Sparticans 4 - 4 Winchmore Hill & Enfield
(3 - 0 after penalty shoot out) (H)

Apologies to our loyal fan(s) for the radio silence this year on the match reports. Last year’s captain has perhaps taken his break from duties a little too far and so will try and keep you updated on the team’s progress during the rest of this season.

We’ve had a good start in the league, with three wins and only a disappointing loss to OCs so far.  Anyway enough of the league, this Saturday was all about the magic of the cup, and it certainly didn’t disappoint as we took on Winchmore Hill and Enfield from the London NW League.

They say loose talk costs lives and the chat heard on the Magic Bus on the way to Sugden Road from our opposition around the games getting harder after this round was of course interpreted in his own way by Skippy Bell’s predecessor and passed onto the team after our inaugural warm up on Pitch 3.  It was a pleasure to open said pitch in front of our army of supporters, thank you.

WH and E were an enjoyable side to play against and we wish them well in the league. And judging on their attempts to bring bar profits back up to scratch on such a quiet day, they can come back for a friendly any time. The game itself was a cracker. We had a good first half despite going a goal down against the run of play. With 15 to go we were 4-2 up but a strong last quarter from them coupled with some average shenanigans from us took us to a 4-4 draw at the end of normal time.

Prolonged discussions with our assigned umpires, Jose Silva Rojas and Arnold Weeda who blew the spirited game throughout with aplomb and to whom we are grateful, led eventually to the shoot out being shuffles. This historic moment gave our keeper Save It Lee his time to shine. A triple save from one shuffle was the highlight but even with one miss Skippy had the chance to win it with our fourth attempt. He played a skilful 1-2 with their keeper, didn’t get enough on the second attempt but was able to walk it over the line before the eight seconds were up.

So one for the Sparticans annals, and we match onto the next round. We’re only in this cup to give players a couple more games against different opposition, given that we are at the bottom of Tier 4, and Saturday provided exactly that. Save It Lee was deservedly awarded both awards during a debrief. This in itself was a highlight of the day - if our reserve teas are this good, you know you’re onto something. An all day breakfast was just what we needed, and hopefully fried slices will reappear at some point during the season.

Thanks to everyone who made this Saturday so enjoyable.  Back to league action next week…