TWFC

We thank Eddie117 and MSGomes for picking teams on the night. The process of captains alternately picking a player one at a time took me back to school days.

Prior to the match, John, one of the sports centre's coaches, showed Niyi a new way to stretch which involved placing ones leg on a crouching person's shoulder who would then slowly stand up. We thank John for introducing this new exercise to us. I recommend that everyone tries this exercise at least once.

Eddie117 lined his team up to strike at the heart of the Blue Bibs. As best as I can remember, Mash10 was to go down the right, Jumhal was to go down the left and Ellislewis123 was through the middle. This wide pitch then had Eddie117 as another attacker and BILZ96 asked to be the line of defence with a licence to come move forward. Given that BILZ96 is an accomplished striker, and he and Eddie117 could also feed assists, there was a clear attacking emphasis to the team. Basically Eddie117 defends from the front. One might say the duty of an Eddie117 team is to make the opposition so focused on defending that they can't attack. As a child I recall being told that was how the great Brazilian teams played in my parent's era. It is also immortalised in the song Vindaloo, by Fat Les, in the lyric "We're gonna score one more than you".

In the first half of the match Mash10 and Ellislewis123 were scoring like Germany v Scotland at Euros 2024. Mash10 would rifle the ball into the net from the right wing. Ellislewis123 would pick his way through the center and put the ball into the net. These goals were enough to deflate any team but to make it worse Jumhal, who is a sort of total football player for all positions, was sitting back with BILZ96 and as the fancy took him he would rove down the left wing like a reaver and mirror Mash10's goals from the left side.

Stop press! Can anyone truly 'rove like a reaver'? If anyone can Jumhal can. Even if it is an oxymoron, how else can you describe a player who is one second at his own penalty area then the next scoring at will?

Anyway dear reader there seemed to be simply nothing the Bibs could do, even if they mounted an attack it would be snuffed out by BILZ96 and shots, to quote Fabiocc17 from matches gone by, seemed to hit the keeper. The catalyst was also that the playmaker Eddie117 would consistently chase back after anyone who got past him. This may have taken the opposition quite by surprise and it definitely took their time away from them. OK I have run out of superlatives and comparisons for the Dark Tops. Halfway through the match the score was

Dark Tops 7 - 0 Blue Bibs.

A few months ago, the losing team might have dropped their heads, a bit of infighting might have occured and someone would have said the sides needed to be changed. With the advent of Terrordome those days are gone. Also, everyone knows that no player in the history of the club could dare say that MSGomes captaining Elvis, Hagenius, Israel90, JonF and Leonalexis is a team that you spank 7 - 0. Surely if anyone even dreamed that they would have to wake up and apologise.

In the second half of the match the Blue Bibs knuckled down and started to at last score goals. MSGomes warned Niyi he would punish him for being smug in the first half. JonF smashed the ball through the keeper at just the perfect height that it could take his head off if the gloves weren't brought up in time. MSGomes nodded in a ball, saved from a shot, to bring his club tally to two scored headers. The Blue Bibs then went to their next level and reminded the Dark Tops' keeper of his shortcomings. At one point the Bibs brought the score back to

Dark Tops 14 - 7 Blue Bibs

So, yes, the Bibs were scoring but this meant the Dark Tops could now hit them on the break. When a team is seven goals ahead they only need to score one goal of their own for seven of their opponents in order to win. There was a further quick fire period when the Bibs completed a series of easy nutmegs of the Dark Tops' keeper.

By the time the next team opened the gate the Blue Bibs were in the ascendency but the score was

Dark Tops 15 - 10 Blue Bibs

The Bibs are commended for fighting to the end, but the damage had already been done by the formation that Eddie117 made and the perfect execution of the Dark Tops in the first half.

We must now contrast the Attacking Mindset formation (it does not have a name yet) with Terrordome - the difference seems to be a Mike Tyson victory compared to Oleksandr Usyk. One will pummel you and the other will systematically absorb you then take you apart. Somewhere in between is the Fury - Joshua style of Georgeball. The club is in rude health when it comes to styles and practitioners. Only time will tell which will prevail.

Final Score

Dark Tops 15 - 10 Blue Bibs

Match awarded to the Dark Tops.

Let's do it all again next match at Tottenham Wednesday FC