It was a very windy moring last Sunday. The trees were shaking, the wind swirling around and the rain coming down lightly, the skys were grey and the day didn't look to promising.
However, Global Heat of Jerricho Lane in aigburth had a league match to play. They had started the season in good form winning 8 and drawing 3 of there opening 11 matches.
Stuart woke up that morning to recieve a text on his phone from a team mate, Gary Fisher to say Stuart had to drive as Mr Fisher had stupidly been out on the ale the night before... what a day this turned out to be.
Before the kick off the team were in the changing rooms with the usual banter flying around while they got changed. Little did they know what was about to happen...
Global Heat FC vs Everton Stewards FC
Kick Off 11:30am, Jerricho Lane, Liverpool.
A forgone conclusion, Global top of the league and unbeaten, Everton Stewards 3rd from bottom and although no mugs had struggled all season, surely only winner right?
Global's team:
Upfront:
Ste (Goalscorer) Murphy, Tom (Crouch) Fairclough
Midfield, left to right:
Ian (Lose the ball) Wheeler, Craig (The southern beast) Alford, Paul (playmaker) Sabri, Stuart (out of position midfielder) Murphy
Defence, left to right:
Mark (speed demon) Ellison, Andrew (Captain) Kent, Kevin (Newboy) Davies and Gary (
) Fisher.Goalkeeper:
Mark (the cat) Jones.
As the team captains met in the centre circle Kent decided to chose to go into the wind first half. And what a wind it was... one that was to have an extremely strong effect on the game.
The first 10 minutes of the game were a none event before a big hoof from the Everton keeper bounced over Kents head and let the Everton striker through on goal, he calmly lobbed the cat and put Everton 1-0 up. Shell shocked the two Murphy's straight from the kick off played a succession of one-two's and nearly equalised immediately with Steven hitting the bar. From the resulting goal kick Everton went two up, the same bounce again caught out the usually reliabe Global captain and the keeper made a mess of the shot as it squirmed under him and creeped over the line. Within 12 minutes Global were 2 down.
Not a position they are used to being in. The game was an evenly matched contest for much of the first half, then after about 35 minutes a penalty.... To Everton Stewards. Disaster. Kevin Davies took 100% of the ball but the ref "poorly positioned" gave the penalty. It was converted well. 3-0.
Global were stunned. "I can remember standing there after the third went in thinking we'd just thrown away the league" Said Stuart Murphy, "I stood there thinking we need a goal NOW! before half time". Luckily for Global it came, through the much maligned Tom (Crouch) Fairclough/Own goal. Stephen Murphy put a ball early into the box witch the donkey managed to get a toe on, the ball scooped up and lobbed the keeper and rolled over the line. Was this Fairclough finally learning to play or was it sheer luck? Luck i would say judging by his next touch, an open goal from five yards out after Stuart Murphy played a one two with Stephen Murphy to go through on goal and square it infront of the keeper leaving Fairclough with an open goal...
3-1 at half time then...
The team talk was quite, Stuart decided to tell the boys what he thought. Not the most popular figure there it provoked a response, one of aggression and purpose. "If these conceed one boys they will crumble... was the message".
Within two minutes of the restart there was a substitution, Brian Lawlor on for Crouch. Lawlor is a good player, Crouch isn't, he only played due to attendance and it nearly cost us. Lawlors first touch was winning the ball from a lost cause then a pass to Stuart Murphy who looked up and played a 40 yard drilled diagnol through pass onto the chest of Stephen, he rarely misses, this time he didn't dissapoint. 3-2. A wonderful chipped finish into the net. "At 3-2 i felt the tingles of confidence come back, we were back in it and i knew we could turn this round" Said Stuart.
about 10 minutes went by, Everton couldn't get out of there half literally. It was constant global pressure. The Stuart Murphy picked the ball up and went passed the left full back like he wasn't there... as he cut into the area the centre half came right through and took him and the ball out... PENALTY??? No, Corner, Stuart went mad at the ref, the card came out... it was Yellow. Paul Sabri took the corner, and what a corner, using the wind he drove it in and it ended up in the back of the net... 3-3.... at last.
Two minutes later Sabri scored again, a left footed free kick drilled through the wall, a cracker. 4-3 Global. Over the next ten minutes or so Everton produced a bit of a fightback hitting the post and having one or two good efforts from set peices.
It still needed another goal... Stuart Murphy gladly obliged with what was his best goal in 2 years. Lawlor hit a shot from 20 yards which hit the post, the ball went into a wide position which Murphy chased, he picked it up, ad turned towards the goal, faced by a defender, he jinked inside the defender (away from the goal) only to face another defender, he faked the shot and the other defender either slipped or dived in leavin Stuart 17 yards out with time and space, he curled a left footed shot into the top corner... 5-3. In doing so he injured himself and had to come off... Luckily the game was won.
Jones - 7
Fisher - 7
Davies - 5
Kent - 5
Ellison - 6
Stuart Murphy - 8 (Ste Harding, 80mins - 6)
Alford - 7
Sabri - 7
Wheeler - 6
Steve Murphy - 9
Crouch - 5 (Lawler, 47 mins - 7)
On this form, missing the inspirational pair of Watson and Rossi Global have to be feared and serious favourates for the league.
formers league table
