The equation of the match was simple yet critical, a win would see the Tweed Brigade promoted, a loss or draw would drag out the decision until the following week against Woking.
Chatter amongst senior players was that Wanderers were their only real rivals in the league and one of the few teams to match Cheam’s guile, discipline and spirit. So if our merry band of heroes entered the Nonsuch cage with trepidation, their steely expressions and granite like resolve did not betray it.
Within the early minutes of the game Cheam’s free-flowing attacking opened up the opposition defence winning three penalty corners, two of which were converted. The first was a hard, flat pass from Coleman back to the injector, Mantle, whose inch-perfect reverse stick deflection diverted the ball goal-bound low at the left post. The second conversion was an identical copy of the first, highlighting the team’s ruthlessness under pressure.
A lull then ensued as Cheam’s back-line marshalled the pitch and controlled possession, allowing the team to carefully stalk their prey, assessing weaknesses and waiting for the moment to strike. Wanderers responded as a wounded animal would, lashing out in blind fury, crashing hopeful passes into the Cheam circle. One such lottery pass flew through a forest of sticks and bodies towards the Wanderers forward skulking on the post who was marked perfectly by Chris Blackmore.
oth men lunged with their sticks as the ball fizzed past but it was the Wanderers’ stick that found a connection, deflecting the ball only just on target. The players’ reactions revealed everything. Wanderers displayed the kind of shock and delight that only winning a game of extreme chance can affect. Whereas Cheam were stoic in the face of such misfortune, the collective consciousness of the team certain in their destiny to march toward victory despite luck siding with the opposition.
Half-time allowed the team to discuss the intelligence that had been gathered in their periods of calm possession. Cheam’s Odysseus, James Mantle, had cleverly noted that the opposition centre backs’ distribution resulted in high-risk, low-quality passes to their left full-back. A plan was then hatched to swarm the unlucky left-back the moment he received a pass, in the hope the recover possession high and kill off the game in an efficient manner.
The stratagem worked perfectly. The Cheam forwards were flight of foot and sharp of mind and mercilessly executed the swarm. James Morris pounced on a moment’s indecision, stealing possession high and driving the ball at heart of the opposition defence at frightening pace. Morris’ trickery was too much for the opposition as he calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball home.
Extended periods of possession and disciplined defending from the Cheam back line and midfield caused the opposition to crack once more. This time the ball was won in midfield, recycled into defence, sprayed wide and worked into the opposition circle in fluent team move. The final through pass to Richard Coleman was slightly off-target. Coleman adapted instantly, when in one clean move lifted the ball from behind himself, over his right foot and into his hitting arc, finally connecting with a full blooded cover-drive into the top right corner that left the keeper unable to react.
Woking M5s 1 - 11 Cheam M3s
We had another strong squad for this one, despite a couple of absentees. Mike Brown was busy watching his team throw away the best chance of winning a Premier League title they'll probably ever get, and Chris Blackmore was recovering from an illness brought about by turning up half naked for the previous fixture.
Sometimes I despair when hit with the realisation that Chris B is paid by the tax-payer to impart wisdom on the young. However, The Badger was on-hand this week to restore my faith (pun) in the teaching profession. Everyone's favourite purveyor of religious teachings has returned invigorated after a period of absence, and has slotted into life in the 3s perfectly.
Our opposition looked fired up for the match. They were keen to avenge the 7-0 reverse at Nonsuch, and send a message out to the rest of the league by toppling the newly crowned champions. Five minutes later, they were 2-0 down. Short corners have probably been our weakness this season, with far too many wasted. However, the squad finally seem to have settled on a menu of routines that yield consistent score-age. Brandi made it 3 from 2 games by dispatching our new favourite routine to get us up and running. We were to score two more shorts before the game was out.
Woking threatened to get back into the match with a slick short corner routine themselves to make it 2-1. However, the Heroes took a strangle-hold on the game with a stifling high press, and were 5-1 up by half time.
The half time team talk didn't really happen, as the squad were huddled in the dug-out / shipping container eating jelly babies while the hail stones crashed down. Perhaps this accounted for our sluggish start to the second half. Woking came at us, and got near our D once or twice, before we hit them on the break. This happened again and again, as Goalman, Fisty, Keddie and The Badger cut through the opposition defence with incredible speed every time we turned over possession.
As the game drew to a close, not yet content with battering the opposition via the score line, Shashi decided to commemorate his comeback appearance by shunning the opportunity to play a neat ball down the line. Instead he elected to throw an aerial into a Woking defender's face from point-blank range.
By then end, Goalman and Fisty had notched four goals apiece, with The Badger grabbing a brace, and Brandi one. Some excellent team goals in there as well. Such a big win puts us within touching distance of 100 goals in the 15/16 season, a feat that will surely have the sports commentators asking, 'Roger who?'