Well the dust has settled after a Sunday that was up there with battles like Modus ,Punjab and Langley Town . Having beat us 3-0 in October ,our visitors Wrottesley had every right to feel cocky ,looking to extend their sequence of convincing victories to ten in a row . Ageing stalwarts Colin ,Hick, Gaz were all unavailable while Anton gracefully stepped aside ' to give youth a chance' . With Jake possibly needing an op , Mozza again helped us out between the sticks . Wrottesley had arrived at the Pavilion before Liam Clark was out of bed , their pre match warm-up at 9.40 incredibly included goal celebrations .Our gaffer Casso responded with a lift of the eyebrows and nipped to the counter for a double cheeseburger with onions , a feeble "where is everyone"? being tapped onto his trusty keypad . We eventually made the pitch but started sluggishly , conceding a soft goal within minutes . So we were 1-0 down by the time I'd made my way to the touchline and I was fearing the worst . We didnt drop our heads however and actually tested their defence with a few through balls .... one sensed a casual attitude from Wrottesley and suddenly we started to win tackles . We harrassed and chased , turning the game to our advantage . The Squirrel and Liam pestered the visitors back 4 , forcing errors . Griff dominated the midfield . not allowing Wrottesley a second on the ball . The half hour that followed was one of sheer guts , determination and energy . The Squirrel took his tally into double figures from close range (Dane assist ) and then Liam Poll flicked the ball on to Griff , who topped an outstanding first half with a great strike . Ricky Owen made it 3-1 on the half hour mark after another pass from Dane but our Tiptoner Mad Rick had to limp off just after with his dodgy knee, Tom Brettle proving an excellent replacement up top , allowing Liam Poll to tuck in . The clincher came before the break as Liam got on the end of a team move to convert Wilsons pass and hit our fourth . At the interval, you could hear the Wrottesley nine-man management team talk from the Pavilion. Casso just told our lot to 'get stuck in ' and popped back for his third hot dog whilst Cooper settled for a fag and a piss in the trees . Our opponents made more of a fist of it second half and did miss a good chance on the hour mark , but we didnt budge one bit , our defence maintaining a wall of defiance that Donald Trump would be proud of . The ref , who had been decent ,suddenly had to limp off and some of the Wrottesley contingent squealed for a replay (!) . One of the afore-mentioned visiting management committee volunteered for the whistle , but even his futile attempt to earn them a morsel couldnt breach our barricade , the other subs Liam and Ryan entering the fray and doing their bit to secure the victory . The performance was one of the most honest and committed displays Ive witnessed at any level of football and those qualities go a long way lads . The Wrottesley chairman made a point of speaking to me after the game and said he had seldom witnessed a side run and chase like we did today . Well done lads , a free weekend and much Brownie points to be gained with WAGS while I take a rare holiday at last . Much love BAZIN x .
