St. Joe's Teachers 2
Williams (2)
Tommy More Old Boys 3
Jackaman, Robinson, Samways
FKG Arena
Attendance: 6
St. Joes named a strong starting XI with a solid and experineced defence, and two pacy forwards looking to cause problems with the supply coming from a flat 4 midfeld. A last-minute transfer meant tommy more old boy Tom Mac switched shirts and deputised on the right for the teachers.
The old boys made some surprising changes, with captain Jack Murphy filling in at right back and electrically-coiffured debutant Lydon taking the left back role. Contrary to midweek rumours, tommy more played to a sensible and structured 4-4-2, not the experimental formation quoted in the midweek previews. The now familiar centre back pairing of Champion and Gainsford completed the back four, with Mark the Spark wearing the 'keeper gloves for the first half. The original no. 7 Dicky Lake kept his spot on the right wing, with Chandler playing on the opposite flank and Samways and Jackaman controlling the midfield. In attack was the new partnership of Mizen and Robinson, contributing pace and touch to a well-balanced side.
The game started at a slow pace, partly due to the hot and dusty conditions at the FKG as the pitch suggested that the hosepipe ban was being adhered to in this part of Lee. The old boys had the lions share of the possesion but the teachers defence, marshalled by the imposing Norman 'Gladiatore' Cole were keeping any glimpses of goal to a minimum. Robinson had two speculative efforts, and half chances fell to Samways, Lydon and then Mizen, while at the other end the teachers didn't test the keeper at all.
Then the breakthrough. After a few good crosses from Lake had not been met by a tommy more head, full-back Murphy suggested he held the ball up to allow the midfield to get into the box in a Cahill-like fashion and cause problems. The idea worked first time as Lake waited for an overlapping run from the skipper which duly came. Beating the left back with his first touch, Murphy chipped in a perfect cross which was met expertly by Jackaman, arriving late in the box and guiding it into the left corner. The goal had come just before half time and so the old boys took a deserved lead into the break, and Murphy got the short straw and took the gloves, making his second appearance in a green shirt.
Whatever was said in the teachers 'dressing room' at half time is as yet unknown, but it worked a treat. Within 10 minutes of the restart they had turned the game on its head. First a speculative high ball out from defence caught Champion and Gainsford off guard and Justin Williams burst through the middle to apply a simple finish and draw the game level. Totally in contrast to their assured first half display, the defence was caught out again five minutes later, this time with a ball through the middle. The lively Junior 'Didier' Hamlin took the ball away from Champion who then cleaned him out with a near waist-high challenge. The whistle sounded immediately, sparing the blushes of Gainsford who had inadvertedly stabbed the loose ball into the top left hand corner. A confident Williams strode up and dispatched the penalty cooly into the roof of the net to give st joes a lead which had looked unlikely just 5 minutes previously. The old boys were even down to ten men for a short period as Chandler left the field, thankfully it wasn't another sending off for the bad boy of the team but was to fetch the ball from a bush. Whilst off the field the teachers right winger Elijah Amman who had been recieving treatment jogged back onto the pitch to join in an attack without the consent of the referee. Luckily for the old boys it came to nothing as a third goal at this stage would've surely killed the game.
Tommy more now needed cool heads as they knew they had the time and the ability to win back the lead. And win it back they did. Samways and Jackaman wrestled control of the midfield back from the teachers and it was Jackaman's precise through ball to Robinson which created the equaliser. Being restricted to only a few sights of goal in the first half meant the pressure was on the teenage striker as he raced clear, but he didn't choke and instead slotted the ball to the keepers left to set up a tense finale.
It was in a period of two minutes that the game swung. Turning Gainsford in the box, Williams powered a left foot shot towards the near post but Murphy reacted in the feline style of Matt Raines and the ball was cleared. From the resulting attack Jackaman found space on the edge of the box and sent a low cross to Samways. Despite his sight being obscured by some stray hair, he applied a controlled finish with his right foot to send the old boys delirious as they re-took the lead. Mizen squandered a golden chance to seal the game in the dying moments but it didn't matter as the final whistle blew soon after and a fifth win in six was achieved by tommy more.