March is a little late starting...

[marathondan]

Inspired by BB's comprehensive reports, I should mention last week's 5-a-side, for posterity at least. Our 15-ish man squad found themselves with three games in one evening; I turned up for the last with us already two wins to the good. Chalfont Dynamite were the opponents, a team we'd started with in Div 6 last year and had now caught up with us in Div 4. While we've been expanding into two teams and going through at least one "transition season" (great term that), they seem to have been sharpening their game, and were pretty useful.

We went in a couple of goals down at half time, not normally a cause for concern in a 50 minute 5-a-side game. Things seemed to be turning when our most prolific striker scored from the kickoff, something he seems to be managing once a game (and only once, for obvious reasons). My only real contribution was a scuffed shot which deflected off our prone skipper and somehow beat the keeper, to level at 7-7. There were protests that playing the ball when down isn't allowed (correct), but since the reaction was "What? Did I score?" then I don't think any playing of the ball occurred, and the goal stood.

We edged ahead 8-7, but Chalfont got it together and started making space. Many of us were tired (including me, after only one game) and their hard-shooting strikers were able to exploit a yard here and there to fire in some unstoppable long-range shots. In the end we were given a bit of a run-around at the back, and it finished a disappointing 14-8. But most of the boys were happy with two wins out of three.