Sabor a Lolas vs. Priory Park Rangers
Weekend Cup
8th October 2011
It was a blustery Saturday as the Priorians returned to the Coliseum hungry for cup glory. With a full compliment of core legionnaires, only Phil Allan in the wind, this week saw the turn of the Spanish Bull, Sabor A Lolas, attempts to stand in their way. All eyes were on the gladiatatorial figurine of Richard Desforges to add to his season’s mighty goals tally.
Instead the deadlock was broken on the 23rd minute by the ever present Jackson pouncing on the cut back from Flynn; the young, tender, sweet bud-on-the-vine Flynn, snatched onto Desforges’ shot as it thundered back off of the cross bar to provide the opportunity for Jackson on a delicately crafted platter.
The Bull was awoken but the Matador maintained the upper hand. In turn the beast became frustrated and for a time late tackles and play-acting proliferated. On 38 minutes a hard tackle by the stalwart Nils Tomkins upon the Spanish attacker resulted in squeals, in stepped the agitator, the elder Carsten Tomkins. Minutes later a foul by Jackson, more handbags, a push, a shove and finally a reckless kick of a ball targeted at the slain Spaniard all resulted in a yellow card for the saboteur, Tomkins elder, who would later suffer further tragedy *
However, the Spaniards suffered their next wounding 4 minutes later as the chaste Flynn finished tidily after virtuous labor from Desforges. 42 minutes gone – the Spaniards trail by 2 and the Priorians could taste flesh.
As the second half was underway the theatre continued but this was not the stage, not the old Vic and certainly not the setting for thespians - this was the battlefield. And on 60 mins up stepped Dan Gomme to rise oh so high, in need of oxygen, looking over the grey roofs of Hackney glancing Flynn’s free kick from the left neatly into the right of the goal. 3-0.
The Spanish beast no longer rose. No sign of El Toro Bravo but merely cattle for slaughter. Morrissey would have shuddered but the Priorians rested not. And for the floundering Spanish came no Eurozone bailout plan, instead they had to rely on their own enterprise – the afternoon saw further cheating. Oscar winning performances from the Spaniards soon saw Green and Gomme entering the referee’s book somewhat unjustly but it was a Maradona inspired deliberate hand ball into the goal that heaped shame upon the desperate Spanish. However, this was not the time to defraud the Priorians of their first clean sheet of the season as minutes earlier Priory had retired their Shaolin winger, Meddings, with the Paramilitary, Chris Hunter, entering the fray. Hunter held little patience with this anti-football and would in-turn heap terror upon the Spanish unseen since the days of Franco.
Throughout the remaining 20 minutes the Priorian Gladiators devoured what was left of the lackluster Spanish. On 81 minutes, following careless handling of the ball outside of the area by the SaL Goalkepper, Flynn painlessly placed the resulting free kick into the net. And just minute’s later (83 mins) Desforges, what a player, balletic, danced along the left wing to release a measured cross to Green at the far post. Whilst the ball travelled the words of Persius rang through the carroty wingers mind; “He who conquers is he who endures”. After an anthology of earlier sliced shots Green finally calibrated his shot and using his head planted the ball back across goal within the left upright. Priory Park Ranger 5 - Sabor a Lolas 0.
Priory Park Rangers reign victorious. Desforges this week turned provider with 2 assists whilst the immaculate Flynn was named man of the match with a pair of goals to hold aside 2 assists. Moreover, the combination of Murdoch, Havers and Nils Tomkins proved impenetrable in defence for the first time this year. Saturday the 8th October saw 13 warriors standing shoulder to shoulder, Priory Park Rangers missed only one man, Phil Allan (ACCA), who could have kept score with his trusty abacus. **
Gk: Neil Murdoch
Dr: Daniel Gomme
Dc: James Havers
Dc: Nils Tomkins
Dl: Carsten Tomkins
Mr: Matthew Green
Mc: Jonny Richardson
Mc: Graham Jackson
Ml: Andrew Meddings (Chris Hunter 67mins)
Fc: Adam Byrne (James Flynn 15mins)
Fc: Richard Desforges
*Awarded DoD for needless yellow card
**Omitted Desforges miss at the end of the game. Best not to mention that I think.
