The Mighty 4s Edged Off The Top!

Sils arrived at Olton to find that they were down to 12 players following the late withdrawal of Captain Higgins who had a slight cold and had resorted to using three tissues throughout the morning. A bitter blow! Wrap up warm and get well soon.

Olton on the other hand managed to muster 16 players with some looking surprisingly younger and fitter than their usual squad – where had they come from?

The game started well enough with Sils mounting several attacks especially down the right flank. Sam Teal, making his debut for the team, looked comfortable on the ball and helped to initiate some of the play down the right. On the other hand Olton looked far from comfortable. Mick Lane, solid as ever (try ibuprofen gel), repeatedly sent John Harrison on marauding runs down the right wing. Harrison and Russell combined well and presented the Olton defence with all sorts of problems. It wasn’t long before Andy latched onto a through ball and flicked it high into the net. As play continued Sills still looked to have the advantage but a scruffy equaliser by Olton gave them a lift and the balance of play began to shift in their favour. Towards the end of the first half the game was finely balanced with the score at one goal each. However the tide seemed to be turning in favour of Olton.

The mid-session break provided Sils with a much needed respite and time to refocus on what we needed to do.

The second half was altogether much tougher especially as Olton were able to keep refreshing their side with a succession of fast and skilful substitutes. Unfortunately Sils were not able to enjoy the same luxury. Early in the second half Tony retired with a torn hamstring and we were down to just eleven. Despite this Sils still continued to press forward whenever the opportunity arose. During one such attack their keeper cleared the ball away towards the corner. It looked to be a good move but James Harris had kept his concentration. He took the ball at an awkward height and played it with a ‘straight bat’ through the narrowest of gaps to find the net. This was a much better goal than it looked. Well done James. The goal came as a welcome relief because Olton were beginning to apply sustained periods of pressure and looked increasingly likely to score. Soon afterwards they did, drawing level with a well-constructed goal. At this point in the game Sils lost a little of their composure and began to make some unnecessary mistakes. Perhaps a little bit of tiredness was beginning to creep in together with some anxiety resulting from Olton’s sustained pressure.

By now the tension was quite palpable and manifested itself in a few unseemly outbursts amongst the players. Still for the most part the game was played in a good spirit and the umpires did well to keep the lid on some potentially volatile situations. That said it was most enjoyable to watch Harrison chopping away at Paddy Waters, not an infringement of the rules in my book!

Olton had a particularly good spell when they managed to produce several shots in a short space of time. Thankfully they were let down by a lack of composure in front of goal and most of the shots flew wide with Yogi successfully mopping up the rest. Also for the third week in a row Craig Ffitch made a great stop right in front of the goal – does he even need to move?

Despite the pressure we still managed to gain a succession of short corners. We were unlucky not to score from any of these but Olton’s keeper was playing really well. A cracking shot from a short corner by Simon Russell looked destined for the bottom corner until their keeper intervened with an outstanding save. Another attempt came in waist high and the keeper seemed to have it covered until Willetts stepped in to knock it out to Matthew Lyons. Positioned on the far post he deftly pushed it towards the goal. It looked to be going in but Harrison, quite rightly, rushed in from a narrow angle to make absolutely sure that it did. (Third week in a row Matt and getting closer each time – next week?)

This goal came just at the right time because Olton were continuing to press hard. Realising that they now needed two goals to regain the lead they began to push more men up field. There was a real danger that Sils would be run ragged and get dragged out of position if they started chasing around after the ball. Shaun marshalled the defence brilliantly, keeping everyone tight and compact to conserve energy and force Olton to keep passing out wide to try and find a way in. Grit, determination, passion, belief and sheer hard work by all of our defence kept them out. At one point Arun Jogi was surrounded by a voracious pack of Olton forwards right on the goal line. He stood his ground and kept them at bay. This was a crucial save and great play by Yogi because it stemmed their momentum.

With time draining away Olton committed eight men into attack, desperate for at least a draw. On a number of occasions all eight attackers had pushed well into the last third of the pitch. Such a strategy is not without risk. In these circumstances one good hard accurate clearance from our defence would take out eight Olton players at a stroke and experience dictates that at least one opportunity always presents itself. Willetts and Rush recognised this and positioned themselves accordingly inside Olton territory, waiting for that one chance. Shaun picked the ball up in the centre between the D and the 23. Alert as ever he saw that Olton had left a gap through the centre. The moment had arrived. A cracking pass from Shaun was collected by Willetts who quickly passed the ball on to Andy. This also eliminated one defender. A great pick-up by Andy allowed him to by-pass the remaining defender and hurtle directly towards the goal keeper. The keeper chose to come off his line and this was probably the best option under the circumstances. Andy drew him in close and then pushed the ball wide to leave the keeper stranded. The goal was inevitable and Andy simply walked it into the net. Fantastic play.

Both sides realised that, barring a miracle, the games was over. Even so the last few moments were tense with Shaun crashing the ball deep into touch on both sides (accompanied by a ‘gentle reminder’ to let the ball go) so as to use up what little time remained.

This was a very hard fought win and one that we deserved for the sheer effort put in by everyone in the team. It was remarked upon in the debrief session that this was the sort of game that we would have lost in the past. This was a really good win and a great team effort. Well done everyone.

Unfortunately Edgbaston 7s have managed to push us off the top spot with their superior goal difference. Ouch!

Post Script

Tony took a breather to give his tightening hamstring some respite. On the touchline he remarked to Pat, “My hamstring might go soon.” A few minutes later he rather optimistically returned to the fray only to limp off seconds later.
Tony, “As soon as I stepped on the gas it snapped.”
Pat, “Shall I rub some cream on it.”
Tony, “I don’t use creams.” Pat was rubbing it in anyway.
Pat, “How does that feel?”
Tony, “Great. Now can you rub some on the leg that hurts!”

Dave remarked that he was feeling as rough as a badger’s bottom. Dave, how on earth do you know that badgers have rough bottoms? Explanation required.

Shaun’s comment to Paddy Waters after the game:
“You better bring 20 next time!”

And finally:

At this time of year it’s usual to see huge numbers of noisy, quarrelsome rooks wheeling above the Mere. This time complete silence. They obviously had nothing to crow about!