So it was the Kabir iinhalast night, or the Big Finish to you fluent in Arabic – (See what I did there) 🙂 And what a night it was!
Firstly before I get into the rhetoric, banter and abuse, Rich and I would like to thank you all again for what’s possibly been the best season so far. Every year we try to make small improvements, little tweaks here and there, and we hope that you all enjoyed playing as much as we did organising it. The tournament felt much more competitive this year. We’re putting it down to the smaller amount of teams, meaning more talent was squeezed into the 6 teams compared to spread across 8. The competition was slightly shorter, and as a result we’ve not been hit by pre-season so much this year and therefore the teams haven’t struggled as much as in the previous seasons when their regular footballers go off to play mid-weeks.
During the tournament there has been so much passion showed by players/managers (Yes you Jam Jar, and yes you Tyrion). We’ve had huge tackles, massive goals, and lots of banter during matches, afterwards and on social media which has only served to get everyone wound up for this tournament, and we could not be more pleased with how it’s gone.
Thanks also to Topper who has taken his fair amount of abuse this year while reffing, and for most part managed to keep his cool. I think it was week 8 where he got a bit card happy, but he must have needed to get laid because he was ok again the following week 😉 Hats off to him for being a good sport and letting us smash about 70 penalties against him after the final match last night too, and well done to Steffan Roberts who lived up to his tag of being in the team of the year as the striker as he finished every penalty with some class. I won’t forget Icky’s effort though, and mostly Milva for his cheeky Panenka which made us feel like we were on an episode of skill skool.
So..onto last night’s antics. Winterfell needed to keep their unbeaten record to win the title, and hope that the Arabs slipped up against Jam Jars ever changing line-up. However before that, there was a 4th place up for grabs and a match between the inconsistent Pique Blinders and equally inconsistent FC Snorkel.
With not a huge amount riding on the game, both teams turned up well equipped, although a last minute change to the Blinders side after a late drop-out by Lloyd Ham shifted the balance slightly in favour of the Snorks. Imagine their surprise then, when within a minute of kickoff, the king of the BOOM smashed the ball from about 20 yds out to beat sub keeper Icky easily and put the Blinders 1 to the good. The Blinders piled on the hurt then with a follow up goal putting them 2-0 up with only a few minutes gone. Imagine how mad Turkish was going at this point!! The Blinders created chance after chance, only to then put it wide or not quite connect with the ball to get the goal. With the momentum gone, Snorkel seized their chance, and tournament top scorer Lewis Kingdon swept the ball easily past Cory Seldon to make it 2-1. As the Blinders went in search of more, they lost their shape a little and at the break found themselves 3-2 down after the Snorkel again cut apart the Blinders defence, who’s only wish was that someone would cut off Tom Lewis’ shorts, which were tighter than a virgin’s axe wound.
Into the second half, and the Blinders looked a bit more organised again, but Snorkel despite swapping their GK, looked the better team, and with the Blinders starting to run out of steam they took full advantage. The Blinders got it back to 3-3 thanks to another sublime strike from Fishy, but step forward Icky to make it 4-3 and put the blinders on the back foot once again. The Blinders continued to push, but with butterbean Whelan pushing most of the efforts away it was a tough night in a lot of heat! With the Blinders continuing to push, the Snorks added another two goals, another from Kingdon and one from Morgan Rees who’d moved from CB to push further up field. The Snorks just sneak into 4th above the Blinders on the back of that result, and probably deserved to be a bit further up the table based on recent performances.
Second up, and this was going to determine whether it would go down to the last game or not, and on paper, and on form you’d have backed the Winterfell boys to beat the Badgers easily. With the pre-season friendly that was due to render some of the Winterfell boys unavailable cancelled, it was game on again after they turned up with a relatively full squad, albeit minus Tom Atyeo who doesn’t seem to be available for bigger games, although on this occasion, being on holiday was a valid reason for not being there! Tyrion was still side-lined with this baddie foot bless him, but his gob was working as usual from the side-lines. The little guy seemed really pleased with himself too when within a few minutes last year’s champions found themselves 2-0 up and the Badgers looked set for another battering.
Ashton White however had other ideas as he got the Badgers back to 2-1. This immediately started Casey off, and the Winterfell boys looked scared. They retreated as the Badgers continued to push forward, and then outta nowhere like Randy Orton, step up new signing Ellis Horrigan who sent an absolute rocket of a shot past the Lizard in the Winterfell goals. The Badgers were pinned back again by another Casey goal, only for Horrigan to again step up and make it 3-3 with another rifling shot from a free kick. The Arabs were going nuts on the sideline while Tyrion was bouncing around like a kid in Jump Jam. The arguments between the Winterfell boys increased as they became more and more frustrated with each other, and it wasn’t long before the Badgers sent everyone watching wild and pulled 4-3 in front with just a few minutes remaining through another Ashton White goal. He wasn’t done there though and added another before the final whistle, and the Badgers got revenge for narrowly losing out to Winterfell last year, and in doing so handed the title to the Arabs, who by this point were going bonkers knowing they had nothing to do in the final game other than prove that they were deserved champions.
Last but certainly not least, the newly crowned champions faced Woottons Warriors..I mean Wanderers…for what was a pride match. Lots had been said before this match by both teams, from the Arabs point of view it was just another game, and an opportunity to prove why they should be top of the league, and from the Wanderers point of view it was about pi**ing on their parade. Jam Jar ruffled a few feathers by bringing semi-pro Jon Hood to represent his team, and while some Arabs were worried, most people knew that despite the clear gulf in capability, this wasn’t your typical 11 a side game, and it would certainly take Hoody some time to settle into the pace and physicality of the tournament.
The Arabs started well, and played with confidence, while the Wanderers also brought their game and were determined to prove why they should have been further up the table come last night. Both teams put some good football together, and as usual Milva was pulling the strings for the Wanderers. It was clear that Milva sometimes struggled with the physicality of striker Steff Roberts, however with Brandon as a back-up when needed, Steff relied on his pace and passing to get through the defence. The Arabs continued to press and soon found themselves 1-0 up thanks to team of the year member Keane Watts. The Arabs added another before the Wanderers were able to respond via Jon Hood who has soon settled into the pace of the game, and with Jam Jar running around like a silverback gorilla the Wanderers started getting some more ball.
The Arabs took it to 3-1 when again the Wanderers pipped one back through Lewis Miles. The Wanderers will feel disappointed to have missed out on another stone wall penalty after a penalty box infringement, and made their feelings clear on the night only for Topper to hang his head in shame and walk away claiming no penalty. With not much time left the Arabs grabbed a 4th to seal the game through another Steff Roberts effort. A late consolation goal from Connor Price, saw the score end 4-3 to the Arabs on the night, who not only have bragging rights over the Wanderers for now, but also have a tournament champions shield for their efforts this season.
To round things up. I’d like to again express our thanks to the players and managers for keeping this tournament going. We started off simply because we couldn’t’ be arsed to travel to the Power League in Cardiff any longer, and 5 years later were still going strong! Thank you for your on-going support and we look forward to seeing you again next year.
PS – the Celtic have recently advised us that following a committee meeting we will return to the old payment structure next season, meaning that we can pass this directly to the teams. Subs will therefore revert back to the original amount of £25 per game 🙂
Congratulations to this year’s champions the YOUNG ARABS. Well deserved!
Young Arabs blow it open
BAAABOOOOM went week 9!
The ricochet of the shrapnel and fallout could be heard bouncing around the off-colour cream Cae Tinca local authority housing. The angry cries of frustration and the elated screams of joy could be heard as far up as the old man’s bus shelter, and as far down as Llan Square! And just like 3 of the previous 4 MFL seasons, we go into the final week without knowing who will win! And what a week it was for the neutrals.
Game 1 saw what was possibly the title decider take place, and it didn’t disappoint. The build up to the game was enough, with both sides bringing their strongest teams ready to fight for that top-spot! It was like a scene from the aftermath of the Red Wedding, with The Arabs showing up as the Lannisters, looking to attack all flanks, and the Winterfell lads battening down the hatches like Walder Frey and cowering in their castle (come on it’s only the 2nd GOT related link I’ve used – unless you count me calling Connor, Tyrian, then it’s 3 and it had so much mileage) ☺. With so much riding on this game, both teams had a good level of support, with the majority appearing to be supporting the young bloods, and taking any opportunity to jeer the current champions.
The game started quickly with Winterfell seeing more of the ball, and putting together some decent passages of play. The Arabs didn’t seem to be switched on and took an age to settle. After just 5 mins, a quick break turned into chasing the ball after a poor back heeled pass from striker Steff Roberts – which had it come off would have looked genius – but it fell short for Winterfell midfielder Casey Jones, who took his fair amount of flack on the night from opponents, supporters and team-mates alike, to finish from distance.
A silly free kick given away by the Arabs saw a stunning free kick taken by Tom Atyeo reach the top corner of GK Camron George’s net, putting the Winterfell boys 2-0 up and the Arabs looked defeated already. The Arabs had the majority of the ball, but struggled to break down the Mourhino-esque defensive line of the Winterfell lads. Tempers flared as the frustration started to take its toll on the Arabs. Substitute Matthew Rogers seemed to provide an extra bit of energy to the front line, with Kai Steadman being pushed back as a defender given both the score, and the ability of Jake Trahar to break quickly. With Rogers now in front of Steadman, this threat appeared to be dumbed down, but the battles everywhere else on the field continued, with Steff Roberts starting to go through people rather than play his game. Tempers again flared with accusations of elbows and off the ball incidents all being flagged to the official.
Then out of nowhere Keane Watts snook a goal past the Lizard in the bottom corner after some crazy footwork against what seemed to be every Winterfell player. This was GAME ON! And Keane soon added another to bring the Arabs level. This was the trigger they needed as their confidence grew and the looks of despair turned to grit determination to beat the opposition. If the game wasn’t feisty before now, it jumped up a level. Arguments and cracks started appearing in the Winterfell team as they saw off wave after wave of Arab attacks, it felt almost inevitable that this year’s championship would go to the wire. Then as if it was in slow motion, striker Steff Shitbeard Roberts struck a sweet shot towards the Lizard, who despite having conceded two was having a blinder, but again found himself beaten by a fine strike. And there it was, the goal that broke the hearts of the Winterfell team, who until now were unbeaten and on course to retain their title. With just 5 mins to ride out, the Arabs played it long at every opportunity and rode out the storm that was the Winterfell attack, after finally breaking ranks to push further up the pitch.
Game 2 saw stuttering FC Snorkel match up against the Badgers. The Badgers appeared short of players again, and despite being without talisman Luke Howells as he waves his tiny arms around at a festival, he’s backfilled by the returning Lewis Kingdon and Nathan Butterbean Whelan, meaning this wasn’t going to be an easy game for the Badgers. The Badgers started strong, though, taking an early lead. But after that it was one way traffic as the Snorkel put 11 past a hapless Badgers defence. There isn’t a huge amount that can be said about this game, other than the fact that Lewis scored 5, Whelan bagged 4, Carter who has been enjoying a good few weeks bagged a brace, and Rhodri Twm Thomas missed 1,479 chances. An absolute walkover for the Snorkel, who you have to feel have underperformed this season given the quality in their squad. Hopefully next season they can get a more consistent team line-up each week and challenge for the title in line with their potential.
Game 3 was an extremely competitive game between The Blinders and The Wanderers, whose outside title chance was put to bed by the earlier Young Arabs win. The first 10 minutes was a breeze for the Wanderers with the Blinders playing with a bare 8 and probably the heaviest crew in the league (not to mention the oldest), against one of the quicker teams, who rocked up with a full set of subs. Despite this and conceding an three early goals the Blinders continued to push hard and managed to get a goal back through a neatly taken free kick, which shook the Wanderers. Another silly free kick saw the Blinders pull another back, and with the score now 3-2 to the Wanderers, The Blinders smelt blood and continued to push for an equaliser, however it wasn’t to be and the Wanderers punished them on the break, and scored against the run of play with a lucky shot which GK Cory couldn’t quite stop. Deflated, it wasn’t long before the Wanderers added a fifth and put the game well beyond a tired looking Blinders side. The battle for 4th spot is on next week between Snorkel and the Blinders, who despite some strong performances see themselves a lot lower down that they’d expect.
So now it’s all on week 10 to find out who will be our 2018 champions, with Winterfell having the easier fixture against the Badgers at 7.40, they can put the pressure on the Young Arabs for the final game where they have another difficult task against Wootton Wanderers, who seem determined to ruin their early party.
It should be a cracker next week, with final league positions up for grabs in all 3 games!
** We’ve asked the Celtic for the upstairs to be made available for the presentation evening on the 18th August. We will confirm the date by next week! **
And then there were two
So we entered week 8, and I’m using Benidorm as an excuse for not writing anything after last week’s games – it took a while to get over seeing Stupid Steve filled in by his old man, but I’m back in the swing of it now, and contrary to belief, these updates, good or bad, aren’t written on the back of a certain teams performance, Mr Carter!
Anyway….Going into week 8, the league was up for grabs from as far down as 4th position, so it was destined to be an interesting night. Were now into the business end of the season, with any slip in performance likely to put a team out of contention. With it also being pre-season time, the teams are more likely to lose some of their players depending on what time the games fall. It’s now we see what strength in depth the teams have. Week 8 turned out to be just that…a night of missing players, what appeared to be slower less competitive games, but on the up-side some incredible goals!
First up saw 4th place Pique Blinders take on FC Winterfell, and with Winterfell turning up at full strength, and the Blinders without key players in Peel, Lewi, Spam (and Blackie) it was looking like a big ask for the Blinders to repeat their performance against Winterfell in week 3 when it ended 2-2 in the last few seconds. Winterfell started very strongly and pulled the Blinders defence around for fun, and Ben Fish found himself having to come back from ACM to make up a back 4 at times. It wasn’t long before Winterfell were off the mark through Jake trahar after he breezed by CDM Rob Boydell to slot in the bottom corner. It took the Blinders about 10 minutes to settle, by which point they were 2 down, and leaving themselves a big hill to climb. A lack of movement throughout the team left the Blinders playing long ball which wasn’t working either with the best chances coming from playing wide to Rich Boydell and Tom Lewis (Twin). Tom Lewis (the other one!) and Matt Sahara Sunset kept the strikers quiet but the goals kept on coming from deep in midfield. In a moment of madness, RW Rich Boydell volleyed a bouncing ball from the halfway line across the field to find the top corner of the Winterfell net on the opposite side. An absolutely stunning effort, which surpasses anything we’ve seen this season (Yes Jam-Jar even yours, despite the tekkers…)
In the second half the Blinders pushed as much as possible to reduce the deficit, but it wasn’t to be and following Rich Boydell’s goal, Casey Jones decided to have a pop from just inside the Blinders half, only to find the bottom corner of Cory’s net putting the game out of reach. The Blinders showed moments of decent build up play, but rarely troubled the Lizard in the Winterfell goal. Rhys Williams and Casey added further insult making the total 5-1 at the final whistle. This unfortunately marks the end of any chance the Blinders have of mounting a challenge, and only solidified the lead at the top for Winterfell. They will however have to be careful given there is only 1 point between them and the Arabs who they play in week 9.
The second match saw title contenders Wootton Wanderers square up against the Snorkel, who haven’t looked themselves for weeks. The Wanderers were also looking understrength compared to usual, with no subs available, and Captain Miller, Jam Jar, and Pricey all missing in action. We’re very surprised Jam Jar actually went on his holiday given what was at stake! Some might question his commitment, not us, just some people might 😉 Time for the rest of the Wanderers to step up and show they can carry the team through to next week and still be in the race. The Wanderers started fairly well, but it was clear the cohesion wasn’t as it is normally, and even a few early arguments started up between players. The Snorkel took an early lead through Luke Howells, who was again at the heart of the team, keeping them working hard, and stropping whenever someone wasn’t pulling their weight or something didn’t go his way. Turkish was off as usual 😉
The Wanderers responded in style through Aaron John with a screaming goal just inside the Snorkel half, and through Lewis Miles continued to push forward looking for more, but angry Luke was in no mood to lose another game, and as the game went on, the Wanderers attacks only came in waves every few minutes, while the Snorkel put together some fantastic football and at times looked like they were toying with the Wanderers. The Snorkel were awarded a penalty which was struck straight at Wanderers GK, who parried it away with ease, much to the disappointment of the team, as it gave them a chance to pull away. Luke added another 2 goals to get his hat-trick while Gazza bagged a brace. The Wanderers came back into the match later on with goals through Connor and Lewis Miles, but it was too little too late, and it appears they might now be out of the race as they have 2 games remaining and are 5 points behind the leaders. They would need Winterfell and the Arabs to draw next week, and a massive swing in goal difference to even get a chance, which unfortunately for them seems unlikely at this point.
Last up saw league chasers the Young Arabs face off against The Honey badgers who surprised all with a strong turnout, while the Arabs looked to have smaller numbers than usual. Nevertheless, from the kick-off it was evident that the Arabs confidence was sky high, and what they lack in aggression they make up for in fitness and speed of play. Star man Keane Watts was missing, but in his place the return of Matthew Rogers saw an equally dangerous front line. It wasn’t long before the speed of play put Steffan Roberts one on one with CB Steve Williams, who was then turned in and out more times than a fiddlers elbow before Steffan slotted the ball home in the bottom corner of the goal. The Arabs added a 2nd and 3rd from Rogers and Kai Steadman, before the Badgers finally responded through CM Lyndon Thomas who had run all game to get a chance. Angry Lloyds curfew was up which meant replacement Jimbob James again took the field and added some more bulk to the Badgers team.
The Badgers kept pushing but it seemed fruitless as the Arabs settled into a pace that saw them just knock the ball around them. Late efforts from winger Sambappe threatened to get the Badgers on the scorecard again but they were well saved by Sub GK Rogers who gave way for Wanklyn to come outfield and fall around for 10mins. In the closing stages of the game, Josh “BKB” Garfield who’d had his arse handed to him by Blinders defender Tom Lewis earlier on, scored a rather unorthodox goal, which took the score to 5-1 and really sealed what was a fairly simply victory for the Arabs.
So next week is the big one!! Arabs v’s Winterfell at 7pm. This COULD be league decider! Tempers will flare (not Connor though because he injured his little dwarf foot during his temper tantrum last week) There will be big goals, big performances and when we get to 7:40 we’ll more than likely have an idea on our 2018 champions! Can Winterfell keep their unbeaten record intact? If they win they cannot be caught! Or will the Arabs snatch the title at the last gasp? If they can win they go top. I’m sure Wootton Wanders will try to spoil their party the following week, with Winterfell having the easier fixture against the Badgers. If it goes to goal difference Winterfell look likely to retain the title!
Lastly gents – We need feedback via your captains on a presentation night probably the weekend before August BH – please let us know if you’re interested!
Three Little Piglets
So into week 6 we go! Another red hot night on the Astro with tough battles, tempers flaring, and more fouls than a Millwall Sunday league match. Oh and Piglet was there. Three cheers for Piglet!
First up was top of the table FC Winterfell versus FC Snorkel, with Winterfell looking to keep their place at the top of the table. A win for the Snorkel would see them jump up the table but was it to be…..
Well the long and short if it is no. FC Winterfell continued their unbeaten run despite the best efforts of a rather physical FC Snorkel side, who appear to be losing their cool a little with the results not going their way.
The game started off fairly cagey with both sides passing the ball around well, but cancelling each other out in the process. Luke Howells Piglet cut a frustrated figure in the middle of the park, and with the crowd jeering anything that went wrong for the midfielder he began to lose his rag. Winterfell seemed to be getting the better chances, so it was no surprise when Jake Trahar Piglet stepped up and put Winterfell in front.
Soon after Winterfell found themselves a man down with Casey Jones Piglet being sent to the bin for chatting shit to the referee. It was clear Topper was in no mood for nonsense. Neither was he in the mood to wear an orange vest, as he made Winterfell boys cover up their brand new black kit with smelly vests so he could show off his suntan in his Adidas top he bought in Benidorm Market. Snorkel soon found themselves two goals down despite them having the extra man as Jake Trahar Piglet scored a second. The Snorkel got one back through a great header by Morgan Rees Piglet which got the Snorks wound up again.
Despite all this, the Snorkel could do no more and Winterfell soon added a third goal through Rhys Williams Piglet. Tempers boiled over just before the final whistle with when Morgan Rees Piglet should have seen a red card for kicking out at Casey Jones Piglet for his Neymar roll. Luckily for him the incident went un-noticed by the referee who was busy planning who he could sin bin in the next game.
Second up saw the Pique Blinders take on the Young Arabs. The Blinders fielded a slightly weakened side, as did the Arabs, but the game didn’t disappoint. Blackie Piglet was clearly blowing out of his arse after Celtic training, while Boydell Very Snr Piglet took a smash to the noggin which couldn’t have made his game any worse, but it bloody hurt! Neither team really got out of the blocks, and despite an early lead for the blinders courtesy of Lloyd Ham Piglet was soon equalised by Steffan Roberts Piglet. A mistake soon after by Cory Nicholas Piglet got the Blinders back in front after playing a back pass that goalkeeper Camron Goeorge Piglet couldn’t collect and ended up in the net. Bacon Piglet was tamping about that especially given that Boydell Snr Piglet had clearly handled the ball just beforehand, and felt he should have had a free kick.
Topper found his next sin bin victim in Owen Wanklyn Piglet who was binned for dissent following a perfectly legitimate tackle by Rob Boydell Piglet, who was surprised not to get the advantage played after winning the ball and was well on his way into the Arabs half. With Wanklyn Piglet having a low contribution anyway, The Arabs went balls out and pressed on to make it 2-2 through another Steff Roberts Piglet effort and a few minutes before the end when it was clear that fitness played a part, the Arabs made it 3-2 via Keane Watts Piglet. The Blinders yet again let slip a decent lead. You never know which Blinders are going to turn up week from week as they go from scoring 7 to scraping 2 goals.
The third and last game saw the rising Wootton Wanderers take on the bottom feeders Honey Badger FC. This despite the gulf in points was never going to be too easy for the Wanderers and Stupid Steve kept Jam Jar quiet for the first 15 minutes, and for once the striker/defender size difference was negligible especially taking into account Steve’s new loved up belly. It wasn’t too long though before the Wanderers broke the deadlock through Milva with a usually neat strike, followed by strikes by Lewis Miles and a deadly strike from forward Jamie Wootton. The Badgers responded through Angry Lloyd Jenkins who was keen to win back the ball in every situation, as well as team-mate Lloyd Williams. Wootton added his second, and the Badgers responded once more. The Badgers weren’t going down without a fight.
Despite his contribution the last few weeks, Pricey didn’t appear to be missed too much as other players stepped up to fill the void. The Woolf added another, as did Barry Arms to make it 6-2, which was quickly followed by a hat-trick goal for Jam Jar after collecting the ball on his chest (not sure which part of that chest– he didn’t tell me to write this honest :-D) turning Stupid Steve and his belly (definitely didn’t say that bit), and hitting the top corner of the net, much to Steve’s annoyance. To be fair the guy had been to the Gym and Rugby Training (Blackie – two training sessions and then football!) you need to raise your game!! The Wanderers are chasing down FC Winterfell and only find themselves 2 points adrift. Week 7 sees them face each other in what could be the tournament deciding match. If it ends all square it could open up the opportunity for the Young Arabs to head back into 2nd position just a point behind Winterfell.
It’s all still to play for gents!!
Presentation Evening
We haven’t done this for a few years but we’re keen to get a presentation evening done this year – possibly the week before August BH weekend. Please get in touch with your relevant team captains to confirm if your team would like to get involved. It’ll be in the Celtic..obvs, time to be confirmed.
Snorkelling with the Fish
The MFL headed into its halfway point in week 5, and with all teams having now played each other it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff!
The business end of the season sees FC Winterfell clinging onto that top spot, with Wootton’s Wanderers chasing hard behind them and for the unfortunate Badgers they find themselves anchored to the bottom of the table with just 1 point from 5 games. With just 6 points separating 5th placed FC Snorkel and the top spot it’s all to play for in the next few weeks. LETS HAVE IT!!
Kicking us off in week 5 were FC Snorkel against The Pique Blinders. With Topper away, the MLF emulated the old WWF and brought in guest referee Jamie Wootton to take control of what promised to be a fast paced encounter. The Snorkel lined up slightly light on firepower with star man Lewis Kingdon and Nathan Butterbean Wheelan missing from the squad. The Snorks though have strength in depth and brought in striker Dylan Llewellyn to try and make up for the deficit. Week 5 also saw the return of Gareth “Gazza” Linderburn who’s been missing from the side for a few weeks following “spit-gate” accusations. The Pique Blinders also made some squad changes having lost 2 key players in Tom the Enforcer Evans and Christian Jenkins through injury, and bringing in the king of the BOOM Ben Fish to link up with former team mate Peele.
As usual the Blinders made a slow start to the game but defended incredibly against an all-out attack Snorkel, and with shots pinging at him from all angles blinders keeper Corey Seldon was like robokeeper between the sticks. Going the other way, the Blinders looked strong in attack, with Peel and Fish linking up brilliantly deep in midfield and launching a stinging counter attack which soon saw the first BOOM of the night when Fishy took his first pop at goal, a low and hard effort from 15 yards to find the bottom corner of Carters net. This pattern of play continued late into the first half, with the blinders going into half time with a decent lead. The second half saw a flurry of goals from the Blinders with the Fish hitting the net twice more. Peeley looked angry at being out-scored and hit the net himself twice, which was more than matched by some lovely efforts by Thomas Lewis. Snorkel hit back late on with a goal from Llew and later on by Gazza who had tried with Luke Howells to get Snorkel going all game. Unfortunately for them, Carter couldn’t have caught a cold on the night and that showed with the game ending in a 7-2 defeat.
Second up was the struggling Honey Badgers versus current league leaders FC Winterfell, and with Winterfell managing to get through the last couple of weeks unscathed despite some very close games, it seems inevitable that at some point their unbeaten streak would soon come to an end. It was unlikely though based on current form that the Badgers would cause them too much trouble. The Badgers however had other ideas bringing back the angry Wasp to play alongside angry Lloyd and Keano who was in no mood for losing again. The last few weeks have been tough on the usually resilient Badgers who have only managed to notch up 1 point all season. The team isn’t too far away from last year’s line-up so it’s difficult to say if everyone else has improved or whether the Badgers confidence is low.
Jake Trahar was on fine form yet again bagging himself a hat trick and MOM award from the Badgers after a sterling performance. Keano cut an unusually frustrated figure, and vented his frustration towards the referee on a number of occasions for minor infractions, and let the disappointment get to his head at one point with a challenge on Jake Trahar from behind which probably deserved a yellow. Connor Tyrian Thomas was struggling to make an impact on the game despite his one goal, and had to pull out to the flanks to be able to get some time on the ball. Luke Whittaker also managed to net with another clean effort on goal. The champions have been rattled a few times during the first half of this season, and despite not being able to notch up convincing victories, they are chipping away, and if nothing else they are consistent in their approach to games. The question is with so little beteween the teams, one little slip up could cost them the top spot.
The last match of the night was destined to be a cracker, with Milva’s Wootton Wanderers taking on the Young Arabs. A win for the Wanderers would see them knocking the Young Arabs out of 2nd spot, and a win for the Arabs would again put them joint 1st with Winterfell, so all to play for then! The Wanderers were set up well yet again with now regular Dale Price chasing after every loose ball, and Milva sitting in-between the defence and midfield. Jam Jar switched from his normal CB role to the lone striker where he usually does plenty of damage, in both footballing terms and to the bodies of those trying to defend against him. The Arabs turned up in force too, with a full complement of substitutes, again with their most dangerous three players in Steff “Gorilla” Roberts, Keane and Kai Steadman.
It was clear from kickoff that this game was going to be a pacey one, and one where referee Rob Boydell had to keep an eye on those most likely to throw a bit of weight around namely Jam Jar, and Steffan or Bacon for the Arabs. The first half was extremely competitive, with the Arabs playing the better football, but not having much luck against the Wanderers new GK.
It’s easy to see that the Arabs are used to a disciplined build up on a Saturday as they continued to play around the Wanderers defence, running in-between the lines an making some clear space to create opportunities to shoot. The difficulty for them is their build up play rarely ends with a shot on goal, and play in an Arsenal-esque style with a view to passing it into the net. The Arabs need to me more lethal in front of goal, more selfishness is required to get their goal tally up before they start slipping down the table.
The Wanderers have the opposite problem as some players shoot where they should pass, but as they say – if you don’t shoot you don’t score! This paid off with Wanderers founder Jam Jar found the net with a crisp effort, a well-deserved reward for his hold up play during the game (and not the bit where he nearly walked for wrestling an opponent to the ground – that sir is not hold up play!). Cory Tyzack also found the net with a stunning long range effort which hit top bins. The Keeper had no chance and gave the Wanderers a bit of breathing space (and no Josh it wasn’t as good as yours!). It knocked the wind out of the Arabs sails a bit so it wasn’t surprising when the Woolf stepped up to finish them off to make it 3-0. The Arabs will be frustrated with that defeat which now sees them slip to 3rd spot. MOM awards went to Keane who ran all night, and Milva who was just Milva!
You Wootton believe your eyes
So were up to week 4 and the table is being swapped around like a hungry woman at a swingers party.
This week’s MFL saw FC Winterfell vs Young Arabs, Honey Badgers vs FC Snorkel and finally the Pique Blinders take on Wootton Wanderers
After a pretty low scoring week 3, what could the teams pull off this week? Especially with the new addition of the action cam behind the goals. Would we see more selfishness by strikers wanting to score the ultimate goal or would it be another low scoring week in the MFL? The answer is a bit of both!
Game one saw the top of the table clash between unbeaten FC Winterfell and the Young Arabs. With Winterfell looking to hang on to that top spot, and the chasing Arabs looking to ruin their party, it was either going to be belter of a game, or very cagey. Truth is it wasn’t either. Both teams went full steam ahead but it only meant they cancelled each other out. Winterfell looked a little under strength with star man Tom Atyeo and Croeserws Connor “Tyrian Lannister” Thomas missing from the line-up which meant creatively Winterfell looked like they were struggling. Conversely the Young Arabs were again putting some lovely football together, but as usual Christian the Lizard Davies had other ideas making some fantastic saves and earning himself a MoM award in the process.
Rhys “Jack Whitehall” Williams and Casey Jones both netted for the men in white, while Keane Watts was on fine form for the Young Arabs and drove home two lovely strikes for his brace, bringing The Arabs back into the game after some shady time wasting tactics from Winterfell saw the ball leave he pitch more than it ever has. The game got feisty in the closing moments and both Cory ‘Bacon’ Nicholas and Alex Thomas saw the sin bin as Topper looked to gain control of the match. So all even at the end meaning both teams remain neck and neck at the top of the table with just goal difference separating them. Winterfell seem to be clinging on to that top spot, who will knock them off their perch??
Second up was The Badgers and Snorkel. The Badgers looked to have more depth to their squad this weeks with the return of Angry Lloyd teaming up in midfield with Keano. Would it be enough to see off the Snorkel who were missing talisman Lewis Kingdon? Who, along with Luke Howells and Butterbean Whelan, have been controlling games in the past few weeks, or could Smucker and his new pal Icky, who was taking a break from Love Island, make up the difference.
Butterbean Whelan hit the onion bag twice to get himself a brace while Smucker yet again proved that route one can work if done well getting the 3rd goal. The MFL would love to write about the scorers for the Badgers, but we simply don’t know who scored….Edit…..We do remember Keano hitting top bins in the first half to kick off the goals! It was a belter of a goal but unfortunately Badgers leader Twm hasn’t reported in the remaining scorers so were none the wiser. The match ended 3-3 which was a much needed point for the Badgers who can hopefully push on from here (and maybe report their scorers). Rumour has it that Twm only reports goals he scores but that rumour is unconfirmed. MOM for Ioan Jones awarded by the Snorkel who must be disappointed to not have come away with a win.
Game three of week four saw an in-form Pique Blinders side take on the yet to impress Wootton Wanderers. Captain Milva brought a gun to a knife fight and rolled out all his superstars for this encounter, and a rather lengthy pre-match team talk by Jam-Jar and Pricey meant that they were taking this fixture seriously. Could the Blinders pull off another performance like the last two weeks, or would the Wanderers finally get their rewards…
Right from the kickoff the Wanderers showed their intent, and bagged their first goal within 50 seconds. The Blinders were shell-shocked and conceded another quickly behind it, leaving them chasing the game before it even got started. Was this the Wanderers that we all expected to see from the beginning of the tournament? The Blinders struggled to get a foothold, Gump must need new daps as he struggled to make anything stick, and Slug was well… sluggish in the back after suffering with a chest complaint. Lewi was bounced off his head in one attack, and the few shots that the Blinders had were well saved by the new Wanderers GK. Compared to last week, the Blinders were woeful.
Eventually the Blinders settled into the game, and some substitutions freshened things up, but it was too little too late, and the more bodies the Blinders threw forward, the worse it got at the other end with another 3 hitting the back of the net for the Wanderers. Dale Price clearly made a difference to the team this week, and was like a bull running after everything, while captain Milva controlled the defence superbly. The Blinders now fall down the table despite a decent run of results. They are replaced in 3rd by the Wanderers who will be pleased to be firing on all cylinders. Maybe now Topper won’t need his ear defenders each week.
Just 7 points separate top and bottom, so still plenty to play for for all teams going into week 5.
Tough Breaks
Week 3 of MFL was one of the most competitive weeks in the history of the MFL, with a single goal separating two games and the other a draw..
First up saw last year’s champs FC Winterfell take on the Pique Blinders. After a shaky start, the Blinders came out on top and looked very solid at the back with Chris Jenkins and Slug shutting up shop on any Winterfell attacks. Holding Midfielder Tom Evs ran his legs off protecting the back two and trying to get the blinders going from the back when they were on the ball. The Blinders took the lead with a sublime effort from Rich Boydell who caught the ball on the half volley, which at first looked like a soft effort, but the connection was perfect and more than enough to swerve it past the Lizard between the Winterfell sticks. Next up came a soft goal from Winterfell thanks to forward Rhys Williams. Morgan Thomas restored the Blinders lead with a well worked effort, which was exactly what he deserved following a strong MOM performance.
In the dying minutes defender Chris Jenkins was carried off with a knee injury which looks to put him out for quite a while. This was a huge blow for the Blinders, and in the dying minutes, substitute Gavin Mizen took revenge on Winterfell by chopping their forward down, before Ashley Williams committed a further foul just outside the box. With just 10 seconds left in the game, Luke Whittaker received the ball unmarked on the edge of the Blinders area and struck a ball that was too difficult for Blinder GK Corey Seldon to hold onto and Winterfell brought it back to 2 goals a piece. Very tough for the Blinders to take after a stellar performance, but hats off to Winterfell for their persistence.
Game two saw the so far underperforming Snorkel take on Wootton Wanders who were desperate to live up to their potential and get another win under their belts. The game started and finished very competitively with big tackles going in from both sides. An early penalty for a goal keepers area infringement saw Snorkel take an early lead, much to the disappointment of the Wanderers who were angry at the decision. It was to be the night of the Lewis’ as Snorkel magician Lewis Kingdon waved his left foot wand to find the net three times, while Wanderers player Lewis Miles bagged himself a brace.
The team in ascendance swapped over and over as the game progressed, and despite Wanderers captain Kieran Miller doing his utmost to rally the troops unfortunately some bad discipline gave the Snorkel the edge providing them with enough set piece opportunities to make the difference. Luke Howells put in another huge performance for the Snorks and earned himself a MOM award for his efforts. A last minute push from the Snorks saw them take a late 4-3 lead much to the disappointment of Wanderers coach Jamie Wootton who could only watch on from the side-lines as the game petered out for his team despite rallying calls from the bench. Can the Snorks push on from here? And will the Wanderers ever get into their groove and play as a team instead a group of individuals? Only time will tell but this has to happen soon if they are to fulfil their statement of “not taking part but taking over”.
Last up saw last year’s championship contenders the Honey Badgers take on the youngbloods the Young Arabs. The Badgers again looked under strength compared to the last few seasons, and has been pretty evident on the pitch the last few Thursdays nights, but could this be their opportunity to scrape themselves off the bottom of the table or would they stay lodged at the bottom?
It was always going to be a tough night for the Badgers, and with the Arabs looking at full strength with Keane Watts, Kai Steadman, Steffan Roberts and Matthew Rogers to choose from, the leading line was going to be threatening regardless, even with Steffan still sporting that dodgy beard of his. Luckily his attempt at copying Ronaldo’s facial hair didn’t stop the Arabs creating some beautiful build up play, and it wasn’t long before they were cutting through the Badgers for fun. Unlike the previous week though, the Badgers looked in fine fettle themselves going forward, and with their stingy defence looking back to its best it was going to be a tough night for goals. Lloyd Williams looked as quick as ever in attack, and it was all hands on deck for the Arabs when he was on the ball. This wasn’t enough though as Lloyd got the Badgers off the mark. Keane Watts was being hacked at as usual as defenders struggled to cope with this bobbing and weaving through the crowds, but got his reward as he bagged a nice goal from deep. A second from Cory Nicholas saw off the Badgers who unfortunately couldn’t get off the bottom again and find themselves struggling for consistency and momentum.
Respect
In the first two weeks of this year’s competition, there has been an increased amount of animosity towards the referee and other players, even spreading to social media.
Refereeing any game of football is a tough job, and with the added pressure of the speed on astro turf, different rules to 11v11 and the greater need to protect players on a hard surface, we ask everyone involved to please show a little more respect towards the referee and opponents.
We love the friendly banter between teams and hope this can continue along with the competitiveness of the football on display, but please be mindful of others and the fact that none of the match officials or organisers are rooting for or against any particular team. Mistakes will happen, and they will happen to all teams, nobody is being singled out.
There was also allegedly a spitting incident last week and that will not be tolerated. Any further incidents will result in offending players being banned.
Let us all enjoy the rest of the tournament please. Cheers!
The Lizard versus the Woolf
Week 2 of MFL followed on from week 1’s flying start, with loads of drama, controversy and goals goals goals!!
Game 1 saw the Snorkel take on the Young Arabs in what was a very competitive game. Would Snorkel get off and running after last week’s disappointment, or would the Arabs carry on as they started and make it 2 in 2. The Answer is neither, with the game ending in a tight 2-2 draw.
The Snorks appear to be starting to gel as a side, with the new signings clearly making an impact, and with more footballers in the side, it’s clear they’ve become more of a passing side. In previous seasons, if the football wasn’t working, plan b was hoofball to Nathan Smith, who only needed a touch to put the ball in the net, which worked particularly well. So far Smith hasn’t made an appearance, and when going up against the young blood Arabs they appeared to cancel each other out. Lewis Kingdon managed to stand out yet again netting a brace, and not enough is said about the tireless work of Luke Howells who runs himself into the ground in every game. The Arabs were effective as always with forward Steff Roberts breaking up play in midfield, and with Kai Steadman and Shaun Mizen providing the speed and passing going forward, the football is sometimes incredible to watch. The Snorks will be disappointed to only get 1 point from the game as they fall down the pack a bit further but with plenty of time to make an impact we’re sure they’ll be back stronger next week.
Second up were Jam Jars Wootton Wanderers taking on the consistent FC Winterfell. This highly anticipated match was destined to be the game to watch so far this year, and with banter and beyond flying around in the weeks build-up, the game would need to be a cracker to match the hype. It didn’t disappoint. FC Winterfell took the game to the Wanderers, and the match-ups between striker and defender at both ends was something to be seen. The Wanderers fielded a less aggressive defensive line than the previous week with Barry Arms MIA, but made up for it with veteran and proven goal scorer Dale Price at the opposite end of the field. Meanwhile down at the other end Tom Atyeo made it difficult for Price and Miller to get through to Christian the “Lizard” Davies, and Jake Trahar looked outstanding going the other way netting himself 2 of Winterfell’s 6 goals and earning himself a MOM in the process. FC Winterfell eventually beat the Wanderers 6-3, but the score didn’t really reflect how close the game was. The only thing that was clear was that on this occasion the Lizard beat the Woolf! A special mention has to go to Josh Howells for his wonder-goal from CB, never before has the MFL seen such a graceful yet powerful goal hit top bins from 20+ Yards! Outstanding Sir!!
Last but not least saw Honey Badgers turn up in their new bright orange strip only to be left red faced at full time as the Pique Blinders ran up a 7-2 victory. With Peeley reunited with his former team mate Gavin Mizen Chris Lewis (that’s for you Black 😉 the Blinders looked threatening on the ball. With Lewi holding up the ball and Peeley running off it was only a matter of time before the Blinders got off the mark. Peeley marked his second game of the Blinders with a hat-trick, while Gump got a brace, and Lewi “involved in everything” managed to roll back the years and slot one home. With Ashton White up front, for the Badgers, defending was always going to be a tough task for the Blinders, but with Chris Jenkins making his Blinders debut alongside Tom Lewis, the back was solid for the majority of the game. The score slightly flatters the Blinders with many of the goals coming late in the second half as the Badgers looked to press forward to get back into the game. The Badgers looked to be missing Rhys Fisher’s influence both defensively and offensively, and rarely threatened the Blinders goal aside from the odd chance created by White.
A Stark Reminder
The first week of the MFL 2018 kicked off on an unusually damp May evening at the new later time of 7pm to much excitement.
Our first game saw last year’s winners Jimmy Sevilla kick off their campaign under their new guise of FC Winterfell against a much strengthened FC Snorkel. With new additions to the Snorks in the form of Nathan “Scholes” Whelan and last year’s top scorer Lewis Kingdon, most expected FC Winterfell to fall faster than the starks at the red wedding, but GK Christian Davies had other ideas and made save after save frustrating the Snorks who now boast the signing of Ken the Cat in their goal allowing their captain Nathan Carter to play more of an outfield role. Even with all these changes the Snorks fell to FC Winterfell 4-3 on the night.
Second up saw a newly formed team Pique Blinders made up of former Vaders and Crowninthians take on the Young Arabs. The Vaders faced the same opposition in their first game last year, and this year despite new additions to the Blinders, the youngsters again proved too much with the Blinders coming out on the wrong end of a 4-2 game. The Blinders will need to vastly improve against the Badgers next week if they are to get going this season.
Game 3, and now our last game after dropping to 6 teams, saw Honey Badgers face off against the new self-proclaimed MFL galacticos Wootton Wanderers. It would usually take something fairly special to break down the Badgers, known for their aggression and strong defence, but CB’s Alex Blacker and Steve Williams couldn’t do much to help stop the new boys put 4 past the normally prolific GK Rhodri “Twm” Thomas. Wales forward new-boy Danny Woolfenden slotted his first MFL goal along with former Crowninthian and Vader Kieran Miller, Connor Price and Barry “arms” Morris making a great run from CB to make it a 4-2 finish. Jam-Jar has crammed so much talent into this team it is going to take some managing to keep all involved happy, and the manager has stated himself that there is more to come from his newbies. Next week sees them take on former champions FC Winterfell, so only time will tell if the Wanderers are the real deal, or whether FC Winterfell will leave them needing Bran new legs afterwards ☺
