Fantastic Fours put five past Saints

By James Gregory

Well, this certainly was the next step on a season to be proud of! Our second 5-1 victory of the season now under our belt, and what a match it was.

The lack of substitutes combined with the shock 24 degree heat meant that this was set to be a tough game, and it was, but even with 2 substitutes and some creative decisions from the officials, it seems the Mighty 4s really are back!

The 1st half was fought hard, knowing that we had to push our attack and get ahead or risk being overrun later in the game, and 7 mins 30 secs in Keith used his considerable experience, to hammer the ball home for Old Sils. This certainly came as a shock for the Saints, who returned fire in a short corner a few minutes later, finishing the 1st half level peggings.

What happened next must be used forever more as a prime example of a perfect half time talk, because the Sils came back onto the pitch after half time, all guns blazing, and just 43 seconds in (and much to the surprise & dismay of the home side) Tom W guided the ball all the way over the goal line. 2-1 Sils. Northampton used their substitutions to their advantage to keep their players as rested as possible, but now it was their turn to play into the sun, and less than 2 minutes later Tom W found the goal again! Not to be outdone the goal machine that is Andy Rush rallied, and with a frankly stunning assist from Sam Huckin (a 30 yard pass down the line) that left Rushy 1 on 1 with the keeper, and that was only ever going to end one way, 4-1 Sils! Not content with 1 goal 13 minutes into the 2nd half a sliding dive across the D gave Rushy the 5th and final goal for the Mighty Fours !

Northampton's frustration with our runaway scoreline was clearly high, with unconventional tackles appearing more and more frequently and culminating in a rough move on one of our youngest players. But even temporarily down to 10 men the Mighty Fours held their own, and showing some serious spirit, the injured Will, charged back onto the pitch to bring us back upto a full 11!

The stars of the game were not just those finding the net, with a succession of solid tackles and strong accurate passes, Dave, Mick, and Andy fended of Northampton at almost every turn. Fast legs up both wings from Smithy, Will, and Sam kept our attacks moving at a pace that our opponents just couldn't keep up with. Tom W in central midfield displayed his usual impressive pace and skill, but MoM has to go to Will for: (a) willingness to play in a different position (b) ground covered (c) coming back onto the pitch after a nasty incident which left him winded and all 4s covered in blood. We were 5-1 up and he didn’t need to come back on!

Next up Khalsa, always a tricky opposition so let’s take our A game to Solihull School this Saturday lunchtime.

#fantasticfourattitude #Fourtitude #MightyFours