So imagine the scene… The Rev-engers… We had Iron Man in goal, Cap in midfield, Quicksilver out wide, Doctor Strange weaving his magic, Ant-Man at the back and going forward we had Vision…
They were clad in black, Pukin Dogs, the villains of the piece. They had an army…
We had a Hulk!
Lewis was the hero of the hour as he battled, barged and, well, smashed!
Every single hero on the pitch last night put in a shift though, battled hard for every inch, but Lew set the platform for the rest to shine.
And with this battle The Revs broke their jinx against new teams.
And like all good hero films the villains take first advantage – scoring early doors when their Ronaldo-wannabe out jumped Ant-Man to head home.
The team could have collapsed at this point but for one almighty shoulder barge from our very own Hulk, leading the way and swinging the impetus back to The Revs.
And like all good hero films it was only in the final act that good overcame evil.
In between that was a good old tussle. Quicksilver Dave P busy working up and down the line, following in the steps of Lew with some crunching tackles that riled their wannabe superstar. Doctor Strange Gaz was pinging balls around, enjoying the freedom and space to produce moments of magic like the flip flap in the corner, bamboozling their defender. Cap Evans was battling hard, getting forward to support and tracking back to ensure no inch was given. Ant-Man went on the attack often, spurring us on from the back and The Vision was holding off defenders, slipping in balls as players ran off him.
It was at times beautifully orchestrated.
There were some misses for sure, Ant-Man blazing over from a Vision lay off. Hulk blasting at goal hoping to catch their big man in net off guard. And when the opposition managed an attack Iron Man Ty looked assured in goal, like a seasoned vet, sweeping up any danger.
The bad guys did have moments of their own and maybe if the evil greed had not taken over they may have taken further advantage, instead they resorted to long range shots that were easily covered. Even a kick in that hit the cross bar had Ty nonchalant about it… Coolness personified!
Midway in the second half The Revs finally got their just reward. A neat one two between Evans Snr and Ty lead to a breakaway from the team’s fearless leader. The opposition backed off so Cap decided to test things with a speculative effort. It was off target. However Doctor Strange, aka Gaz, produced another moment of magic and a very good impression of Stretch Armstrong to keep the ball in play whilst doing the splits, compose himself and slot home from a near impossible angle. The bad guys did not like this. They tried to battle back but no one was getting past Ant-Man, who took ball and man with a thundering challenge to halt their momentum. The Revs had further chances, Lew out foxing their man to break free and release a shot that was saved and H crashing against the post after good build up play.
It was very late on when The Revs finally won the battle. Lew hulking out after a brief rest to steal the ball which fell kindly into Cap’s path… And he ran. He ran like the wind (well as fast as his old legs would go) ably supported by Vision. The keeper came off his line and Cap played a ball into H to sweep home… The truth is the ball wasn’t the best that has ever been played, but our very own Vision knows where the back of the net is – stretching out his tree truck legs to poke home the winner – much to the relief of his Captain.
There was still a minute or so of action to go and a few battles still to win. Lew vs their big in the middle – when two worlds collide – ended up been a mismatch and not the head to head the neutrals wished for with Lew winning the ball easily.
Cap volleyed away an effort from their attacker and H got back to glance a header away from the danger zone. The whistle finally went and victory was for the heroes of this story. A real blood and guts performance from all involved, everyone playing to their strengths.
There will be harder, more fearsome foes to come, but it was a just victory. A morale boosting victory and The Revs showed they could play and there was life in the old dogs yet.
