We played an intense and bad-tempered make-up game against Crafty Veterans on their turf on a wind-swept hill on Saturday afternoon. When the final whistle sealed our well-deserved victory some tempers boiled over and there were ugly scenes reminiscent of occurrences in English stadiums in the 70s and 80s. Perhaps this is where some of the Veterans learned their craft?
It was clear from the start that it would be a physical game with the Veterans serving up some nasty tackles. The early play was mostly in their half, and the defence was under continuous pressure. Although we held the ball well and passed crisply, we didn't really trouble the goalkeeper until Gary hit a low shot from just outside the area that the keeper gathered at the second attempt.
Crafty Veterans attacked well on the breakaway, and they had some opportunities in the middle of the half, most of which ended with the ball floating in the swamp behind Mike's goal.
The deadlock was broken when Pedro collected the ball 30 yards out on the left. He played a looped cross directly into the path of the inrushing Karsten, and he belted a half-volley into the goal. Early in the second half Gary's free-kick from the right caused confusion in the Vet's penalty area. The ball fell to Chris directly in front of goal and he bundled it home from close range
With fifteen minutes remaining CV were back in the game. A series of long throw-ins had been causing us defensive problems and eventually resulted in a goal, as a throw from the right was flicked past Mike's left shoulder and into the net.
As the Vets probed for an equaliser the tension rose, as did the number of heavy tackles. The referee had been lenient throughout the game, and completely lost control of the game in the closing minutes. After the final whistle was blown a mini riot erupted with the CV supporters (yes, there were quite a few) spilling onto the field. Bodies were milling in all directions as some of our players tried to avoid punches and kicks - not exactly family entertainment.
Squad: Mike O, Kirk, Schec, Mike A, Tom, Tim R, John, Gary, Karsten, Joe, Chris, Ivan, Samuel, Pedro
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