B GRADE MATCH REPORT

Lane Cove West (O35) 1 - 0 Northbridge (O35)

Match Report

Now there’s a result! Puts you in mind of all those European Cup finals in the 70s & 80s, doesn’t it? Six in a row were won 
by English teams 1-0: tense nervy affairs; too much at stake for the football to flow. Now our game on Monday wasn’t quite 
that. On the other hand Real Madrid 7, Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (Glasgow, 1960) it wasn’t quite either. Somewhere in between, 
we have to say. 

The game began spitefully. A Northbridge forward trailed his leg when challenging Dave W for a ball. Dave reacted with typical 
spirit (tell ‘em what you really think, Dave!), and the next forward who came his way wished he hadn’t. Tim C meanwhile, who 
turned out to be the man-of-the-match, was having a running battle with an opponent somewhat bigger than him (as, indeed, they 
all seemed to be) and generally it was on for young & old all over the field. Referee Guy wisely conveyed very stern words to both 
teams at half-time, and a better mood prevailed thereafter.

The play was fairly even, and neither side seemed to settle. However, the deadlock was broken just before half-time when a smart 
shot from Dave B propelled him to equal top scorer (on 1), following a good build-up. [This is journalistic code for, “I can’t 
remember what happened before Dave scored”!]

Hanging on to a narrow lead wasn’t what we planned at half-time, and, in truth, we should have won comfortably: as the game wore on, 
Neil & Dave B found more holes in Northbridge’s defence, but the shots just wouldn’t go in. And there were scares at the other end: 
a well-placed Northbridge shot shaved the outside of the post and went behind. The truth can now be told that this was the result of 
a great finger-tip save, about which Dave W kept wisely quiet, since the Northbridge linesman gave a goal-kick.

And although we weren’t at our best, the balance of play was more our way. As linesman I gave us a free-kick (for a push in the back 
obvious from the side), then came on as sub for the hobbling Dave B almost to get on the end of it at the far post. (You don’t see 
this in European Cup finals). In fact, I might have got on the end of it, had Peter not been about to do so, as was clear, it seemed, 
to everyone except Peter: goal kick.

So, the minutes ticked away agonisingly slowly. I followed Dave B in hobbling off, my return having lasted about 20 minutes in all, 
and Steve came back on to fill about his 7th position of the day. It seemed that the game would end with us finishing strongly, but a 
minute from time Northbridge broke away with a clear shooting chance, and only a great save from Dave W, low to his right, denied them 
a point they didn’t deserve. The corner that followed was tense, too, but soon the final whistle confirmed our perfect record at Blackman 
on Sundays & Mondays this millennium, & led to celebrations all round at the factory end. (Probably not quite as prolonged as one 
Liverpool supporter, who apparently returned home late after they’d won the European Cup in Rome, and explained to his wife how the 
friendly police had rounded them all up after a couple of boozy days & poured them onto a plane home. She replied, “But you went in the 
car!”).

Martin P & Dave L, who missed this game, are the only players with 100% lose record this season. Modesty forbids me to point out 
that I’m the only one with 100% win record (which is not about to be spoilt, as I’m out for another 4 weeks), not that I actually 
did much. 

And so, on to Foxglove & Berowra on Saturday. A win could take us into the top 4. Two goals might make us equal 3rd top scorers. 
If West Pymble concede two more than us, we won’t have the worst defensive record any more. With only 8 of last week’s 14 available, 
the team will have a different look, but another win is the order of the day.

MARK BRYANT