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.