Team line up : Adams, Waite, Morris, Wrigley, Ledbury, Bannon (Capt), Yearsley, Dehombreux, Gutierrez, Harbusch, Hoskins.

Subs: White, Eriksen, Taylor

Well, after endless hours of talking and miles of script written in the press, the time was now upon us to see where we stand in a the rarified atmosphere that is, 1st Division Vets football!

Vets 1 had a familiar line-up with the added bonus of successful late fitness tests for Hosky and Simon, strengthening the squad.

However, there was a little mishap when a lean mean Neilo turned up EARLY after a summer of walking the beagle. Whilst waiting for his team mates to arrive he decided to have a pre-match warm-up on the (parallel) bars outside the changing room. With 1 false move he sliced his unprotected head open on a protruding piece of metal. Ooch !

Neilo, being Neilo laughed it off, had a fag and came out of emergency in time for the team talk with the worst botch-up tape job ever seen.

The teamtalk

After enduring the primal tones of e-up Yorkshireman over the last 3 years with cries of get in t’faces, mek em eat mud, kick’em til it t’urts (type of tactics) another Yorkshireman has taken charge, obviously born on t’other side o road from the previous one as his quiet and thoughtful demeanor took most by surprise. The main gist of it was, I think, look for the ball, don’t hide, play with your brains and be patient, sound advice.

We started in a 3-5-2 formation and after about 15 mins of the game we were looking good, reasonably comfortable on the ball, surprisingly having more possession than the opposition and creating 1 or 2 half chances. Simon, Carl and Freddy were working hard in midfield and Capt Deano and Mad Mike looking dangerous when attacking. However, Elan Evere looked comfortable with the ball and had obviously a plan of playing a high defensive line and counter-attacking swiftly. This seemed to be how the 1st half was going, steady build up play by Vets1, break down followed by a swift counter attacking move by the opposition trying to get behind our defence.. Mark Adams stifled 1 or 2 of their break a ways with sharp and agile keeping. They were dangerous if given time and space.

20 mins 0-1

Indeed this is how we conceded. Attacking their goal, they picked the ball up inside their own 18 yard box and moved the ball quickly through midfield and with a great diagonal ball cut our defence in 2 and finished well with a tidy header by their centre forward giving Mark no chance. 5 mins later came almost the same move. After Simon had a header saved by their keeper, a swift counter attack caught us off guard and short of numbers and before we knew it the ball was in the back of our net 0-2.

Maybe we were not used to goals conceded, but it didn’t feel right we were playing decent and we were 2-0 down. Credit to everyone the heads didn’t go down and we created a couple of chances amidst an over-packed penalty Evere penalty area. A nice cross from Mike saw a chance for Franky , but he failed to catch the volley, a difficult one to take. Hosky had a fine chance from a free-kick well saved by their keeper. Then on the stroke of ½ time the killer blow. Again a break away, followed by a diagonal ball, splitting our defence and finishing off with a slightly fortuitous deflection which left Mark with no chance.

0-3 half-time

Capt Dean decided that we needed to shore up the defence and changed to a 4-4-2 formation bringing in Neilo at left–back for PaulW, and Tony on for Frank up-front.

We started brightly again playing some decent stuff. Hosky was winning fouls by the dozen around their box (he has obviously been watching the ‘Dive like Beckham’ DVD ‘s whilst recuperating from his injury sustained last season.

Goal 1-3

A break down the left found Freddy with the ball passed back down the line to Tony who sent a lovely floating ball over their defence, Hosky timed his run perfectly, beat their organized offside trap and slotted the ball home expertly. Deservedly so we were back in the game albeit just!. Another substitution brought Johann on at full back Capt Dean came into the centre and Simon made way, obviously not 100% protecting the bad knock sustained during the Masstricht tournament a couple of weeks earlier. We continued to push, although it has to be said without looking too dangerous.

Goal 1-4

Again the same type of goal, we had a promising move, breakdown, a quick throw by their keeper, and a ball over the top of our high line defence saw their striker with a 1 on 1. Mark did all the right things but to no avail as their forward calmly stroked it under the advancing Mark A.

The game closed out with a spirited Vets1 still searching for the secret

Full-Time 1-4

Lots of things for the new Captain to reflect on. A different class of opposition that’s for sure but a number of positives in the match left the Vets1 squad with a strong spirit and the feeling that there are better days to come.

MOM was a close run thing with Mark A, Hosky and Carl in the mix. Ledboots eventually winning presumably because he gave the best impression of Robert Mugabe on the pitch, thus securing the elusive Mugabe vote, Sorry Paul!!

End