There was a full programme this week and, if the weather forecast is correct, we may well be looking back quite gratefully for that. Surprisingly Crouch End, Alex Park, Merton & Salesians all lost matches on grounds that have yet to recover from last weeks deluges. Our pitches were lumpy rather than wet which made playing difficult but not remotely near postponement.

The 1sts had a remarkable game at Albanians: 0-2 down early on in the now traditional manner, pulled themselves back to 3-2 only to concede late and go to extra time. 4-3 up in extra time yet collapsed to 4-6 in the latter stages which has traditionally been our strongest period. Lots of excitement and some excellent goals to warm the frozen spectators, but ultimately disappointment. We obviously need to look to tightening it up at the back but the 1sts have been superb entertainment this year.

The 2nds seemed to meet their match this week at top of the table Polytechnic after a run of 3 consecutive victories. There was not much in it but Poly made the most of their chances, which is what good sides do. The 2nds are still well placed in mid-table and look like they may avoid the relegation dog-fight this year.

Hopefully the 3rds have reached a turning point after a bit of a bad patch. It didn’t start well when Tom Ricketts explained to Monkey Harris that he needed to “turn left after the bridge” inside the park where Carshalton play. Not listening properly, they went east instead of west on the M25 and attempted to turn left after the QE2 bridge over the Thames! It was perhaps surprising that they arrived only 40 minutes after the lead car. It didn’t affect their game, however, and they beat Carshalton in their own backyard having lost to them at home only a month ago. Clarky doesn’t score many goals but this was a cracker apparently.

The 4ths, despite an outing on the bottom pitch, couldn’t beat the form book by turning over the 2nd placed side. The match was notable for Maj scoring in consecutive matches.

In contrast the 5ths were playing the bottom side but were a bit fortunate to scrape home against a side who had no points at all this season!

Drop-outs savaged the lower sides. A much changed 6ths had a disappointing defeat against mid-table Winchmore Hill. They are becoming a worry because if they get relegated this season it pushes the 8ths out of the League irrespective of their performance. In general the Club is stronger this year, so we must not let this happen. It is important that the better players are promoted up to the 6ths quickly.

The 7ths also struggled with lots of changes losing to another mid-table side. Chay Hughes scored in his first match having returned to the Club after several years absence.

Very occasionally a team scratched together at the last minute can gel perfectly and this was the case with the 8ths where Steve Down pulled off the result of the day. With massive changes they could have been forgiven for losing by a cricket score, but did the opposite, never looking in trouble against the 3rd placed side! It’s well known that the ideal team is a blend of youth and experience but there was never a more extreme example. 5 were over 45 and the remainder were all teenagers – nothing in between!!

The Vets had a disappointing game on Sunday in the occasional blizzard with a team weakened by unavailability. Good to see another old player, Paul Harris, back playing after too long an absence. The Vets hope to have a few more players back next week.

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