Well, well, well, how did we end up here? Four and a half years ago Jack Cryer broke his wrist when he fell over a football. It was the week before the club’s debut and we’d been reduced to four players. We lost 16-2. Fast forward 1560 days, 503 goals, 102 games, 31 debuts, 10 clean sheets and one 11-a-side game, the boys ended another chapter in the club’s history.
Almost a year to the day of their farewell in 2018, the Juniors reunited at Longbenton for their first ever 11-a-side match. It was against their most recent opponents, Hardly Athletic, who the boys had beaten 9-1 on the very same pitch. But this was different. Hardly were an 11-a-side team, playing in their preferred format and on their home turf. The Juniors had never turned out in such numbers, and few had even seen nevermind kicked a football in the entirety of 2019.
Hardly brought a strong squad, as did BJFC. Juniors from all eras came together to form the team. Whilst ever-presents Jake Hawkyard, James Sproston and Harri Saunders were in the XIV, stars of second year Ryan Craig and James Edwards teamed up with final year formidables Rowan Franks and Brad Metcalfe for the first time. All four Queens Road boys were on the pitch together, which hasn’t happened since the 15-6 destruction of AFC Done Him Like A Kipper, and a few frisbee ringers were called upon to add to the squad. They included double-cap winners Sam Griffiths and Tommy Allan, alongside debutant David Steedman.
As two of the club’s four co-founders, Sproston and Hawkyard communicated with The Gaffer to mastermind the formation. Local park rangers found the numbers 3-5-2 shaved onto a raccoon’s behind, and relayed the information onto BJFCHQ, which hadn’t been in operation for months since The Gaffer’s cryptic messages had become infrequent and illegible. It was to be Saunders, Sproston and Griffiths at the back, with a three-man midfield of Edwards, Nicoll and Metcalfe flanked by Van der Hoek and Franks. Craig and Coulthard were to lead the line. Hawkyard was to make his 11-a-side goalkeeping debut. Before the match, Captain Saunders met with makeshift referee Rupert Truman, who competently sipped from a bottle of Newcy Brown whilst he handled the coin toss. It was BJFC to kick off.
At first it appeared that the meticulous tactical planning wasn’t going to pay off, with the three roaming midfielders roaming nowhere near the ball. But soon the boys found discipline and worked the zonal system beautifully. A well-contested first half entertained the 10-strong crowd, with BJFC having their best chances on the break. Coulthard’s nicely-weighted through ball was latched onto by Nicoll who, having seen opposition keeper Wanlai Liu come charging off his line, deftly lobbed the ball into the empty net.
The exact same scenario occurred again moments later, as Craig’s lofted effort bounced over the bar, but it was the Norn Iron man who doubled the Juniors’ lead when he converted from Nicoll’s pass. Nicoll again turned creator, this time through a clearance that bobbled off him and fell to Craig. The team’s No.9 rounded the onrushing 5ft2 keeper and curled in to make it three.
The Juniors improved in the second half, creating more and more chances. Franks and Nicoll fired just wide of the post in quick succession, and pretty much every player in the forward line missed a sitter. Van der Hoek probably takes the prize for the worst of the lot, but Coulthard and Allan firing over and Craig on a hattrick were also close contenders. Hawkyard made a selection of impressive saves, including a whipped in-swinging corner, and further long-range efforts, and kept his nerve on the ball despite occasionally forgetting the rules of the game. Lacking experience in the 11-a-side game, Hawkyard turned up in his outfield kit, which isn’t particularly common practice. He also was confused by the concept of a headed backpass, since the head height rule had so often been imposed in the 5s leagues, but otherwise he had a relatively quiet afternoon. In the end, the lads had to settle for 3-0. And we’d take that all day long.
The story throughout the game was the strength of the Juniors’ midfield. Jack Edwards’ doggedness in the middle was a sight to behold, often turning over possession and occasionally “losing his footing” in a tackle. Nicoll’s consistently effective link-up play created so many chances for the lads, but it was Metcalfe who kept the Juniors in control. As we’d come to expect, his passing range and comfort on the ball were exemplary, starting attacks from the back and often finding a man no matter how tightly he was pressed. Perhaps more impressively, he was defensively unflappable, winning headers and tackles at ease, as well as filling in at centre-half when Saunders went on his wild marauding runs. Griffiths, Steedman and Saunders all enjoyed the odd jolly forwards but were always competent and solid at the back, giving Hawkyard very little to worry about throughout.
If 3-0 wasn’t convincing enough, the match went to penalties, where all but Coulthard bagged for the Juniors. Franks’ outside of the foot finish and Griffiths’ weak-foot effort were two notable finishes in a staggering catalogue. Hawkyard made a string of very impressive stops with his new steel-cladded goalie gloves to take the spoils with a 13-7 shootout victory. A huge thank you to all the Hardly players who turned out and gave us a good game, and we wish Raff Marioni a speedy recovery from his toe surgery. We would also like to congratulate outgoing geeze Dan Haygarth on his tenure at HAFC, and wish him all the best in his retirement.
