Two Wins from Two for the Tweed Heroes

An excellent three points earned under difficult circumstances this week.

With Jonny ruled out and Blossom and Evan scouring orphanages (Brad and Ange-style) in some 3rd world country, the team had a re-shuffled feel about it. Also our friends in the Twos spent most of the week sniffing around for players.

To make things worse, Oxted's pitch in Lingfield is miles away! Trips this far away from home are normally reserved for the filth of the Yorkshire 'Hockey' League, or teams decent enough to play at a regional level.

The bad news kept coming. Bender turned up with a club foot, leaving us with a bare 11, vs Oxted's 14. This was compounded by his meagre collection of only three beers to enjoy while watching the game. A first-world problem, yes, but one which threatened to overshadow Bender's entire day. He certainly didn't use the opportunity of being on the sidelines to improve his much debated photography skills (see pic for details).

Our 11 was very nearly reduced to 10 in the warm-up when an attempt at goal from yours truly smacked Mike Brown in the side of the head. The ball was going miles wide, so I would argue it was a solid piece of defensive work.

On a positive note, Brandi seemed more than pleased with his new stick, proudly sending the team pictures of his new heavy-weight wand while on the back of a bus from Vauxhall.

With 11 players, and one concussion, we started the game strongly, forcing our way into the Oxted D on a number of occasions, prompting some defensive and Goalkeeping heroics. The breakthrough came in predictable fashion though, with Goalman finding the backboard from a tight angle. Mike Brown grabbed a deserved second with a tidy flick over the keeper. The Goalman / Brown partnership has been very successful so far this season.

In Division 3, this might have turned into a comfortable afternoon, but Oxted responded well. They pulled a goal back when their 6ft 5" olympic sprinter broke through a tackle, then beat Krish and Dom to the ball, prodding it into an empty goal. Sheepish looks all round.

The second half should have yielded goals from both sides, but 2-1 it stayed. An uncharacteristically nervy performance, so lots to improve on for next week. A special mention goes to Krish's fantastic stick-save onto the post from a short corner with 10 minutes to go.

For those who stayed for post-match beers, the evening was rounded off nicely with a lively discussion with a couple of representatives from the local Mensa group. Sadly our views on whether fiscal or monetary policy were better for stabilising the global economy differed greatly, but all those present were culturally enriched by the encounter.

Shashi of the Day:
Joe Cresswell - Assaulted Jonny mid-week in a brazen attempt to seal a place in the 3's starting XI. The slaying of a cult-figure within the team meant he was always at risk of receiving the award. Also Joe has clearly mis-understood the concept of Tinder... All in all, Joe Cresswell currently seems to be getting life wrong.

Man of the Match:
Chris Blackmore - A tireless display at right back. A performance nearly made null and void by asking if he could pay his match fees via contactless Visa payment.

Two wins from two and a tough fixture next week.
See you at training.