Recreativo had been waiting for seven weeks to play again.
Yet that felt like nothing compared to this never-ending,
nerve-shredding, backs-to-the-wall second-half that somehow ended in a draw.
And then to cap it all off, an inexplicable penalty
shootout... that Reccy WON.
We took the lead early on when Joe H overhit a through-ball
which somehow bounced over their keeper and into the back of the net.
It had shades of Begovic 2013 or, more famously, Pisano
2010.
OK, it may have been a little lucky. But sod that - I'm
still impressed when I see anyone reach the box from the half-way line!
A Chippy equaliser squared things up but then Andrew R
proved he wasn't lying about his Italian heritage with a real golazo from the
edge of the box.
The half-time change of ends did us no favours - and not
because of the usual foes of wind, rain or slopes.
No, it was the glorious early-winter SUN that did for us.
Looking across the pitch and up to the Chippy goal, every
player was a vague Sunday League-shaped silhouette - making it virtually
impossible to work out who was on which team.
Luckily for us, Eddy, Joe D and Jamie G simply tackled
anything that moved instead in a heroic, ball-busting set of shifts.
Chippy were held at bay until the hour mark, when a thumped
header levelled matters.
But some brilliant defending at the end - finishing in a Sam
Allardyce-style 6-3-1 formation - stopped Chippy pinching another.
In fact, with Jordan and Tom W running themselves into the
ground up front, we even had a few half-chances to snatch an improbable win
ourselves.
But just as we were back-slapping and high-fiving at the
final whistle rumours started spreading that, this being a cup group match, we
needed a penalty shootout. A penalty shootout!
Excitingly, though, it WASN'T to decide a winner - just to
separate the teams if we go on to finish level in Group B. Football's most
sickeningly tense tie-breaker reduced to a function of satisfying admin.
Successful spot-kicks from Joe H, Andrew R, Faz and, just
about, Jimmy L, left it 4-4 going into the final round.
Chippy's fifth brave soul then blazed over, Roberto Baggio
style - leaving Jordan to tuck his away his penalty and secure an unlikely
shootout win.
No more rest for now, with our next match seven days -
rather than seven weeks - away.
But happily the enforced break did help us achieve one thing
- Recreativo are still unbeaten since September 22!
Team: Radu, Eddy, Jimmy L, Rich, Joe D, Jordan, Joe H, Jamie
G, Faz, Tom W, Andrew W. Subs: Mario, Dan D.