5th Team Vs Aldridge & Walsall 4

Hockey can be a fickle mistress. One day it slaps you in the face and drags you down into the mire and the filth, and the next it can raise your spirits like a gospel choir in Harlem. It's the highs and the lows, the joy and the tragedy that make it the greatest game in the world. All you can do is aim for glory and the rest is down to the gods rolling their dice.

Anyway. We beat Aldridge & Walsall 3-0.

After a Friday when 3 players had to pull out with colds/flu/covid/leprosy it looked like we might struggle for a full side. Thanks be to the mighty Richard Cartwright who pulled two extra players out of his back pocket. Taj Bains, who was keen to let us know he hadn't played in 20 years. We ignored him - you're in mate! And Dave Parnham who had played for us previously as part of the Aberystwyth posse a few years ago.

"How old are you Dave, and what position?"

"24, and defence"

"You are less than half then age of anyone else, play centre mid."

We took the lead early after a pulsating run from me into the D, the slap at goal took a deflection right onto the deadly stick of Chan at the back post. Aldridge responded well and pushed for an equaliser, but were barely able to create a chance thanks to a solid back four: Rog, Harj, Dave Carver, Adrian. And on the offchance you get through that wall yow aint gonna goo rowund Dillworth!

Second half and despite injuries to Charles and then Sanjiv we doubled our lead and it was a brace for Chan popping up on the back post again after great work from Peter.

Dave P made a series of marauding runs through midfield, getting into great positions to score but screwing it up every single time. Max lols.

Not as many lols as seeing Taj end up flat on his back multiple times. For someone who's been out of the game for so long he played well, and you could see it coming back to him as the game went on.

But now we come to the greatest moment of the game. I scored! Tears of joy stream down my fat cheeks as I type this.

Great win, clean sheet, over the moon. Many thanks to Taj and Dave for stepping up at late notice.

Man of the Match: Chan despite overt jug avoidance.