I was late to the game, returning from Manchester, and fireworks greeted my journey over Albert Bridge. But it did mean that I missed the first 20 minutes, and apparently absolutely nothing of note happened, except that the oppo hit the bar. So well done to the team of Tys, Burt, Stu, Molby, Sheedy, Ben, Tony, Neil, Nick, Ilyas and Latch for not conceding. And perhaps a mention for Tommy playing the whole game at LB for the oppo, although he did manage to avoid having to make a clearance off the line.
We weren't quite ever at the races though, we must have been in one of the hospitality tents out the back getting hammered instead. Hoff Jnr had a couple of chances in the first half, but their keeper, some fresh-faced chappie, managed a couple of great saves. Their striker Bernie missed a sitter, one-on-one with Tys, but screwed it wide.
In the second half we missed a few more sitters - hit the post, spooned one over over the bar, bounced a header over the bar, some shots wide. Goals are goals you pricks, just stick it in the back of the net.
We finally took the lead, Sheedy fizzed it in to me playing up top, the ball hit my thigh, balls, guts, knob then thigh again before not rolling too far away. I somehow managed to shin it in Ilyas's general direction who was probably a yard offside. However he was being marked by their right back Lee, and he's a dickhead and I don't like him nor rate him so I didn't say anything. Illy ran on, their left back Tim (that's not his name, he just looked a helluva lot like a bloke I met once called Tim) came over to bother him, and Illy gave him the ol' danceroonie, a few shoulder drops, a few stepovers, before smashing it left-footed (natch) straight at the keeper. He had it covered, but some beautiful late movement, like a Terry Alderman outswinger (if only he hadn't busted his shoulder, eh?), bamboozled the keeper and left him flapping at air, the net rippling nicely behind him. Lovely stuff.
We pressed for another, but still couldn't score, missing a number of chances - I thought I said goals are goals you pricks? Tony, Nick and Hoff Jnr struggled a bit, Tommy in particular having the Hoff in his pocket. It was left to Neil to drive us on for the most part.
As eight o'clock rolled around Tys dispensed with his gloves and started walking off, happy as ever with a clean sheet, but we of course had other ideas. Sheedy went wandering up the left wing, possession was lost and as Conibear moved over to cover, Molby stepped up to play offside - but the ball went the other way, and Bernie was through one-on-one. I don't know why he didn't just smash the shit out of it, hell, that's what I would have done, but instead he just rolled it into the corner. 1-1, last-gasp equaliser, same as last week, roll credits on Groundhog Day.
In other news, the next tour is to Stuttgart, April 16/17 or 23/24. Jetzt Geht's Los.
If you're reading this but you don't get PubWatch you need to remedy that (looking at you Hoff Jnr), and if you get/write PubWatch but don't read this you need to remedy that as well (looking at you Molby).
