Fresh from our semi-triumphant season opener, and buoyed by the support of Winstons Big and Small (come and watch us play if you're a bit lost here), the 'Dogs opened the official 2008-9 Conference Season with a home game against Purley.
It was, frankly, a bit of a whirl, what with 2 very similar kits and ever arriving familiar faces to boost the canine ranks. So much so that we passed both our first 2 attacking short corners to their defenders and, having initially defended their first short corner, then lost the ball, the plot and the first goal of the new season, in that order. Ho hum, 1-0 down after not very long. But hey - that's hardly new territory for us, is it? So we attacked again, only for them to score a second after another post short corner ding dong all around our 'D'. By now Purley were looking very slick and what looked like a good Bulldog side on paper didn't look quite so hot on grass. And from bad to worse: 2 more beautifully executed Purley goals - albeit of the distinctly 'try all season and I bet that doesn't come off for you again' variety - meant that, after just 35 minutes, we were already looking forward to Easter 2009 [don't you mean 'looking forward to the half time whistle'? Ed. No I don't. DogBlog Author).
HALF TIME: 'Dogs 0 Purley 4
Inspired by a half time break free from Vitamin C, the 'Dogs set about our challenging 2nd half comeback with some relish. And, do you know what? For a while, we stopped trying for the killer pass and settled instead for a bit of possession. And then, what do you know? A smart shot was stopped by their irritatingly sound keeper but Neil S was there to sweep in, on the rebound, for the 1st 'Dog strike of Season 2008-09. Woo-hoo! Just 3 more goals to go. Now for one of those good news/bad news moments. Good news: the game did indeed produce 3 more goals. Bad news: sadly, none of them for the 'Dogs. A cruel rebound finish after a quite brilliant goalline stop from Mike T (which produced the first - but surely not the last - audible cry this season from a 'Dog defender of ".... it !") and 2 open play piledrivers of truly Gordonesque proportions put some seriously bitter icing on the stale cake of a [Pur-lease! Enough of the similes. Ed] scoreline, which ultimately read:
FINAL SCORE: 'Dogs 1 Purley 7
Stranger and stranger, though. Somehow this defeat didn't feel as bad as any number of our early 2008 oh-so-tame 2 or 3 goal defeats, where we barely threatened a shot on goal. We lost by 6 but it could easily have been more: curiously we defended quite well. The battle was lost further upfield. We were at times competitive but Purley were frankly very, very good and, on the day, completely clinical and worthy winners by a country mile. Not many others in the Conference would have lived with them, especially this early in the season. Fair play to you lads: well done and we look forward to seeing you again later in the season. Especially if you bring along again that quite delightful young blonde lady supporter in the very fetching New Zealand All Blacks sweatshirt [...and with a very elegant diamond engagement ring, too!! Ed].
Bloodied but unbowed, the 'Dogs look forward with ridiculously misplaced optimism to our next game. But then again - you never know...
Winston of the Week: a tear comes to my canine eye as I record that GMB Junior, Richard Shelly, came on for the last 5 to make his Bulldog debut at the tender age of 12 years and barely 35 kilos, bless him. And for a couple of neat - nay, precocious - touches, and for being the only Bulldog not to see a goal conceded while he was on the field, he became possibly the youngest ever Winston of the Week. [Just a thought - is he any good in goal? They say it slips a generation. Ed]
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