After a disappointing 1-1 draw in the cup at Red Bee the week before, The Owls were looking for a return to form and hungry for goals against a much-changed Dynamo Santos team from the one that had faced them in PPR's second game of the season in which the Priory comfortably won 5-2. The crowd, Owly and PPR's most ardent fan James 'Rudie' Hawkins were expecting goals goals goals.
With the spirit of the naked owl (Carsten forgot the Owl suit) watching on, Priory didn't disappoint and were 1-0 up within the first five minutes. Jackson found his corner returned to him off a Santos head and the Priory captain deftly chipped the ball towards the back post where Gomme rose above the faltering defence and headed into the top corner to take his place as the PPR top scorer. 1-0.
Priory appeared to have learnt a lesson from previous games and didn't sit back after going ahead. They powered on relentlessly and were 2-0 up just 2 minutes later. A Richardson long throw was flicked on by Tricky Desforges and Tom Barnes, on his return to the Priory fold, made it two goals in two matches with a looping header over the Santos keeper.
At this point Santos' regular keeper decided to turn up and their stand-in seemed somewhat relieved to have been subbed off, 7 minutes of football he'd probably rather forget. The change looked to have made the difference for Santos as the new keeper pulled off two great saves from thunderous strikes by Ween. But the winger's persistence paid off and the keeper’s luck ran out Ween latched on to a ball bobbling out of the box after a cleared Jackson corner and fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner. A nice little reminder for the new man in the sticks. 3-0.
Priory were keeping the ball well and playing their brand of football (as much as was possible on the bubbliest pitch in Regents Park) when in the 20th minute they were unlucky to have a handball given against Havers* just outside the box. A poorly struck dead ball found itself deflecting off the wall and into the Priory net.
With the score now 3-1 Priory should have closed the game out, but again sloppiness crept into the Owls' game and a Nils' complcent cross-field ball found its way directly to the feet of a lurking Santos player, who then slipped the ball through the Priory defence to their striker who skipped past Gomme and saw his wildly sliced shot/cross find the top right hand corner of the net. Nothing the Priory keeper could have done to prevent it. Priory 3-2 Lucky bastard.
Half time came and all agreed that Priory were the better side, all they needed to do was keep their heads, see out the game and the goals would surely come.
Priory looked lively at the start of the second half, but were unable to capitalise on a spell of unrivalled possession which seemed to frustrate some members of the fold. The frustration bubbled over as a couple of Santos players decided to ignore the referee's whistle and continue with a short corner routine even though everybody else on the pitch was waiting for the referee to restart the game. This culminated in the ball being smashed from close range into keeper Neil's body. A melee ensued in which the younger of the Tomkins brothers was judged by the referee to have assaulted a Santos player and was swiftly shown red.
Priory showed some spirit after going down to ten men and Ween managed to capitalise on a long spell of Priory pressure, getting himself on the score sheet for the second time after latching onto a botched clearance from a Richardson free kick. 4-2.
The Owl is known for its wisdom, unfortunately at 4-2 wise heads were disappointingly absent from this Priory side, more closely resembling headless Chickens, exemplified by a certain club treasurer attempting to sub himself off the pitch in protest at the poor performance being displayed by the referee. Some fans who refused to be named told me it was reminiscent of the start of his career when he used to burst into tears if he was put in goal, but that is pure speculation. Priory keeper Neil then got spooked by the Sea King helicopter which was air-lifting an injured meerkat from London Zoo and forgot that you aren't able to put the ball down on the floor and then pick it up again, luckily the clueless referee had also forgotten this rule/was enchanted by the helicopter and allowed the game to continue. A lucky escape for Priory.
Despite the lapses in concentration and only having ten men, Priory were clearly the superior footballing side (Santos struggled to put string two passes together the entire game) creating some decent chances but failing to put the ball in the back of the net. They were punished for their lack of killer instinct when a Santos corner wasn't dealt with and a goal-line scramble culminated in a Santos player somehow getting the ball just across the line. 4-3.
Priory thought they had done enough to win the game as the time passed the 90min mark, but Santos had other ideas, since they snatched their 3rd goal they smelt blood and put Priory under sustained pressure, which culminated in a ball flashed across the box, agonisingly close to the reach of the Priory keeper, but it was just too far and the Dynamo striker pounced to score a demoralising and profoundly undeserved equaliser that did nothing for Priory's league ambitions.
Priory walked off the pitch thoroughly dejected and feeling hard done by, but essentially they let themselves down. What should have been a routine victory against a sub-standard Santos side became a tough lesson for the Owls, who must improve their attitude if they are to fulfil their potential in the league this season.
