Match Reports
13/01/07
Chichester 4s 4-2 Men's 4th XI
Chichester 4th XI 4 -2 Brighton 4th XI
Happy New Year to you all.
The 4s need to up their performances this season if they are to avoid a nail biting end to the season. The general opinion that this team are “too good to go down” cannot disguise the fact that we are perilously close to relegation and could do with some wins to make sure.
Chichester are one of the better teams in the league and we knew it would be a tough afternoon’s work. It may have been this that encouraged the Silver Seal to slap on the deep heat and stink the pitch out with liquid warm up.
The focus of the pre-match warm team talk was on enjoying ourselves and despite the result I think most of us succeeded in doing that. Wappy had to remind himself to enjoy himself at regular intervals, but apart from the odd mysterious umpiring decision I think he did.
Anyway, on to the match. The first half was a fairly even affair, after Brighton’s usual sleepy start they looked almost incisive in attack and with young Lenny everywhere at the back almost assured in defence. Clear chances were few and far between but when an opening fell to a Chichester striker, who cracked it from two yards out, but Brooksy was on hand to save it with his testicles. Not text book by any stretch of the imagination but it got the job done. After a quick check to ensure nothing was broken the game resumed.
Chichester took the lead after a messy goal mouth scramble but were by no means in control. It is here that unlucky Davros experienced his first stroke of bad luck when the ball was deflected into his mouth and he had to retire to the sideline with a split lip. It was also around this stage that Thompo’s involvement in the match was cut short due to a knee injury which also meant that he won the Dancing Homer for playing such a fleeting part in the match, and the warm up.
Chichester controversially extended their lead from a short corner. While Wappy and the defensive troupe discussed the wonky goal with the umpire and tried to straighten it the umpire, in mid sentence, said “go”, Chichester took the short corner shot and scored before the defence had time to finish their conversation, how rude! This meant Brighton went in at half time a harsh 2-0 down.
Brighton looked a lot sharper in the second half and pressed hard to get back into the game and were unlucky not to have a penalty flick when the ball was stopped on the line by a Chichester foot. A scrambled goal though soon followed and young 4s debutant Irish Andy got a well deserved goal to bring Brighton right back in it.
Brighton pushed more and more and when we were awarded a short corner and the mighty Ready was wheeled up to strike surely we would equalise. Davros was in position to inject and Wappy was prepared to stop while Ready began winding up his arm ready to strike. The whistle blew and the recently betrothed Davros began to drag and then controversially lift and aerial the ball 40 yards across the pitch for a sideline ball on the opposite 25 yard line. A pause for shock and everybody fell about laughing. Oh dear, I’m sure we’d all encourage innovation in hockey but aerial injection (AI) surely won’t catch on.
Chichester soon regained the initiative when a well deflected pass beat the diving Brooksy gave them a 3-1 lead.
Davros’ unlucky day was completed when we were finally awarded a penalty flick and he pushed it just passed the right hand upright and the game felt like it was slipping away, oh and the chocolate tea pot was won, although bad luck incident number 2 would have assured that anyway.
Chichester effectively killed off the game in controversial manner when a reverse stick strike was deflected onto the post by Brooksy and the ball ended up outside and behind the goal. No one seemed sure what had happened, but Shef was convinced he’d seen it hit the side netting, and put in an award winning handbag “Roy Keane style” sprint at the umpire. The goal was inspected and no one knew what had happened. The umpire agreed with Brighton and then bizarrely awarded the goal. Very confusing.
The Super 4s would not lie down and pulled a goal back via a Ready strike from a short corner. It is Ready’s first goal since the Renaissance and it was a shame he didn’t have a celebration worked out. Something to think about for the next millennium when he should score again. Ready and goals tend to coincide with the coming of comets and messiahs.
And so Brighton’s 4s started the New Year with a defeat but a good performance with some encouraging displays from young Andy and Davros upfront, despite his poor luck.
Some honour was regained with a respectable 3rd in the quiz that evening.