v WALLINGTON: 17 October 2009

Aw, come off it - you're having a laugh! Fresh from our habitual frustrating defeat against the Desperados, followed by our ritual hammering at Purley, what did the Conference fixture list throw at us next, by way of light relief? Wallington at home. Sheesh!

But, yet again, we started brightly. Kevin and Paul devilled away, showing what really good acquisitions they are (on and off the field), Peter controlled things in the middle, and with a mixture of youth and experience all playing their part - except at the back where experience and experience was in residence, we got them huffing and blowing for the first 15. But then, we realised that they hadn't really been huffing and blowing, just warming up. And so with a few lethal blows just inside the post and a couple of canny uses of their much loved Willy (if you see what I mean), we suddenly found ourselves on the end of a highly unflattering half time score of:

HALF TIME: 'Dogs 0 Wallington 5

Last week, we had turned it on but not scored when 4 down at half time. This time, we really turned it on. They continued to create chances but, given half a sniff, our GBB tends to get in among Wallington and the goals against dried up. And then - but what was this?! Ladies and Gents, I give you not one (a smart reverse stick finish from Donald), not two (another sharp finish in front of goal), but three (an unstoppable Satbir Special from a short corner), yes three 'Dog goals in quick succession, without reply. 5-3 with just over half the second half gone. Woo-hoo! Game on! Suddenly, the unthinkable just threatened to become the thinkable. But then, just as suddenly, the fun was over. They picked up the pace and, despite some valiant defence, we conceded 2 flicks, both of which were despatched brilliantly a whisker inside the woodwork. Still we pressed and, with a bit of luck, might have scored at least one more. But it was not to be so, at the end of a second half where we had beaten them fair and square 3-2, we nonetheless finished second best overall, by the reasonably illustrative scoreline of:

FINAL SCORE: 'Dogs 3 Wallington 7

What a game. Wallington played brilliantly at times, mostly because they can and do, but sometimes because they had to. We fought tooth and nail and, if this team plays again and plays like that, will be more than a match for most other opposition. With just one more difficult gamne to negotiate before our horror show October gives way to gentler contests in November and beyond, the 'Dogs - as so often - finished well beaten, but with great hopes of better times to come.