get out of jail so easily!

Our problems were caused, in my opinion, by two basic failures that it seems we just can't prevent creeping into the Accies general play. The first is that players are still taking too many touches on the ball. It's pretty simple really- if you are taking more than three touches on the ball it's frankly too many. Play it simple and quickly, and then either look to get it back immediately, or make a run which will open up space for someone else. It's so infuriating simple. When we don't do it it makes the game so difficult.

The second is, in essence related, to the first. It's the seemingly pathological desire we have to hit long, low tariff, 'Hollywood' balls. They almost never come off and usually only succeed in giving the ball back to the opposition. It's really something we have to stop doing as a team. It's high risk, distupts the pattern and structure of the team -as it stops us moving the ball up the pitch in small compact units- and shows a real lack of patience and composure. As I said at half time last week, if we keep the football results will take care of themselves. It may sound strange but we shouldn't be concentrating solely on winning, but rather on keeping the football and playing as a team. I feel sure if we all give this some thought before games we can develop improve dramatically.

On a final, and more positive note, in the next couple of weeks we are going to attempt to implement a new formation for the Accies. It has to be said, I normally don't believe in making football any more complex than it needs to be, and hence am not usually keen on tinkering with formations. Such a change of thinking has come about for two reasons. Firstly, 4-4-2 almost certainly isn't an option when we play the Dutch, as they always play 3-5-2, which leaves our midfield exposed and overrun. Secondly, we really need a plan B, as its too rigid for us to always rely on 4-4-2, particulrly if things are not working out. We are going to try and learn to play 4-2-3-1, which isn't anywhere near as complex as it sounds. I'm going to be sending an email out in the next few days explaining how I foresee this system working, and we will probably give it a first run out on the 16th. If anyone wants to chat to me about this, or anything else for that matter, I'll be a round after the game this Thursday. Otherwise here's looking forward to a great game this week against a team I don't think we have had the pleasure of playing before.

Up The Accies.

Forza Ladywell - New Friends Of Accies!

This isn't a match report - my ability to recall any football match I've played in is appalling. This is instead just a few words about why we should all take a moment to reflect on the utter brilliance of life in The Accies.

It was a great game last night. OK, a bonus that the Accies won - but plenty of work to do on defending corners I think.

For me the night was a bit unusual - a bit special even, as a few things happened that haven't really happened before.

Already in a great mood having seen the rain stop and the sun come out and having turned up really early and being the only Accie to do so, I bumped in to a large group of lads clearly there for a game of football. I said hi, asked if they were playing us and straight away was chatting away to a really nice, friendly bunch of lads. Ladywell FC.

They were genuinely interested in the history of the club - and if anyone ever wondered what my role as "club figurehead" ever meant I actually did - then rest assured that this team's first impression of the club was one you can be proud of.

We talked about their jaunts over to Belgium to play a team out there - about how welcoming and accommodating their Belgian hosts were. The similarities were clear to see, as I talked through the Rotterdam connection and the more recent Spain connection.

You could see us all already setting the thoughts in motion of some kind of European tournament involving all teams...

I've heard that during the game there was friendly banter. A welcome addition to the Accies oppo list has clearly been found. Even with some iffy Accies challenges and one yellow card for Barry, they did not lose their temper or complain. I only once heard "come on lads, this is meant to be a friendly". I have heard about clashes between players ending in each player asking if the other was OK.

Later on, the few Accies that went to the pub and it was great to see the entire Ladywell team in there also having a beer. More friendly banter ensued in the pub.

A great bunch of lads - a similar team to the Accies that we should look forward to playing again soon, both on the Dulwich Astro and on the grass at Palace.

Finally - having supped a couple in the pub after the game, Accies No.3 Stuart Dade and I arrived at West Dulwich train station slightly early thanks to a lift by the scorer of one of Ladywell's fine corners, Neill Robertshaw.

With 10 mins to spare until the our trains were due to leave I spotted a small bar through the glass doors of the Indian restaurant at the station. We popped in, explained we weren't eating and had about 5 mins before our trains left but asked if we could just have a pint. No problem! So, a fine night capped off with an unexpected cool pint of Cobra!

Stu is already cooking up a plan to pre-order and have a curry in there one Thursday night after the game - maybe after our final game on the Astro...? I'm in!

Anyway, there you have it.

Not a match report but a quick blog on how I am feeling right now. Proud to be an Accie and chuffed to have met another bunch of like minded lads who I suspect will soon become regular opposition.

Oh, and also pretty pleased to have seen us put a losing run behind us in style. As my facebook status says right now:

"Andrew Dade is a ten goal thriller six-four winner!"

Up The Accies!

Remind me, where is this Dulwich College pitch?

So we're back at Dulwich and as the pitch is book from 7pm-9pm, it's vital that we're warmed up and ready to kick off at 7.30pm on the dot. If you need a reminder of where it is (Dulwich College Sports Club, Pond Cottages, Dulwich SE21 7LD - 020 8299 9292), have a look here and/or see this handy map (we play on "ASTRO 1 FLOODLIT):

Now all we need is a nearby pub!

He may be AWOL from the Accies*, but at least he's still practising those sitting in a dark room supping lager skills.

*OK, so not actually "AWOL" any more. And he did come down to Palace the other day to watch...Still - always good to keep up to speed on his activities.

This just in: Barry G to swap squad numbers with Spuds?

Accies number 21 Steve Spurdens is easily our most yellow-carded player, so according to the below Opta stat I spotted on Twitter just now, he should take Bazza's number 5 shirt for his own - especially as, to my recollection, Barry has never been booked while playing for the Accies…

OptaJoe Opta Sports

5 - The squad number that has picked up the most yellow cards in the PL this season is number 5 (73), ahead of 4 (67) & 6 (64). Trend.

O(M)G

Thanks to Simon for pointing out this own goal, which is definitely worse than my one in the game before last! And also worse than the one scored by a West Wickham Musician in the last match, which goal Bobby will be disappointed to hear was taken off him by the Dubious Goals Panel… Anyway, enjoy this wonder strike:

When the Accies win a cup, we treat it more carefully than Real Madrid…

Last night's Copa Del Rey win - The Guardian website went with the terrific headline "their cup runneth over"…! There's some good footage here too.

Win Vs Southside XI

Thanks for the match last night. Good to see the Accies returning to form. I probably shouldn't have rested 6 first team players but I need them fresh for the big Southside vs Dynamo Kebab clash on Monday night.

I'll remind our LB of the stats, Dave - and I've told Scott about Steve's bet that Scott won't score next game against Effra - apparently Greg and Neill R have 'worked Scott out'.

I'm away for a couple of weeks but i'll be back on 5th May for the match against.... erm.. Southside.

See you then.

Optabulous

Statattack: with his hat trick last night, less than a third of the way through 2011, this is now already Perre's most potent year in front of goal. He now has a quarter of a century of 11-a-side goals, having scored twice in 2008, 6 times in 2009, 7 times in 2010 and 10 times already this year. As Simon pointed out on the way to Palace last night, Gary White's record of 26 goals in one calendar year is a realistic target for both Perre and Sam, with Perre's three-goal haul obviously boosting his chances of breaking that record…

Win Vs Southside

Great result last night, fellas. Someone remind their left-back of the score and overall head-to-head record.

Keep the home fires burning

Having clocked up another month in exile, I'm beginning to really miss the football culture and all that goes with the Thursday evening at Crystal Palace stadium. There are three things that keep my spirits up:

1) The Accies blog -- its great to read about the team - more match reports please. Seeing poor Joe's ankle sprain made me wince, but, hey, why not play in goal...?

2) ...Spurs 'progress'... it seems that they need another pair of safe hands. I do love 'Arry's we can do it '0-4 from the first leg' attitude.
szólj hozzá: T0-1R

3) I've joined a local team so more news when the first game KO. Last week's game was called off due to rain. I told them I was a centre-forward.

Wolfie.

And you thought Sam's penalty was good!

Well, actually I thought Sam's penalty was one of the best penalties I've ever seen. Let's face it - he SMASHED it into the top of the net. The confidence to hit it that hard and keep it on target was fantastic. Especially as their keeper is decent.

So, yep - a great pen for Sam (which we dedicate to crocked penalty taker Joe Sene), but I think you've been slightly outdone by this one Sam!

One of the Southside lads filmed a bit of last week's game. Here's one of the Effra goals. 

For the sake of editorial balance, click here for a link to the Southside Blog where you'll find one of the Southside goals. Hope to  see you all in the next couple of weeks.

"Sorry Harry, but I'm unavailable for tonight's game"

So this is what a sprained ankle looks like kids!

Rotterdam 2011: Date Confirmed! Spain 2011: Date Unconfirmed!

We will be playing the away leg of the Anglo-Dutch Cup on Saturday 3 September, so if necessary I would advise you to book Friday 2 September off work! Meanwhile, we will hopefully be playing in Spain on Saturday 22 October - to be confirmed.

It remains to be seen when the home leg vs the Dutch will take place – summer or winter is about as much as I can narrow it down right now. Watch this space…

148 Career Accies Goals Between Them

This week I finally got round to presenting ex-Accies strikers Graham Dietz and Oscar Patterson with commemorative Effra shirts featuring their names and former squad numbers. The shirts were purchased way back when, in preparation for one of the aborted 10th anniversary events. Both gents were proper chuffed (as you can see from the photo) to have their very own Accies replica tops, a reminder of the days when they regularly banged them in during 5-a-side and 11-a-side matches. They each managed 74 goals in the various disciplines, totals that were only recently overtaken by Joe Sene, now on 76 career Accies goals. It remains to be seen whether Gza or Osc will ever get goals number 75…

Last week's game… and a step forward

Your Captain Speaks:

A much improved performance by everyone on Thursday. It was great to see such a positive response. A few highlights worth a mention. Firstly, Joe's excellent goal, apparently with his wrong foot. Secondly, Barry and Greg put in another solid performance at the back, which, allied to a resurgent Phil A, mocked the fact that we conceded four goals- dont even get me started on the ref ! I also thought our industry and desire all over the pitch was hugely improved from last week, and we were very unlucky not to get something out of the game against yet another team who were quite clearly, man-for-man, significantly younger and fitter. I hope we can carry this on for the next few games, as they are going to provide a very stiff series of tests.

First up is Sam's Saturday team, which we know is always a tough challenge, although I do feel we might be able to spring a surprise and get something out of the game. Next is another game against Southside. We know what to expect here, and after the last defeat we inflicted on them, I'm sure they will be very focused. We need to be equally determined and remember that there are no easy games, no games where we can afford to be complacent, especially as we have lost one-nil to the two poorest teams we have played this year. Anyway good stuff from last week and lets keep up our levels of effort and intensity.

Up the Accies.

Oh, and a quick apology for the third goal we conceded Thursday. I was totally at fault, giving Tremayne a badly underhit pass that put the back four under pressure and lead directly to the goal ! Sorry !

[Editor's postscript: collective responsibility for goals conceded, Thorny! Besides, I was culpable in letting the goalscorer give me the slip and make too much space for himself in our penalty area, so you definitely can't take total responsibility!]

Do you do extras, Luis?

Two posts in a row referencing the Accies number 6, blimey. I recently took possession of a bundle of Accies photos and videos spanning the past two years or so and I'll bung stuff up from time to time to keep myself and whoever else is paying attention amused. This video stands out from the crowd – Luis giving Luke some late-night TLC in Rotterdam in 2010…

It happens to the best of us, eh Mr Sandoval?

This hilarious clip of Balotelli vs bib reminds me of Luis on a 5-a-side night long ago, having a similar struggle with the garment... Hope this doesn't cause unpleasant flashbacks, Luis!

When Losing Doesn't Feel So Bad

We lost by one goal last Thursday and we lost by two goals last night. But last night's defeat was much easier to swallow than the 1-0 vs Tremayne's mates and the mood after the game and in the pub was virtually indistinguishable from if we’d have won 3-0. Why? Because last night we played like a team, we pulled together exactly as we needed to and tried hard to play the game the way we want to play it. We all seemed to want the ball, we all tried to to do the right things on and off the ball. We all tried harder, but in a more focused, working-as-a-team way, rather than toiling in vain as 11 individuals who happened to be on the same pitch, as happened at times last week.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, of course, far from it – we gifted them a couple of their goals, which made the difference between getting a result and losing. And there were times when we didn’t get close enough to each other to make the short passing game easier, and times as per usual when our short passing was below par. But it was an improvement from the previous week and the feelgood factor was in evidence. There are few more enjoyable things than seeing a well-executed Accies attack, two or three passes, maybe a one-two, some excellent decision making leading to a chance or a half-chance. From my left-back berth I often get a terrific view of these flowing moves (and on rare occasions I’m even involved in them!) and it really is a pleasure to watch. We all love playing football together and when we get it right, it feels amazing, collectively.

No one likes losing, but if we have to lose matches, last night was the way to do it. Hopefully we can improve again next week against Sam’s team and get a result. Stick together, listen to what Thorny says and try our level best not to forget everything we ever learned about football as soon as we cross the white line! Every time we’re together on the pitch we must try to do the right things and help each other from whistle to whistle.

We’re finally playing regularly against teams at a similar level of competence to ourselves, which is giving us the chance to enjoy our football more than ever before. Long may that continue. And if you'd offered me "goals scored: 24, goals conceded: 21" after 11 games, I'd have snapped your hand off. Up the Accies!

Last week's game… and a few steps backwards

Posting on behalf of Captain Andrew Thornes. Usually I get a chance to tidy up/edit Andy's posts but no such luck on this occasion, so this is straight from our leader's mind!

I would hope everybody invovlved with last weeks game was as disappointed as I was, both with the result and the performance. Before getting into some of the issues raised by the game i would like to single a few players out for praise. Firstly, I thought Barry's willingness to go in goal and sacrifice himself for the team shouldn't go unheralded. He made several key blocks and saves and i thought it was typically unselfish of him to offer to go in goal bearing in mind the difficulties he had during his last outing between the sticks. Great character ! Many will point to his mistake on the goal but its worth pointing out that we should have score six or seven, which would have made the goal irrelevant. Secondly, and for the fourth or fifth week in a row, I thought Greg was excellent , both defensively and with his distribution out of defence. I also thought both Steve and Joe spent the evening trying to do all the right things, often being undermined by play that didn't buy into our game plan of 'pass and move'. This brings me rather neatly onto the issue of our game plan, or rather, our seeming lack of it.

Since taking over the role of nominal coach I have tried to keep things simple and slowly introduce three basic principles that will make us a much more effective team, hopefully also giving us better results and greater enjoyment. In case anybody is in any doubt as to what these are I am going to briefly outline them again.

The first thing that I thought needed to be put right was our communication on the field. By and large, and with the exception of the last few weeks, I have felt we have made great, positive strides forward in this area. Our talking is simple, constructive and for the most part effective, giving us the right platform to play decent, attacking football. On Thursday we appeared to forget the lessons we have fought hard to learn. Our talking was poor and most of its was negative, as we either bickered or criticised our own team mates or, as the game wore on, the oppostion. This is something we have to sort out immediately. Fortunately it's very simple to do, especially as we have been so much better in this regard for most of the year.

I then tried to introduce us to simple 'pass and move' football, rather than the incoherent 'kick and rush', 'park' football that had apparently become our default style, Neill and Simon's efforts not withstanding. At times this year we have employed this method with devastating effects. The last few weeks has seen a depressingly familar selfishness creeping back into our play, which culminated in our abject performance on Thursday. We need to be very clear that if players want to take eight or nine touches, refuse an easy pass or not stick to the position you have been asked to play it will be a long, cold evening on the bench. I can promise this is not an idle threat, as I am deeply committed to being fair to everyone in the club and this type of play brings down the level of the whole team for the cause of greedy, selfish individualism. The game is really simple- find space, receive the ball, control it, look up, pass the ball and move into space again. We may not win every game playing like this, as there are always players and teams more skillful, physically fitter or better organised, but we will be A TEAM ! I am not prepared to see a majority of hardworking, talented footballers made to seem like 'mugs' against far inferior opposition again. Anyway, the positive side of all this is that I truly believe everyone in the squad is crucial and can make a valuable contribution to the team, so we all start with a blank slate this week and hopefully a clear idea in our heads of how we can all improve.

The third change in the Accies overall approach to the game i have tried to introduce is to make us more compact, and therefore harder to break down defensively. This we have tried to do by dropping into a default postion of two banks of four situated in our own half, with two strikers hovering around the half way line once we lose possession. On Thursday this was not really an issue, as the opposition really didn't have any meaningful attempts on goal except for Tremayne's speculative, miss-hit cross ! This aspect of the game becomes very easy to implement if communication and a 'pass and move' attitude are in place, so i wont dwell on this element of Thursday's game.

Anyway, there we have it. By Thursday the cartoon steam will have hopefully stopped rushing from my ears and we can get back to playing real, committed football. For myself i can't wait for Thursday to come round and get last weeks horror show out of my system. So let's be positive, as we have played some great stuff this year. We just need to get back to the mentality we had in December, January and most of February. Turn up, enjoy seeing friends old and new, play as a team, giving everything for each other on the field and then, possibly, a beer or two afterwards in good company. Maybe I am a bit simple but that seems to me like a recipe for enjoyment..............

Up the Accies.