This was our eighth match of the season, twice the number of games we managed last season. Hurrah! Yet COVID continues to stalk our playing fields, to plague our buvettes. Contact tracing had Captain Lolo take a test but the (negative…) result came through too late to allow him to join us. VC Rice, fresh (well not exactly) from a night out at Oktoberfest Madou with Christensen gave a very short changing room team speech and then dashed outside to gasp down the fresh Anderlecht air.

Despite being a good few hundred metres beyond the Brussels ring and a few metres outside a big yellow sign saying ANDERLECHT, the complexe sportif de Saint Gilles is apparently within Brussels territory where Covid Safe Passes are required. Several of us produced our QR codes, several others produced ‘bonjour’ and strolled on in.

Rafa was concluding a real estate transaction somewhere in actual Brussels and so Gutierrez got the nod for his 170th Vets 1 appearance. Freaking A man! JC was back for his second taste of the big time. With Rafa on the bench was Shiels who, remarkably, was making only his 12th appearance on a Vets1 teamsheet.

Sejersen, Hoskins, Yearsley, Cabaret, Rice and Levionnais were all survivors of our most recent visit to ‘this place that they insist is in Brussels’ in January 2018, a resounding 6-1 win - read all about it here. With the two teams at opposite ends of the table, hopes were high that we could repeat the feat in 2021. For the fifth time this season, however, we had no appointed ref. Ecusson supplied a cantankerous local septuagenarian to do the honours. In fairness, it is a thankless task, so we should be grateful someone was willing to do it.

Damien, still crocked, came to support and to ‘live whatsapp’ proceedings to the rest of the injured and unavailable. He got quite a lot of ‘engagement’ as they say in social media circles.

(Side note stat attack: Damien was one of three people present to have played for every team in the club. Can you name the other two?)

Ecusson started well and brought their dangerous number 3 into the game between midfield and attack regularly. They had a couple of mildly dangerous moments but we were also looking threatening when we got possession. Reporter Dams picks up proceedings:

Dams

*1-0 *Cian (assist Math) (editor note: it was actually JC)

Laurent

Boooooooom

Nel

Black bicep emoji

Will J

Cian Oktobergoalfest!

Dams

Mike injured, Rafa in

Dams

Penalty against us (the ref says Simon touched the ball with his hand) (ed: he did but it was beside his hip and not a penalty)

Saved by Tommy!!!!!!!!

Crazy

Laurent

Tommyyyyyyyyyyyy

Legendary (ed: correct!)

Dams

Penalty for us

Rafa is tackled in the box after two dribbles

Goal from Cian!

2-0

Laurent

Allezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Four party emojis

Dams

2-1

Long ball an the striker comes in front of Tommy (ed: I think he may meant ‘got in front of Tommy’ laughing emoji)

Dams

Simon OUT at half-time, Shielsy IN (ed: Quad tweak)

Ed R

Cian Rice = better than Declan Rice (ed: debatable but at least I’ve never played for England!)

Dams

It’s getting heated

Really heated

2-2

Long ball in the box

Laurent

Pfff

Horacio

Gritted teeth emoji

Dams

3-2

For us

Rafa

He takes the worst shot of his life but the gk has sun in his eyes and let it go in though touching the ball

Laurent

Jean-Claude van Damme dancing sticker

Dams

Weirdest and stupidest goal ever

2vs1 but we fail to score

Oli

Putain coach au lieu de commenter swirling heart emoji

Laurent

Chèvre sticker

Dams

J’arrete pas

Il suffit de jouer avec notre tete et de garder le ballon

Dams

Mat 1vs1 after a superb run on the line misses the target

Oli

Imma shoot him Lolo, I swear (ed: not clear if he means Matt or Dams. Either way, harsh!)

Lolo

Continue Dams

Dams

4-2

Oli

Boooooom

Dams

Mat

Laurent

Moreuil comme dans un fauteuil!

Dams

Totti intercepts the ball in defence and give it to Mat 1vs1

Good finish this time

Final score!!

Lars

Clapping emoji by three

Marcelo

Fantastic….Well Done!

Dams

3 deserved points

The criticised reporter goes back home

Bye ladies kiss emoji

Laureent

My vote is for Damien MOM (ed: JC got it on a tie-break from Totti!)

Tommy Sejersen; Simon Yearsley (Paul Shiels) – Ian Hoskins – Alessandro Giunti – Cedric Cabaret; JC Thuan – Matthias Lehmann – Thierry Levionnais – Mathieu Moreuil (4-2); Mikey Guitierrez (Rafa Cremades (3-2)) – Cian Rice (1-0, 2-0).

Mom - Thuan