READ IT IN THE SUN: IN THIS, OUR DARKEST HOUR . . .
Recreativo 3 - 1 Sandmere
They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn. Well
this dark hour went on for a full 80 minutes before the sun burst through and
Hackney Marshes exploded into golden autumnal light.
A very early headed goal from a set piece put an industrious
Sandmere in front. "Heads up. It's very early," we said to ourselves.
Recreativo probed, scurried and long-balled it, flicked and
feinted. "Still plenty of time to go. We can do this," we kept
saying.Yet, for all our attacking flair and a good number of
chances, no end product. Indeed we were fortunate to reach half time only one
down - with Joao again playing a great stand-in for our regular keeper.
But were we, the elite crack corps of North London really
going to lose 1-0 at home to a mid-table team? Was this our darkest hour?
Staring directly into a sun shining horizontally across the
Marshes for the second half we discovered the Reccy boys keep the ball better
when we can't see who we're passing to or where the ball is. Was this
Churchill's secret?
Redemption. Within a minute Haley struck again with one of
those beautifully flighted free kicks that invites a defender to stick it in
his own net. Which a defender did.
And to rub salt into a somewhat undeserved wound, with the
last kick of the day the tireless Liam skidded a 20 yarder that dam-busted the
opposition keeper.
Three games in a row where we've scored a late trio of
goals. Our luck has turned.
Team: Aaron Gayle, Adam Bradbury, Dave Perrett, Joe Haley
(1), Max Bland, Liam Greenaway (1), Daniel Fergus, Joe Dunthorne, Joao Spinola,
Mario Pisano, Ben Chambers, Chris Chambers, Tom Perrett