Orange Is The Colour Of Heroes

TPFC 0 v 6 Pembroke

A heroic performance by nine men which was reflected in the score line, yet the game was enjoyed by all. Pembroke House were a fairly average team, with many individuals. TP were without ten players and were also without inspirational captain John Helm, so Dave Hambridge was skipper for the day. Calvin was on the sidelines starting his two match ban.

The game started after a minutes silence to commemorate those who died in the wars to keep our country free! The game was kicked off by the Blues and they enjoyed some early pressure which was fended off by the TP defence. Their first menacing attack was a ball chipped over the top which soldier Ian Howard anticipated, knocking the ball out for a corner. Most of the first twenty five minutes was attack after attack by Pembroke, which were broken up by the defence. Steve made some top saves, most notably stopping a lashed shot with his feet. Then the first goal went in and TP collapsed in a crazy spell up to half time where three more goals were conceded.

Going in at half time four – nil down is never a good feeling especially when three of the goals had potential offside, shirt pulling, and obstruction. Some of the younger heads had dropped and the old man (IAN!!) and Nick encouraged us as best they could but I bet even they couldn’t have foreseen our stunning second half performance. Our whole team put such a performance that the spectators could have sworn we had eleven men. Ian played their number 14 out of the game making some superb tackles. He went down in the second half after the ball being blasted into his midriff and we were all thinking we could be down to eight. But as he got up the opposition striker summed it up. ‘He’s a warrior’. Mr Balogun started using his striker skills in defence bring the ball forward on a number of occasions. He was first to every ball on the edge of the box. Andy got nut-megged on the touch line and with two cueing up for the cross he thundered back to tackle and put the ball out of play. Andy also had a tricky winger who kept on saying to himself ‘I am Cristiano Ronaldo’ with some beautiful stepovers but Andy wasn’t fooled and he slid in and won the ball. Dave anticipated some crosses clearing them out for a corner and he also threw himself in front of two shot that looked destined for the net. He also bombed down the right and stood up well when faced by a skilful winger.

Nick was tireless in the midfield and tiresome for the opposition. Just when they thought they had a free shot on goal, Nick was there in a flash putting them under pressure. Some great tackles and then some nice passes released Dwayne on a few occasions who streaked up the wing. Some of his turns and dribbling skills deserved the chant ‘are you Jay-Jay Okocha in disguise?’ Ferris, who I was told afterwards was playing only his SECOND ninety minutes in FIFTEEN YEARS, was on his own up front and didn’t see much of the ball. But some of his attacking movement off the ball was top notch. Dragging defenders to the left, he left the right exposed for Dave and Dwayne. When Moses was first to the ball in midfield and did all his work simply. He got the ball turned and passed and often got in good space to receive a pass. He even got up and won headers in the midfield along with Nick.

This next section of the blog has to have a paragraph to himself. Steve Speroni! I’m not ashamed to admit that when I first saw Steve play I was worried! But he has proved me completely wrong by getting better and better each game. His reflexes were sharp, his distribution accurate, his communication of his area was second to none, and he didn’t drop a single catch. But most notably in this match we saw something we thought we’d never see. He had a Jens Lehmann moment or perhaps he got cold. He walked to the edge of the area dropped the ball at his feet and went for jog to warm up. He beat five players with some skills that were reminiscent of Ronaldinho. A fantastic goalie. Hey! last time I checked England had a Goalkeeper Catastrophe!

Statistics:Man of the match: Nick Speroni for his tireless running and commitment

The Heroes: Steve Speroni, David Hambridge, Ian Howard, Samuel Balogun, Andy Owen, Moses Balogun, Nick Speroni, Dwayne Mitchell, Ferris Lindsay

Crowd: Natalie, Sonia, and Andy’s Girlfriend Linda, Calvin, Sam Ranthe, Nick’s Dad, Mum & Sister Conditions: overcast, chilly, very windy

Photographer (or best sticker of the day!!): Some excellent shots from Linda

Writer: David Hambridge