El Canadon 8th September

Todays Match report from El Canadon by Jim C

WFS Wednesday Group September 7th 10 a.m.at El Canadon.

Back to helter-skelter in the summer swelter, to quote from the old song (name that tune, answer at the end) for this 6-a-side game at the smaller El Canadon pitch in Fuengirola.

I’m not a regular Wednesday player so it was nice for me to see some guys who don’t normally play in my Sunday game, such as Steve Mc and Mark G and it was especially good to meet up for the first time with a new player to me, my fellow Scot, Steve Y. The match was divided into 6 strictly-observed ten-minute periods, while the Reds were playing a change-goalkeeper starting with Cec. in goal for 20 minutes, then Steve Y for 20 and Jim for the final 20.

Team line-ups:-

Reds

Cec. – starting GK
Mark G
Steve Y
Tom
Adrian
Jim C

Blues

Ray – GK
Robert
GI Joe
John
Tony
Steve Mc

The most recent Sunday game was a rather contentious affair with a lot of disputed decisions and raised voices throughout which made it a less than enjoyable playing experience for some of us. The hope was, with that memory still fresh in mind, that this game would be played with cooler heads, but I guess it’s true that mad dogs and Englishmen really shouldn’t go out in the (near-)midday sun, and that applies to Americans too, as sure enough there was controversy and some raised temperatures yet again which got a little in the way of the enjoyment factor. More of that later…

The playmakers for each team were clearly Mark for the Reds and John for the Blues. These two fought out a hard but fair contest all game and probably influenced the game more than anyone else on either team, but there were other fine performances too which will become apparent as this narrative proceeds.

The Reds shaded possession in this period but it was the Blues who took the lead against the run of play with a bizarre goal. Steve Mc ran through the Reds defence, only to be met by Adrian whose clearance cannoned off Steve and then spun crazily past Cec in goals. After the fireworks of the India-England Test Match the day before, Steve wryly christened his effort a googly but he certainly reaped the reward for his attacking endeavour.

This energised the Reds into action and Tom and Jim were prominent in trying to combine to their side’s advantage but weren’t quite clicking at this stage. Nevertheless, Marks influence just in front of his two backs, Adrian and Steve Y was
turning the tide the Reds way and it was he who set up Adrian up for a shot which made up in placement what it lacked in power as it nestled in the corner for the equaliser.

Egged into action, the Reds teamwork improved markedly and they scored two quick goals. First Mark fired in a stunning shot from range which flashed past Ray and came back into play off the stanchion so quickly that some of the players, Ray included, wondered if it indeed was a goal. This time however, unlike Frank Lampard’s ghost-goal for England against Germany years ago, sense prevailed and the goal was given.

Next up was an excellent angled finish from Tom to complete the turnaround and from there the Reds weren’t to be headed.

The Blues, with John rallying his troops, gamely edged back into the game as Robert and Tony now moved forward to support the attack while Joe was using his speed to nuisance effect in the last third. They got their reward when Joe outpaced his marker from a John through pass to fire home and take the score to 3-2.

And then the controversy. A harmless enough ball across the Blues area was probably destined for Ray but Joe opted to help the ball on its way and was immediately called for infringement into the area by Cec, the pre-match appointed adjudicator, who awarded the Reds a penalty. After an almighty kerfuffle, the penalty stood and Mark stroked it home for his own second and his team’s fourth.

Although a timely break was taken, the chirping continued throughout as more people became involved so that the chat dominated the break and indeed continued even after play resumed. Although they seemed more riled by the incident, possibly this annoyance sparked something in the Blues and John got his usual goal, punishing the Reds for slack marking with a sure finish, bringing the game back to 4 – 3. Back up the field went the Reds and Ray made three cracking saves from Adrian, Mark and Tom before Joe was involved in another goal-area encroachment. This one was less contested but this time Ray made a great save tipping the spot kick over the bar.

Jim was now in goal for the Reds and was soon made to work, pushing away a low drive from John and then having his hand snapped back in blocking a fierce point-blank effort from Tony. There was humour as the hurt goalie cried out in pain while the ball rolled slowly out of his area and potentially back into play, not that any of his teammates, least of all Adrian, showed any sympathy for his plight. Then proof that things come in twos when an even stronger shot from John saw him painfully use the same hand to knock the ball over the bar.

The next goal would be crucial one way or another and it was young Tom on what we learned afterwards was to be his last game for the foreseeable future, who sealed the tie with a well-placed shot into the net. He and his young lady are soon to leave the area for pastures new. Tom never gives up no matter the state of the game and has more than once helped us out by turning out at short notice to help balance the teams. He leaves with our best wishes and with a tasty brace of goals to his credit.

And that was it, a 5 – 3 win for the Reds which they probably deserved. You can bet that both penalties and other flash-points were discussed again in the bar area after the finish but this time in a pleasant and more peaceable manner.

Oh and the answer to my earlier quiz-question, pop-pickers was the Don McLean / Tyson Fury classic “American Pie”.

Not ‘arf!