Match Review
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the YMCC Metro 2 “Grass Crabs” recorded a rousing 2-1 victory over bitter rivals John XXIII, tipping their season ledger into positive territory after a disappointing 0-2 start to the season.
The Crabs looked set for a long afternoon when John XXIII slotted an early goal, courtesy of a lucky connection with a flailing stick on the left post. Nonetheless, the Crabs have stared down greater odds over their long history, and set about constructing a memorable victory. Starting with resolute defence from Chicko, Red and Joshie, the Crabs shortened their passing and got the ball moving through the mid-field where the brothers Webbo and Coco (sporting an incredibly clean set of teeth this season) soon got more involved. Eventually the hard work paid off, with Ozzie slicing through the defence before waiting until just the right moment to lay off to Bert. With the poise and balance that only comes from spending many hours in the forward line (despite allocated position) Bert calmly outmanoeuvred the goalkeeper who could only watch helplessly as the ball went into the back of his goals.
The second half was a tense affair as both sides wrestled to gain momentum. Tempers flared over some controversial umpiring decisions, but Capt. Budgie (barely sighted all day after a much-celebrated goal last week) defused the situation by demanding the opposition player “look at the umpire!”. That moment served as an ongoing moral touchstone for the remainder of the game, as players on both sides reminded each other to be respectful of the umpire’s decisions. Eventually YMCC got the breakthrough. While the opposition defence were distracted by Sal screaming out wide, Burt got on the end of a famous Webbo long ball. Despite wrong-footing himself while trying to wrong-foot the goalie, he still managed to sneak it home and we had the upper hand. The desperate defence held out for the rest of the game, helped by some great saves yet again by Sean in goals. In the end, the 2-1 score probably didn’t reflect YM’s dominance of the game after quarter time. Bundy was a constant threat on the left post, and it was only the unlucky bounce of the ball that denied him on several occasions.
There was a good turnout for the post-match analysis, no doubt helped by the rare treat of Chicko providing refreshments. Known for his astute analysis of the game, Andy Webbo declared that we were now clear flag favourites, while his brother was busy booking wine tours online. The famous “Sal’s top-5” (which, of course, is in reality only a top 4 as Sal inevitably includes himself) was eagerly debated, although there was unanimous agreement that Sean deserved a spot for his excellent work in goals. Burt’s two goals were begrudgingly acknowledged, although there was little interest in his recount of all six of his season goals and conversation soon turned to other topics. Politics was high on the agenda with the upcoming election, and the merits of certain politicians were keenly discussed. As the sun set, we made our way home to begin our recovery protocols, looking forward to returning to our spiritual home at Perry Lakes this week
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