Thrum Hall played their second friendly match against another side new to the Halifax Sunday League. Rumours were that the 'new' team was actually a successful team that had folded in a prior season. Rumours gathered strength when the Cock and Bottle lads started to gather outside the changing rooms. Thrum Hall started with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Gibson and Robinson having the freedom to rotate as the front two. With 'Canon' Cartridge given the captains armband for the game from centre half and Stanger starting between the sticks. Cock and bottle lined up with Carrington and semi professional Jordan Coduri and Halifax Sunday Leagues top scorer from last season Thomas Boyle upfront. However despite the line up that Thrum Hall faced they came out of the blocks with all guns blazing and it didn't take long for them to break the deadlock, when D. Sudall took advantage of a defensive mistake a fired his shot past the keeper. Upon seeking clarification from time keeper Adam Greenwood the time was noted as 1 minute 9 seconds, which will surely go down as one of the fastest goals to be scored by Thrum Hall. Unfortunately Hall were not able to keep hold of the lead for too much longer - and to make matters worse they were the masters of their own demise. When you make defensive errors against teams containing proven goal scorers they will take their chances, and they did. 1 nil up quickly became 2-1 down - then 3-1 as the now infamous Stanger Clanger happened. Stanger, who was struggling with his kicking (since the age of 12) had a dead ball he calmly passed it out wide to Butterworth, however the referee had not blown and requested a retake, what happened next could possibly be argued as pass of the season, as Stanger hit his second dead ball straight down the middle of the pitch - 15 yards to Cock & Bottle striker Coduri. Coduri who could hardly contain his disbelief strolled towards goal and extended the lead. It wasn't a moment to dwell on and the Stanger clanger certainly wont get much of a mention in this report. After Stanger's clanger Hall managed to pull one back, a goal mouth scramble ensued and veteran striker Hemblys despatched his shot into the bottom corner. Half Time and Hall were disappointed to be 3-2 down especially Stanger after his Clanger who was substituted for 'Tapend' D Hoyle. Coates and Williams gave, what they thought, was the confidence to go out and beat the team which were, in many peoples eyes, lucky to be infront. Second half started, and it didn't take long for Tapend to make his own Stanger Clanger a high ball into the area two yards in front of him, making the cardinal sin of letting the ball bounce the Cock & Bottle striker again took advantage making it 4-2. Thrum Hall did not let Bottle run away with it (just yet) as again Hemblys pulled one back, the ball played across the goal was despatched through the keepers legs. Part time Ron Weasley impersonator A Sudall claimed he should have had the goal and Hemblys had stolen his effort, but Sudall had forgotten we were playing football and not Quidditch. On is Hat trick Hemblys was removed form the pitch as he was recovering from an eventful night prior to the match. 4-3 to Bottle quickly became 5-3, then 6-3 and 7-3 as Hall were adamant on producing individual defensive errors. With just over 15 minutes left the Hall management team must have been fearing the worst, however, the extensive training Hall have been put through over the summer has been paying dividends and they never stopped running. Gibson was able to nick one back raising the hopes that maybe Clangers Stanger could be forgotten, but this wasn't to be as Bottle went on to score two more. 9-4 with five minutes left and double figures looking likely, but Hall were not finished and three quick goals from Casey, Robinson and J Sudall made the final score 9-7. An entertaining match for the neutral with Halls management declaring that if games were instead 100mins long Hall would have gone on to indeed beat Bottle and erase the memory of the Clanger from Stanger.
