Well, you thought I was good in goal?  You want to see me ref!  And when the appointed AFA ref didn't turn up I got my chance to show how to run a game without any fuss.  Agreeing to share the duties with Ealing Association I took control of the first half.  But before we started, I reminded the lads that the opposition were an unknown quantity, so we needed to keep it tight, work hard at defending first, then see how the game unfolds.  So off we go.

And as with most teenagers, it went in one ear and out the other.  After 15 mins we are 0-2 down and playing the worst football so far this season, against a side that weren't as strong as we expected.  The frustration boiled over into the reffing of the game with throw ins being decided by me shouting “You must know who touched it last”, “stop cheating over a throw” and “stop making my job harder than it already is”.  I soon had them saying “I think it came off me last”.

Anyway, the game went on and we pulled one back before halftime and should have equalised before the break when Adrian Clarke, who had scored our first goal, was clean through but managed to lob the keeper, the goal, the trees and the boating lake.  So we found ourselves 1-2 down at halftime, but confident we could only get better.  It just wouldn't happen.  We played no football at all, held on to the ball too long and kept trying hopeless flicks that just gave the ball away.  Eventually we did equalise when Andy Bitmead latched on to a long clearance and fired home.

The game went on to extra time and penalties but only thanks to two great saves from our goalkeeper Henry, saving against a striker who was clean through on two occasions.  So having planned for the possibility of penalties beforehand I lined up the Chosen Five.  Firstly, Andy Bitmead - the Club’s current leading scorer.  Very handy when its so important to get off to a good start in the shoot-out.  And Andy, fresh from stroking home a pen. last week, goes first against a keeper who admitted he had never saved a penalty before.  When their player place his penalty wide, next up for us was Martin Shew, but this time he was up against a keeper that had saved a penalty before - about a minute earlier from our dead cert; the Club’s top scorer AB.  This time there were no such problems as Martin scuffed his high into the roof of the net.  Advantage CFC.  When the next Ealing pen. was blasted over, cool pens from Dave T and Rob Moye put us in charge and Tom T struck home to seal the win against a very pleasant Ealing Association 1^st XI and into the next round against Gladstone Rangers 1^st XI.  But if we don't play more like team, I’m sure the run will end there.

Man of the Match - Alan Barrett

PS - has anyone else been bitten by the pit-bull midges over the park?

PPS - players need to pay their joining fee this week without fail, otherwise Adolf Buzz will stop them playing.  This is no idle threat – non payers have already been turned away from the Club this season.

Chris Mingay  £20

Rob Moye      £40

Dave Thoroughgood