Match Report
A lack of on-field discipline saw Mornington dropped to the 1st XI, but his misdemeanours were overshadowed by the Chairman not even arriving on time for kick off. This, though, gave Kendall an unexpected start in the engine room of central midfield and he did not disappoint.
In short, but for 5 calamitous defensive errors, this would have been a comfortable victory. The first came with ten minutes gone, when the Vets had in fact been on top. Then came a golden period when the Royal Blue Nomads were pinned back in their own half. Rogers eventually turned up and from one of his well aimed corners, Bodey got involved and the ball then broke to Gorton, who scored his debut goal for the club with a spectacular overhead kick. From another corner the ball broke to Clay, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net to put the Vets ahead.
The lead was held until half time, when the oranges failed to provide their usual lift, and the emphasis, as usual, on the need to concentrate straight from kick off went, as usual, unheeded.
Soon 4-2 down, the 4 original subs of Bagley, Kendall, Warren and Murphy added a much needed boost of experience. The 240 plus years they brought onto the pitch with them forced the Nomads onto the back foot. Clay brought it back to 4-3 with another well taken goal and it was game on until another defensive slip took the game out of our reach at 5-3.
Still, given the atrocious conditions this was not a bad performance, which was also notable for McNay failing to come close to a booking. His apology for last week’s yellow card is below.
“Dear President,
I am very very sorry for getting booked against the old men of Convocation last week. At 0-0 I found myself horribly out of position and without the pace I think I once had (I’m wrong), I had no choice but to make a foolish shout for offside. It didn’t work and the opposition scored. You know me, once I start moaning I find it very hard to stop, and I am increasingly finding myself at fault for goals which once upon a time would not have happened. I just carried on moaning, hoping that my teammates would think it was the Ref’s fault, not mine. I know it’s wrong of me to think my teammates are stupid enough to think that but I can’t help myself.
I promise to try to do better, maybe that idiot captain of ours might start playing me up front instead.
Yours,
Peter”