Truth has a variety of meanings, primarily being in accord with fact or reality, fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal and, in common usage, constancy or sincerity in action or character.
The opposite of truth is falsehood, which, correspondingly, can also take on a logical, factual, or ethical meaning. The concept of truth is discussed and debated in several contexts, including philosophy, religion and Football Match reports... So, to the best of my recollection, here’s the truth!!!
Friday night’s round 15 fixture found the Stormcats playing host to a struggling Holland Park Hawks side at Darra Reserve (home away from home).
The Stormcats, welcoming the return of a few regulars to their lineup in the form of Pete Donaghy, Rob Taylor and his mate Donald, were out of the blocks early and playing a tight, well structured brand of football.
Tight marking and sharp passing placed early pressure on the Hawks defence culminating in a few early corners. It was the second corner from the accurate boot of Tony Z that tested the Hawks backline allowing Pete Donaghy, fresh back from a visit to the ‘Old Dart’, to pounce on a loose ball and guide it into the back of the net (What…no fireworks?) 1-0.
Pete was not only potent in attack. Attributing a diet of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies washed down with endless pints of Treadmill lager, his defensive effort ensured he was seldom rounded all evening.
The second goal of the evening, once again constructed from a steady backline-midfield build, found Ace freely streaking goalward down the left flank and linking with the freshly returned Rob Taylor who slotted low and hard beyond a stretched Hawks keeper 2-0.
As the first half wore on and the stormcats began queuing for goalmouth glory, the Hawks found room around our backline and created several chances of their own. Fortunately, Milli’s backline organisation and Simon’s keeping efforts proved to hold the Hawks at bay.
The second half saw an early effort from the Hawks to pressure our end. A sustained 8 minute defensive period was countered by the boot of Ace Maggio punctuating his newly acquired quinquagenarian status with his own leftside attacking finish. 3-0
This was perhaps the finishing blow for the Hawks as their attack waned and gave way to numerous advances on their own goalmouth. A scrambling defense saved a more exaggerated result but their efforts could not stave off the scintillating pace of Rob as he ran onto a pinpoint long-range clearance from Ian Hosegood and cleared the keeper for a second occasion. 4-0.
The final blow of the evening came from the dancing moves of goal scoring machine Neilo as he lambada’d his way goalward with the ball on a string. 5-0.
For most of the evening, Simon was not troubled but responded impeccably when called upon. His quiet night was mostly due to the marshalling skills of Milli, playing a flawless man-of-the-match performance in the sweepers role.
