Football on Tuesday 30/12/08

Whites
Sam
Vish
Rush
Jay
Stas

Colours
Manu
Amit
Nav
Gaurav
Sunny

Colours by 1

MoM - Gaurav

The week between Christmas and New Year is such a waste of time - they should just push Christmas back to the 28th so we can have a whole week off...why do we bother coming in for those three days when we can be sitting at home arguing with the missus or better still shopping for furniture we don't want, don't need and can't afford.

Football generally provides some relief from the pressures of the working week (both at home and at work) however this week, as with everything else, the 10 that volunteered to 'work' the Christmas week massively regretted their decision not to email Rush to confirm that they CANNOT play…To think we could be anywhere other than pitch 11 on a Tuesday night - Ravi was in Vegas, Rajesh was having a couple of beers playing taboo (or is that peek-a-boo) with the missus and some strange couple from HK (reports suggest that car keys were involved…), and Jai was at home in his room watching p**n (again…) but at least they were all warm (some warmer than others…) Tuesday night was blimmin' freezing - good luck to the 10 turning out tomorrow…

So to the game...whites took an early lead, 4 nil up within 10 minutes, although to be honest (and I know I have a history of writing biased reports) Colours did not deserve to be so far behind. The game looked to be lost within the first 10, despite the fact that Colours had missed (or whites had saved) at least 2/3 one-on-ones and managed to hit each post. To their credit, Colours maintained the work rate and with the inevitable drop in concentration from Whites, Colours managed to claw their way back...with 7 unanswered goals.

A couple of highlights - Gaurav's left foot volley of a chest height pass from Sunny into the top right corner from 20 yards (think Van Persie against Charlton and you'd be close) - truly great goal…and Amit steering with the outside of his right boot into the bottom left corner from the half way line (think Jan Molby.)…

Colours managed to hold the lead and took the game 7-6 at the final whistle…
Well done to those that turned out, and credit to everyone that helped ensure that we didn’t have to cancel a session over the xmas break - it says a lot about the commitment people are showing to Tuesday night football and is definitely resulting in an increase in quality on the pitch week on week…

Football on Tuesday 23/12/08

Whites
Ravi
Manu
Aman
Mahesh
Nav

Colours
Sunny
Sam
Gaurav
Amit
Mone

Whites 3 - Colours 3

Football on Tuesday 16/12/08

Whites
Sam
Jai
Rush
Ravi
Aman
Rajesh

Colours
Amit
Sunny
Manu
Nii
Stas
Nav

Colours Win

Football on Tuesday 09/12/08

Whites
Sam
Amit
Gav
Stas
Rushabh
Mung'ara

Colours
Nav
Nii
Ravi
Rajesh
Jai
Sunny


Colours by 3
MOTM: Has to be Barnor, he was the difference in the end!

On a bitterly cold evening, the game started with some first class entertainment. Everyone gathered around to watch two lads a couple of pitches up, beat five shades of sh1te out of each other. That certainly raised the temperature!

The game kicked off and given that it is the Chistmas season, the Whites were certainly in the giving mood, handing a four goal lead to colours within the first 5 mins. Whites looked dazed and confused, giving the ball away and making numerous mistakes. Colours on the other hand were in no mood to let the whites off the hook, and thanks to some clinical finishing from Nav (continuing his fine form with some fine toe punts arrowing their way into the corner of the net) and Nii, really stamped their authority on the game.

With the first half of the game having been dominated by the Colours, Whites finally began to pass and move with confidence and started to pull the game back. With space hard to find in this 6 a side game, Colours were certainly making it difficult with some solid defending (Nii producing some stunning blocks coupled with groans that would not have been out of place in a German porn video!).

The Colours began to show some nerves as their lead was slowly chipped away, and when whites claimed a penalty, Stas stepped up, only to smash it against the bar (followed by Ravi taunting Stas for his miss).

Whites really began to push hard within the last 10 minutes but with time running out, the Colours kept the ball well and saw the game out with ruthless determination.

Football on Tuesday 02/12/08

Whites
Sam
Jai
Rush
Sunny
Steve

Colours
Nii
Stas
Amit
Mungara
Nav

Colours by 3

Man of the Match - Nii's words as he was clearly MoM and needed to nominate one - "Ok, I nominate Stas as I dont think he has done in a while....." Charity personified

There comes a time in a man's life when he thinks he has seen it all. But on an icy, blisteringly cold night the sight of Tuesday Night Football's players donning gloves, scarves and Rush wearing a bobble hat reminiscent of East 17 in their prime was surely something to behold.

In any case, when Jai and Sunny ambled in at 9.40pm the game finally began. Whites started brightly and quickly took a 2 nil lead thanks to some crisp passing and precise finishing by Sunny and Sam specifically. Jai looked to be nearly getting back to his old self minus the pointless running into corners and ball hogging that we have all become used to over the years (which means he may actually be a better player now!).

The Colours struggled to get organised at first but then shored up their ranks sufficiently to get their passing and possession game in order. They quickly got back into the game through well worked moves finished off by Nii and Stas.

The next 20 mins of the game was pretty tight with both teams trading blows and keeping the scores pretty level. Highlights included Sam shooting and scoring a snap shot from the half way line before Mungara had a chance to move and the great Nav Kamboh doing what he does best - looking like he's dribbling in no particular direction and then unleashing a howitzer of a shot out of nowhere to crack the back of the net.

Whether or not he had his eyes closed remains to be confirmed. The colours started to dominate slightly with their superior team formation and organisation - Mung'ara/Amit at the back, Nii roaming in the middle and Stas/Nav finishing up front. Keeping the ball well and putting away their opportunities meant the Colours sailed into the lead and were pretty comfortable. Whites had no way to break the mean Colours defence and by the time the lights went out Colours knew they had deserved their 3 goal victory.