The sunshine gives in and rainclouds open just as I start
cycling to the Marshes for the first game back after what has been actual
summer.
I don't want that to be a omen, I think, but it sure feels
like one. Summer's gone, Sunday defeat is back.
But it's just a shower, and it's a great day for football.
Recreativo are down a division and it feels good to be back, it feels like a
weight is lifted. There's even new kit.
And there's a lot of us. A squad of fifteen feels luxurious.
Not that we get much of a chance to say hello to the new faces, barely enough
time for warm-up giving a more familiar sense of what it is to turn out for
Reccy.
The first half gets underway with us playing into the wind.
So nature, and some true early season touches, keep us on the backfoot for a
large part of the first 45 minutes.
Walthamstow, our opponents, are young, big and got to the
pitch about an hour before kick-off for drills. It shows, but Radu pulls off a
couple of great saves and their strikers misfire. A couple of blocks, and a
good shout for a penalty by Joe H later, and the whistle for half-time goes
with new centre-back Jamie struggling to find the ball in the long grass behind
our goal, from where we've done a lot of fetching.
Sunday wouldn't be Sunday without the messiah and we have
our own this week. Joao has snuck in during the first half, just to watch he
said, but can't resist the invite to play a half at centre-back.
A couple more subs and we start the second half in positive
mood. It seems a lifetime since we started a second half at 0-0.
With the wind we start to enjoy some time in Walthamstow's
half, new striker Payman (?) looks spritely and passes are being picked. Half
an hour to go and Reccy look most likely to register an opening day win.
Obviously, we concede at this point.
Twenty-five minutes go by, Joe H makes himself some space
and fires over in this time, Jimmy Lloyd dusts off his boots to line up along
side Joao in a defensive pairing circa 2010/11. We play some good football but
nothing quite comes off up top. It seems like Walthamstow are going to take the
three points on their short journey home.
But then, they hadn't read the script. A Second Coming isn't
a Second Coming without a goal. Joao Spinola pops up with a nifty header from
all of two yards to rescue a point.
In the remaining minutes we almost lose but for a heroic
block by impressive new boy Mark, Tom W knocks a man three times his size off
the ball, and Payman almost wins it for us but for a good save from their
keeper.
Final whistle goes, 1-1, a nice, conventional scoreline to
start the season. Given the amount of new faces it feels like a good result.
And the atmosphere is good too, grown up, we have something to build on.
After a quick pint with the gaffer, Mario and Jamie in
Homerton I text the absent Joe D the result, and ask him to guess who scored.
"Mega" he responds, "Radu?"
"Joao", I text back.
"PRAISE BE!"
Team: Radu, Mario (Adam's mate), Dave P (Mark), Gregg
(Joao), Jamie (Jimmy L), Jose, Tom P, Nathan, Tom W, Joe H, Jordan (Payman)