For the first time since July 2009, Olympique LMB won their opening league fixture with a relatively easy win against Blacks Head 5. Despite picking up two early injuries (Phil and Pete), several players returning from the LMB wilderness (Spence, Rowan and Chibbert) and a few cronky legs on show (Patto and Kieran), LMB forced themselves to keep moving and eventually tore apart an opposition who were largely dependent on one gifted player and a rather lucky goalkeeper.
Kieran opened the LMB scoring account for the new Wednesday era with a composed finish, before Phil (2), Rowan (2) and Patto added to the tally throughout the half as they made the most of the poor tracking and some unselfish passing to occasionally beat the flapping keeper, who began to irritate as his elbows and heels stopped numerous goalbound efforts! Blacks Head 5 weren’t completely out of the game and did strike on three occasions through their most talented outfield player, whose shots were struck too hard and low for an unsighted Paul to save as they moved in the air. Pete injured his thigh quite early on and Phil damaged his toe on the boards which is now “huge and black”, but after a scare with Kieran’s knee, LMB were forced to play the rest of the game with 6.
The second half saw LMB put the Blacks Head defence under constant pressure, and finished off the game with some ruthless finishing as mistakes were punished. Patto and Rowan both added another three goals to their individual tallies, with Patto capitalising on a poor roll-out from the keeper to prompt an exclamation of “Oh, you w@nk!” from an opposing defender, while the energetic Staszkiewicz ran onto numerous through-balls (one from Paul’s throw) to finish with aplomb. After setting up several goals, Chibbert grabbed his first of the game from another break that rolled in off the post, while Spence unleashed a precise long distance effort that left the keeper rooted to the spot, before doubling his haul with an intricate twisting effort on the edge of the area. Towards the end Blacks Head 5 got another consolation from long distance, but the LMB defence stood strong and Paul kept them at bay with a string of fine saves and some accurate roll-outs.
It was a toss-up between Rowan and Spence for Man of the Match, but Sicky and I decided to award it to Glass, who miraculously came through his first game in 3.5 months without sustaining any injuries, and produced the most memorable goal of the day!
