Match Report
Childcare, Geography and Car Maintenance problems for Killen, Crutchley and McNay (though not necessarily in that order) turned the skipper into Cilla Black as he gave Surprise Surprise starts to Bodey in central midfield and Yates up front. The round of applause for his 50th birthday at the start of the match was much appreciated and inspired him to the type of early save which a younger man would have made in his sleep but has proved problematic for him as his mid-life crisis has gone into full swing.
With fifteen minutes gone, the Vets took a much deserved lead. Yates played an incisive pass which invited the Chairman to nip past the right back, Step Inside Love and hammer a fantastic shot into the roof of the net. This was a luminous green Nike boot week and long may they continue. Chances came and went and although the first half was fairly evenly balanced, 1-0 up at half time felt slightly less than the Vets deserved.
Killen, having finished his Blind Date with Phil Gibbons and his memorial ground (admittedley not as bad as Matty Gray and Malvern), had by now arrived. He announced his arrival with a number of overhit passes which Eddie Jones was kind not to moan about, but had just started to make a positive impact when his hamstring went.
Meanwhile the Vets’ high pressing game (you read it right) led to a stray Essemmay pass which Green Boots latched on to, surged forward and calmly slotted for his second. Game over or time to self-destruct? Well mostly the latter. The offside controversy that afflicted Liverpool v Spurs on Sunday was nothing compared to Jim Bailey versus RvP, as one of those one-man-offside-doing-nothing, the-other-onside-scoring incidents arrived. RvP should have been marking the onside man bit decided instead to stand still and moan and complain instead. Not for the first time this season.
Time was running out, the Vets moved to 4-5-1 (it never works) but were still being overrun on the flanks. With moments left the ball was whipped in from the left flank (this time the President moaning about offside, albeit after the event) and a last minute eqauliser prevented the search for a 2018 win. Anyone Who Had a Heart would have felt for the home side.
Confronted about his un-Rambler-like attitude in the bar afterwards, RvP said that in the absence of McNay he felt someone had to fill the role. He got a lorra lorra laughs for that comment, but unlike the HAC report, he won’t be sending this one to his Mum.