Spud 1167830827|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
So the 2a Buoys fixture task list has been unveiled for the first month of 2007. It reads as such.
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.
