TEAM

GK: K. Mercelis

Defence: C. Huber / D. Bernardo / J. Minne (Capt.)

Midfield: M. Billiet / R. McGeehan / A. Hodgson / L. Novak / S. Lamarra

Attack: D. Mineo / N. McGrath

Subs: J. Philpot / T. Godeau / S. Springob / M. Costa

After a seemingly endless hiatus, RBBFC 1 finally opened their eyes on a Saturday morning to Gaaaaaame daaaayyy from capitaine Jean! The long corona wait was over. There was no mistaking it, the best day of the week had returned. Moreover, RBBFC was to encounter their enduring expat enemies, LXG. Without a doubt, this was to be a battle. Every footballer had been itching to get back on the pitch since March. RBBFC had just handled LTC 1 in a friendly and confidence was high.

Regardless of the confidence, the message was to focus on the task, and opposition, in front of us. John, Jean, Rich, and Hodge kept the speeches short and to the point. We all knew what was to be done and we had all been anxiously waiting to get back on the pitch for a league match. With high recruitment during the long off-season, RBBFC had a great selection of starters and, as usual, a strooong bench.

The first half started with good pressure from both sides. The whites knocked it around the back and looked for the strong midfield to make plays and find the right passes. Early opportunities were bountiful for RBBFC as Steve regularly embarrassed his opponent and swung the ball into the box. Unfortunately for RBBFC the LXG keeper only seemed to get better with each passing second. The battle was tight and intense. It seemed clear that the whites were displaying a higher quality but without the final result. LXG continued to press and strong passes together to keep RBBFC defenders and midfielders on their toes. According to James Philpot, on one of the occasions one of LXG’s players turned Chris (Thanos) around and scored a volley comparable to Haaland (love you James, sorry Thanos ). The match reporter cannot verify the veracity of this interpretation, as he was in the clubhouse getting an AA for the ref. 1-0 LXG. The halftime whistle came a few minutes after the goal, infusing the half-time speeches with urgency.

The second half starts and RBBFC seems to have the spark necessary to take it to LXG. Possession is maintained in LXG’s half and the pressure starts to mount. Then, on a swift counter, LXG finds its fastest, swiftest, most capable player on an outlet. He dribbles adeptly and makes an incredible individual effort to beat the defence and slot one in at the far post. 2-0 LXG. If there wasn’t a fire under the asses of RBBFC before, there surely was after conceding the second goal. High pressure, intensity and urgency permeated the whites’ play. For the remainder of the match, the majority of the game was played in LXG’s half. Obviously, this increased the blood pressure of the LXG defenders as they were rarely given a moment to rest. Thomas fell victim to this heightened state of agitation. A ball was played long towards Thomas who has his back to goal trying to make a play on the ball when an LXG defender, who must have been the love-child of Dex and Steve, flew in with a karate knee straight to Thomas’ ribs. The foul was given. Thomas seemed to be in pain but got up to keep going. But he would eventually succumb to the pain of a punctured lung. The game continued and the whites kept winning corners. Then with a sudden spark of ingenuity, RBBFC decided to implement a totally new and unique corner tactic. Send it to the back post towards Nils! Then he heads it back across the box! Booooom! Martino scores a plant-based header! 2-1. LXG never saw it coming. The whites were energized. We could feel the power of Bee Gees flowing through our veins. This is a position not unknown to RBBFC. Down one goal with time on the clock. Of course, we can pull even. The whites keep possession and continue to knock the ball around the back a bit then find Hodgy in the middle who distributed it out wide. We could see that LXG were on their heels. But credit must be given to the opponents. The pressure on LXG did not let up until the final whistle but hey played hard and kept the bus shifting from side to side. Final whistle blew. Defeat in the opening match.

While no one enjoys losing, the post -match festivities exemplified what makes RBBFC so special. There was no time to sulk since there were awards to be presented, champagne to be drank, and songs to be sung. A double honour was earned by Daniele "Missile Helicopter” Mineo who not only made his 150th cap for the club but was also awarded the John Willsher Memorial Trophy as the player of the year. This was followed by our very own club pro/ball snob Luka "hasn’t turned yet” Novak getting his 100th cap. Finally, the club’s tiny terror, the bald bad boy, Steve "watch your ankles” Lamarra joined the 250-cap club. All these individual awards highlight the quality of the players and the club on and off the pitch. No doubt this is a special team, now it is time to capitalize on our quality and continue to work for another star, so Jean has to get new apparel to proudly display our dominance.

MoM and reporter: Spencer Springob