Wrong End of a 12 Goal Feast

Penn & Tylers Green FC 4 – Finchampstead FC 8

This is the second week running that a Penn & Tylers Green side was at the wrong end of a 12 goal thriller. Last week our A-Team lost by the same margin. One for a pub quiz, no doubt. Anyhow, on a beautiful sunny November afternoon (this is where from our point of view the positive bits stop) the game kicked off at 14:15. Little did we know what was in store today? The neutral may well have been entertained but the French School Meadows faithfulls did not enjoy it one little bit.

Screamer by Chris Hurst hit the back of the net

Two things – just to get this out of the way, why is it that whenever referees are being assessed needless card feasts take place? Yes and one crucial decision early on would have changed the game but it did not go the way it should have and that’s enough about that.

The game started off brightly with a couple of free kicks for both teams not being taken advantage of. Chris Hurst’s went a couple of yards over the bar. On seven minutes Liam Ratcliffe was clean through but was blatantly pulled down by the last defender with only the goalkeeper to beat….sorry….I did say earlier on that’s enough about that (very hard to do, though)!

On 10 minutes Johnny Mason went on a good run but his shot went wide. Finchampstead had a couple of good counter attacks and it started to become abundantly clear: Defending was off the agenda today.

Stop with the niceties let’s get into the goals:

Mad scramble

30th minute: 0:1. Defensive calamity, credit to Finchampstead, they have taken their chance

32nd minute: 1:1. Rino Sepede lobbed the keeper (hopes rising)

33rd minute: 1:2. Own goal, after an “after you Sir” defending situation with Finchampstead replying “thank you very much”

42nd minute: 2:2. With Chris Hurst scoring from about 50,000 yards out. An absolute screamer (hopes rising again)

Half Time Hoping Giovanni Sepede will sort thing out with one of his magical Helenio Herrera team talks

Nearly scored

47th minute: 2:3. Please refer to minute 33

51st minute: 3:3. Penalty, well taken by Chris Hurst (hopes rising)

58th minute: 3:4. Penalty, was it? Matt Cannings claimed after the game he got his hand to the ball (yellow card)

59th minute: 3:5. Magic Roundabout (“Boing” says Zebedee). Matt Canning sent off for second yellow card offence. John Harding coming on after his long spell out of the game due to injury

63rd minute: 3:6. Helter Skelter, excellent song by The Beatles. No good, though, if you are trying to get back into the game

Willi Schulz

77th minute: 4:6. Rino Sepede with his second goal, literally using every part of his body (hopes rising)

Franco Baresi

80th minute: 4:7. Franco Baresi, where were you in the hour of need?

90th minute: 4:8. Willi Schulz, with his positional play, his strength at man-to-man duels, his solid passing game, aerial ability and a special expertise at sliding tackling surely would have shaken his head

End of an incredible game. Well done Finchampstead, who have taken their chances. It is not their fault that we did not turn up today. Bad day at the office, tick off, move on to Newbury next weekend. What an opportunity to get this out of our system.

Penn & Tylers Green FC man of the match: Chris Hurst (his second goal was better than Rino Sepede’s)

Zebedee

Helter Skelter

Match report: Andreas Latta (Secretary)