COWHC Men's 3s vs Old Cranleighans Men's 4s - 25th February 2017

I begin to wonder whether February is conspiring against us when snowfall is isolated just to Croydon and just at the time our match is due to start... but that was last week (and I was away, so that's one reason why I'm happy it was called off). This week the weather wasn't exactly glorious, but don't it make you feel good when you can actually play!

So with a kiss kiss for the wife I headed out to the match... getting to the pitch too early (je ne sais pas pourquoi). It was a bit chilly, but I didn't shiver while I watched Sanderstead take on Sunbury beforehand. And then, the rest of the 3s turned up.

I begin to wonder whether you can trust anything in the time of fake news. And so it proved as Steeler's retirement turned out to be just another alternative fact. Apparently there were too many broken hearts in the COWS for him to stay at home, and so he decided to give me (and the rest of us) a little more time on the pitch. As indeed did TC for his one appearance of the season, it seems he was counting down the days to this one.

A good warm up was needed to get the locomotion started, and yet although we had just that, we started quite slowly. OC's midfield movement had us spinning around and although we had a couple of short corners, so did they - one of which was cleared off the line by Mona... sorry Woj (well if Brooksy can be Nina, then surely there should be some symmetry? I'll be Amanda...).

Anyway, I digress.

Then, somewhat against the run of play, from another short, we actually scored. Hutch scaled back his strike to play in Will, who lifted it to perfection over the keeper.

OC's were still causing us one or two problems, but then Will did it again - this time waltzing through a torn OC's defence and dispatching the ball (sealed with a kiss) into the back of the net.

Half time 2 - 0

OC's were probably a bit shell-shocked. They'd certainly been well in the first half and although we hadn't been so under pressure as we had against Sunbury, the score perhaps flattered us a bit.

But this COW's team is built on success, and defensively nothing can divide us. With that platform, we deterred every OC's raid in the second half. And going forward it was as though we had the rhythm of the rain. We looked dangerous with every attack and the pressure told.

TC took a step back in time with a composed finish and Swifty scored an absolute cracker of a reverse stick shot into the top corner (again, alternative facts may have been used here...).

Any dream will do, the say, and at the moment I dream of success with this team!

POM was Will for two excellent goals and an all round dynamic display that I should be so lucky to ever emulate.
DOD... was split between Steelers for peddling fake news about his retirement, and Will for jug avoidance and tantrums.

Thanks to AJ for umpiring and all of our cheerleaders on the sidelines.