Cybury Gooners vs Internet Lard Sun 4th Aug 1996
at Gosling Sports Park, Welwyn Garden City
Teams
Gooners: Powell, Dickson, Northcott, Fullman, King, Dick, Kerry,
Nick the Leeds fan, Watkins, Brownjohn, Skeels
Leeds: ?
Result : Cybury Gooners (0) 2 Internet Lard (2) 2
Scorers: Kerry 75, og 85 ? 15, ? 35
Attendance: A few Leeds fans and a rogue gooner.
Referee : Another Leeds fan (but nonetheless impartial)
As it is now some weeks after the event, the following account is likely to be even more vague and inaccurate than usual. However, because of this, the bonus is that it will probably be shorter.
My hazy memory tells me that it was a warm summer's day which did not bode well for the Gooners because, as has become usual of late, Cybury had problems mustering a full squad with only 10 players turning up. Fortunately the oppostion had plenty of subs and sportingly offered one of them to play for us, so the match eventually started with 11 on each side.
A classic cliched game of two halves ensued. An apprehensive glance at the Leeds team appeared to suggest that they had both Batty and Brolin playing for them. And indeed, early on Cybury were in danger of being overrun as Lard started off at 100mph. Cybury's big Dick got clattered twice in the first five minutes, and the Gooners were generally second to every ball.
However, the early storm was somehow weathered and when Lard did take the lead about a quarter of an hour into the match, it was down to a defensive blunder. 3rd choice goalie Powell completely muffed an attempted clearance from a back pass, and the ball went straight to a Leeds player about 35 yards out. The boy done well, and lobbed it calmly straight back into the net over the frantically backpedalling keeper.
With Leeds starting to feel the effects of their energetic start, the Gooners did gradually begin to get back into the game, but only rarely threatened to score. At the other end, the Cybury goal was beginning to lead a charmed life despite Powell's best attempts to make sure he never wears the no 1 shirt again. A rush of blood saw him pick up a back pass, but with only one defender to help him out he redeemed himself partially by foiled Lard's attempt to take a quick free kick. Four against two in the area did not seem good odds but the men in white somehow cocked it up.
A few minutes before half time it seemed that the deficit would be kept to a flattering one goal. However, another inept Cybury attack broke down and Lard broke swiftly down the right, a cross came in, and the ball was swept past the helpless keeper by an unmarked forward from about 6 yards.
The second half was a somewhat different story. What might have appeared to the untutored eye to have been a lethargic 1st half performance from the Gooners, in fact was revealed in the 2nd to be a carefully paced effort. Lard were knackered and Cybury were able to take much better advantage of the space they thus left. Chance after chance was carved out, and chance after chance was wasted.
Brownjohn blazed over the bar when the ball fell to him following a corner. Soon afterwards he was put clear by a lovely through ball from Dick, but a poor first touch took him a bit wide and his attempt to lift the ball over the outrushing keeper didn't have enough height. Dick also missed a good chance from another corner, flashing the ball wide of the far post when left with time and space.
Eventually Cybury did pull a goal back. Watkins broke down the left, and with the Lard back line struggling to get back, crossed into the middle where Kerry and Brownjohn were both unmarked. The former ignored the latter's bellowing call (Surely some mistake here -Ed) , fortunately and eventually managed to dribble his way round the keeper and poke the ball into the net.
Much encouraged the Gooners piled forward in wave after attacking wave, and just minutes before the final whistle the pressure finally paid off. A long ball down the middle (from someone?) was chased by Skeels, showing his renowned pace, and a couple of defenders. As the keeper rushed out one of the defenders stuck out a leg and neatly diverted the ball over his head and into the empty net.
Even then Cybury could have nicked it in the last minute. A break down the right won a corner which was quickly taken by someone (Dickson?). With the Leeds defence again caught short Zorro came charging in at the back post and caught the cross sweetly on the volley, only to see it scream inches over the bar.
So honours were shared, probably a fair reflection of the way the game went, though from my biased standpoint I think we had more clear chances, even if they were all in the 2nd half.
Report by Derek "Bellowing" Brownjohn