v Desperados (H/A): 27 September 2008
Ah there you are! Had a good summer? Welcome back to the wonderful world of the DogBlog: the post match analysis that unfailingly summons the Vet into Veterans' Hockey.
Our season opener against our NPL rivals had an unusually sombre edge to it. Since the end of last season, we had received the very sad news that Peter Ponsford, a loyal 'Dog for many years - the last of them not so long ago - had died suddenly. Peter Taylor, Captain of the 'Dogs, called both sides to order just before the start and said some words in memory of Peter, after which both teams observed a Minute's Silence.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the game got off to a slow start. But it wouldn't have if the Desperados had taken full advantage of an early season example of that well known Bulldog tactic, the 'Old Testament Red Sea Defence' (...watch it suddenly part, then disappear). This allowed our beloved GBB to have his first high decibel moan of the season. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure everyone had noticed his rather nattily different multicoloured kit: henceforth he shall be the GMB: the Grumpy Multicoloured Barrier - or, possibly, the Genetically Modified Ba..... [stop it at once - that's your first literary yellow card of the season: Ed].
Anyway, the game to-ed and fro-ed a bit with Gordon looking more than a bit frisky for them. But then, but then, ha! Up popped Rajan in front of Simon Greenhill and whoop doobee dah dah dah - 1-0 'Dogs. And so it stayed until almost half time. Then they got a short corner, and (on the rebound, after a smart save from GMB) it was 'Boom: Gordon Scored, Chapter 1'.
HALF TIME: 'Dogs 1 Desperados 1
More to-ing and fro-ing in the 2nd half. A couple of our newcomers - Nicholas and Joe - showed some promising touches and, while the Desperados looked like they would score, we looked like we might. And, for a time, 'might' was worth more than 'would'. Another newly recruited Golden Oldie, Andy, pinged us back into the lead. Only for them to get another short corner and it was 'Boom: Gordon scored, Chapter 2'. With time running out, a slick move from the 'Dogs ended with Ben slipping the ball in from a narrow angle. Even as a newcomer, he launched himself instinctively into the much loved but all-too-rarely seen Late Bulldog Goal Horizontal Celebration - known colloquially as the Aagh - I Can't Move: Fetch the Ralgex, Please (come on, do I really have to explain that one?...). Surely we could hold on now? Could we cr*p - we're talking Bulldogs here. In the last minute, we conceded yet another short corner and well, all together now ... yup, you've guessed it. With just a small but important deflection from Nigel on the post, to help it on its way in, it was 'Boom: Gordon scored, Chapter 3'.
And there, dear reader, it ended.
FULL TIME: 'Dogs 3 Desperados 3
A game that in many ways explained our team names. We are the Bulldogs presumably because we can take a lead with difficulty but then let it slip. They are the Desperados because they were never ahead but still contrived, in extremis, to snatch a last minute draw.
So, honours even, after an entertaining and unusually good natured Bulldogs/Desperados game. To end as we started, it would be nice to think that somehow, somewhere, Peter Ponsford had been watching on approvingly and had been entertained by what he had seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment