Benalmadena 17th January

Match reports by Rory & Geoff

CHERRIES 3 v BLUES 3 by Geoff

The popularity of WFS continues to have no bounds,  none more so than at Benalmadena with it membership continuing to expand with Ted Pickersgill becoming its 100th member. Much of this due to the hard work of Keith and others, even COVID and Brexit cannot stop the momentum of over 50’s taking up the sport.

An unprecedented 5 new members turned up before play started having seen WFS advertised on the club website. Three of them decided to play play in the slower 6 a side and more correct format of walking football, namely, Ian, Glyn and Pat, the other two Ted and Mike bottling out and deciding to watch instead thereby observing the silky skills of Bambi and Geoff ‘B’! This last minute turn up of new members caused Keith to make hasty changes by way of selecting two games rather than just the one.

For the Blues Eoghan was easily the pick of the bunch both in goal and when playing outfield with his silky passing and shooting. At 3-1 the Blues looked like coming out easy winners until Mike the Alligator,  from Dundee, snapped into action.

One a disputed penalty when he blatantly dived ‘conning’ the match referee KDN which he  then slotted away with ease and the other a screamer from all of 20 yards out to level the match.

The new boys all retired to the bar as is customary and appeared to settle in with ease in such an environment which augers well for the future!

Within the spirit of the game it is hoped the younger end and more established members will help the new ‘old timers’ to adapt to settle in within the next few weeks.

Reds 8-10 Blacks by Rory

There was a great turnout for the football at the polideportivo with enough players for two 7-ish a side contests. At the game nearest the bar, both teams looked strong, and there was bound to be a shed load of tikka-takka intricate play on show. Slide rules at the ready. The reds had a powerful core of Stephen, Big Al, Alvin and Dave. Peter Fish was playing sweeper (no goalies folks!) and Scottish Steve, just in front of the defence where he could control the play out from the back.

The blacks were equally strong, with Darren resuming his impersonation of Carlos Alberto, the legendary Brazilian full back and 1970 world cup winner. Dave and Breck proving a strong combination down the left, Kevo gliding gracefully through the lines and a bustling Steve up front, testing the reds’ defensive resilience.

Keef gave another great example of multi-tasking by refereeing and having some great passing interchanges with Kevo. The game started at a furious pace with both teams threatening the opposition’s goal. While the blacks looked to be shading it early on, the reds produced a sublime bit of interplay before Stephen fired it into the area, where Alvin delivered a fine finish by letting the ball run through his legs and flicking it into the net. What a goal, and it certainly set the trend for the rest of the game.

The match was played energetically by both teams and neither taking any prisoners forcing Keef to step in on more that one occasion to calm things down. The teams were so evenly matched that the goals started to flow at either end. The reds scored another well worked goal when big Al volleyed in energetically from close range.

The ball players came to the fore in both teams with Stephen, Dave and Steve knocking the ball about pleasingly for the reds. Meanwhile, Alvin and big Al always threatened the goal. With Darren and Breck making good progress down the left flank for the blacks, Steve was able to take advantage of a nice pass into the box and slot the ball home.

Neither team was able to break free from the other, although the reds had to thank Peter for some great work at the back where he truly put his body on the line on a number of occasions. The goals flowed at either end. Inevitably, as the game progressed, the high pace was bound to take its toll on both sets of players. With Dave for the reds suffering some hamstring knack the blacks were gradually able to find more space in the reds’ half. Keef and Kevo increasingly dominated the midfield exchanges and were able to release Rory and Steve to add to their tally. The reds continued to fight to the end, with both big Al and Alvin going close.

However, Darren played a blinder at the back and Dave and Breck provided a good outlet down the left wing, helping to create a number of chances on the break. With the pressure mounting from the reds, the tiring blacks were able to just hold on. What a great game with both teams leaving everything out on the pitch.

Making the Final Score Reds 8-10 Blacks