TWFC

No match fees this week as we played in a public park. Each person who played will be credited £2.50 in the accounts to reconcile the automatic charge the system deducts each match.

Players

Mufti

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Johnny, JonF, Niyi

Orange Bibs

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Jorge, Koonal, Steve, Christian (a passerby who asked if he could play)

We arrived at the sports centre to find the pitch in total disarray. We have learned that there is to be a full refurbishment which we should have known about as allegedly it had been up on the indoor notice board for the last month. Johnny's email of 04/06/2015 excellently explains what is being planned by the centre so I have attached his text at the end of this match report (suffice it to say to we seem to be in for a better pitch).

We went to the park with the intention of playing jumpers for goal posts but the ever resourceful Koonal was able to find traffic cones in the park so we played cones for goal posts. The rules were that the cones should be one stride apart and there would be rush keeper and no using of hands. Corners and goal kicks were also included as was the right to play the ball above head height.

View from behind the Bibs' goal

A passerby who appeared to be about 12 or 13 asked if he could play and, breaking our normal conventions, we allowed him. Christian joined the Bibs giving them four against three Muftis. Christian integrated well with the speed of Steve and Koonal and took reasonable directions from Jorge. He had the ability to beat a player once and thereafter would attempt to do the same again until the ball was gently taken away from him by his elders.

The Bibs struck first and, despite Johnny and JonF crafting goals back, by the time Christian had to go the Bibs had built up a healthy 5 - 3 lead. A highlight of the match early on was Steve working to hit a perfect shot from distance. With all of the Muftis out of position and unable to get back the ball headed sweetly towards the open goal. Koonal who was following the shot decided to ease the ball in and inexplicably while tapping it in managed to clear it.

The departure of Christian opened the pitch up and with this perceived extra space the Muftis began to chip away at the Bibs' lead. Despite knowing that hands were not allowed the Bibs opted to ignore this and during the match were punished first with an indirect free kick converted between Johnny and Niyi and then, when the transgressions continued, with three penalties which were converted by JonF and Johnny. An interesting statistic is that since 2012 no keeper is on record as actually having saved a penalty.

The Muftis gradually pulled away despite the fact that they believed they were playing up the slope of the pitch. By 12 - 8 to the Muftis the extra width of the pitch and the different surface took players into different territory for a Wednesday evening match. At 15 - 10 to the Muftis it was clear that we were into extra time but the experience was so enjoyable that it was agreed the game would carry on for another five (it is not certain whether this was to be five minutes or goals). The Bibs announced that they had long suspected the Mufti's goal was smaller than theirs. This conjecture was politely dismissed by the Muftis but they noticed that when they were not looking a surreptitious shifting of one of their cones had elongated their goal to about a pace and a half. This was quickly rectified. The match continued and at 18 - 10 to the Bibs some thought it was all over. It was agreed that there was probably about a minute or so left in the match and as such last goal wins was declared by the team who were behind. Followers of this fixture will know that this can at times be something of a misnomer and is better read as 'last goal wins a bonus point'.

A corner fell to the Bibs. Steve floated it in over the first men who were Niyi and Koonal. Then gracefully Jorge rose like a phoenix and met the ball with a firm header that beat both Johnny and JonF. The reward for the Bibs' resilience was a superb headed goal from a pin point corner.

Score

Half time Bibs 5 - Muftis 3

Full Time Bibs 10 - Muftis 15

AET Bibs 10 - Muftis 18

LGW Bibs 1 - Muftis 0

Match Awarded to the Muftis 18 - 11

Things to Note

Copy of email Thu 04/06/2015 12:18 from Johnny

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Quick update:

confirmed last night to the clubs that they were free to use the pitch for ramadam tournment. Its good news cos they are charging them a lot of money (over 150 matches at £50 per hour he said) which is paying for pitch renovations - these renovations are ongoing next week, then its the tournament, so we return to the sports center in 6 weeks

also quizzed them on the new pitch they are laying which will be ready when we get back and they confirmed;

- gonna be a new fancy 3g surface (like the powerleague i guess)
- gonna be brand new goals, nets and flood lights
- gonna be some new extras high nets to stop the ball through the trees to ghost-dog garden.

the extra high nets are because some poor bloke had the end of his finger taken off by ghost dog when searching for a ball in there - they said it was a broken bottle slicing it off but i don't believe that for a second.

they also warned there will be a price rise come august but they were not sure how much (they didn't think it would be massive though, we will see)

Jon F is to get in touch with powerleague for next week i believe...