An optimistic if limited Pack of 'Dogs made their way to Blackheath for a tricky looking fixture. Indeed, the paucity of availability meant we turned up with just 6: Peter, the GMB, Mike T, Ian G, Ian's son James, and James's mate - Josh (a bit of a ringer, and boy could he run!). So we thought that if we turned on the charm a bit - and mentioned last week's mugging by Purley - they might perhaps lend us a couple of players. This they did, reducing their 10 to 8 and evening up the sides. So, with an evenly spread, but somewhat limited, dusting of 16 players scarcely covering their fine playing surface on a beautiful day, we all decided to partake of some exercise [Ouch - that was lame! Ed].
Curiously, for a game short of players and big on space, the goals did not come. Both stoppers were having a bit of a good day, both attacks suffered a bit from over-excitement at the yawning gaps not normally found so often when 11 play 11. So, after (what felt like frankly, a very, very long) 35 minutes of near misses on their goal - notably from a sprightly Ian G - and some rugged last ditch defending around our goal from Mike T and our 2 admirable guests, Aidan and Chris, we reached a most improbable position of:
HALF TIME: Blackheath 0 'Dogs 0
And so it carried on for the opening period of the 2nd half, too. A bumper partisan home crowd of fully 6, possibly 7, failed to unnerve our defence. Worse still, for them, Ian G then lowered the periscope and took his foot off the gas a bit (if you get my mixed metaphor - or is a simile? Never mind) and steered us not once but twice into an unexpected and unfamiliar Promised Land, as 0-0 begat 1-0 'Dogs, and 1-0 'Dogs begat 2-0 'Dogs. Amen to that we thought - alas, too soon. Mike T decided our good natured game was for too genteel for his liking and proceeded to stop their player with a challenge which left said opponent counting his limbs and digits. Once the vital body parts check had been successfully completed, and their umpire had given Mike a stern ticking off, we all had to wait while the GMB went through his extensive pre-P-flick repertoire of twitches, wanders, diffident looks, crashes and bangs around the goalframe etc. But dang me - it worked! Confused (and possibly a bit bored?) by this idiosyncratic delay, their player obligingly flicked within the GMB's range and the subsequent save produced the not so rare sight and sound of the GMB's extensive post pre-P-flick save routine of twitches, wanders, exuberant whoopings, crashes and bangs around the goalframe etc.
2 up with under 10 to play - and a missed flick by them: surely nothing could go wrong. Well, as Sir Sean Connery (or maybe it was that other bloke who's not as popular with the ladies as Daniel Craig) once said 'Never Say Never'. So we duly conceded 2 smart late goals, one a clinical finish to a mazy dribble, the other a neat flick over a prone (probably sunbathing) GMB. And then we only just avoided conceding a late winner. But there, mercifully, it all ended.
FINAL SCORE: Blackheath 2 'Dogs 2
A game we should have won but might have lost. So we'll settle for the draw which preserves our proud unbeaten away record this season in the Conference after no fewer than 1 game. Huge thanks to Blackheath for a competitive and enjoyable game (and a splendid post match curry), and well done to all 6 regular 'Dogs who fought like, well, dogs, to achieve a very respectable draw against good opposition on a large playing area on a hot afternoon.
WINSTON OF THE WEEK: shared by our 2 outstanding guest players, Aidan and Chris, who took a more than healthy delight in playing out of their skins against their regular team mates. And a small woof of recognition to Ian G, too, for his first 2 well-taken goals of the new season. More of the same again soon, sir, please.
[Ha! You're still one 7-letter 'P' word short. Ed...]
Feedback is always welcome on these 'DogBlogs, so do post any comments you may have on this purview of today's events, or any other earlier reports.
[...I wish I'd never mentioned it. Ed]
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