Match Report

What a game this turned out to be. End to end is the classic understatement when it comes to describing the first half in particular. For the record it is worth noting who took part in this monumental game. The team lined up with Toby Mant in goal, Pat Mongelard, Steve Blanchard, Graham Seymour and Roger French as a back four, Paul Scotter, Toby Harlow, Chris Ponulak and Colin Ebdon in midfield with Dave Asseltine and Colin Mant up front. The game was played at Old Roan playing fields in Kidbrooke.

We got off to a flying start going 1-0 up within the first 5 minutes after an Avery Hill attack was broken up on the half way line and the ball was played forward to Dave Asseltine to score the first of his four goals. We barely had time to bask in the glory of being in the lead for a change when an unlucky bounce led to Graham Seymour handling in the penalty area giving Avery Hill the opportunity to level the game which they did quite forcefully giving Toby no chance with the resultant penalty kick. The game continued at a blistering pace (well.... as blistering as Vets games can be!) in fact so much happened in the first half it is difficult to remember in which order they occurred. Goals continued to flow with Avery Hill taking the lead three times in the first half but each time FOBG Vets hauled themselves back into the game courtesy of two more goals from Dave Asseltine and an own goal by Avery Hill. Toby "the Juggler" was playing superbly well in goal and really didn''t have much of a chance with any of the goals scored. Paul Scotter suffered the usual FOBG injury jinx being replaced by Chris Bourlet midway through the first half. The team was playing very well with new addition of Graham Seymour fitting in well in the middle of the defence winning plenty in the air and putting in some hefty tackles. We showed great character in coming back into the game three times to bring the score at half-time to 4 - 4. Surely this game could not continue at this pace.

Half-time gave everybody an opportunity to draw breath and speculate what the final score would be! The second half continued with the same high tempo but not so many goals. We turned the tables on Avery Hill by taking the lead after 15 minutes when man of the match Dave Asseltine scored his fourth of the game. We kept the lead for longer this time but were unable to hang for our first win and Avery Hill duly pulled themselves level to make the score 5-5. Both sides had opportunities in the second half to add to the scoreline with Dave Asseltine putting narrowly wide for us and Avery Hill hitting the post late on. We had our usual reshuffle at the back following an injury to Graham Seymour who was replaced by Trevor Stewart at right back with Pat Mongelard moving into the middle. We ended the game on the attack but all in all a draw was a fair result for a very entertaining game.

I am sure I have missed bits out but this was a great team performance and we kept going for the full 90 minutes. The votes for man of the match were fairly evenly split between Toby "The Juggler" and Dave Asseltine but anybody who scores four in a game for the Vets really deserves it and the final count revealed Dave to be the man. Sadly there does not appear to be a return fixture lined up with Avery Hill so the team will have to look to next week''s game against the Met Police for our first win - good luck as this is another game I will miss.

Rog

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"Phew what a scorcher" says the Sun, What a match, what a, day, what a ground, what a life!!

This was football at its best, Action, Commitment, Courage, Endeavour, Injuries, and Goals, Goals, Goals. There was no end to it. Will life ever be the same?

Anyway, much thrill seeking could make a grown man cry, and it did. By the end, every man-one-of-us was emotionally drained. So much so that the manager Toby "three-bellies” Harlow in the club bar after the game, NEARLY bought a drink.

This was not a day for the feint hearted. The game started well........yes we won the toss, and took the kick-off, and within the first few minutes Dave ''convict'' Asseltine put us one nil up!!!!!!!. Dreams of Glory was welling up inside, with no idea what was going to come down. Mostly this was rain, big bucket fulls of it. But like the Gladiators we were to become, we stood up, shoulders back, to fight and scrap for the next 85 minutes. Yes this was our arena, our fight, and we would take it over the hill if necessary, the next 85, the next 85, in fact the next 85 minutes were much of a blur with goals going in all over the place, but mainly in the net. Heh! Who needs goalkeepers when we’ve got Toby"9-Iron" Manchip between the sticks! Some great saves, some great flaps, and some great bending down (easy tiger) to fish the ball out of the net, were soon to be seen by this athlete of a man........talking of fish, that great interplay up front between Colin "G.B.H." Mant and Dave "I’m-out-on-bail" Asseltine led to one goal where Davey-Boy rose like a salmon to scream the ball into the back of the dredge-net of a goal, so much so that their goalkeeper actually tried to get out of his wheelchair to help the ball in. But we gritted our teeth and hung out till the end.....to leave demoralised opponents to a final 5-5 draw.

Yes we had taken it to the wire, and looked over to see what was there, and it was pleasing to the eye. Yes chaps I am dutifully proud of you all, we stood there in the wind, and rain, and mud, and cold, and drizzle, and stared a win in our grasp. Yes the Club salutes you all; you are Titans every one last jack of you! So here they are this weeks glory-boys: Chris "you''re-nicked" Bourlet, Patrice "push-up" Mongelard, Dave "you gotta be joking your Honour" Asseltine, Roger "I''m-not" French, Paul "pulled-it" Scotter, Steve "2-games" Blanchard , Colin ”I’m out of here” midfield bloke, Big new bloke - "Graham Seymour at the back went off injured" geezer, "THEIR BLOKE WHO CAME ON SUBBED AS A DEFENDER" CHAPPY, Toby "I''m really a centre forward" Manchip, Toby "MY-ROUND" Harlow, and Chris "shall I run for it then" Ponulakkkky. Heh! Crazy game, crazy guys!!! -------- yeh, yeh, yeh, bring on the old bill!.....love ya... Jimmy the Fish.

P.S .Congratulations to Dave who scored 4 goals during the match....a well deserved "Man of the Match" award.