Sunday 11th September 2005
Barnesalona League
Lokomotiv Londres FC 1 v SW6 7
Loko stumbled into the new season with an old school whipping at the hands of last season’s undefeated champions SW6. Due to the team’s entry into the London FA Sunday Junior Cup, this fixture was brought forward to Sunday, however chairman Bryan Furlong was only informed of this on the Wednesday prior to the match; it was thus a rather hastily cobbled together line-up that took to the field.
New manager Julian Milne faced some tough decisions ahead of a difficult debut match in charge. The defensive core of last year’s squad was in place but there was a dearth of attacking options with key players Roger, Dave, Abdel and Andreas all unavailable. With our sole remaining forward Olivier failing to show Jules was obliged to push new signing Samer up from his preferred attacking midfield berth into the lone striker role, with Alain and Christophe as wingers and Dale, Ali and Adrian in the centre in an untried 4-5-1 formation. Completing the starting line-up were keeper Andy, Captain Paul and Rohan in their usual positions with Ismail and Nick M making up the back four.
The score line and the desperate scrabbling for players weren’t the only things that harked back to the pre-Barnesalona days. SW6 were about three-quarters of an hour late and the match was played on the old sloping pitches at the end of Barn Elms, and there wasn’t even a referee let alone a linesmen. Bryan generously volunteered to take charge of the game.
Despite playing downhill in the first half Loko were immediately under the cosh as SW6 tore through them, determined to set out their stall for the season with a resounding opening victory. However Jules’s pre-match talk about pressing and harrying in the manner of Northern Ireland was fresh in the Loko players’ minds, as was the 2-2 result last time these sides met, and the initial attacks were duly repulsed. Loko began to settle into some rhythm with Samer able to exploit the lack of pace in the SW6 defence, and the first chance fell to Adrian when the ball came to his feet at the edge of the area; unfortunately he snatched at his shot, believing himself under pressure, when a call of ‘time’ was all that was needed. A few minutes later luck was on Loko’s side when SW6 then fluffed their first real chance; their winger blazing a penalty high and wide after Ismail was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.
The home side were soon brought down with a bump. Undismayed by the penalty miss SW6 kept the pressure on and were rewarded with two sloppy goals in rapid succession, both from corners. The first was the result of slow Loko reactions in a goalmouth scramble and a failure to clear the second ball; the second had more of that familiar comic element as the smallest player on the SW6 team managed to jump higher than the entire Loko defence to nod home a ball headed back across the six-yard box, that Dale was unable to block and get clear, throwing himself across the goal line.
The heads then went down and would have stayed there had it not been for constant encouragement from Jules and Dale. SW6 had both their flair players, including the infamous ‘T-Bone’, or ‘Team-talk’ as his fellow players refer to him (whose transfer to Al-Qatar had mysteriously failed to go through), deployed on the left which kept Christophe tied down with defensive duties. Loko therefore looked to Samer and Alain for an outlet, with the Tournoi hero flashing a shot across the goalmouth and just wide after a trademark run down the left. It was also at this point that Samer ran clear off the SW6 defence only to be intentionally pulled back by their centre back who with an independent referee would have certainly been sent off.
Dale then decided to take matters into his own hands as, running from deep in midfield, he switched on the afterburners, skinned two defenders for pace and dribbled a third before being dragged back in the box by the SW6 keeper, who was very lucky to stay on the pitch. Samer took the penalty which was missed but tapped home the rebound after the keeper fell rather heavily to block his initial shot, bringing Loko back into it at 2-1.
For 35 minutes of the match Loko were still in the game but the pendulum soon swung back the other way however, and stayed there. Loko continued to press for an equaliser with no success and SW6 hit them with a rapid counter attack; the defence were outnumbered and dragged out of position when a precise final pass allowed their winger to slot home coolly to finish a slick move. A flagging Loko came close again when Adrian’s goal bound free kick was blown wildly off course by a gust of wind, but it was SW6 who had the final say in the first half; a long ball split Paul and Ismail and their striker ran onto it and lifted it over Andy and into the far corner on the stroke of half time.
Half-Time Loko 1 v SW6 4
At the interval, facing the prospect of playing uphill for the second 45 minutes, Loko were weakened further with the departure of Ismail and Alain due to injury. Ivan came in at left back with Nick pushing up to left wing, and new boy Pete came in as a straight swap at centre half. Despite this Loko retook the field with fresh resolve and a more aggressive attitude.
SW6 were surprised at Loko’s vigour and for about ten minutes were held in check. After this time the fifth, sixth and seventh goals were scored. The last was the pick of the bunch, a swerving shot on the turn from 30 yards, but the one prior to that will live longer in the Loko annals as a marvellous piece of slapstick comedy. Lets just say that their small striker waited his whole life for a headed goal and then two came along in the space of one match.
Andy was injured in the mayhem of the sixth goal and went off after the seventh, leaving an also-limping Dale in the net, Bryan on in midfield and Jules as ref for the remaining 15 minutes, which were played out with no further score – SW6 becoming lazy and Loko failing to create any clear-cut chances.
At the final whistle most of the Loko players were not too downhearted, knowing that playing with a ramshackle unfit squad against the best side can yield far worse score lines in Sunday League football, and that we look much better than at the same stage last season, with several players still to come back.
Final-Score Loko 1 v SW6 7
Manager Julian Milne's comments:
"This was a game which highlighted many of the weaknesses that have lingered from our pre-league dark ages. The team was too quiet, too passive and unable to provide the physical presence that could have troubled SW6.
We were exposed by a very strong side but as long as individuals are prepared to take on board constructive criticism and push themselves a little further there is no reason why we can't improve dramatically throughout the season and surprise SW6 when we rematch.
The only way is up."
Team Line Up
1. Andy
2. Rohan
3. Nick M
4. Ismail
5. Paul (C)
6. Dale
7. Christophe
8. Alistair
9. Samer
10. Adrian
11. Alain
12. Pete (Replaced Ismail 45 Minutes)
13. Ivan (Replaced Alain 45 Minutes)
14. Bryan (Replaced Andy 75 Minutes)
Goals:
Samer (1)
35th Minute - Scored rebound after his penalty had been saved.
Match Report provided by Rohan Tesh.
