Won 2-1
Scorers: Alex Ricketts (Shurely not-ed!), John Aikin
MoM: Mark Lister
DoD: not awarded owing to a lack of decisiveness…….
Owing to a technical issue the deadline was missed so there is a double does this week so that will please a few farmers – not!
On an afternoon of glorious winter sunshine the Friars found themselves at Borden Grammar School facing Sittingbourne HC.
The defence was manned by Trigger, Biggles, Ratty, Alex and Mike (with Big Geoff attending to farm business this week). The midfield was marshalled by Mark at centre-half with Louis on his right and Brian on his left. Upfront it was Tony, Arthur and John.
Lined up against them were the young guns of Sittingbourne HC, most of whom looked like recent high school graduates…(It’s more than 50 years since a number of the most experienced Friars left school and 66 for the oldest when boys left school at 14 to go down the pit or work in the docks as Jonesy did coming from downtowen Tilbury!)
And so the match started. It looked like the Friars were gonna be doomed after conceding a goal in the first ten minutes, but the Friars dug deep and defended robustly. At one point the Friars enjoyed a rare attack and Team Aikin forced a double save from the Sittingbourne keeper, but the opposition certainly had the best of the first half keeping the Friars under constant pressure. The ship steadied, the Friars went into half time still just 1-0 down.
Maybe it was the Jaffas or the rousing team talks from Mark and Trigger, but the second half was an altogether more dynamic session for the Friars.
Louis, Brian and Mark battled tirelessly in the midfield and the second half was played largely in the opponents’ half with the forwards pressurising the Sittingbourne defence with repeated raids. Possession, ball speed and great passing were on display and eventually the equaliser from Alex Who? came at the end of a well worked move. The Friars refused to let their younger, now somewhat dispirited opponents back into the game. “Upgrades” saw a number of short corners and a goal line defender foot lead to a well executed penalty flick in the closing minutes of the game.