16th
and 23rd October 2003
SR-1 all but confirm the
Title.
Only heavy defeats
can cost them.
The penultimate two weeks saw some reasonably insignificant
results. The 16th October games saw LFC bravely attempt to claw
back SR-1 and despite taking the lead, SR-1 equalised in the last
minute. LFC would have been the first team to defeat SR-1, who
have been faltering of late. Chris Ward scored in the dying seconds.
The win all but gives SR-1 the Title. The nearest challengers
need to score at least 9 in their last game and hope that SR-1
lose heavily to both Wearview and Fulwell.
Barclays comfortably defeated O’Neill Sports with a 3-0 scoreline.
Redhouse Phil was in goal for O’Neills and gave the large crowd
a few laughs. Robson, Miller and Smith scored for Barclays.
Dadcheck returned to the fold to play their final game. David
Leithes elected to drop Trevor Walker and play himself instead.
The opposition were Sporting, and despite an equaliser from Kelsey,
Dadcheck ran out 5-1 winners, with Leithes and Mouat scoring two
each.
Wearview also had a tetchy game against Fulwell and secured
a 3-0 win which puts them guaranteed third. Goals from Middlemiss
and Hembrough kept Fulwell back.
The week after, Wearview put nine goals past O’Neills, who
actually scored first! Hembrough and Middlemiss both scored hat-tricks.
Southwell also looked for a late push with 6 over LFC. Southwell
are guaranteed second place but must hope that SR-1 lose a lot
of goals in their final week double header against Fulwell and
Wearview.
Barclays also killed off Sporting’s season with a single goal
from Gareth Taylor in the second half. Anthony Langan made a surprise
return to the League and was unlucky to have a goal disallowed.
9th
October 2003
SR-1 only need one point.
Barclays put up a
fight, as do LFC.
LFC played their last set of double headers with two reasonably
positive results. Playing without a recognised goalkeeper, a 0-0
draw against the hugely disappointing Fulwell team was a very
good result. A defeat at the hands of Southwell in the second
game was also positive. A good performance saw them miss some
open goal chances against Jon Wardle, who was deputising in goal
for Watson. The win gives Southwell a glimmer of hope.
But the SR-1 team seems to overcome any obstacle in front
of them. This time it was Barclays who raced into a 1-0 lead roared
on by the huge (Southwell) crowd. It was normal service though
as Cuddihy put them back into it with two goals. The second half
saw chances missed at both ends. Barclays were genuinely unlucky
not to gain a draw, but SR-1 go on and only need a point to secure
the Title.
Wearview played against Sporting, who were returning from
the cold after a long absence. It was Wilson who gave his team
the lead, but they soon fell away and literally collapsed in the
second half. Wearview pounded and humiliated them with four goals.
Two from Neil Middlemiss and one each from Gaz and Steve Anderson.
2nd
October 2003
SR-1 only need four points.
LFC’s heroic reverse.
O’Neills Sports pulled off another
coup by signing Danny Coulson to bolster their already strong
team. It was unfortunate that they were facing Southwell as the
three goals conceded were unstoppable. The win puts Southwell
firmly into second place.
Fulwell, probably one of the major disappointments this season
still have it in them to climb the table. A comfortable 2-0 win
over LFC with both goals coming from Phil Young put them in good
stead for their later encounter with Wearview.
Wearview didn’t gain any joy from their opener. A 2-1 defeat
against SR-1, despite Hembrough replying in the second half, kept
them away from the top two and also handed the Title (almost)
to SR-1. Lee Cuddihy’s side only need four more points to guarantee
the Title.
LFC then turned their form upside with a superb and heroic
1-0 win over Barclays. The same team had walloped them 9-1. But
the return of LFC’s key players, including Lee Butler and also
a debut for Steve Udale in goal, saw Michael Butler score the
only goal of the game. Amazingly, William Butler and Lee Butler
were limping for most of the second half, but still held on to
disappoint Barclays, who were probably a bit overconfident.
The late night game saw Wearview demolish FC Fulwell with
5 goals to 1. Gaz Anderson was the star of the night with two
goals, while Middlemiss, Steve Anderson and Hembrough added the
others. Fulwell made some minor changes for this game which blew
back in their face as they could have gone third with a win.
25th
September 2003
SR-1 overcome their final
hurdle.
Two defeats put Dadcheck
well out of it.
A 3-1 defeat inflicted on to Dadcheck
by SR-1 tumbled the team into third place – which will probably
be their eventual position. With only one game remaining, Dadcheck
can take a breather after losing two decisive games on the night.
The first defeat came against Southwell. The “Farmers” opened
the scoring when a low, but fast, Jon Wardle shot squirmed underneath
Logan. Minutes later Dickinson put them 2-0 ahead. Southwell were
definitely worth their victory as Dadcheck spent most of the game
pinging the ball from side to side instead of into any danger
areas. A late goal from Walker gave some hope, and also a sending
off for Maven after he was fouled by Mouat. It was a clear foul,
but most people seemed to forget that the referee played it on
and Staples hit the post. In Dadcheck’s second game, Hutchinson
opened the scoring, but Williamson hit back almost immediately.
It was Hutchinson who scored from the kick off and Dadcheck eventually
lost a third goal to Cuddihy.
LFC also played twice in the night. The first was a miserable
6-0 defeat against a sprightly Wearview team, who had just come
off the back of a 6-3 win over O’Neills. In the first game, Hembrough
scored two while Steve Anderson got a hat-trick. O’Neills had
a decent team out, but their goalkeeper was Redhouse Phil who
failed to stop any of the shots in his jeans. Wearviews second
game saw Neil Middlemiss score three and Anderson twice. Ageing
Steve Lawson scored a single goal to keep himself in the team.
LFC’s late night horror was against Barclays. Now a respectable
outfit, Barclays score nine times, with Bramham scoring seven.
A new addition to the team was Crown’s Paul Martin. Barclays now
have three regulars from Crown playing and with Bramham and also
goalkeeper Tweddle, should pose a problem for some teams.
18th
September 2003
Williamson overpowers Wearview.
A hat-trick keeps
Dadcheck in 2nd. SR-1’s final push for the Title.
Dadcheck gained sweet revenge over
Wearview, but it wasn’t without a late scare. Cruising at 2-0,
Steve Lawson and Gaz Anderson got Wearview back into the game.
But on the break, Dadcheck gained a further two goals. Walker
scored one and Williamson scored a hat-trick to keep Dadcheck
in second place.
O’Neill Sports gained two discarded players from Dadcheck,
Ames and Coulson, and secured an impressive draw against high
flying Fulwell. For once, free scoring Hutton failed to get on
the score sheet in a 0-0 draw. A win would have put Fulwell into
third place. A draw for O’Neills was a good result and also the
rumours of the departure of Michael Pearson seemed to have been
quelled (until the next defeat, anyway….)
The goat was well and truly fed before the Sporting – Southwell
encounter, but he couldn’t really do much about Wardle’s two goals
in each half. A man-of-the-match performance was deserved, but
the addition of Mitchell instead of Hunt to the team led to some
serious internal ruptions which could lead to a mass exodus of
the Sporting players over to O’Neills.
SR-1 look set to win the Title after a 4-0 hammering over
Barclays. But looking closely at their remaining games, it seems
that they will have to battle for them. Another game against Barclays
will be straightforward, but encounters against Dadcheck, Fulwell,
LFC and two against Wearview could cause some problems. The goals
today were scored by Hutchinson and a hat-trick from Cuddihy.
11th
September 2003
Dadcheck back in action
and back in 2nd.
Southwell and Fulwell
& Sporting and LFC cancel each other out.
The opening game saw a revamped Dadcheck
team destroy a makeshift O’Neill Sports team. With their glorious
win safely behind them, O’Neills were let down by certain players
and barely managed to get a team out. The team they put out was
disjointed and put to the sword by Dadcheck. Paul Mouat, transferred
from Sporting Redhouse, made his debut, supported by Walker, Coulson
and Williamson. Leithes benefited heavily from his surroundings
as he scored four goals in some style. Walker converted two and
Williamson scored the other. Ross reduced the deficit for O’Neill
Sports, but even at the 3-1 stage, Dadcheck looked good.
Southwell had the better chances than Fulwell in their game.
Wardle, Staples and Watson were all missing, but it was Maven
who scored like a true striker. He was probably more surprised
than anyone else. But celebrations were short lived. Hutton latched
on to a through ball and expertly slotted past Stubbs in goal.
It soon got a bit rough, with Greenwell nearly seeing red, but
the final score remained at 1-1 as both these teams are in 3rd
and 4th place on same games played.
LFC and Sporting Redhouse played the last game of the night,
which was probably the worse. Redhouse were coming back off their
humiliation last week and looked sluggish. Michael Brown opened
the scoring, but it was Sporting who looked lively. Davison in
particular was having an excellent game alongside Kelsey. Mitchell
was a wandering passenger and really struggled to get into any
rhythm. John Hunt equalised for Sporting but that was where the
goalscoring, surprisingly ended.
4th
September 2003
William Harper steals the
show.
He defies his age
and girth to strike O’Neill Sports’ first winner.
There are events which stick in the
mind. The Hindenburg Disaster, Eric Cantona kicking the shit out
of a Palace fan and William Harper lashing in the winner against
Sporting Redhouse.
The game was the last one played on the night, and without
a doubt, the best one. Pearson and Hounslow put O’Neills ahead
in what looked like an unassailable lead, but Hunt and Davison
levelled the scores. It seemed like if anyone was going to score,
it would be Sporting. But no. Lo and behold, William Harper sprinted
from the back in his painted on kit and knee high basketball boots
to lash in the winner. Manager Tarnjit Sangha publicly claimed
that he would resign if Harper scored. We eagerly await the outcome.
SR-1 are now six points
clear of Southwell with equal games. They have to drop two games
to give the opposition a hint of coming back into it. Cuddihy
presented a full squad which seemed to score at will against LFC.
Cuddihy grabbed two and Hutchinson joined him. Lyall added the
fifth in an expected win.
Fulwell were to play two back to back games. The alleged awkward
one was against Dadcheck.com. But for Dadcheck, it was a disaster.
Despite a decent opening, the makeshift team, which was lacking
Robson, McNaught, Dixon, Galey, Logan, Walker and Middlemiss eventually
succumbed to a 5-0 defeat. Hutton was rampant for Fulwell and
bludgeoned his way to his hat-trick. Goals from Young and Davidson
finished the issue.
Their next game was against Barclays. The Barclays team have
been making steady progress since their bad start, and now with
the addition of Jeff Clark to bolster the team, they have two
players who have won silverware in the Tuesday League. Their inexperienced
goalkeeper, however, gave away a penalty which was dispatched
by Ian Davidson. But a wonder strike, which was coolly chested
down and walloped in the back of the net from Bramham settled
the game into a draw. Both teams had some later opportunities,
but with Fulwell tiring it was Barclays which should have taken
advantage. A draw was a fair result though, as Barclays are much
stronger and more organised since Bramham took over the lions
share of team responsibility.
21st
August 2003
SR-1 beat Southwell to
move clear.
5 man Sporting draw
with Fulwell.
The opening game saw a vicious looking
Sporting team take on FC Fulwell. In the previous encounter, Sporting
dished out some strong stuff which was inexplicably not dealt
with by referee Tommy Foster. This time, they didn’t get away
with it and it should serve as a warning. Keith Mouat was dismissed
for head butting, while Hutton gained his yellow card. It was
0-0 at the time and Sporting were there for the taking. It didn’t
happen though. Sporting upped a gear and came out of the game
disappointed not to get all three points. Stephen Wilson was man-of-the-match
for his accurate shooting which was dealt with by Gary Hayes for
Fulwell. A bad loss of points for Fulwell, but a positive one
for Tarnjit Sangha’s team, who after the immense humiliation over
the past few weeks, seem to have turned the corner.
The biggest game of the night was Jon Wardle’s Southwell against
Lee Cuddihy’s SR-1. Both players were high up in the goal stakes,
but Lee Cuddihy added to his tally to make it 12 goals for himself
and 3 points in a 1-0 win. Wardle presented a full strength team,
and though they outplayed SR-1 in their previous encounter only
to get a draw, this time it was nothing. “Who’s the daddy now,
fatso?”
Dadcheck and Barclays were both depleted. Barclays had Andy
Constable and Jeff Clark making debuts, while Dadcheck had Wayne
Galey and Christopher Scott were new on the board for Dadcheck.
The game wasn’t pleasant to watch. Barclays had the lion’s share
of the game but were restricted to pot shots at Logan in goal
for Dadcheck. Bramham was driving Barclays forward, but eventually
Dadcheck got in on the act. Galey had a clear chance in the first
and ultimately scored the winner with around five minutes remaining.
A 0-0 scoreline would have been ideal for both teams based on
the circumstances, but for Barclays it was a bad evening.
21st
August 2003
Barclays gain a stunning
win!
LFC’s late strike
beats Dadcheck.com.
Barclays gained a memorable win against
an under strength Wearview team. They went deservedly ahead through
Richard Coombes and played a confident style of football. It seemed
inevitable that a second goal would come. But late in the second
half, Steve Anderson scored from distance to put Wearview back
in it. Throughout the game, Barclays goalkeeper, Paul Tweddle,
made some astounding saves to solidify his previously lacklustre
backline. His just rewards for such a performance was a late winner
to take Barclays to their second win and clear off the foot of
the table. They are now only four points behind Sporting Redhouse
with two games in hand.
“Wearview were left seething after they saw
there title hopes blown away. It all went wrong earlier in the
day when two 'players' decided to drop their mates in it. Neil
Bainbridge decided to go on the piss and Mini being the soft shite
and most hated player on the planet, got a paper cut on his foot,
so Wearview had to do with a makeshift team. They soon went 1-0
down, but they battled back well and equalised through Steven
Anderson and could easily of won it but for some brilliant goalkeeping
from the Barclays keeper. Then late on in the game Barclays broke
clear and slotted passed the keeper to make it 2-1 and wreck the
promising Wearview title challenge.”
Report by Scott Hembrough
A haphazard performance from Sporting keeper, Anth Mouat,
led to a heavy defeat against SR-1. Danny Coulson was between
the sticks in the last game between these two, and was largely
responsible for keeping the score down in SR-1’s narrow 1-0 win.
This time it was more open with some stunning goals. Steve Hutchinson’s
stunning final minute strike made it 5-0, and complemented and
earlier double strike from Cuddihy along with contributions from
Ward and Lyall. Sporting lacked any punch and have obviously resigned
themselves to the fact that they wont feature in the top four.
FC Fulwell returned after a three week absence to pick up
from where they left off. Goals from Hodd, Young and Richardson
gave them a solid 3-0 win over a battling O’Neills team, who this
week, featured the talents of Sean Hounslow. Nevertheless, an
unsettled team are still looking for their first points.
Dadcheck also shot themselves in the foot after going down
to a last minute LFC strike. Gordon Robson, making his debut,
put Dadcheck 1-0 ahead with a brilliant strike. But the team lost
its way and allowed Butler to strike a brilliant equaliser from
way out. The second half saw LFC begin to come back into the game
and have a few strikes on goal. Logan saved brilliantly from an
almost certain goal by Butler. But in the dying seconds, Rogerson
scored to give LFC their second win. Dadcheck, although still
not out of it, need to learn to finish their chances like most
of their recent opponents have done.
14th
August 2003
Wearview back to their
best.
SR-1 and Southwell
share the points.
Wearview ran out 3-0 winners in a
pretty even contest. Wearview had most of the possession in the
first half and soon opened the scoring with a goal from Neil Middlemiss
and then a rare goal from the rapidly ageing Steve Lawson, who
will probably tell everyone about it in the pension queue tomorrow
morning, made it 2-0, The second half was much different as Dadcheck
piled on the pressure, but there possession came to nothing as
they squandered their chances. Then Dadcheck’s Chris Middlemiss
got over excited and decided to take a short cut through his own
box. The resulting penalty was converted late on by Scott Hembrough
to settle the game and gave Wearview a much needed 3 points.
Report
by S. Hembrough
Can’t really argue with the report. We were poor. Strikers
seemed to spend the game on the wings, while the opposition massed
in defence. We were all poor and didn’t really look like scoring.
Went 2-0 down quickly so I spent the rest of the game kicking
Neil Middlemiss (with his team’s approval of course). Steve Lawson
also showed that age is no handicap in this league as he lashed
in a good goal. Also Chris Middlemiss threw a wobbler and took
a short cut across his own box and then denied it.
Report
by D. Sangha
Southwell’s game against SR-1 was given some added dimension
after SR-1 pulverised O’Neill’s 7-0. Goals from Chris Scott, Mark
Lyall, Steve Hutching and Cuddihy set up a mouth-watering clash.
Firstly, Chris Haldane must have forgot his contact lenses and
forced Southwell to wear bibs, despite both teams having contrasting
colours. The aerodynamics of Southwell were slowed down as Cuddihy
scored an opener, which looped over the flailing Watson. Drastic
action was taken as Wardle came on as a sub to equalise. Southwell
had opportunities but the game ended in a 1-1 draw to keep SR-1
well in check of the title.
Barclays only realised too late that they were playing against
a substandard opposition. In game which was separated by some
stunning goals, it was Sporting which raced into a 2-0 lead with
a brilliant goal off Davison and a rare strike from Keith Mouat.
Davison scored another goal in the game and so did Nesbit for
Barclays. A stunning goal followed by another made it 3-2 and
it was game on. Anth Mouat was making his debut for Sporting after
being cruelly discarded by Dadcheck. Paul Mouat also made his
welcome return after his disciplinary problems earlier in the
season. Both Hunt and Mitchell were axed for this encounter, as
Sporting played some good football. Barclays will rue the late
comeback, but it’s quite obvious that performances are picking
up.
7th
August 2003
Barclays gain the headlines
a profitable win.
SR-1 and Dadcheck
cancel each other out. Two contrasting games from Wearview.
It had to happen sooner or later.
Barclays and O’Neill Sports were both without a win and pointless
(as Boldon have been deleted). Before the game, the money
would be on O’Neill Sports, as Jason Amour bolstered his team
with the addition of Kyle Robinson. However it was Barclays which
stole the show. A brilliant hat-trick from Michael Bramham was
unrivalled. Two of them were soft goals conceded by the O’Neills
keeper, but Barclays were exceptionally strong in defence as O’Neills
had several chances themselves. Some were squandered, but most
were saved or blocked. The game was over early in the second half,
as Barclays played on the counterattack. For Jason, however, serious
questions as to what went wrong.
Wearview demonstrated why they have “Elite” as a title. A
6-0 slaughtering over Sporting Redhouse was easily achieved. The
highlight of which was a Scott Hembrough hat-trick and arguments
between the Sporting players. Wearview announced themselves as
genuine contenders after this win. Unfortunately, though, they
followed this up with a 4-1 hammering off Southwell. The game
was evenly balanced at 2-1 just before half time, but tired legs
gave away two further goal. And this was despite the team being
amongst the youngest in the league (apart from Steve “the early
60’s” Lawson, that is).
The major game of the night was SR-1 versus Dadcheck.com.
SR-1 are the only undefeated team in the league and remain so
after this encounter. An early Simon Williamson goal was cancelled
out just before half time by Lee Cuddihy. The score remained the
same. Both keepers made one good save each during the game, as
these teams cancelled each other out. It was a very disjointed
game and definitely not a good one to watch. But with so much
to lose for both of them, they kept it tight.
Boldon have been removed
from the league due to the team being unable to organise themselves
in regards to players and kits. As most will have seen, Boldon
failed to adhere to the kit rule and were on one final warning.
31st
July 2003
Sporting knocked off the
top.
Two defeats - from
SR-1 and Dadcheck - put Southwell back into 1st.
Two games and two defeats meant that
the previously indestructible Sporting Redhouse, were knocked
off the top of the table and pushed way back into fourth.
The first one was the clash of the night. Southwell, having
just beaten O’Neill Sports 3-1, were heading the table, but Sporting
and Dadcheck.com were battling for second place. In an entertaining
game, it was Dadcheck who had the majority of the chances and
took one in the first half. Simon Williamson made sure with his
fourth goal of the campaign. Dixon and Middlemiss both squandered
chances, but at the other end, Ryan McNaught and Davinder Sangha
easily controlled any dangers. Mark Kelsey came close to an equaliser
for Sporting, who themselves had several free-kick opportunities
– none of which troubled Steve Logan. His opposite, Danny Coulson,
proved why Sporting Redhouse are up there. His numerous (and unbelievable)
saves kept the score tight . . .
. . . As it did in the second game against SR-1. A single
goal by Lee Cuddihy was enough. Sporting were clearly tiring now
and injuries to Kelsey and Keith Mouat took their toll. Paul Mitchell,
replacing the more mobile Gary Davison, was, for once, a major
disappointment. He lacked any threat to SR-1’s back line which
was held together by Chris Scott (who got man-of-the-match). But
the star of the show was Danny Coulson, who kept on making miraculous
saves – what a star!
Southwell’s 3-1 win over O’Neill Sports wasn’t as comprehensive
as it would seem. An opener from Michael Ross gave O’Neill Sports
the advantage and they held on well until a Jon Wardle equaliser.
They had several chances, but failed to convert them as Southwell
eventually picked them off one by one. A further two goals from
Wardle and Dickinson made sure that Southwell commanded the table
on goal difference ahead of Dadcheck.com.
Barclays, who are still propping up the table, again lost.
This time a single goal from Boldon’s Ramin Moosarian was enough.
Barclays had a strong team out, with Bramham returning. But it
simply wasn’t enough. Boldon, on the other hand, were clearly
struggling with a team, but managed to keep together and gain
their first win of the season.
24th
July 2003
Who’s the daddy now, Mr.
Wardle?
A stunning win for
Dadcheck.com, puts Southwell back into their place.
Despite arrogantly heading the table
with eight goals scored and none conceded.
It was Jon Wardle’s so called “superstars” who suffered an ignominious
defeat. This first defeat came from Dadcheck,
who were superbly marshalled by Simon Williamson, on the pitch, and
David Leithes, off the pitch.
An opening blitz saw Dave Watson,
in the Southwell goal, coming under some extreme pressure. An
opener from Dixon was followed by several opportunities from Walker
and Williamson. At the other end, Jon Wardle was kept quiet by
Davinder Sangha and
failed to gain any real opportunities. The second half continued
like the first and it was Walker who increased Dadcheck’s
lead. By this time, the ineffective Staples
had been replaced by
Greenwell, who himself failed to perform. A late strike (in the
final 10 seconds) from James Dickinson was only a consolation
as Dadcheck join the leaders
on 10 points.
Sporting Redhouse, spearheaded once again, by Paul Mitchell,
destroyed a completely disorganised Boldon team. A wonder goal
from Boldon was only a consolation as the predatory instincts
of Mitchell, alongside those of John Hunt, saw them both share
four goals. Mark Kelsey graced the game with a goal as well in
a 5-1 win.
SR-1 returned to the fold and showed how impressive they were.
Racing into a 2-0 lead over FC Fulwell was a performance in itself.
Excellent goals from Lee Cuddihy and Steve Hutchinson seemed to
make the game safe. However, a response from Fulwell turned the
game, and, arguably, they should have equalised. But SR-1 had
opportunities themselves and kept the scoreline at that. They
are now only one point behind the leaders, but with staggering
two games in hand which should put them clear…if they win them.
Barclays remain rooted to the table. And after a 5-0 hammering
off Wearview, will probably remain there all season on goal difference
alone. The team, which features Steve Smith from Crown Electrics,
simply can’t get into gear. Michael Bramham was again absent,
albeit on the sidelines to encourage, and they simply lacked ideas.
Wearview scored from Hembrough (2) and goals from Gaz and Steve
Anderson, and Neil Middlemiss. Wearview are sitting pretty in
fourth place with one game in hand.
Last week it was Jason Amour and this week it was Michael
Ross. A defeat against LFC for O’Neill Sports could have been
so much different, had Ross fired in an equaliser at the end.
It was his goal which turned the game after earlier strikes from
Lee Butler and Michael Brown seemed to have settled the game.
Butler’s team seem to be enjoying a brief surge, having held Dadcheck
and now taking the points against O’Neills.
17th
July 2003
Wardle strikes a blow for
Southwell.
Oh L’Amour! he misses
a sitter which could have given O’Neill’s 3 points.
Without Mickey Pearson to drive the
team on, it was left to Jason Amour to pick up the pieces in the
one game in which they would have a chance to gain points. It
seemed to work. Idris Balarabe was a spectator for both goals
against him as Michael Ross and Chris Penman put O’Neill Sports
2-0 up. Then the comeback. Motivated by man-of-the-match, Darrel
Franciosy, Boldon pushed for a consolation and got one. Soon after
they grabbed an equaliser and it was game on. Adam Parker and
Gary Conner had pulled them back into it – but the final nail
in the coffin was Jason Amour’s glaring miss to make sure that
O’Neill Sports failed to gain more than the one point.
The game of the night was definitely Southwell versus Sporting
Redhouse. Both presented full strength teams, but Sporting were
lacking the killer touch as Mitchell was absent. In his place,
John Hunt failed to provide the impetus and could well be looking
over his shoulder should Mitchell return next week. For Southwell,
Wardle brought himself on as a substitute to lash a top corner
screamer past Danny Coulson. The unfortunate ‘keeper forgot to
use his hands. Facing the humiliation of the crowd and abuse from
his own team (and this was even before the game), Coulson’s miserable
demeanour spread amongst his own hapless team as they succumbed
to a 1-0 defeat. Watson made some stunning saves for Southwell,
especially one off Mark Kelsey, who for once connected with the
ball and spoon fed it into the goalmouth with some tremendous
velocity. Watson was equal to it as he palmed it onto the cross
bar. An excellent game which was end to end stuff.
Hutton stole the show for Fulwell
as they stole into second place. Two goals from him included one
stunning strike in the second half. Phil Young scored alongside
Ian Davidson to make sure their opponents, Barclays, suffered
another defeat. Barclays are now rooted to the bottom after Boldons
draw with O’Neills. They were missing the influential Bramham,
but even then, with Hutton (literally) on fire, the result wouldn’t
have been much different.
The final game turned out differently for Dadcheck.com. With
Williamson returning to partner Walker in the team, it seemed
that a combination of Select, Sassco and Durham players would
pulverise LFC. Lee Butler was back, but the first half was in
favour of Dadcheck.com, as Leithes grabbed his second in two games.
But unfortunately for him, and Dadcheck, he faded away and further
chances on goal were squandered. An equaliser late in the second
half from substitute, Steve Proudfoot, sounded the death knell.
It simply wasn’t going to be Dadcheck’s day. LFC had good opportunities
near the end as Dadcheck were desperate for a winner. A draw seemed
like a defeat for them. Further opportunities for Dadcheck were
missed as the rotation policy, which saw Dixon out, failed miserably.
Dixon would surely have remained in attack, instead of wandering
about at the back with two defenders already there.
10th
July 2003
Has Mitchell lost his place?
Hutton and (whinging)
Wardle: handbags at 10 paces.
Despite the two goals he grabbed last
week, Paul Mitchell still didn’t receive the respect he expected
from his despondent manager, Tarnjit Sangha. Two Mark Kelsey type
“spooners” from Mitchell led to a second half substitution with
another dejected player, John Hunt. Yet it was a masterstroke,
as Hunt grabbed a brilliant goal and couldn’t but help glare at
Mitchell on the sidelines. The goal was an addition to Gary Davison’s
solo strike in the first half to give Sporting Redhouse a solid
2-0 win over LFC, who were without Lee Butler. LFC lacked ideas
and any punch and soon faded away.
A shining performance from David Watson papered over the cracks
in his increasingly burdened team, Southwell. Jon Wardle’s side
faced off against a strong and aggressive Fulwell, and despite
numerous chances for Hutton, Fulwell ended the game at 0-0. Wardle
and the aforementioned Hutton both received yellow cards, and
Wardle was lucky not to be given his marching orders. The winners,
at football, were Fulwell and the losers – especially with the
whinging Wardle – were Southwell.
Dadcheck, another team with self doubt after last week’s defeat,
turned on the style against O’Neill Sports. Trevor Walker stood
in for the missing Williamson and nearly stole the show. His man-of-the-match
performance was equalled by Chris Middlemiss – with two goals
as a second half sub. Leithes was injured soon after he grabbed
his debut goal. Dixon also weighed in with his opener. Inevitably,
Walker scored, but the finest goal of the game was probably a
Mickey Pearson strike past Steve Logan. Chris Penman grabbed the
other goal.
In the final game of the night, Wearview continued their run
of form with a 5-2 win over Boldon. Idris Balarabe returned for
Boldon and even got himself on the scoresheet. The result was
dead and buried at the time, though. Neil Middlemiss matched the
absent Scott Hembrough with a strong hat-trick. Gaz Anderson scored
the other two. Also Steve Lawson managed to last a whole game,
despite attempting to sneak off as a sub during the break. Idris
Balarabe’s team again struggled with the killer touch. The football
was reasonable and even both their goals (the other from Franciosy)
were well taken. Yet, as mentioned before, the curse of the “Cola
Boy” seems to be hanging over them.
There seems to be a lot of complaints about shortened halves
during games. Please note that the referee’s are hired from 7:00pm
(or 7:30pm) to 9:30pm. Teams must be ready for kick off at their
designated times at all times. Additional time for penalties,
injuries, etc will always be added on if necessary. There’s no
excuse for teams to be kicking a ball about on the pitch in a
warm up at their designated time. Be ready to play.
3rd
July 2003
SR-1 and Southwell looking
good.
First
defeat for Dadcheck.com and LFC.
SR-1 took to the field against an
under strength Boldon team and were soon 2-0 ahead, with brilliant
goals from Lee Cuddihy and Lee Blackett. Boldon soon had a full
strength team but a further goal from Cuddihy made sure that SR-1
remained top on goal difference. It seems the curse of the Cola
Boy is hanging over Boldon as they just cant seem to get a grip
of competitive six-a-side soccer.
Wearview Elite also made up for last weeks 1-0 defeat against
Southwell with a hat-trick from an on form Scott Hembrough. For
once LFC failed to make any striking impact, despite having Lee
Butler in the team. A goal from Scott Coburn wasn’t enough as
Wearview took the points. Hembrough overcame one of his many phantom
injuries to steal the show over Neil Middlemiss - who was clearly
a bystander.
Dadcheck.com also came unstuck against FC Fulwell. A first
half strike from Fulwell wasn’t responded to and a goal in the
second half saw the deficit increase. Simon Williamson immediately
replied but a late goal from Phil Young, to complement the earlier
strikes from Ian Davidson and Steven Hodd, gave the points to
FC Fulwell who unquestionably deserved them. Another “world famous”
clanger from Anth Mouat led to a deep malaise within the Dadcheck
team – although, according to Mouat, he himself was the best player
on the pitch and did no wrong.
Under fire manager, Tarnjit Sangha was forced to put John
Hunt in the team alongside Paul Mitchell after his squad failed
to show the commitment he expected of them. Player power reared
it’s ugly head as John Hunt clearly intimidated his boss by complaining
about Mitchell. The under fire Mitchell soon turned the tables
on his chief with two fabulous goals against a stubborn O’Neill
Sports team. Jason Amours struggling team performed strongly but
lacked the killer instinct – an instinct which the aforementioned
Mitchell had. And despite his pop-star good looks, underneath
the facia lies a mean and ugly predator who has set out his stall
on gaining a permanent place in a previously hapless team.
Jon Wardle’s Southwell team “poured” themselves into some
undersize shirts and squeezed out a performance which will be
talked about in weeks to come. All five outfielders, including
a man-of-the-match performance from Steve Stubbs, scored against
Barclays. The Barclays team were hard done by last week, but this
week had no excuses, despite having a full team to choose from.
Even David Staples put himself on the score sheet with, hopefully,
his first of many.
26
June 2003
SR-1, the favourites, begin
early.
No real surprises
in the opening day.
A pounding from SR-1 wasn’t really
what O’Neill’s expected. John Cunningham’s team played exceptionally
well in the first half to keep it tight, only to concede a well
taken free kick early in the second. Then the floodgates opened.
Lee Cuddihy, who was having a quiet game, burst into life with
a brilliant hat-trick. Lee Blackett and Mark Lyall scored the
others as SR-1 were firmly placed at the top of the table in the
opening game of the League.
LFC also came close to joining them. They raced into a three
goal lead against Boldon who clawed two goals back (between an
LFC fourth). This wasn’t good enough though. The deficit was too
high and an eventual 5-2 defeat put LFC in second place. Butler
grabbed a penalty goal, while Scott Coburn and Stephen Donkin
shared four goals. Adam Parker scored one for Boldon, but Ian
“Tooty” MacDowell scored the best goal of the game near the end.
An aggressive performance by Sporting against FC Fulwell was
an attempt to get a grip on the game. With Sporting’s height advantage,
most would have expected Fulwell to crumble. But remarkably, they
upped a gear and genuinely hammered the Sporting team for whom
Daniel Coulson was truly inspired in goal. Keith and Paul Mouat
were cautioned for over zealous tackling, but the game didn’t
calm down and ended in a 0-0 draw. Disappointing for Fulwell,
but a brilliant point for Sporting Redhouse.
Dadcheck were favoured to do reasonably well in the
League considering that they had Simon Williamson spearheading
the team. But Barclays showed them no respect as Steve Smith hammered
in a second half goal through Anth Mouats legs. With a little
over five minutes remaining, Dadcheck won a penalty after two
Barclays players collided into each other and one landed in the
box. Williamson put away a perfect penalty and himself lashed
in the winner with around a minute left. Disappointment for Barclays,
but relief for Dadcheck.com who seemed to lack ideas.
The late game saw Wearview perform the way everyone expected
them to. They pounded the Southwell goal but Watson responded
with some stunning saves. A sucker punch from Jon Wardle gave
Southwell an important three points in a difficult opener. David
Staples was awarded man-of-the-match for his tireless performance
and was unlucky not to be on the scoresheet himself. Wearview
had a reasonably full strength unit with only Neil Middlemiss
replacing Conifey (absent) in goal. This was probably a mistake
as Middlemiss would most likely have come up with more ideas in
attack. Nevertheless, for the second week running, Wearview faced
an excellent ‘keeper in Dave Watson – last week it was Coulson
in the final pre-season game.
So SR-1 take the top spot, which was expected, but the rest
of the League seems clearly open. Fulwell didn’t gain the win
that was expected of them and Southwell won the heavyweight encounter
with the more favoured Wearview team. Dadcheck, as well, had a
slow start as they themselves clearly expected to beat Barclays
easily. Boldon and O’Neills need to go back to the drawing board.
O’Neills played stubbornly well in their opener until the second
half and Boldon did the same but in reverse, as they finished
their game v LFC in good form.
19
June 2003
Ready for kick off.
Final set of pre-season
games.
The final set of pre-season games
saw impressive wins for Dadcheck.com, Southwell and also LFC and
Sporting.
Dadcheck.com
comfortably overcame Boldon Wanderers 2-0 while Sporting, in the
first of their two games, let go a 2-0 lead to be soundly defeated
by LFC 3-2. Fulwell lost 2-1 to Southwell off a late goal from
David Staples, while
O’Neill Sports and
Barclays Sunderland cancelled
each other out with a 0-0. The Barclays ‘keeper pulled off some
miraculous saves while his counter part saved a penalty.
The final game saw a strong Wearview
Elite team go down 2-0 against Sporting Redhouse. A late reply
wasn’t good enough in what would be classed a surprise result.
12
June 2003
Pre-season games.
LFC celebrate a win.
Sporting lose heavily. Fulwell also win.
Sassco.co.uk have been renamed
as Southwell FC – still with the same personnel.
Pre-season continued with Lee Butler’s LFC in their second game
which was a positive 4-2 win against Davinder
Sangha’s Dadcheck.com.
Fulwell and Boldon almost cancelled
each other out, but the game was settled by a solitary goal from
Fulwell. Also Sporting played two back to back games. The first
one was a 3-0 trouncing off Southwell, but the second was a well
balanced game which
ended in their favour against Barclays Sunderland. A single strike
was enough, although Gary Davison (player of the season for the
AGUK League) pulled off some excellent
stops including a penalty save.
5
June 2003
Season 1 to commence 26th
June.
10 teams to take part.
The meeting was held at the Complex
with all teams represented. The main points which were discussed
were the transfer rules and the kit rules. It was also agreed
to commence the league on the 26th June at 7:00pm.
Two additional teams, SR-1 and
Dadcheck.com will be entered to take the total
up to 10. However, SR-1 will not take part in the league until
after 17th July due to other commitments.
Two pre-season friendly games
followed the meeting.
Jon Wardle’s Sassco.co.uk beat
Lee Butler’s (although he wasn’t present) makeshift team 7-0.
The second encounter was a far more entertaining game which saw
Boldon and Sporting Redhouse, both fully kitted and competitively
matched. Sporting opened the scoring, but Boldon (under the control
of Idris Balarabe) played the better football and their dominance
paid off with an equaliser. The game being tied was settled by
penalties. Sporting won 2-1 in the shoot out.
