GROWLERS FC
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Tuesday 15 May
Northern Railstars 4 - 1 Growlers FC
Going into the match against average lumps Northern Railstars, Growlers FC were well prepared after an in depth tactical discussion. A new vibe was also in tow with acting captain Ayre rallying the troops before battle commenced. Injured Hodgson stayed away from the match, more keen to watch disgusting programmes on embarrassing illnesses than to hear the Growlers' growl.
Growlers decided to switch ends for the match and started confidently. A new found shape was not only keeping the Railstars on the sidings, but also creating opportunities for the men in black. Sitting deep, Ayre found himself able to move forward and unleash several shots on goal and was unfortunate not to find the back of the net. A fourth shot however was not on target and flew fractionally over (the 20 foot netting). Movement from Ward and Clark was confusing the opposition like a sixteen by sixteen sudoku. Nevertheless, it was the Railstars who struck first. Poor tracking back presented a two on one situation, the move ending with one of their rather feminine players drilling a shot low into the corner of the net and again, Growlers were left to rue early missed chances. One became two agonisingly soon afterwards as Railstars scored again - a flat footed Dyson left helpless as a shot from nowhere nestled in the same corner as goal number one.
A double substitution saw Ward replaced by debutant Holmes and Gibson replaced by overseas guest player Hockley. More shots rained in from the Growlers, both leading scorer Gibson and Holmes shooting over when within range. With an exquisite spin demonstration straight out of Barcelona starlet 'Ronaldinho's' box of tricks, Ayre bamboozled the Railstars midfield, beating two men and getting through on goal. The shot left a bit to be desired but it really was a nice spin. The Growlers thought they had halved the deficit but Holmes's goal was harshly disallowed - area infringement the call. Hockley was finding plenty of space on the right and was unlucky not to open his account after being put in by a diagonal pass from Ayre. A crunching tackle from Holmes left a Railstar in a mess but the referee saw nothing wrong with it despite a shriek of disapproval from the moaning opposition. More moaning was to follow after Holmes nodded a ball down. The over head rule was not breached but this didn't prevent the Railstars from whining like small girl with a stinging nettle in her hands. Their moans soon became cheers however as a breakaway goal increased the lead to 3. Unfair on the spirited Growlers.
In a tactical move Francis Drake would have been proud of, shattered Ayre called Gibson back on to the field and a flattering score line for the Railstars was chipped in to as the top scorer added to his tally to give Growlers hope. Breaking in from the right wing, the 'goat' thrashed the goal into the top left corner. Ward then replaced Hockley and at 3-1, Ward, in his new boots, hit a swerving shot at full pelt and was unfortunate to see the ball disappear into the ample gut of the Railstar's keeper. Clark then launched into a challenge which resulted in one of the Railstars being decked and out for the count. As with the earlier challenge from Holmes, the referee saw nothing wrong and play continued in the aural shadow of the yelping turf muncher. Shortly after the violence, a well directed pass from Ward was just too long for Holmes to latch on to. A touch would have been enough but alas the ball drifted passed and ran to safety. Holmes then found himself one on one with the keeper but dragged his shot wide. All hope was lost and flattery was restored moments later as a tame shot sneaked underneath Dyson in the Growlers net from an acute angle. Gutting, morale sapping stuff.
Ward was replaced by Hockley and Clark was replaced by Ayre for the final few minutes of play which saw more chances falling to the Growlers but with no end result, the referee's whistle blew and the curtain came down on another improved performance. With twenty shots coming from the Growlers and only one goal there is no doubt that some target practice is needed. Another disappointing result to add to the scrap book.
During the post match debrief in the Original Oak, an attractive young lady with a nice pair decided rather foolishly to sit in close proximity of the team members allowing a decent enough view and giving the Growlers something to be happy about at least.
Team: (from) Jake Dyson, Phil Ward, Joe Ayre, Euan Gibson, Wayne Clark, James Holmes
Click here for the official FA pages
You can go to the original Growlers site at
http://growlersfc.9k.com but be warned - the pop ups are very very very annoying and unless you can right click and close them in the task bar (bottom of screen) before they completely load, you'll be in for a hair pulling time. Nightmare. the content on that site is good though so bear with it.
For the next match, three points is a must!