First a Trickle, Then, A Deluge
London Samurai Rovers (Sunday) 1 GPR 8
We’ve never scored eight goals in a game before, let alone in one half. But on a beautiful surface, defiant in the face of heavy rain that had been going all night, that’s exactly what the Salads managed. I was so impressed with the response to a tricky situation, and to see so many players new and old grow into the club and show the team spirit we have been fighting for.
Nothing screams football heritage like something going drastically wrong and everyone getting on with it anyway. Had the groundsmen at one of the so-called “big clubs” walked on to the pitch this weekend to realise they forgot to mark the penalty areas, would they have postponed their games? Yes. Pathetic.
A few speculative measures and cones later, we were ready to kick off, and Rory wasted no time in getting involved. The opposing centre backs failed to get the ball from under their feet and gifted the ball to the main man up top, who saw his effort parried by the keeper, the rebound going narrowly wide.
Once they got going, however, it was Samurai that presented the greater threat. Struggling to adapt to the quick zip of the pitch, we found our passes missing their mark, half a yard at a time. Our opponents took control of the ball and found pockets of space to move it forward.
It took them until the 20 minute mark to punish us. A loose cross was taken down by the onrushing attacker and he carried the ball close to the six-yard box (I assume, there was no way of knowing). In an effort to block the shot, Dan took a big swipe with his outstretched leg, brought the man down, and left the ref with no option but to point to the spot.
Inevitably, this proved harder than usual, owing to the lack of said spot. Keeper-manager Jack used the confusion to his advantage, and it must have worked. When the striker eventually went to place it in the corner Jack, who stayed perfectly on the line until the kick was taken, threw out a big paw to stop it.
These moments can define games and turn the momentum of play firmly in your favour. Showing leadership in every sense, this was the shock to the system the boys needed to get into gear and drag us back into the game.
Then a throw in to the box wasn’t cleared and Samurai scored just 90 seconds later. Needless to say, Jack was furious. We knew we had the quality to do much better, but things weren’t clicking. Samurai were looking dangerous and our frustration was threatening to spill over. Joel almost spared us our blushes, minutes before the break, as he was played in by Aman, only to have his looping chip cleared off the line in acrobatic style. Shortly after, a floated free kick from Steeve was met by Dan, whose glancing header sailed just wide of the mark.
With the half-time team talk direct and to the point, we were impetuous to make amends. We had tested the opposition keeper, but it wasn’t good enough and we knew it. Thankfully, in times like these, it’s helpful to have a man like Rory on your side. After what couldn’t have been more than a few minutes into the second half, Aman charged down the right wing, where he linked up nicely with Joel. In a move that was definitely onside, Rory flicked it back to Aman, who sprinted to the byline before crossing it back for a one touch finish. 1-1. The game was back on.
First a trickle, then, a deluge. The parity was short-lived, as the Salads won the ball back and played it straight over the top in an attempt to nick another goal. The onrushing keeper missed the ball, and Joel got to it first, navigated his way through several defenders, and knocked it past the rest. 2-1. It was a superb response after the break, but there was no time to rest. Aman and Joel went close, both finding the time to shoot with power on the edge of the penalty area, but without success.
We were looking the much better side in the first ten minutes of the second half, but were conscious that it could change at any moment. Thankfully, in times like these, it’s helpful to have a man like Rory on your side. It started with Robin, however, who won the ball from a clearance, beat a couple men and knocked the ball optimistically far along the wing to run onto. He charged down the defender’s shanked backheel, and put the ball on a platter for Rory to double his tally and our lead.
From here, it was one-way traffic, and the goals began tumbling. Josh’s assist may have been the pick of the bunch, splitting the defence and meeting Rory’s stride perfectly, who wasted no time in converting his first hat-trick of the season to make it 4-1 to the boys. Sina, seemingly unhappy with being told he was getting subbed through injury, decided to get involved and take matters into his own hands.
After some brilliant interplay from our defence and midfield, who were rock solid after half-time, he trapped a cross-field pass and, in front of the GPR faithful, skinned his man, danced his way past the back line and whipped the ball into Rory for his fourth.
I subbed him off anyway, but what a player. No self-preservation, just vibes. Speaking of vibes, on came Gav. It didn’t take him long to make his mark. Dan’s foray down the touchline created the space to thread the ball into Gav, whose first touch was a collected finish past the goalkeeper, highlighting his improvement and confidence.
Fed up of player admin, chairman Marcus joined the action in the final quarter of the game. I think he is yet to blank in a league fixture, which is incredible if true. In any case, he wasn’t about to end the run. He and Robin linked up almost immediately, and he rounded the keeper with ease. In defiance of one disgruntled spectator yelling “he’s gonna miss”, Marcus did not miss. 7-1. Five minutes later, it was 8-1. Marcus again. To be honest, he could have scored more, but at this point everyone just sort of went for it. Centre back Dan’s effort was the highlight, finding himself in acres in the box and missing the mark, much to the amusement of the travelling support and anger of Marcus, who was ready to receive the tap-in.
It was a game where every player had their moment to remember, with the possible exception of Doug. The poor lad managed five minutes before twisting his ankle running for the bogs. It may not be quite as sexy as the attack, but Alan, Adam, Henry, Tim and Steeve all put in strong defensive performances to complete the Salads’ best ever display over 45 minutes. Time now to push on and establish where we want to be in the league. It’s getting exciting.
MOTM 💫 = Rory has to get it for his four goals, but on a different day it could have gone to half the team. I have to give a special shoutout to Jack for his penalty save.
DOTD 👀 = Dan. His assist to Gavin was brilliant (as was the celebration), but the penalty was always going to get him DOTD.
