Oh dear

Sparkshop were action again last Monday but after the glory of the cup we came back to earth with a defeat which just about sees us safe from the threat of promotion. With a full squad bar Dougie to choose from we lined up strongly with two pint Pete in a rich vein of scoring form and a miserly back line which was conceding few goals. The pattern in recent matches has been to soak up pressure for the first half and then unleash our superior fitness as the opposition run out of ideas on how to break us down.

It was a welcome surprise to find ourselves dominating the early exchanges with several shots on goal, corners and long throws courtesy of Kevin. We put together some good passing moves but were stunned when a free kick from a fair way out was struck goalwards and appeared to go through matter when there seemed to be no way of finding a way through. Richard was as stunned as anyone when the ball flew over his hands and into the net. It is unusual for a direct free kick to cause problems, there seldom seems to be any advantage in getting one but this one did for us.

I had a great chance to level matters but caught the ball too well on the turn and succeeded in missing the post by a centimetre. There was a comedy moment as the ball flew high in the air from a misplaced defensive clearance and I tried to head it goalward only to see the ball brush my forehead and strike my foot as it stumbled out of play.

Turning round a goal down we continued to play attractive football with lots of balls being won from the keeper as we tried to create more clear cut chances. New Matt had a great effort tipped over before we fell further behind to a shot given venom as the striker miscontrolled and had to stretch to reach the ball. In doing so the angle of the shot changed and he thumped it high into the net to leave us 2 down. Kev continued to shout at everything and everyone and a bit of spice came into the game as tackles began to fly. The stand in ref was out of his depth and constantly penalised our midfield and defence for standing their ground. The result was they started to leave a foot in and Matt C in particular was brought down without ceremony.

A glimmer of hope came when Kev's through ball split the defence and he howled at new Matt to get on the end of it. Having let it pass him by, the chance appeared to have gone, but Matt raced to the byline and struck a fierce effort from an acute angle. Stunningly it flew into the goal and left us with some respectability but little else as the final whistle went seconds later.

A disappointing result but one with plenty of positives to take home.


Richard Dom Matt C Mike Pete Kev New Matt (1) and Iain

2 - 1 defeat.

League One

p w d l f a gd pts 1 Lady Boys 8 7 1 0 21 5 16 22 2 V.R.A. 8 6 0 2 13 6 7 18 3 Old Guns 7 4 2 1 7 5 2 14 4 U-Drive 8 4 0 4 17 18 -1 12 5 Sparkshop 7 3 1 3 8 10 -2 10 6 Dark Knights 7 2 2 3 9 12 -3 8 7 Redefine 7 2 2 3 8 12 -4 8 8 Ferndown Foresters 7 1 0 6 7 22 -15 3 9 RB's Chan4NewsTeam 7 0 0 7 0 0 0 0

Romance of the cup

And about time too!

After numerous requests I am back to posting after a month's break which is a long time considering how little teaching I'm doing these days. However, in my defence I have actually been helping start a new school and it has been busy at times, even for me!

In my absence Sparkshop have gone from strength to strength and now have Spanish Dave seeking readmittance to the fold. There was a cup game against top league opposition to start with and incredibly we won 3 - 0. A great clean sheet but even more impressively there were debut goals for Mike with 2, both created superbly by new Matt, who was also the other goalscorer, an impressive performance by the young stallion.

The following week was back to league duty but a very different game ensued. It was dire to watch in the first half and we were deservedly a goal behind at the break. Somehow a goal came from new Matt to pull us level and from there on in it looked like there could only be one winner. That came as Kev stumbled a goal home from close range but it was another win.

This week we were back in cup action, again facing a team from the top division and doing well. We started, on the handicap system, 2 goals ahead and I was keen to make my return to action after so many games out. There was no question they were a quality side but there was a real sense of team spirit as Kev decided not to shout at anyone too much for a change and we hung on in there.

Rich was outstanding in goal although he got away with what looked a clear penalty as Gary favoured us once again. His arms made clear contact with the forward but we played to the whistle and found ourselves keeping the opposition to long range efforts. As ever Matt and Dom were sterling at the back and Mike, Kev and Pete supported throughout. New Matt and myself ranged about up front with little service in the first half but increasing space late on.

Is it true we are fitter than other teams? We seem to be better late in a game. A bit like Ali's rope-a-dope in Zaire when he let Foreman wear himself out before delivering the knock out punch late on.

Three pint Pete was outstanding in running and tackling but unluckily opened the scoring for them as he chested the ball home. That sounds poor but it was more the ball cannoned off him and into the empty net as Rich recovered from the initial save which had seen him sprawling on the floor.

Pete redeemed himself with a classic goal late on which snatched a draw on the night and victory by 3 - 1 on the handicap system. A lovely ball lifted over two defenders left him back to goal and plenty to do. Turning in an instant he swivelled and unleashed a shot with the ferocity of the hounds of hell. It was immediately blocked though but spun toward goal. Keeper committed, the goal was clear but the ball was postward bound until the spin took it back on track and it trickled in the goal. Not a classic but no more fortunate than their opener which means Sparkshop are near the top of the cup league, if that makes sense.