Once again not at this one - some of us TRUE football fans were at another game - but I'm told we WON 4-4! I was also told who the goalscorers were but I deleted the text - soz
So - one more win out of the two games left and we stay up! EASY! [Gulp]
Anyway, here's a picture of the ASC game:
And here's a picture of the OTHER game:
Full time: Eastbourne Town [I think] 4 ASC Strikers 4 and . . . .
The Mighty Brighton & Hove Albion FC 3 Crystal Palarse a big, fat NIL
FIFTH IN THE LEAGUE! We are staying up - said we are staying up!
Of course, not being there I can't really give any facts or details about the game apart from "we played cracking and deserved the win" and "Fin's mercurial footwork caused a rash WHD tackle in the box winning a penalty that Regan slotted home with ease".
Here's a picture of an amusingly dressed dog:
Full time: West Hove Dynamos 0 ASC Strikers 1
Popular demand in this case meaning a couple of people saying "Not doing the blog anymore, John?"
So it's not the usual insightful, Pulitzer nominated, gonzo-journalism of old but more of an overview of the past few months, with a few hilarious pictures; most of it made-up. No change there then.
The first match is the Ratton Rangers Cup game of 21st October 2012[!] which we lost 0-3; at least it gave us a chance to concentrate on the league [more of that later].
Ratton, as we've seen, are a good team but this was to be their only victory against us this season. Big, fast lads that liked to pressure the silky, continental style players of ASC and that pressure told after five minutes with a ball in from the right that landed in the vast expanse of the modern day u11 goal.
The ASC defence were getting all the plaudits as they kept at bay wave after wave of Ratton attack; our own attackers were called in to help stem the tide; as a result, if we did break there was nobody up there to support. In muddy, cold conditions this was never going to be easy to endure and sure enough on 24 mins, an identical move increased the visitors' lead.
The second half was a frenetic affair with a much better performance, but still no goals from the boys in yellow. A highlight of the game was a certain parent receiving a smartly struck ball into a particularly private area. It almost knocked his Union Jack bobble hat off. And yes, pedants - I know it's not a Union Jack unless it's on a boat.
50 mins in and a goal for ASC seemed certain with Reggie hitting the post, the two Matts bossing the defence and Fin orchestrating things from midfield. However, Ratton had other ideas and sealed our fate three mins from time, this time with a ball in from the left. Bum.
[I'm not sure Matt was that happy with Joe and Caldé as they left the pitch saying, "Oh well, we've always got 'Minecraft'!"
On the 11th November we exacted our revenge with a 2-1 victory away to Ratton; a team that were already looking good for sparkling success in this league. Get in.
Fast forward to 18th November and we face an old foe in Hove Park Colts at Buck Park. Again, we lost the game but were somewhat stymied by the non-impartiality of the lino who was directing his team whilst officiating. Not cricket in my humble opinion.
An early HPC goal was put to one side by the boys with Fin and Josh breaking free to grab the equaliser; the latter's finish as clinical as it gets. Fin soon followed suit with a silky move around the keeper to make it 2:1. As the lino orchestrated things for the visitors, ASC gave away a free kick on the edge of the box which was converted with aplomb. End to end stuff and honours even at half time. Is this the cliché edition again?
Six minutes in and controversy reigned; was the ball kicked out of the keeper's hands? Nope, apparently. 2-3.
The rest of the half was a hard fought affair with some tough midfield battles and brave keeping from Joe. Four minutes from the end and Cameron slots home to bring on some extra-time. Or not. Two minutes later Joe makes a save that rebounds out to an HPC forward who dinks it on to the head of a team-mate. 3-4. Damn and blast.
As the chill hit the air in early December [the 2nd to be exact] we hosted Hollingbury Hawks with Fin and Owen getting on target in a deserved 2-0 victory. Harrumph and Huzzah! There's no notes for this one as it rained I think and I couldn't write anything. I'm sure it was a cracker though.
The vagaries of the fixture list saw the return fixture away to Hollingbury Hawks only a week later on 9th December in the wind-swept splendour of East Brighton Park. Reggie scored from a corner early on to take the lead and a splendid Barnes Wallis 'bouncing bomb' manoeuvre increased that lead to two; caught here in this stunning visualisation by a local graphic artist:
It looked like it would be a brace of victories against HH to take us into a joyous Xmas. Oops.
Hollingbury scored four [yes, FOUR] second half goals to take the spoils at 4-2 leaving Matt declaring that surely we couldn't play that bad again? Oops [again].
Xmas came and went and on 6th January we were at home to Eastbourne Town. A penalty won by Bill saw Reg uncharacteristically put it wide. 'Flip!' we all shouted from the touchline. Redemption came in the shape of a trademark Regan 40 yard screamer a few minutes later. Eastbourne replied with a slick through ball that drew them level. Here we go again, we thought.
The second half saw a marvellous display, Matt's promise of post-match beatings paying dividends [that's a joke, Child Protection Team!]. Reg, Cam and Stockers getting on the end of some fine moves to bring it in 4-1. Felicitations in abundance!
And then this happened:
FOUR MATCHES POSTPONED due to inclement weather conditions. Crikey.
When the sun finally did appear we met our friends from the north, Forest Youth. Surely, the hoodoo would end on a gloriously sunny day on the 17th February at Buck Park?
Nope. 0-1. Cripes.
It was Ratton's Return on Sunday 24th February with a side that seemed to be running away with the league. It was a well fought and tough affair with the other Joe W. making the difference with a fine looping shot that landed in the bottom left corner of the net. I never actually saw the goal at the time as I was putting a semi-moribund Border Terrier into my wife's coat. And that's not a euphemism. 1-0 to the good guys.
Riding on the crest of a wave, we finally arrive at yesterday's game. Sunday 3rd March at home to struggling Peacehaven Town. Well, they won't be struggling very much longer with a bravura performance and the help of one or two howlers in defence and the inability of our strikers to score that led Matt to send out a text asking for the Mums to take-over lino duties from now on. I don't blame him really; frankly, they're not pulling their weight, apart from Owen's Mum who knows a rice krispie cake when she sees one.
So come on Mums; it's just not enough to stand there looking beautiful - get those flags out! Oo-er, missus!
Anyway - I'm sure we'll be ok this year - with this lot taking us forward, how can we lose? Gulp.
