Cute Little Paramedic

Wednesday 29/04/09

Calverton 18:00
Calverton Cherry Tree v Robin Hood

The final game of the season arrived, due to a backlog of fixtures (Cherry Tree's fault) the last game of 08/09 is a midweek evening kick off. That meant rushing around like a lunatic to get there and kick off on time. So we get to the William Lee Memorial Park to be told that the changing rooms are locked and will not be opened as they were broken into (a paradox me thinks), more good news as the groundsman informs us that all the cars need to be parked on the street as the gates to the car park are being locked at 19:30 (Which they were not). So a lot of fussing and messing about later we are up at the pitch. The Robin have somewhat of a patched up team, the fates had conspired against the Robin leaving the cupboard thread bare of players. But the guys that were there pulled together with Welshy going between the sticks, it takes a brave fella to volunteer to wear the keeper jersey. On paper The Robin were on a hiding to nothing! A thrown together team against Cherry Tree, who were one win away from clinching the championship. Cherry Tree had brought around forty people down to watch this potential championship winning game, I say brought but the actual Cherry Tree pub is spitting distance from the park.

The sun was shining and it was time to get this thing under way, PEEP..................... CRUNCH!!!! 30 seconds into the game and Obi-Wan clashes with a Cherry Tree attacker, in all my days of watching football and playing five-a-side I have seen injuries happen, but never have I heard a scream of pain come from a fella like what came from Obi-Wan. The magic sponge and a bit of deep heat was not going to do the trick for this. The game stopped while the situation was assessed and then a ambulance called. Obi-Wan was helped up and hobbled slowly of the pitch to sit on the side lines and await the paramedics. Substitution made and the game got back under way and the Robin are under pressure from the very start. Cherry Tree are going at it all guns blazing they want to finish this off early and get the title in the bag. But the Robin obviously have not read the script as they defend resolutely taking everything the Cherry Tree throw at them. Any of you who watched the Barcelona v Chelsea game (28/04/09) will have an idea how this half was panning out, Cherry Tree attack creating some openings but not finishing them, while the Robin battled and worked harder than I had seen them do all season. With the Cherry Tree peppering the Robin goal Welshy put into action his somewhat un-orthodox goal keeping techniques to astounding results. Every no and then Robin had chance to counter carving out chances from nothing, but like the Cherry Tree could not put that killer touch on the end. The first half flew by and after a few minutes of injury time the ref blew to end it. WOW a clean sheet for the Robin in the first half, do not underestimate how much of an achievement that is and again how hard they worked for it.

Cherry Tree 0 - 0 Robin Hood.

(By this time paramedics had attended Obi-Wan, lucky him as one of them was a pretty little blond, nice. Obi-wan was whisked off to hospital for checks. At time of going to press there has been no further updates on his condition, watch this space)

Obi-Wan OUCH!

The second half starts and once again Cherry Tree apply the pressure that so far the Robin have withstood. The game is very very physical with tough challenges going in from both sides, its not the sort of game to be shy in that's for sure. Fifty first minute and the Robins plucky defense is finally breached, Cherry Tree with a pacy break sees them clear of the back four GOAL!!! Cherry Tree 1 - 0 Robin Hood. After all the effort put in by the boys up until this point seems to have drained away in a sudden flush and Robin heads drop. Cherry Tree's capacity crowd are cheering away and sinking cans of larger like its a cure for swine flu. The Robin continue the game bravely. Sixty eight minutes and a melee of players in the Robin area, a foul on Welshy (from my point of view anyway) from a Cherry Tree player, GOAL!!! Cherry Tree 2 - 0 Robin Hood. Should not have stood but the Ref gave it. Two minutes later and Welshy is employing some more of those "Interesting" goal keeping skills, which promptly leads him to be lobbed, luckily for him the lob is a poor effort and goes safely over the cross bar. Cherry Tree's pressure is relentless now and on seventy three minutes it pays another dividend GOAL!!! Cherry Tree 3 - 0 Robin Hood. Duh Duh Dun Da Dun Duh Duh Dun Da Dun Terminator is on it, full pelt at the Cherry Tree, he knows his mission, DEBUT BOOT GOAL!!! Terminator pulls one back for the Robin, he said he would new boots same result back-o-the-net! Cherry Tree 3 - 1 Robin Hood. This gives the Robin a small lift and they continue to play their game and enjoy it, after all it is last game of the season. High spirits are soured somewhat in the dying embers of the game as Cherry Tree strike late GOAL!!! Cherry Tree 4 - 1 Robin Hood. No added time this half the Ref brings the game to an end, Cherry Tree and their fans are jubilant, Well done to them for winning the title. The Robin won today to, they showed that despite all the obstacles put in their way they were willing to fight and they came out of a game where the scoreline flattered Cherry Tree and did not reflect the Robins true performance.

Well done lads a hard hard season is done so time to kick back and chillax, but remember the "Oliver Reed Award for Services to Drinking and Mischief" is up for grabs this summer so don't let your fans down MWAH!!!!.

Calverton Cherry Tree 4 - 1 The Robin Hood


The Welsh Keeping WIZARD

And Now the End is Near

And Now the End is Near

The votes have been cast, collected, and counted. Awards are being engraved and there is one final match to go.
An up and down season, a roller coaster you may say but nether the less all things must end.

All season long I have had the privilege of writing about all of your exploits, the wins, the loses, and some exciting draws. But with the summer almost upon on us and many of you will be packing your bags to head off to sunnier climes to drink, eat and be merry. So what of the blog! Well, in the interests of good form the blog will continue through the summer! One of the ways it will continue is through you! yes I'm talking to you.... So on that note....... Drum roll please................. I give you...... for the first time ever................................

"The Oliver Reed"
Award for Services
To Drinking and Mischief

Yep this is a brand new award! you have Players Player, you have Sports Man, and you have Player of the year...... But what can you win in the summer months. Here it is "The Oliver Reed Award for Services to Drinking and Mischief" is this blogs first ever award. To keep things going I want the best stories about Players and others associated with the club to let me know what you get up to over the close season, Drunken shenanigans, practical tricks, hilarious photos. I want them all! (remember the more embarrassing the better) The best story will win the "Oliver Reed Award for Services to Drinking and Mischief" as seen above. They shall then be able to show the award off in the pub over next season to show the others just what can be achieved if you get up to no good!
So have at you boys (and girls) are you up for the challenge, huh huh are ya!
(The stories will be judge by an esteemed panel of mischief makers, and I promise you no Amanda Holden or Piers Morgan... These are skilled practitioners of fun and frolics. For anymore details those of you that know me ask, phone, text. Or there is always email or Facebook. Judges are very much open to corruption and they like shiny stuff)
Next post final game of the season. Which will be here on the 30/04/09, thank you please.
Blog Boy.

OOOOH! Right in the Jacobs!!!!

Sunday 12/04/09

Woodthorpe Park 10:30am

Robin Hood v Hudson Roofing

So here it is the penultimate game of the season and the last home game of 08/09. Now I say home game, but due to Vernon park being all booked up the game was switched to Woodthorpe park. After the shocker that was last week the Robin needed to sort themselves out. This was the perfect opportunity as Hudson had knocked them out of the cup a couple of months back then beat them in the league the following week. So revenge was on the cards. Quavers was restored to goal after a weeks absence and the rest of the team looked strong. The location had the added bonus by attracting a few more people to watch than normal due to its closer proximity to The Robin Hood itself. So on to the game.

The whistle blows and the games gets off at a frenetic pace. It looks as if Hudson have come here to counter attack. The Robin put early pressure on and it becomes clear that this is not going to be the same as last weeks lackluster performance. OUCH! six minutes into the game and Obi-Wan feels the FORCE (Get it, force, Obi-Wan, I'll get me coat!) of the match ball firmly to his family jewels. After a few moments of writhing around in what has now been established as a pain worse than child birth, Obi-Wan gingerly got to his feet. The boys were running there socks off today, the mythical 110% was being put in. Hudson continued their counter attack style coming close on a couple of a occasion but nothing really to trouble Quavers. Tackles are flying in and the games is getting a real edge to it now. On thirty minutes Ali "Mr Magic Pants" is brutally assaulted by a Hudson defender a few yards out of Hudon's area. The keeper organises his wall and Skip prepares to strike it. Skip thunders the ball towards goal, Hudon's keeper manages to get down it but can only parry to the on coming Robin players, a scramble ensues, GOAL!!! J-LO, pops up to bury it. Robin 1 - 0 Hudson. Get in there my son. This gives Hudson a kick up the arse and they come at the Robin harder than before, the remaining ten minutes is all Hudson pressure, the Robin defence is under the cosh, but they pull together and battle hard against the Hudson onslaught. Ref plays well over five minutes of added on time then finally blows to bring the half to an end. Robin survive, and the lads are buoyed by it.

Robin 1 - 0 Hudson.

The second half reverts back to type with the Robin doing most of the running and Hudson hitting them on the break. More dubious challenges are coming from both sides now, but the ref controls the game well allowing it to flow. Obi-Wan is the games enforcer today, and it winds up Hudson. Especially when he bowls over a Hudson player then proceeds to walk over his back!. On sixty three minutes Obi-Wan is at it again, checking a Hudson player in the box (who to be fair went down faster than Gillian Taylforth in a Land Rover) The Ref awarded Hudson the penalty and things were not looking good. Now the only way to describe the penalty taken by the Hudson player is to compare it to Roberto Baggio's effort in the final of the world cup USA 94. Its still rising now I think! Well the Robin escaped this time but there one nil advantage is looking fragile. Hudson though are looking drained like the penalty miss had knocked the wind out of their sails. This was compounded when on the seventy third minute Gattuszola chases down a loose ball, his pace too much for the beleagued Hudson defence, GOAL!!! Gattuszola calmly strokes the ball in to the onion bag. Robin 2 - 0 Hudson. Well if Hudson were low before this goal, then now they had hit rock bottom. Any fighting spirit had left them, they all just wanted to go. The game cruised to its conclusion, with only about thirty seconds of added on time being played.

A great team performance from the Robin, everyone working and fighting for each other.

Robin Hood 2 - 0 Hudson Roofing

Player Ratings

Quavers - 8

Welshy - 8

Wayne - 8

Obi-Wan - 8

Kebab - 8

J-LO - 8

Skip - 8

Ali "Mr Magic Pants" - 8

Pone - 4+4

Gattuszola - 8

Kyle - 8

MOM

Quavers, Welshy, Wayne, Obi-Wan, Kebab, J-LO, Skip,

Ali "Mr Magic Pants", Pone, Gattuszola, Kyle

Well done lads!

I Got Woody!!!!!!!!

Sunday 05/04/09

Southglade 10:30am

Bayliss Caravans v Robin Hood

First of all an apology for the tardiness of this weeks blog, it was such a long walk back from the pitch at Southglade and it is only now that have made it back to civilization.
OK, First up Quavers our ever eccentric Keeper was working away this weekend much to his dismay and the last stand in keeper Shaggy was beginning his suspension for a sending off earlier in the season. This left The Gaffer to step up to the plate and cover between the sticks.
Standing at an imposing 5'4", The Gaffer made for an interesting last line of defense for the Robin. Despite his size The Gaffer is an excellent 5-A-Side keeper, lets see if that could translate to full sized goals.
After warming up (Just the trek to the pitch was enough) It was almost time to kick off. The pitch was somewhat skew-wiff, and a few of the boys had had previous encounters with each other.
Peep Peep Peep, The game begins, and straight away its obvious that Bayliss are thinking the diminutive figure of The Gaffer is the Robin's weakest link. The Robin are not looking them selves today and five minutes in a lofted ball into the Robin area sees a Bayliss player loop a header over The Gaffer, GOAL!!! Bayliss 1 - 0 Robin. Not the start the Robin needed and confidence is knocked. Tempers fray already and there is a coming together of Skip and a rather mouthy Blonde player from Bayliss. The Ref does really well and controls the situation. The feeling on the sideline was this could boil over. This did not come to be however as the Ref controlled game in a very admirable way. The half continues and The Robin look a shadow of the team that returned to winning ways over Pheasant last week. Heads are down and Bayliss continue to run the play. A brief moment of inspiration from the Robin see Ali "Mr Magic Pants" and Gattuszola see a great crossed played in for Obi-Wan the head agonisingly over. That constitutes the only real chance for the Robin in the first half.
Bayliss 1 - 0 Robin.
Second half gets underway and at least the sun is still shining. The Robin are starting to look sloppy with lazy passes and players looking completely uninterested in what is going on. Despite this the Robin are still only one nil down. That changes when on the fifty fourth minute when sloppy defending allows a gift of a goal to Bayliss, GOAL!!! Bayliss 2 - 0 Robin. Bayliss double their lead and they look good for it. The Robin can not find a response, the players look fatigued and like they are counting the minutes to the end of the game. A couple of substitutions from the Robin bringing on Pone and Chrissy. Despite this no impact is made on the game and in truth it fizzles out toward the end. The Robin lose this game, though it was not the worst performance of the season it was close.

Bayliss Caravans 2 - 0 The Robin Hood
Player Ratings
The Gaffer - 7
Welshy - 6
Wayne - 7
Terminator - 6.5
Kebab - 6.5
Obi-Wan - 6
J-LO - 6.5
Skip - 5
Ali "Mr Magic Pants" - 5.5
Gattuszola - 6
Kyle - 8 MOM

Subs
Pone - 4
Chrissy - 6