Team: Mazurkiewicz, Wrigley, Waite, Macdonald, Ledbury, Glover, Roosen, Eriksen, Wright, Harbusch, Shiono.

Goals: Glover (p), Harbusch Reporter: Frank Harbusch

What a difference in the weather to the last time we played in Tourinnes-St-Lambert we thought! A mild and beautiful late October day, the birds were singing….sorry Dave.

A bare 11 for Vets 1 as usual for the last weeks ( if even 11) arrived very late due to a problem on the E411. Fortunately Brian Lewis came along as a supporter and took the administrative tasks of the captain’s shoulders. The pre-match team talk by captain Harbusch is also becoming shorter every week since we have found our system with playing 3-5-2 and everybody knows more or less what is expected of him. So amazingly there was even a little time for a warm-up this time.

Tourinnois was on equal points before the game and we intended to change that to our favour. We started well with putting the pressure on them from the beginning. Ledbury and Glover bossed the midfield giving Harbusch the opportunity to support our two strikers of the day Shiono and Wright. We had more of the ball, but the last pass was the problem in the beginning so not many chances on both sides. We started having the game more and more under control. Sammy “Kamikaze” Shiono was holding the ball well. Roosen and Eriksen doing a good defensive job on the wings and the back three played rock solid not giving them the slightest chance. Well, and then they scored out of the blue. A free-kick from 30 meters blistering past the wall and hitting the inside of the post with leaving Mazza without any chance. The (rather big) crowed loved it and the constant abuse against us from the side line was getting louder by the minute. Now, 4-5 weeks ago this game would probably have been lost. But the confidence and believe is back in the team and the response was strong and immediate. We shifted up one gear, pushed Tourinnois in their own half and created some good chances by the minute. Neil Wright was stopped by their excellent keeper on a one-on-one, a short range shot from Harbusch was blocked by the keeper, a strong header From Glover just a little to high and finally “Kamikaze” Shiono was brought down for a clear penalty. Everybody knowing our team will also know that is NOT the moment to claim the ball of Stewart Glover unless you want to get bellied down and stamped over. So what is usually happening is that 9 men are walking back to the middle line - I wonder how what the opositions' keepers are thinking in these moments- while Stewart does what he always does from the penalty spot…score. Half-time it was shortly after the equalizer.

Half time talk was brief and clear. Just continue what we have been doing and we would win this game. The only danger for us in the first half were free-kicks and corners so we decided to avoid these situations as much as possible in the second half. Naturally, they started more offensive and the game was coming a bit closer to our box. They had some technically good offensive midfielders and wingers, but with none of them nearly good enough to trouble our back three. Again the only danger were corners since they pushed forward everybody on these rare occasions, but Scott “Tower of Power” Macdonald and Paul “try again” Wrigley were winning the crucial battles in the air with Roger “Mr. Reliable” Waite picking up the garbage.

You have to give them the credit that they tried to win the game, but that it is also why they lost it at the end. They pushed up, but did not have the pace to cope with our breaks with Neil Wright and Sammy Shiono teasing their full-backs more and more and Harbusch getting the space he wanted. Harbusch having missed one lob, a second lob saved with the “hand of god” by one of their defenders who was also last man with the Ref (yes Pierre) not seeing it finally scored the winner from just inside the box sliding in on a ball that looked lost after a first bad touch. The team did hold on to the lead comfortably over the last 10 minutes for a third win out of the last four games.

Nice day out, nice win and nice perspective with only 4 points of 2nd placed team New Inn who we will play at home next Saturday!

MOM: Sammy Shiono