6th XI Match Reports
Alexandra Park 8th 1 - 4 Broomfield 6th 31st March 2007
In a week when the government's Super Casino was in the news the strong North Easterly wind and the rock hard surface of the pitch provided our own version of the lottery. Broomfield's high rollers didn't need lady luck or any other kind of luck as they took the game by the scruff of the neck from the first kick off. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season Broomfield were reduced to 10 men after ten minutes and ran out 6-3 losers. This scenario was never likely to be repeated today (mainly because Mat is still part way through his anger management training).
With the wind on their backs Broomfield resisted the urge to lump the ball high and long to the strikers, instead preferring to use their dominance of the mid field to eek out chances that kept the AP keeper on his toes. From a couple of knock downs Moggy went close stinging the keepers hands whilst Marcus produced some good work down the left hand side resulting in a flurry of corners. At the other end Ian and Roger used their vast experience to snuff out what little chances AP had.
The first goal will probably go down as the best team goal of the season so far, as from a throw out to Danny at right back the ball was played quickly through the mid-field via Mike and Gerry on to Moggy who swept a defence splitting path in to the feet of Chris Shields who calmly side footed the ball past the stationery keeper. It all happened so quick the AP team looked like they had just been mugged and didn't know who to blame.
There was more confusion in the AP defence at yet another corner with Roger creating diversionary tactics by deliberately sitting down on the penalty spot leaving the door open for Marcus to lash a left footed shot into the net. The confusion was carried over in the next corner with the ball pinging around pin ball style before Mike flicked it goal wards into a sea of legs. The ball ended up in the back of the net with Mike jubilantly spinning away claiming the goal. The identity of the goal scorer was thrown into further doubt when at half time Alan staked his claim by announcing that he got the last touch and he could prove it as he had a cut on his leg - how a scratched leg defines the name of the goal scorer is a mystery to everyone but Alan. But, in the car on the way home, Marcus, who I would definitely count as one of the more reliable witnesses, confirmed that the third goal had in fact go in off Alan.
The second half gave Broomfield the opportunity to show how well they could deal with the ever strengthening wind. But, with 30 minutes to go Roger succumbed to the concrete like nature of the pitch and had to go off with an achilles heal injury that conveniently prevented him from playing in the following day's mega vets game. Andy French came on to offer his own brand of assured defensive stability and proved that after a lay off of four weeks he was still lightening slow over five yards.
The scorer of the 4th goal was never in doubt as Mike capped a fine performance by clipping the ball confidently past the AP keeper. Someone in the Broomfield team then jinxed the score line by saying "let's keep a clean sheet" and sure enough a moment of madness from Moggy led to a stray pass that led to an AP corner. From the corner the ball fell kindly for the AP right back to miss hit a shot into the corner of the net.
This was a fine team performance that meant that Broomfield could not finish lower than third and with one game left still had an outside chance of finishing second (not likely to happen). Particular mentions go to Danny who is starting to get a reputation for versatility by having an excellent game at right back. Andrew had a fine game in goal pulling off at least one outstanding save, Aldo proved he could be the most improved player this year at left back, Alan continues to be a driving force in mid-field (and when he learns to pass over 10 yards he could be the finished article), Gerry never let up with his selfless running up front and a special mention goes to Neil Hagger who without moaning is a regular on the Broomfield bench coming on today for the last 15 minutes to shore up the right side.
The day was only marginally spoiled by the discovery that some charmless little nerk had been through our pockets in the changing rooms stealing wallets and some money.
Broomfield 6th Team 2 - 2 Norseman 9th 17th March 2007
After last week's festival of goals, this was a
hard fought draw between two teams with realistic thoughts of finishing in the
top three.
The first half proved to be a case of nip and tuck as both teams carved out half
chances with Broomfield going the closest forcing the Norseman keeper to pull
off two excellent saves. Whilst at the other end Dario kept the score level with
a fine tip over from a speculative effort.
Broomfield started the second half with some lively running from Mike O'Donnell,
Pete Mogg and Marcus Walker. Following a short spell of pressure, Pete Mogg
outwitted the Norseman defence and lifted the ball over the keeper for 1-0.
Norseman responded within minutes and capitalised on some defensive indecision
to bring the score back to 1-1.
Alan Torrington was unfortunate with a well placed shot that came back off the
post. Gerry Kyei capped a good performance with a lob over the keeper from 15
yards to take the game to 2-1, and for a short while it looked like it could be
the winning goal. But, with 7 minutes remaining Norseman used their long throw
specialist to launch a ball onto the back post that caught the unfortunate Sam
Bonniwick on the head for an own goal.
This was a good game played in an excellent spirt, and a draw was probably a
fair result.
Broomfield 6th 9 - 3 Old Stationers 10th March 2007
The Goal Scorers (from left to right) Sam Bonniwick, Mike O'Donnell, Pete
Mogg (5) and Danny Fitzgerald
If I was writing a headline for a Sunday paper it
would probably read "Moggy shows a 5 star purrfect display of shooting'. You'd
be forgiven for thinking that after scoring five goals that this was the Pete
Mogg show. But, this was more than that, this was another excellent team effort
following on from the previous week's high in the double header win.
It would be remiss of me not to also point out the familiar first half failings
where once again Broomfield played the better football but managed to concede
two scrappy goals. The first being a scramble in the box and the second from a
looped ball over the top leaving Dario grasping at thin air.
It was after going one down that Broomfield immediately hit back from a corner.
The ball from Mike O'Donnell fell perfectly on to the right boot of Moggy who
showed poise and precision scoring with a volley from the edge of the box. Moggy
then performed an almost identical move when he caught the Old Stationers defence
cold with another volley into the top corner to take the game to 2-2 at half
time.
The second half turned into a mis-match as Broomfield went on the rampage. From
yet another corner the ball sailed over everyone except for Sam Bonniwick who
charged in from the edge of the box, and remembering his old P.E teachers advice
of always aim to head the ball down, he managed to find the only dry piece of
land in the whole of North London looping the ball over the flailing keeper.
Apparently it was Sam's first goal in 4 years and to celebrate this rare event
he will be appearing at the Millfield Theatre for a special "one night with Sam
Bonniwick" where he will recount his goal to all and sundry and possibly let you
touch the exact spot on his head that connected with the ball.
From here on in Broomfield played the type of expansive football that had been
missing all season. Short passes into feet with intelligent running into space
that led to goals for Mike O'Donnell, Danny Fitzgerald, an own goal and a
glorious second half hat trick for Pete Mogg.
Gerry managed to get the previous week's red card out of his system by missing
from 1 yard out which accelerated the decision to bring him off early. Andy Hill
and Ian Parker marshalled the defence with their usual degree of assured
competence, providing a platform for Steve Coombe to continue to show his
confidence at right back. Aldo moved from his previous role of left back and
possibly gave one of his finest performances down the left wing, whipping the
ball across at every opportunity. As I'm in a generous mood it is probably also
worth mentioning the left foot shot from Alan Torrington that rattled the corner
of post and cross bar.
To emphasise the shared spirit within the 6th team this year it's indicative
that there are currently five players who have a good chance of claiming the Top
goal Scorer trophy this season.
EBOGs 7s 0 - 1 Broomfield 6s 3rd March 2007
Double Header Second Game
This was part two of the double header and could
not have been more different from the first game. Though this game had it's own
story line with displays of heroism and good fortune.
Both teams had learnt from the first game, with Broomfield providing a solid
defensive display playing up the slope in the first half. Broomfield rode their
luck with EBOGs going close a couple of times with a couple of shots wide and
another shot coming back off the post.
The game really only came alive after 20 minutes when Dario came charging out to
clear the ball but took a blow to the head from the on rushing EBOGs striker.
Remarkably, and contrary to the view of just about everyone watching, the
referee awarded a penalty to EBOGs. With blood running down his face it was
clear that Dario was not able to continue. Andy French stepped up and donned the
Keeper's jersey to face the penalty. And it was instant karma that he guessed
which way the ball went, saving low to his right. The ball fell kindly into the
path of the penalty taker, but Andy was quick enough to get up and save the
rebound with his outstretched left leg.
This was a defining moment in the game as Broomfield gained some renewed
confidence and held out at 0-0 going into half time. The second half was a
different affair with Broomfield mounting a series of attacks with Moggy having
a shot saved on the line and Chris Mc Donald very unlucky not to score at least
twice.
EBOGs had two clear cut chances that were confidently saved by Andy French. But
the impetus was with Broomfield and following a few near misses the ball dropped
to Alan Torrington to crash the ball into the bottom corner. Broomfield never
looked like relinquishing the lead and ran out deserved winners 1-0.
The only blemish in a day of high drama was the sending off of Gerry Kyei whilst
he was a substitute on the touchline. In two games that were played with very
high levels of sportsmanship it was a strange sight to see Gerry's dismissal for
dissent (there's no truth in the rumour that Gerry tried out one of his gags
from his comedy stand up routine that so was bad that the ref had no choice but
to give him his marching orders). If it is true that the best referees go
unnoticed then this ref was very much visible today.
Broomfield 6s 5 - 4 EBOGs 7s 3rd March 2007
Double Header First Game
As the first installment of this double header
this was a game that in cinematic terms would be classified as a comeback of
epic proportions. On a pitch that was so small it brought back memories of being
back at school Broomfield came from being 3-0 down to completely dominating the
opposition by the end and running away
5-4 victors.
For the fourth time this season Broomfield conceded a goal within the opening
minutes following a long throw into the box on to the head of the un-marked
EBOGs centre half to score. Within minutes a mix up between Steve Coombe and
Dario (it was reminiscent of those marvellous doyens of comedy The Chuckle
Brothers "to me, to you, to me, to you") outside the penalty area led to another
unchallenged shot into an empty net for 2-0. To make matters even worse another
error in the defence gifted EBOGs another goal for 3-0 after only 15 minutes.
But full credit to Broomfield for finally lifting their heads off their chests
and playing some good incisive football that brought the reward of a goal from
Gerry Kyei. This was quickly followed by a surging run from Danny Fitzgerald
that was only stopped by a lunging foul in the box giving the ref no choice but
to award a penalty. Alan Torrington stepped up to crash the ball high into the
net to make it 3-2 at half time.
Broomfield turned round with renewed confidence and with the wind behind them
they were also playing down the slope. This proved to be the best 30 minutes of
the season so far with Broomfield applying wave after wave of attacks. Michael
O'Donnell scrambled the ball over for 3-3, Pete Mogg's free kick proved
unstoppable for 4-3 and Michael O'Donnell finished off an excellent personal
display by lifting the ball over the keeper for 5-3. With minutes to go EBOGs
lumped a ball from the back that caught the Broomfield defence by surprise for a
consolation goal, but with almost 100% possession from Broomfield a comeback
from EBOGs was never on the cards.
So from the potential jaws of a crushing defeat at 3-0 down, this was a
fantastic performance to completely turn a game around.
Broomfield 6's 2 - 7 Winchmore Hill 10's 24th February 2007
It was appropriate
that this game was played against the back drop of Edmonton cemetery as
Broomfield started the match at funeral pace. Within minutes of the start
Winchmore swung in a corner that Dario did well to parry only for their striker
to volley in the first goal.
Broomfield's fortunes didn't improve when a defensive error left Dario exposed
for an easy one on one that increased the score to 2-0.
From this point Broomfield suddenly sprang to life and started a period of
sustained pressure on the Winchmore defence. This culminated in the Winchmore
keeper trying to be too clever and his mis-hit clearance from outside the box
fell kindly to the feet of Michael O'Donnell who calmly controlled the ball and
hit a 25 yard left foot shot into the unguarded net. At 2-1 the confidence
levels of Broomfield improved and a number of chances went begging before
Winchmore broke loose and from a counter attack they won and converted an
undisputed penalty to go into the break 3-1.
From the restart Broomfield came out of the blocks flying, and within minutes a
perfect through ball from Michael put Ricky clean through to slam the ball past
the helpless keeper. At 3-2 it looked like Broomfield had a chance to get
something out of the game, but more errors swiftly led to goals that pretty much
put the game out of reach for Broomfield. At 6-2 down Andy French came on for
the last seven minutes after an injury induced break of four weeks, and it was
clear that he hadn't been missed as with his first touch he lashed a goal bound
shot into his own net to round off an all together miserable day.
On the plus side, there were moments when Broomfield matched the league leaders
for endeavour and hard work, but it was a case of getting punished for just
about every error made in one game.
EBOGs 8th 1 - 3 Broomfield 6th 3rd February 2007
On a beautiful sunny spring like day a football of match of sorts broke out in this particular part of North London. Unfortunately, the standard of play didn't quite live up to the almost perfect conditions. Broomfield spent the first 20 minutes of the game in second gear giving EBOGs the chance to match them ball for ball. Until finally, the Broomfield players shook off the lethargy and started to string a few passes together. The unfortunate Marcus Walker was replaced after 15 minutes following a block tackle that left him with severely strained ankle ligaments, his replacement, Ricky Espirit, then came on to miss the best chance of the game from 6 yards (it really was easier to score I think). There followed some enterprising running from Gerry Kyei, Andy Hill and Michael O'Donnell that led to a neat interchange of passing putting Michael through on goal with only the keeper to beat which he did with assured confidence, to put Broomfield 1-0 up at the break.
The second half proved to be more of the same with Broomfield pushing forward at every opportunity and no real threat to the back four (another inspired leading of the troops from the very vocal Roger Hill). The hard working Danny Fitzgerald was replaced with Alex Aguedello who performed well down the left and even troubling the keeper with a couple of speculative efforts. The ever improving Aldo Curti continued his hard work at left back (Sam you should be worried) using the space in front of him to provide some width to the attack. And it was a defence splitting through ball from Aldo that was seized upon by the deceptively quick (either that or we need to get him drug tested) Gerry Kyei to toe poke the second goal past the on rushing keeper.
At 2-0 the clock should have been comfortably run down, but with some slack marking and a huge dollop of good fortune EBOGs tried to set up a grandstand finish by scoring a twice deflected goal with only minutes remaining. A draw really would have been a travesty despite the fairly lacklustre performance of Broomfield, and in the very last minute a determined run from Mike O'Donnell and a clever reverse pass let in Gerry to cheekily back heel his second and Broomfield's third to kill off the comeback.
Report by Andy French
Broomfield 6th 4 - 0 Southgate Olympic 6th 27th January 2007
Due to a late
re-scheduling of the fixture list, Broomfield 6's met Southgate Olympic 6's for
the second week running. After last week's fairly uneventful deserved win for
Broomfield, this game was heading the same way. But, with only two minutes left
to play it was marred by a very poor tackle from a Southgate defender that left
Aaron Gaughan with a double break of his right leg putting him out of football
for at least 12 months.
Getting back to the detail of the game, due to the late arrival of leading
scorer Gerry Kyei, Steve Coombe was handed his Broomfield debut at right back
taking over from Aaron who was given the opportunity to repeat his consistently
high level of performance by playing up front with Marcus Walker.
Broomfield started where they left off the previous week by providing all the
pressure and most of the chances. Andy Hill and Alan Torrington dominated the
midfield, picking up all the loose balls and generally disrupting the
opposition's play. A bout of relentless pressure resulted in the ball dropping
kindly to Marcus Walker who steadied himself before striking the ball low into
the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
Roger Hill was the guiding light in the defence, providing all the vocal support
to the younger members of the team, with Ian Parker ready to snuff out any half
chances from Southgate. It was a cannily placed through ball from Roger Hill
into the centre forward channel that provided Aaron with a unchallenged chance
on goal that he calmly put away with the aplomb of a seasoned striker. Shortly
before half time a speculative shot that was probably going wide was punched
vertically in to the air by the Southgate keeper dropping nicely for the on
rushing Alan Torrington to simply nod the ball into the empty net - to be fair
it was the fastest we'd seen Alan run since I said "it's your turn to do the
kit".
Broomfield spent the first twenty minutes of the second half soaking up the
first real period of pressure from Southgate. Sam Bonniwick came on and took
over from Roger at centre half and proved his versatility by giving an assured
performance. Gerry Kyei also came on to take his rightful place up front, and
quickly used his positional skills to take the ball into the Southgate half,
riding a challenge before setting the ball up for Marcus Walker to score his
second goal that capped an all round good individual display. Steve Coombe had
an excellent level headed debut and it was a welcome back from the wild (well,
the 3rd team) to Danny Fitzgerald.
The game was petering out at 4-0 when the serious injury to Aaron spoilt what
would have been a satisfactory and exemplary team performance.
If you're reading this Aaron, get better soon, and we'll see you back in
the blue of Broomfield sooner than you think.
Report by Andy French
Southgate Olympic 6th 1 - 3 Broomfield 6th 20th January 2007
Goal Scorers: Ricky Espirit &
Gerry Kyei
At the end of a week when violent storms ripped buildings apart, Broomfield 6's
committed their own smash and grab with a hard won victory away at Clowes sports
ground. But, the continuing strong winds and poor condition of the pitch made
any attempt to pass and move redundant.
Having lost the toss (yet again Alan - just don't ever take up gambling eh?),
Broomfield kicked into the almost gale force wind. Conditions were not further
helped by the low winter sun shining directly into the eyes of the defence and
keeper. Due to the late arrival of Dario, the first half net duties were handed
to Roger Hill who proved that in years gone by he was obviously used to a better
standard of dodgy back pass (welcome to the game Mat Clarke). It didn't take
long for Olympic to realise that any shot from distance would be wind assisted,
and sure enough a 25 yarder was heading for the top corner until Roger superbly
flicked the ball over the crossbar. This led to a continuous number of corners
that were more than ably dealt with by the Broomfield defence. Shortly after a
ball over the top of the Broomfield defence put in the Olympic striker who was
odds on to score, but doubt and a poor touch delayed his shot long enough for
Ian Parker to make a brilliant recovering tackle to prevent what was an almost
certain goal. With every player working double shifts and a fine display of
ultimate resilience, Broomfield went in to the break 0-0.
The second half was an all so different affair for both teams, with Dario
finally taking his place between the sticks (big thanks to Roger for a sterling
performance in the first half). Olympic struggled to get the ball past the half
way line, whilst Broomfield piled forward on every opportunity. It wasn't long
before Gerry Kyei capitalised on a loose ball and lobbed the ball over the
static Olympic keeper to make it 1-0. It was only a matter of time before this
advantage was doubled and following a scramble in the box the ball ricocheted
off the post into the feet of Gerry Kyei to score possibly the easiest goal of
his Broomfield career. It was at this point that Gerry realised that a third
goal for himself would mean buying a jug or two after the game and naturally his
chances 'dried up', who would believe it eh Gerry?
With 15 minutes to go the hard working Ricky Espirit was finally rewarded with a
through ball that he took in his stride and calmly slotted the ball between the
keeper and the near post. Minutes later Mat Clarke caught a ball fully between
the legs whereby the pain seemed to transfer down his right leg and suddenly
became a serious knee injury which will no doubt confound all medical science.
Shortly after, and having played all our substitutes, Ricky Espirit went off the
pitch with cramp in both legs, reducing Broomfield to 10 men. This led to the
well worn cliche of Broomfield 'setting up camp in their own half'. So, it was
with tired legs that Olympic were allowed to finally break through the defence
and score a consolation goal. And with minutes to go Dario proved his worth with
a fine one on one block to maintain the two goal advantage. This was an all
round team performance with every individual working hard in testing conditions.
Report by Andy
French
Broomfield 6th 3-3 Aleaxandra Park 7th 13th January 2007
For the third game in succession Broomfield were caught out by an early sucker punch from the opposition and went 1-0 down within five minutes (we really must learn to switch on from the start). But yet again the team showed some fighting spirit and refused to buckle under. Within another five minutes some sustained Broomfield pressure resulted in another corner which was swung in by Michael O'Donnell on to the rising head of Andy Hill who kept the ball just below the cross bar giving the goalkeeper no chance. Shortly after Andy French turned awkwardly and whilst stretching for a loose ball felt something 'pop' in his right leg (and it wasn't his stockings), as he lay on the sodden turf he was afforded the rightful respect of the opposition who ignored all shouts of 'kick it out' and took the ball in to the penalty area eventually crossing for their striker to score an easy tap in. John Burdon came on to make his first start of the season for the 6th team (and possibly not the last eh John?), using his wealth of experience to provide some mature stability in the heart of defence. Again Broomfield showed some dogged resilience in deterring APs attacks whilst applying their own brand of pressure. The sustained pressure resulted in a goalmouth melee where the ref showed his excellent eyesight by awarding a penalty to Broomfield for some underhand shirt pulling from the AP defender. Alan Torrington stepped up in a Stuart Pierce stylee and crashed the ball via the underside of the bar into the net. Mike O'Donnell proved what a terrier he still is by teaching the opposition the meaning of the phrase 'late tackle' which led to that well worn shout of 'how many more times eh ref?' with the answer being 'none' as he was subsequently booked. Ricky Espirit kept up some dogged running in the opposition's half and was soon rewarded with a free kick just outside the box after a sly tug and push to the ground from an AP defender. Alan Torrington again stepped up, this time curling the ball into the unguarded right side of the net to take the game to 3-2.
Shortly before half time an AP cross from the right in to the Broomfield box
looped up from a Broomfield player hitting the unfortunate Mike O'Donnell on the
upper arm, the ref pointed to the spot and the disputed penalty was cleanly put
away to make the score 3-3 at the break. The second half was a more orderly
affair with the Broomfield defence holding firm despite losing Sam Bonniwick
with a knee injury. Neil Hagger came on up front to terrorise the AP defence and
after a run and a ball across the face of the box from Ricky Espirit, Broomfield
were unlucky not to score.
There wasn't much more action to speak of apart from Dario's ball juggling
skills that would grace any circus that finally left him in a heap clutching his
head after an AP forward had the audacity to try and take the ball away from
him. A draw was probably a fair result but it's been a few weeks since the team
has played at the tempo and work rate that was shown in the first five games of
the season.
Report by Andy French
Winchmore Hill 10's 3-1 Broomfield 6's 16th December 2006
There was an air of foreboding in the Broomfield changing room going into this match. Coming off the back of three straight defeats and playing the top of the table team with a +51 goal difference the thoughts were to keep the score respectable. With this in mind the decision was made to play 4-5-1 with Andy Hill playing the Claude Makele holding role just in front of the back four. But, the cause wasn't helped after 30 seconds from the kick off when a defensive error let in the Winchmore Hill striker to blast the opening goal. This could have been the cue for a total collapse of confidence but instead it galvanised the whole team into fighting and battling for every ball. Despite some further close calls in the Broomfield penalty area the midfield started to gain some territorial advantage and fifteen minutes before half time Marcus Walker broke free in the Winchmore box and hit a low shot that was superbly saved by the keeper. At half time it remained 1-0 which was still considered a moral victory after 45 minutes. Ten minutes into the second half a tactical change was made with Andy Hill reverting to right back and the team taking on a more familiar 4-4-2 formation. This paid dividends after sixty minutes when Alex Agudello never gave up on a ball that had broken free in the Winchmore penalty area and after a scuffed shot the ball fell kindly to Marcus Walker to side foot into the net. Suddenly the world looked a different place and surely we couldn't snatch a point off the league leaders could we? With a little bit of good fortune and some dogged defending Broomfield kept the score level until ten minutes from the end when some tired marking in the box let Winchmore score their second, and virtually on the last kick of the game a goalkeeping howler sealed the game for the opposition. Despite the despondency of conceding two late goals, there was still an air of optimism for future games and the thoughts of what might have been.
Report by Andy French
Broomfield 6's 3-6 Alexandra Park 8's 9th December 2006
After a two week rain enforced lay off it was a rusty Broomfield 6th team that took to the luscious dancing arena that is known as Hazelwood Pitch 2. Pre-match dreams of another glorious victory were quickly dashed after ten minutes when AP mounted their first attack on the Broomfield defence, slipping through the poorly organised off side trap and passing the ball into the corner of the net. This was the spark that ignited the blue touch paper that is known as Mat Clarke as he managed to talk himself from a heated dispute of the not given offside decision into a full blooded double yellow card, move away from the pitch, the ground, the borough, the city - sending off.
From 1-0 down and with ten men, and after some pretty horrendous defensive errors, the game quickly became 3-0 down and staring, what Dave Chapman would call, a banjo-ing straight in the face. But full credit to some of the younger Broomfield players who knew that even with ten men they were still better players than most of the AP team, and with a bit of determination and a lot of perseverance the game finished 3-2 at half time with goals from Ricky Espirit and Danny Fitzgerald. The decision in the half time team talk was that the game was easily winnable, but five minutes into the second half another defensive error led to a fourth AP goal. Now came the time for the best goal of the game when Danny Fitzgerald picked up the ball on the left wing and slalomed like Franz Klammer (ask your dads kids) through the AP defence before slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got as the pressure of only having ten men took its toll on some tired legs and AP went on to score two more before the final whistle. Despite the score line it was encouraging that Broomfield actually had more shots on target (but straight at their keeper) and passed the ball better than the opposition, but only having ten men for 80 minutes was always going to be an uphill battle on a saturated pitch.
Report by Andy French
Broomfield 6's 1-4 Old Finchleians 7's 18th November 2006
After the previous week's thumping in the cup, it was time to get back on the horse in the league. Having previously lost to Old Finchleians earlier in the season Broomfield were keen to exact revenge in what was seen as a should win fixture. The first 25 minutes of the first half was a very scrappy affair with both teams failing to find their passing range. Admittedly, the grass was so long you could make crop circles in the penalty box. Both teams somehow contrived to hit the cross bar, with Broomfield's effort only failing to cross the line when the ball was lost amongst the long grass on the goal line (have I mentioned that the pitch needed a hair cut?). Ten minutes before half time a Broomfield attack down the right resulted in a scrambled ball reaching the feet of Danny Fitzgerald who swivelled like a Covent Garden ballerina to screw the ball hard and low into the corner of the net. This advantage lasted barely two minutes when a mistake in the Broomfield defence let in the Finchleian strikers to waltz around Dario for an easy equaliser. After a change of personnel in the Broomfield defence, the second half continued in the same vein as the first half with Broomfield having plenty of possession but not managing to get many shots on target. It was clear that the Finchleians weren't playing their regular goal keeper when a screaming 25 yard shot from Mike O'Donnell was saved by the keeper using his shoulder. This should have brought about an avalanche of shots from Broomfield, but despite some good link up play from a newly put up front Roger Hill the attempts on goal dried up. Unfortunately, Finchleians decided to buck the trend and had shot after shot at Dario's goal. It was only a matter of time before they scored to go 2-1 up. Another Broomfield re-shuffle bolstered the midfield but this left gaping holes at the back which were quickly exploited as Finchleians scored twice more. At the final whistle Andy French could be seen stomping off to the grounds man's hut to enquire whether he owned a mower (it beats blaming the ref).
Report by Andy French
Norseman 6's 7-0 Broomfield 6's 11th November 2006
After a glorious league run of four wins out of five it was back down to earth with a resounding 'you're sh*t aaaaah' as we took on the might of the The Norsemen 6th team, having beaten their 9th team the week before. The game was preceded with the now familiar conversation between Alan Torrington and Andy French to establish why Alan should play in defence and not up front, especially as the back four were missing Andy Hill at left back and Ian Parker in the middle. Despite the makeshift defence Broomfield managed to hold out for at least ooh let me see five minutes before Norsemen took the lead from a soft headed goal. Five minutes later Mat Clarke suffered a freakish accident challenging for the ball and took a knock on his already dodgy knee. Whilst he was off the pitch inspecting the damage Norsemen threw another ball into the space vacated by Mat, which was met by a header that was going wide until it flicked off the shin of Andy French and into the bottom corner of the net. After indicating that he was probably never likely to walk again Mat left the pitch, so once again the defence was re-shuffled with Aldo Curti taking over at left back with Andy French at centre half. It remained 2-0 at half time where Dario gave one of his rousing Winston Churchill 'we will fight them in the midfield' speeches and Roger Hill who was watching from the touchline reminded everyone what the definition of the word 'pass' was. Five minutes into the second half Norsemen scored from a corner, and in the goal mouth melee Dario took a vicious kick from the boot of the Norseman goal scorer. It was clear that Dario had damaged the little finger that he often cocks skywards when drinking tea from his best bone china, so it was clear that rather risk further damage he would have to go off. Having been mullered at left back and scoring an own goal at centre half Andy French took it on himself to volunteer for net keeping duties. It was soon clear that his five years spent in goal in the Mid-Herts league had kept him in good stead as he watched helplessly as the shots came raining in. The gung ho spirit never left Broomfield and a decision was made to throw caution to the wind and play three at back. This was a decision that was soon thrown into doubt as Norsemen scored four more goals. But, honourable mentions go out to Pete Mogg for his continual battling in the middle of the park and for Alan Torrington for proving why he is a natural defender from the endless leg crunching tackles that he put in throughout the game. Were we rubbish? not always. Were we outplayed? Only some of the time. Did we deserve to lose by seven? Definitely not. Do you care? I would like to think so.
Report by Andy French
Norseman 9's 1-4 Broomfield 6's 4th November 2006
In a pre-season friendly Broomfield had beaten a combined Norseman 8ths and 9ths team 4-3 so confidence was running high for this league game. This confidence was further reflected from the kick off when Broomfield set about attacking the Norseman goal with shot after shot raining in. Admittedly, most of the shots only troubled the resident squirrel population until Andy Hill ran the ball from left back into the Norseman midfield before unleashing a 20 yard screamer that crashed in to the underside of the bar and bounced out. Despite this continued pressure Norseman took advantage of a punted clearance and an open Broomfield defence to cross the ball from the right in to the path of the unmarked Norseman striker to slot comfortably pass Dario in goal. Despite this set back the Broomfield heads did not drop and further chances were created. From a Norseman corner 10 minutes before half time, the ball broke to Aldo Curti on the edge of the penalty box who took the ball into the Norseman half, laid the ball sideways to the on running Chris McDonald to skip past the one remaining defender and slam the ball into the bottom corner of the net for the equaliser. In the second half Roger Hill came on in defence to apply his own brand of experience which was duly tested 10 minutes later when he calmly dealt with a late challenge from behind by confronting the offender with hand gestures to explain why he felt that a foul had been committed. As the game went on more space became available in the Norseman defence which was exploited by Broomfield who rattled in three more goals from Michael O'Donnell, Ricky Espirit and a controversial goal from Pete Mogg from a Ricky Espirit free kick which was already going in (the argument about who was the legitimate goal scorer raged on between Pete and Ricky right the way through the post match pie and chips).
Report by Andy French
Old Stationers 6's 0-1 Broomfield 6's 28th October 2006
This was a game between two teams in 2nd and 3rd position in the league with Broomfield having the edge on goal difference. The first half was a very scrappy affair only interrupted by the injury of the Old Stationers keeper after 20 minutes who retired hurt with a knee injury. The word quickly spread among the Broomfield team to shoot on sight at the replacement keeper who turned out to be a better shot stopper than the original keeper. Half time brought about changes in the Broomfield team with Andy French gracefully retiring with a dodgy ankle injury to be replaced by Scott Goodchild who took a position up front. With Pete Mogg moved back in to the middle of midfield along side the skilful Chris McDonald, Broomfield started to terrorise the OS defence. Scott, who has recently gained his F.A stage 1 coaching badge, missed so many chances that he's looking forward to his stage 2 coaching course that apparently concentrates on "how to hit a cow's backside with a banjo". Debutant Maxim Syn came on up front along side Scott with Ricky Espirit moved to left midfield. The change soon paid dividends when Scott's relentless running set the ball up for Ricky Espirit to lash a left foot shot low into the bottom corner of the net. From this platform it looked like Broomfield would go on to score a bagful, but only resilient defending in the last 20 minutes prevented the equaliser.
Report by Andy
French
Broomfield 6's 2-0 Old Park 6's 30th September 2006
At the risk of
dropping into the world of football clichés, this really was a one sided affair.
To say that we battered Old Park would be an understatement. I lost count of the
number of chances that were created and missed by Broomfield. Pete Mogg
dominated the midfield providing endless through balls for Danny Fitzgerald and
Michael O'Donnell who were thwarted by the agility (and no amount of good
fortune) of the OP goalkeeper. The afternoon's comedy moment was provided by
Alan Torrington who trapped a midfield ball with his testicles, kept the
momentum going, dropped the ball on to his left foot and lobbed the keeper from
25 yards.
It was only during his celebrations along the touch line that he dropped to his
knees with his hands between his legs and realised that any thoughts of
parenthood may have been short lived. At 1-0 up the game was never safe and the
Broomfield goal survived an onslaught with Dario pulling off two excellent
saves. Towards the end of the game the marauding Andy Hill swung in a
Beckhamesque style cross in to the danger zone forcing the Old Park full back to
turn the ball into his own net.
Report by Andy French