Out Of Time*
- St Helens Walking Football
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Imagine setting up 6 or 7 games each; next imagine shoe-horning 70+ people into those games in fairly balanced yet competitive teams of varying; ability, genders and ages
Dear Reader at this juncture we need to add the final ingredient; an in-elastic amount of that precious commodity - time
That we ever get through a series of matches in our sessions is mind boggling
Funny then we have some who with good intentions waste time, gossiping under the guise of setting up pitch markings, Others constantly gripe about imaginary fouls, too many touches or ‘not walking’ infractions
Each appeal if upheld would eat yet more time but let’s be kind and call that ‘game management’
All of these actions or inactions impact actual playing time So in a very close match with time ebbing away a team in search of an equaliser or winning goal can quite easily have robbed itself of those precious moments by its own actions
Now that really is Food for thought
Monday’s Ruskin Sports Village bonanza was played in the year’s best conditions to date Dry warm but not too sunny In now typical fashion, no sooner than the session ended we had the arrival of light rain to freshen up the afternoon
The teams selected to start the week’s action were;
Black - Robin, Phil the Moss, Mike Bates, Margaret, Rick, Les Meldrew and McSpeed
Blue - Cornelius, Joe the Ghost wearing a natty cap with his squad number, Steve Harding, Anita, Tom Stretch, Mike Thomo and Eamon
Red - Mark NR, Ashy, Honeyman, Phil the Cat, Dave Roberts and Amazon Prime
Green - Julie, Brian, Big Tony, Les H, Foxy back to rediscover the joys of WF, Trish and debutant Brian Smith
Old Gold - Enoch, Sheila, Snakehips, Aldo, Lord Rainford, Glen and Donal
Purple - Triallist, Tom McGrady, Monday Michelle, Helen, El Presidente, Haggis and Andy Man
Each game presented new challenges with goals hard to find and defences for once far tighter than has been evident recently
Blue met Red in the first game looked after by Charlie, happily returned to the fold after some time off to sharpen his pencil Goals by Eamon and Joe the Ghost might have been sufficient to see off the Red menace But Mark, with his usual economy of effort, and Dave Amazon Prime, with a well delivered leveller, meant time walked away Both sides pressed for the victory but neither could find the decisive breakthrough 2-2 the final result after a close fought game
Game 2 was an equally exhausting contest with Old Gold unable to breakdown a stubborn Red back line For their sins Red struggled in front of goal and so the inevitable result was a 0-0 draw A game with plenty of endeavour and chances but ultimately with defences on top
Black had hosted Old Gold in their first game A brace by Glen and solo Aldo goal enough to ensure a winning start despite Black goals by Les and Robin keeping the contest in doubt until the final whistle Old Gold faced Blue to finish their morning’s fixtures Thus was another titanic struggle with Blue’s solitary strike by Mike Thomo securing a hard earned victory 1-0
Four games reported on so far and just six goals produced for all that industry
Purple played Green in the remaining game The match played at the far end for the whole session, with no Referee available Green started quickest and took the early advantage Julie, Brian Prendergast, Trish and new boy Brian Snith were full of industry In contrast Purple had plenty of seasoned defensive ability but struggled to impose their game at the other end of the pitch
Goals by Monday Michelle and Andy Man restored parity, following goals by Brian and Trish for Green The game was finally decided in somewhat controversial fashion when a diving effort from the debutant was diverted home 3-2 the final verdict in a close match played with outstanding sportsmanship
A splendid effort all round to start the week on a very positive note
Wednesday’s Sutton SoccerDome session broke recent trends by being staged in benign conditions There was zero rain during the event, something quite welcome after weeks of heavy rainfall soaking our SHWFC heroes during their midweek efforts The decent weather and lack of PL distraction meant 28 players were catered for in the usual combination of AstroTurf and Sports Hall surroundings
The Innards soft show shuffled in the following teams
White - Joe the Ghost, Les Meldrew, Cockney Rebel, Les Hewitt and the Triallist
Green - Honeyman, Lord Rainford, Andy Man, GRAV, Robbo
The game ended with a 4-1 win for Green, thanks to goals by Lord Rainford, Andy Man, the Honeyman and GRAV The White consolation was scored by Treasurer and International currency expert Les Meldrew The game was much closer than the score might suggest but Green had a little too much firepower for their opponents Full marks to White, despite trailing throughout hit their consolation at the end, some reward for their efforts
The match outside was sometimes tetchy and feisty but with 9 a side on a slippy surface was always compelling viewing The sides were;
Blue - Cornelius, Tom Stretch, Ian Harding, Haggis, Martin Mc, PJ, Simon, Gonzalo and Dav
Yellow - Brian Smith, Chris 10P, Sully, Jason, Midweek Michelle. Chris 4G, Deano, Steve C & Roger
A consequence of the warmer dry weather was a pitch that allowed the ball to zip across the surface Players found it challenging to adapt to the lack of space but the pace of the ball off the pitch Gonzalo fired Blue into the early lead Blue spraying passes with great accuracy and employing a powerful press to deny Yellow time to find their range Ian Harding, who was on the front foot all night powered the second Blue goal before Chris Sullivan could reply for Yellow Gonzalo struck again to leave Blue 3-1 comfortably on top at the break His hat trick after the break was a volley from a stray clearance 4-1
Yellow stung into action by the perceived wrong, hit back with Deano rounding off a good move for 4-2 Hopes of a comeback were further raised as Brian Smith squeezed home a full stretch effort for 4-3 Blue then played some great football containing Yellow pressure to launch a series of counter attacks Mark Dav produced a great finish to effectively end Yellow’s resistance
The 5-3 score reflecting Blue’s all round team performance Yellow contributing greatly to the game but rarely on the front foot
Post match media focus was very much on the missing Turks Head/Huyton Hitman who is still terrorising South Wales
News later reached the hallowed Boot Room that someone had ‘inadvertently’ contributed a Barbados One Dollar Coin as part of their subs Luckily Les Meldrew has launched an enquiry to determine just who made that fatal error Unspecified but righteous action is expected to be swiftly administered
Out Of Time* - Chris Farlowe (1960s Mod icon with Jagger/Richards tune)
Hall & Oates, different but equally compelling tune
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