Marching on together!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7guAX9xMbxs

fuck off! . . .

*Capt. Mainwaring Cup . . .

. . . . 'soon'

* see www.frontline-online.blogspot.com>archives>june2005>work in progress>football and control.

What does football mean to me . . . ?

(aka - confessions of an ex wannabe reserve sub).

Football is a game so rooted in mass culture that it's hard not to have an opinion of it. For some the whole shooting match is a farce - 22 grown men paid, in the top-flight game, weekly wages that most of us won't see for years in the daily grind of our working lives. Skills often sublime, sometimes mediocre and the whole panoply of emotions played out over this 90 minute spectacle.

As a youth l spent alternate Saturdays spending my paper round money watching Leeds Utd (£1 a week - 15p bus from Ossett to Tommy Wass's, the walk down to Elland road bedecked in three scarves and home-made banner, 10p for a programme, 50p into the boys' stand at the corner of the Kop (and shimmy on up over the barrier into the Kop proper with the big misters) and 10p for a packet of crisps (after getting up at 6am to lick t' road clean wi' t' tongue . . . ). The times when l couldn't get to watch would be spent listening to commentary on the radio decked out in luck bringing paraphernalia. Given that this was well into the decline of the 'Super Leeds' side of Bremner, Giles, Clarke, Gray, Hunter, Lorimer, etc then luck was a precious and elusive thing. These old, established players now feeling it and opposing teams no longer fearing them.

Boyhood belief in sportsmanship, engendered by my father (amongst other things encouraging me to support Man Utd when playing against foreign opposition - "But l hate Man U!!"), was shelved when l saw Eddie Gray, my favourite player at the time, holding a West Brom player back by the band in his shorts - 'Not Eddie, surely?'. Then there was the booing by the Leeds faithful of Terry yorath. l never understood why - was it because he was welsh and had grey-white hair or had he let the team down in some earlier encounter? As far as these things go it was probably a mixture of both. Still, a returning Carl Harris, Welsh and playing for Charlton, l think, got an appreciative cheer from the home crowd . . . and bagged a couple of goals too . . .


*l'm not singing anymore!?!'*

. . . this article may be finished at a later date. Right now there are other things to do (see www.frontline-online.blogspot.com). . .

(. . . and Leeds are playing shite.
All you Sunderland twats can f*ck off!, yer bastards, yer!)

Watford 3 vs Leeds 0 - bugger!

Still, it's not all bad. There's the delights of facing Barnsley, Sunderland and Crystal Palace . . . .

Waterloo Vs Fleece 'A'

Other duties prevailed so this is a partial review. Arrived just before half-time and the first 11 3-0 up.
















It ended 2-3, the lads holding out to some fine second half play from Waterloo but they lost out in this battle and Fleece gaining 3 points out of the remaining 18 .

With Ash MacGhee and Andy Williams out of the line up plus Ben Inman back on first team duties Fleece 'B' had some shaking up to do with the line up. Tony Simpson, normally a defensive stalwart and after playing well down the right side in the midweek match against Jolly Miller, was chosen to play upfront - a tactical decision that worked well for the first half.
Though 2 minutes from the off Ossett Panthers narrowly fired over the bar with a well hit effort. Fleece were noticeably unsettled in the opening encounters and marginally better football was played by the opposition - better use of space and passing. Too much of Fleece's work was bunched up and lacking composure. The boys though rode their luck and plugged away, rewarded by Tony Simpson picking up on an Andy Sugden spilled shot for his and Fleece's opener on the 20 minute mark.
Some 2-3 minutes later this hard earned goal came unstuck as Craig Kellett was caught out on the edge of the area for Panthers to equalise. True, Kellett did fumble but the nearby defender ought to have called out and gave him a passing option out of danger.

Not to worry too much as within 2 minutes Fleece won a disputed corner and Tony Simpson nodded in the second from some 6-7 yards out. Perhaps if Panthers hadn't been badgering the ref leading up to the corner this wouldn't have happened. Still, Fleece weren't complaining.
Some 4 minutes later Paddy McGarry broke through and chipped the keeper. Fleece were on a roll.

On the half hour Graeme Hardwick knocked in a tidy corner kick for Tony Simpson to nod in an almost carbon copy header for his hat trick and Fleece 4-1 up; players and small crowd ecstatic; Panthers looking savaged. On a warm and sticky afternoon half time couldn't come quick enough - Fleece lads needing a drink and Ossett Panthers needing a break.

The second half saw a different Panthers - definitely more aware of the threat from Simpson and keeping more of an eye out for him. Plus him being an old codger and maybe feeling the pace (although it didn't stop him from trying).
Six minutes in to the second half Fleece struggled to clear in a goalmouth scramble and let in a second for 4-2. Ossett fielded a couple of subs and for some 20 minutes or so it was their turn to be run Fleece ragged. Andy Sugden and Mark Bowden in the midfield and Kellett and Dale in defence, in particular, dug in well and Fleece at least managed to keep the Panthers at bay. Fleece did have their breaks but too often fell in to the offside trap (always an element of luck with only the ref impartial) and a couple of goals disallowed.

The heat and pace of the game had taken its toll and even with young Ryan coming on for Matt Fox and Dave ???? for Hardwick Fleece just couldn't match their first half performance.
With 5 minutes to go Ossett pulled a further goal back from a corner and made for a close run in to the end of the game.
A hard earned 3 points.

************

Fleece 'A' lost 3-2 away to Sandal Athletic in a cup match. This after leading 2-1 at the break with goals from Ben Inman and Mark Morgan.
Apparently, Sandal played well and 'deserved' their win.
Fleece 'A' on 43 points and 2 games in hand can now maybe concentrate on maximising their points tally in the final 6 matches and hope Kexboro' (53 points) slip up in a couple of their remaining 4. Or at least haul in AFC Thornhill (46 points) in 2nd.