Steve Gaffing 4th & 5th - Season

4 Aug 2009 - King's Sports Centre, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Having failed at writing sonnets last week the EB decided that it was going to be a proper match report and research properly and do things proper match reports did. Which is why it found itself lurking in the canteen at Maples and Calder at lunchtime. As opponents, the EB assumed it was important to know what the Maples pre-match routine was going to be and was horrified to discover that spaghetti bolognaise was being served up in heaps and energy drinks were chilling in the cooler.

Never has the OB preparation ever matched this level and never has the indoor league seen such professionalism. But it is an interesting fixture this one; four of the OBs could legitimately play for Maples, one of the Maples team used to play for OBs and neither side likes to lose.

Obviously, Maples have got used to it more than the OBs. And that was reflected in a less than upbeat statement from the Maples manager before the game who noted (and yes, this is proper journalism) "We've ... got ... a couple of players out that I wish I had but given your performances this season if we get anything from the game we'd be more than happy." Having spent most of it's life rolling around gutters in it's own vomit, the EB knows enough about defeatism when it sees it. Or, to give the manager credit, it may be an effective rallying charge to his troops, not quiet Churchillian but potentially inspiring, less "We'll fight them on the beaches and more "Maybe we can build sandcastles and see who's is bigger". To report fairly, the EB gave the OB manager and captain an opportunity to comment who said; "We're going to give them a game tonight and hope that our age and experience will be greater than their youth and tenacity." Again, not up there with "Never have so many owed so much to so few" more, "let's just see who wins but we've won more in the past" but it set the stage for a cheeky encounter.

In an interesting last minute kit change, the OBs played in their favoured black Thistle Construction kit as one of their players suffers terribly from colour-blindness and it was considered unfair to start against the green of Maples in the red kit. However, as is often stated, disabilities and colour mean nothing; the OBs is equal opportunity and it only depends on whether you're good enough and you want to play. Which is why the decision by Cross was interesting, choosing to pull out and rest his toe with a pre-season fitness session rather than line up for the OBs. Having had players compete for the OBs in the past with numerous broken bones and bruises and scrapes, it was intriguing to see the reaction of the first antipodean ever to play in the OB colours. Maybe it's something to do with the sheep. There was also an interesting team change with the semi-injured Sives being replaced in goal by the tired T Elliott which gave Sives his first start in the outfield.

The game started at a frenetic pace; each side keen to take the first goal. It had been expected by most that the team who scored first would go on to win it, such was the defensive capabilities of both sides. It was therefore of much relief to the EB when Steve Gaffin, the senior member of the OB playing squad, capitalised from some excellent attacking play by Cummings and slotted in from a tight angle to put the OBs ahead. However, much to the credit of the Maples outfit, who in seasons past may have crumbled, they stuck to their task with renewed vigour. It must have been the carbohydrates and energy drinks at lunch; they played fast counter attacking football, although with a little too much reliance on the long ball for the purists amongst the crowd, think Wimbledon FC and shudder, and got themselves back into the game. Sadly both times were through individual defensive errors but taking nothing away from Maples, first the young IT guru Jason Brown scored with a tremendous strike and then journeyman Jeremy Seymour put them ahead to take Maples into half time with a slender one goal advantage.

As to be expected, the half time team talk for the OBs was all about pressure and shape; with the squad that they had, at least one goal would definitely come and it was hoped that with Sives back in goal, Elliott pushing out, and the individual errors eradicated, the OBs could keep a clean sheet and win the game. As expected, Maples put out a very defensive team in the second half and were happy to attempt to soak up the inevitable relentless pressure and try to seek any luck on the break. And that's exactly how the second half panned out. Maples held firm for eighteen minutes before their impressive defence was finally breached with another Gaffin goal. As the defenders backed off, Gaffin capped a fine run with a powerful strike into the roof of the net to draw the game level. Often in these situations, it is the team that scores that gets their second wind and takes advantage of deflated opposition and goes on to win. But OBs failed to stepped up, poor positioning and wrong choices meant that the Maples defence could camp on the edge of their box and not really be troubled. Where OBs needed to be patient and creative footballers and get their shots off quickly, they failed, instead trying to walk the ball into the back of the net, an approach that had clearly failed for nearly twenty minutes.

As the clock ticked away, both sides probably would have considered a draw a fair result but both continued to press; the Maples long balls were still giving them hope and the shot ratio was still giving the OBs a possible outlet. In hindsight to this weary, life hardened match report who has had its positivity sucked out of it Dementor style a long time ago by a combination of alcohol and iguana dung, what happened next should have come as no surprise but the manner in which it did was worthy of note. Three minutes from time, Maples got a free kick on the edge of the box, not particularly threatening and a reasonable wall was lined up. Seymour stepped up and struck the shot so hard with the outside of his left foot that it swerved round the wall into the far post for one of the best free kick goals ever seen in the indoor league. A worthy match winner. Maples then defended for the final few as the OBs pressed but with little collective conviction. As the referee signalled the end, both teams knew they had been involved in a hard game.

The OBs can't complain; they lacked penetration so much that even the Pele endorsed product would not have been able to help them; they lacked shape and positioning to the extent that their usually solid and threatening formation looked more like a drunken line dance in Alabama, minus the trailers, and they made individual errors, the magnitude not previously seen since Xerxes remarked "Come on lads, there's only 300 of them, let's finish them off quickly and go for a kebab." Gaffin, with his two goals and tireless running was a worthy man of the match and the overall team performance should not take away from the fact that in such a hard paced game, Gaffin, the elder statesman, shone through the mire. A timely warning for the OBs that things don't always go their own way.