Can somebody tell me what time we are meeting tomorrow? I've lost Saul's telephone number.

Cheers

Jamie

Saulio.

Surprise, surprise it’s another away draw!

Rumour has it that the draw had to be delayed while the Wragg League secretary “warmed up” the number 3 (HSBC) ball so that when it went into the velvet bag the drawer’s were left in no doubt as to who were to be left until last.

However, the details of the draw are as follows:

Hallam Malin / Telecom Sports v Wickersley Old Village
Gawber Road v Telstar
Clowne Town v HSBC Vets
Silkstone United v Stocksbridge PS Vets

So it’s a trip into Derbyshire on Saturday 3rd February, unless Sky Sports intervenes, to meet our opponents from Division 1B.

Saulio was left to rue what might have been. A lucrative home draw may have given the club a vital cash injection and allowed us to buy some new black socks so that we could field four subs if sporting the lucky white kit in the future.

Scouts will be dispatched to watch the opposition in the coming weeks to report back to the camp ahead of the crunch fixture. A full and detailed player by player analysis will be prepared and left in the toilets, to be stolen, ahead of the Old Edwardians league game at the end of this month.

It’s a difficult one to read as Clowne are struggling in the league having just registered 2 victories to date from 11 games. However, they seem to have a resolute defensive unit as the goals against column isn’t too damaging.

However, Clowne have found their feet in the cup. A first round victory over Oughtibridge Cock Inn (3 minutes walk from my home) was followed by a 5-3 victory over high flying Oxspring United also from Division 2B.

In the 3rd round this weekend just gone, they proved to be giant killers turning over the previously unbeaten Bradway Over 35’s on their patch in a 4-2 scoreline.

It's a decent draw for both teams. Both will look at the tie as a winnable and intriguing fixture and the mouth watering prospect of a semi-final appearance for the winners.

As for the remainder of the ties well Gawber v Telstar will probably see the home side progress.

When a date is made for the postponed Hallam v Telecom Sports match it could be a close call. The two sides played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the season. However, Hallam will be fancied having home advantage and then they’ll be up against the current leaders of Division 1B. I still fancy Hallam to make it through to the semis.

The final tie sees Silkstone entertain Stocksbridge. Hard one to call as Silkstone look likely to have their league campaign extended into August with the backlog of fixtures they’re still to play. I’ll go for Stocksbridge, purely as the place as nothing else going for it.

So that will probably mean, with a bit of luck, two Premiership teams and two teams representing Division 2A in the last four.

We are the lowest placed league team still in the competition. However, no one should underestimate the spirit of the Buoys.

Elsewhere, in the Sid Butterworth Trophy HSBC 1st team look to have an excellent chance to bring home some silverware to the Stadio Della Doreo – we all wish them well in their game v The Acorn. However, perhaps if they do get knocked out they might lend their poor siblings their shiny new red kit….

BTW, it came off my chest (left tit to be precise) and not my arm for the Italian's 2nd.

The third round of the League Knockout cup once again took us on our travels this time to Catcliffe and the Norfolk Arms, currently lying in mid-table in Division 1A.

I think the pre-match omens were good from the moment that Pacey Pete, Butch and I worked out how to put the heating on in the changing rooms. The opposition’s psychology of freezing our nuts off before kick-off was thwarted.

Saulio made two changes from the team that won convincingly last time out at The Nags. Mark Harby’s absence opened the door for a return at left back to Alec. Saulio also sacrificed himself to allow Wadds to take up a central midfield position alongside Chris H.

The pitch was long and flat which, again, seemed to give positive vibes. The three subs were joined by groupies Kev and Steve standing on the very convenient bank to oversee the proceedings.

The Buoys started the much brighter of the two teams. Pacey Pete, even without his lucky shorts, was dragging the opposition’s defence all over the pitch leaving huge gaps for Darren to run into.

Therefore, it was somewhat against the run of play when the hosts took an unexpected lead. A long ball/clearance from the defence saw the No.10 latch onto the pass, hold off the attentions of Ian, round Butch and stroke the ball into the empty net.

Perhaps it served a wake up call or normal service was resumed as it wasn’t long before the Buoys were back on level terms. The Italian was put clear on goal and although the keeper closed him down quickly his chip/shot was rolling agonisingly wide when Banjo appeared like lightening at the back post to slide home the equaliser.

Soon afterwards we lost Ian at the back as he outfoxed himself trying to control the ball and subsequently pulled his hamstring. Therefore, this gave way to a first appearance for the Buoys for Jamie slotting in alongside Torrs.

It wasn’t long before the free-flowing football that the fans have come to expect resulted in a second goal for the whites. There were loud appeals for handball as a ricochet came off Banjo’s arm to land at the Italians feet. However, he placed a beautiful right footed shot from the edge of the box in off the right post – a cracker.

It wasn’t long before it was 3-1 as a great cross from the left by Wadds dipped over the covering defender and the Italian powered home his second of the game with a bullet header.

It all seemed to be going well, a bit too well and perhaps just for entertainment value Nick firstly placed the ball high into the trees when in a great position to kill the game. Soon afterwards the home team’s left back went on a Maradona-esque run, i.e. no one put in a challenge, played it out wide and a great curling cross was met by Kevin Francis to nod home to make it 3-2 at the break.

Wadds then laid it on the line in the half-time team talk. We employed the 51st variation of a midfield formation and strategy for the same game in attempt to stop the amount of space the opposition were getting and to get the defence out from their ever deepening position.

It certainly worked as in the second half Norfolk Arms were stifled as a creative force. However, our forwards did seem to be getting a bit more isolated and the game was even-stevens for the opening period.

There was a rare chance for Norfolk but Butch raced off his line to smother the danger. Butch was subject of an injury scare to his left arm when Banjo very scarily volunteered to go in goal should the need arise. The look of fear alone on mine and Saul’s face at this statement inspired Butch to persevere…

However, replete with spats, a Tommy gun, sharp pressed suit and trilby (not to mention Kev’s shin pads) the Italian finished off the opposition almost single-handedly. First he took a page out of Pacey Pete’s book to fire in another beauty from the edge of the box. A right foot curler over the keeper and into the top corner to chalk up his hat-trick.

A fourth, and a 5-2 scoreline, wasn’t long in coming as he was on hand to finish off a bit of a scramble in the goal mouth from an original chance that I think Pete had.

The introduction of Saulio and I didn’t disrupt proceedings as Pete added a sixth for a well deserved goal to cap another great performance from the number 9.

And so the match ended with another convincing scoreline and performance from the Buoys of 2A. Everyone did their job and the understanding of how we play as a team is evident.

The only consolation the home team could take was that they’d been beaten by the better team and that they had several yellow cards, mainly for endless dissent, to reflect upon for the rest of their league campaign.

The heady heights of the cup Quarter-Finals await and who knows we may EVEN get a home draw next time round (and Chris H may EVEN get that elusive first goal…)
The three games to date have shown that there should be no fear in whoever we are drawn against. Three teams from higher divisions have all been dispatched. Therefore, if the cup form carries on into the league then, should promotion be achieved, there’s no reason to fear the future.

The availability of a ‘squad’ to choose from is a bonus too. The recent additions of Nick and now Jamie have given us some much needed strength and having some real competition for places will serve us well in the coming months.

Well done to everyone and onto Penistone…

6th Away v Norfolk Arms
13th Away v Penistone Church Reserves
20th Away v Gawber Road
27th Home v Old Edwardians

As there is an imbalance in the number of fixtures we’ve played at home to date it’s inevitable that we’re going to be on the road quite a bit for the remainder of our league campaign.

First up however is the pleasant distraction of the cup. A trip to Norfolk Arms is in store on the 6th January in the 3rd round of the competition.
Our opponents are currently in mid-table of Division 1A and it’s always hard to forecast how the difference in leagues translates when 11 line up against 11.
However, there should be no fear in the task ahead, we’ve nothing to lose and to date we’ve put in two cracking performances at Stocksbridge Steels Vets, registering a comfortable 6-3 win and then the excellent 3-1 win at Outu Kumpu in December. Having run off a bit of rust in the 5-2 defeat to the 1st team in the friendly at Dore on 30th December it should help us be sharp and focused when the game starts in earnest. I believe it to be a 1pm kick-off, I may even make it on time…

The 13th January sees us travel north to Penistone.
The home match saw us get a point from a fairly competitive game that ended 1-1. I still can’t believe that the team that turned up at the Stadio Della Doreo that day were the same team that had taken some hammerings in the weeks prior to the fixture. Again it’s a hard one to call. We’ve heard reports that the pitch resembles a farmer’s field so our normal fluent, continental style of play, build up and execution may suffer and we may have to resort to going more direct. However, it’s definitely a game we should be looking to win to keep our noses ahead of the chasing pack for that coveted 2nd place come the end of the season.

The 20th January sees us travel to the seemingly unstoppable Gawber Road.
Whoever they were before they’re definitely in the wrong league. Unbeaten to date, scoring goals for fun they’ve more or less already assured themselves of promotion with just over half the season played.
The fixture at the Stadio Della Doreo was however not as straightforward as they may have had up to that point. A 2-0 scoreline to the opposition but I remember ‘Lucky Shorts’ Pete having a chance in the second-half at 1-0 to get an unlikely equaliser. However, at times it was also like the Alamo in defence with a bank of nine bravely fighting off the attacking hordes. It was a game I remember for never having run so much in my own half of the pitch. However, it was a gritty performance and if we post the kind of display we’ve proved we are capable of then we may just be able to stop the final league table from reading Played 22 Won 22 for the home side.

The 27th January sees us enjoy the comparative luxury of pitch 3 at Stadio Della Doreo.
We entertain Old Edwardians. We won 3-1 on a warm September afternoon down the Bawtry Road. OE's players certainly knew how to complain to the referee that day but the result was never in doubt as we were in control for the majority of the game. I don't see any recent evidence to suggest that it shouldn't result in 2 more points for the Buoys.

So, I don’t want to tempt fate but we should be looking to win at least two of these games as a minimum. However, the key as always is the availability of players and the luxury of having at least 2 substitutes to introduce to freshen things up or cover for injury. On our day we’ve shown we can beat anyone and with the team having a bit of rhythm and momentum then there’s no reason why we can’t push on in both the league and cup competition.

All the best and let’s make it a Happy New Year 2007.

The Nags, one of our main rivals for a 2nd place finish, were the opponents in our furthest away trip to date in deepest, darkest Wakefield. A long way to go to not get a result.

After another 2-2 draw this time with Sheffield Aurora, we found ourselves one point behind our opponents who had a game in hand. We were also looking to put the record straight after an opening day 3-1 defeat at the Stadio Della Doreo. The pitch was wet after overnight rainfall but it was flat and the day was remarkably mild for a mid-winter’s afternoon.

The game kicked off and it was the Nags who looked the livelier. Perhaps the lack of a real warm-up, and the absence of our own practice ball, was the reason for our somewhat flat-footed start to the game.

However, after about 15 minutes, there was nothing flat footed about an absolute beauty of a goal from ‘Lucky Shorts’ Pete. Receiving the ball wide out on the left, Zahid’s normal lightening pace wasn’t there to get him up to support. Therefore, Pete assessed his options, cut in on his right foot and unleashed an absolute rocket that went in off the far post leaving the keeper, and the rest of us, stunned.

With the advantage gained the belief seemed to come back into the team. Tackles were being won and headers being met with a ‘my ball’ attitude. It wasn’t long before Pete added to his tally with another well taken goal. He was then unlucky not to get a third with another rocket that hit the bar, the rebound went to Zahid who was able to clear the danger for the Nags rather than make it 3-0. Having seen so many games this season where we’ve been in control of a game and leading but not able to kill it off the old adage that ‘2-0 is a dangerous score line to lead by’ looked like it might once bite us. A last ditch tackle by Torrs, who for once wasn’t busying complaining, in the penalty area stopped a rare and real goal threat from the home side.

Therefore, a superb half ended with the lads up at 2-0. The team talk was simple, keep things tight for the first 15 minutes of the second half, weather the storm and consolidate the lead.

However, things were to go from good to excellent within just a few minutes of the restart. A corner on the left resulted in Torrs using the concrete between his ears for extra purchase, to plant a bullet header past the keeper to make it three. And not longer after another corner broke to the edge of the box catching Darren by surprise so he hit the ball with his standing leg, again giving the keeper no chance. There was no way back for the Nags now, they were a broken team, it was a question of how many. Fortunately we still had the chance to see Banjo plant another good opportunity towards the moon and Alec also threaten the greenhouses of the nearby houses with what you would loosely term ‘shots’.

Pete was to complete his awesome display of striking prowess with a coolly taken fifth goal marking a well deserved hat-trick. At this point Saul seemed content that my introduction would at least see us end with a draw so I got a 15 minute cameo as a substitute. I didn’t realise until I ran onto the pitch, that my feet had frozen running the line so that’s my excuse for booting my first pass off the pitch…

Nick was to complete the rout with a sixth as the keeper obviously shell shocked by now, misjudged his shot and saw it slip through his grasp and into the net.

So 6-0 it ended. A fantastic result putting us back in 2nd place once again.

I have to say that even as a reluctant substitute it was a pleasure to watch the team’s performance. Some of the passing was superb the extra width of the pitch seemed to suit our game. I remember the home match against the Nags when we were 11 players you could tell had never played together before. However, now there is a real understanding that has developed on the pitch. Everyone knows what to expect from their counterparts. I also have to earmark both Pete and Ian for especially excellent performances. Pete’s pace and power were too hot to handle for the home defence. Ian won everything in the air and put his body on the line numerous times. He was a Scottish colossus. The combative central midfield pairing of little and large was tenacious, Banjo and Nick contributed tirelessly. Despite things not quite running for Zahid he still worked his proverbials off. Darren, Mark and Torrs were also excellent in winning their personal battles and Butch stayed alert when called upon.

We’ve now got eight remaining league games. Seven of them are defintely winnable and if we can reproduce the form of the Outu Kumpu and Nags performances we can give Gawber Road a run for their money when we travel there next year.

A perfect way to sign off over the Christmas period. Perhaps if we can get the “friendly” with the firsts sorted we can have a run out and prepare for the trip to the Norfolk Arms in the cup in January carrying our form with us.

Well done to everyone – Merry Christmas!

SPUD is writing this weeks match report due to the fact that he spent most of the time watching the game and some doubt has been cast over the accuracy of some of my previous write ups!

Fan Bloody tastic performance from everyone at the weekend. Really gutted about missing the night out. Did you end up at Spearmint Rhino's and if not why not?????