





|
Economicals 3rds
|
Date |
L/C |
H/A |
Opposition |
Result |
Scorers |
|
29/09/07 |
C |
H |
Hamp
Heath II |
10-1 |
John (4), Goddard
(2), Gaz, Sam, Tim, Joe (pen) |
|
06/10/07 |
L |
A |
Old
Thorns III |
4-2 |
Rich W (2), John, Al
Lee |
|
13/10/07 |
C |
A |
Old
Woking IV |
4-0 |
Dave, Dennis, Sam,
Joe |
| 20/10/07 |
L |
H |
Old Meads
VIII |
5-0 |
Mungo (3),
Joe (2, 1 pen) |
| 27/10/07 |
C |
A |
Actonians
III |
2-5 |
Joe (2, 1 pen) |
| 03/11/07 |
L |
A |
Tenisonians IV |
1-2 |
Joe |
|
10/11/07 |
L |
H |
Heathrow
Sen |
4-2 |
Mungo (2), Coops, Joe
(pen) |
| 17/11/07 |
C |
H |
Old Meads
VII |
7-2 |
Joe (3), Pirate (2),
Mike, Goddard |
|
24/11/07 |
L |
H |
Ful. Comp
III |
4-0 |
Joe, Coops (2),
Mike |
|
01/12/07 |
L |
A |
Old Meads
VIII |
8-0 |
Mungo, Joe, Coops (3),
Rich W (2), Al Lee |
|
15/12/07 |
L |
H |
Tenisonians IV |
2-2 |
Coops,
Rich W |
|
05/01/08 |
C |
H |
Bealonians V |
7-1 |
Coops (2), Joe (4),
Pirate |
|
26/01/08 |
C |
A |
Parminterians V |
5-0 |
Joe (3), Mungo,
Coops |
|
09/02/08 |
L |
A |
Ful. Comp
III |
7-0 |
Joe (3), John (2),
og, Menno |
|
16/02/08 |
L |
A |
Heathrow
Sen |
7-2 |
Goddard (2), Mungo
(2), Joe (2), Steffen |
|
01/03/08 |
C |
H |
Aloyisians IV |
3-2 |
John (2), Coops |
|
08/03/08 |
L |
H |
Old
Tiffinians IV |
5-1 |
John (3), Mike, Coops |
|
15/03/08 |
L |
H |
Wokingians V |
9-0 |
Joe (7), Al Lee, Coops |
|
29/03/08 |
C |
A |
Old Meads
IV |
0-1 |
|
|
05/04/08 |
L |
A |
Old
Tiffinians IV |
5-0 |
og, Joe, Coops, Tim,
Scotty |
|
12/04/08 |
L |
H |
Old
Thorns III |
4-1 |
John 2, Joe, og (not
Pirate) |
|
19/04/08 |
L |
H |
Guildford
IV |
4/3-0/1 |
Micky 2, Al,
Coops/Callas, og, Dean |
|
26/04/08 |
L |
H |
Wokingians V |
3-1 |
Coops 2, Sean (pen) |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
29/09/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III 10 Hampstead
Heathens II 1 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
Competitive football.
After a long summer, Saturdays now have
a purpose. Pre-season saw two easy
victories (including a 4-0 victory over
an allegedly higher Comics team who
called it quits after 80 minutes) and
one heavy defeat. The Thirds were raring
to go and out to prove a point. Straight
from the off we unleashed vengeance to
the god fearers. Actually it was pretty
insulting to them that the first two
goals were a scuff shot from Sam –
though all about right place, right time
– and a noodle slice from John, who
looked slightly embarrassed to
celebrate. Hopefully the third goal
would be slightly more befitting for the
comics. Nah, Goddard scored it. New
summer signing Gaz ‘Pirate’ Carter
proved that the three goats and one
sheep paid for his services was good
business. Two shimmies and a curled shot
later and it was looking like we did
well to get change (four goats, two
sheep) from the transaction.
The second
half saw Goddard pinpoint a bullet
header into the net while John played
out Pro-Evo on the hallowed Berrylands
turf. First, he skinned half the team
before casually slotting home. Then he
passed the ball into the net when their
keeper decided to chase moonbeams on the
edge of his box. Tim staked his claim
for goal of the season by slicing a
Le Tissier-esque curler from 30 yards.
It sailed into the top corner with unintentional precision.
Awesome. Joe stepped up to the plate
moments later with a drop of the
shoulder, a twist, a turn and rocket
shot that rippled the back of the net
from 12 yards. Regardless of it being a
penalty and no defenders near him, it
looked good. It was left to John to
turn on a sixpence and rattle home his
fourth and our tenth. Brilliant
start to the season and even though the
team dispersed that evening, we all
heard Tim’s shouts from Old Street of
“My goal, my goal, Le Tissier” and Joe’s
wails of “Twist, turn, bosch” from
Marcia.
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
☻2 |
| 6 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
☻ |
| 8 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 9 |
Sam
Lehmann |
☻ |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 11 |
John
Mills |
☻4 |
| 12 |
Tim Orme |
☻ |
| 13 |
Dennis
Nelson |
|
|
06/10/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Thorntonians III 2 Economicals III
4 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
Thortonians
started the match as they meant to go on
(and good God did they go on…) with
constant tripping and late tackles,
culminating in a horrific challenge from
behind on John Mills, leaving him
sidelined and crippled. However, the
Comics refused to stoop to their level
and played some wonderful passing
football which led to the first goal
from Rich Wood – slotting home from a
tight angle after a parried shot from
their keeper. The oppo equalised, but
before he was horrifically scythed down,
John scored the second from a shot/cross
which has become his speciality. Rich
Wood then added a second after Pirate
was hacked down 40 yards out, getting
his free-kick to bounce just before the
flummoxed keeper and into the net.
At half-time, the Comics were riled up.
Goddard showed that he could play the
opposition at their own game, and tried
to take down their striker but ended up
injuring himself. Thortonians then got a
second, but still the Comics retained
control, with Rikos winning everything
in the air, and Mungo stretching their
defence with some great link play with
Gaz and Rich. Sure enough, the goal
came, courtesy of a scuffed shot from Al
Lee after some clever twisting and
turning in the box. Samadeus then went
in late on the left back, and despite
looking as guilty as Chris Langham in a
kid’s playground, the opposition ended
up getting a yellow card for a
remarkably over-the-top response, which
included the very 1950s-style threat
“I’m gonna knock your block off” and
proceeding to put handprints all over
Sam’s back as he walked away grinning
like an idiot. Gibbsy moved quicker than
Tyson Gay to further intensify the
situation, and the opposition avoided
attacking down the right side for the
remainder of the match. Late on Abudy
got to make a contribution to the match,
with an absolutely fantastic leaping
save to push the ball over the bar from
a dipping free-kick.
The final whistle went: 4-2 to the
Comics, with football the real winner.
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
☻ |
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 6 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 8 |
Rich
Wood |
☻2 |
| 9 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
|
| 11 |
John
Mills |
☻ |
| 12 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
|
13/10/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Wokingians IV 0 Economicals III
4 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
A new era began for the Comics
3rds on Saturday, as Alex
Goddard took over the reigns
from Francis “the Admin King”
Murray . Rumours that Murray was
forced out by the foreign
investors that own the team, so
they could appoint their puppet
captain Goddard, were strongly
denied in the post match press
conference. Though the baffling
decision to play Sam Lehmann up
front only fuelled speculation
that non-footballing minds were
picking the team, and not
Goddard. This victory will go
some way to winning over those
doubting the new regime, though
the warm reception given to
Murray will not have gone
unnoticed, especially in
comparison to the icy cold one
given to Goddard. The game
started slowly for the Comics,
up against a big Woking team,
who could also play, and they
were fortunate to go one up
early on. The goal itself was
nicely worked, with some slick
passing, finished with aplomb by
David Gibbs. After soaking up
more pressure from the home
team, Dennis Nelson, a recent
summer signing, doubled the
lead, finishing the Comics’
second passing move of the game.
Going in at half time 2-0 to the
good was a dream start for the
new captain, but it was the
second half display that really
boosted Goddard’s credentials as
captain. Whatever was said at
half time, Economicals’ fans
will be hoping that somebody
wrote it down, so that it can be
reused in the future. The Comics
came out brighter and stronger,
intent on letting the ball do
the work. Gareth Carter, a
player that has yet to settle
since his summer move, had a
rare accomplished performance,
bossing the midfield, allowing
Gibbs time on the ball to spray
passes to all parts of the
ground. The back four looked
safe and assured, Menno Faulkner
especially, and even the
inevitable mazy runs up the
pitch by Goddard could not
unsettle them, and Woking never
truly threatened to get back
into the game. When they did
create some pressure, Abudy was
inspiring confidence with some
great claims and saves. The
scoreline really should have
been more when the final whistle
went at 4-0. Sam Lehmann and Joe
Williams both grabbed goals from
the dozen or so chances they
enjoyed. These two players were
the most vocal opponents of
Goddard’s appointment, and in
the coming weeks they will need
to work hard to mend the bridges
that were broken. Goddard will
now be hoping that the rumours
that several team members were
photographed in one of London’s
top night clubs, just hours
after the game, are unfounded.
Another scandal could further
disrupt an already fragile peace
in the Thirds camp.
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Dave
Gibbs |
☻ |
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 6 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 8 |
Dennis
Nelson |
☻ |
| 9 |
Sam
Lehmann |
☻ |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 11 |
Tim Orme |
|
|
10/11/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III
4 Heathrow Seniors 2 |
| 1 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
The signs were not good for the
Thirds coming into a crunch game
against Heathrow Seniors, they
of the 100% record. Ex-skipper
Murray was in Thailand,
presumably picking up ladyboys
and asking them during breaks in
his woeful sexploits if they
were "still up for it". Rikos
was trapped in the Death Star
rubbish chute, Lomas was eating,
Goddard was in goal, Wood was on
injured reserve and Pirate
needed an eye-patch following an
egg-chasing injury. Desperate
times call for desperate
measures, and Coops answered the
call on the batphone to be the
saviour (his axing from the
firsts being mere coincidence).
His influence was certainly
greater than his refereeing
twin, as Pirate gave decisions
based on artistic impression and
which youngster could squeal the
most when being given a clip
round the ear by the grumpy old
man Gibbsy. To the game...Mungo
opened the scoring, and Coops
curled home a delightful second
from out on the wing, only for
Goddard's indecision to let
Heathrow back in just before
half-time. Coops them was sacked
in the box, for Joe (pen), which
is what new club members presume
his name must be, to slot home a
third. The impressive Mungo
added another, and while
Heathrow pulled back a
consolation, it was comfortable
enough. Now the only question is
whether Goddard is willing to
break the bank to bring the
Talisman on board full-time.
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 5 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
James
Mungovan |
☻2 |
| 8 |
Dennis
Nelson |
|
| 9 |
Cyril
Alvarez-Pereyre |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
| 12 |
Tim Orme |
|
|
24/11/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III
4 Fulham Compton III 0 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
Following England and Scotland's
Euro 2008 exits, the home
international series was
resumed, as the Comics of
England took on the Tartan Army
of Fulham McCompton, with
predictable results. This was
despite the frantic efforts of
one Braveheart in the opposition
side, who attempted a call to
arms, filled with the rage from
a night on the McEwans. As he
snapped and snarled like a
little, mangy terrier, the
Comics ran riot. Coops laid on
an opener for Joe, and Joe
returned the favour twice. Such
is the understanding between
these two lions, that Coops has
taken to asking his Dad if he
used to deliver a bit more than
milk in the Nottingham area in
the 1980s. Kiwi Mike completed
the scoring when he skinned the
main man (weighed down by deep
fried mars bars) and slotted
home, leaving the hapless Scot
getting a riding more severe
than anything his doughy leader
and Lomas's special friend
Gordon Brown had ever endured in
his nappy on his rocking horse.
His performance was indeed Mel
Gibson-esque, but more from the
drunk driving epoch. With the
midfield snapping hard and the
defence resolute, the Comics
comfortably held on despite
Mike's torn groin, which will
disappoint the orcs and woolly
ladies back home. Total fitba,
as they say north of the border.
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
'Mor' |
|
| 5 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 8 |
Dave
Whippe |
|
| 9 |
Mike
Warren |
☻ |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻2 |
| 12 |
Tim Orme |
|
|
01/12/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Meadonians VIII 0
Economicals III 8 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
A comfortable victory for the
Comics over a game Meads side.
The thirds were a bit flat and
did not pass well, but to still
score eight and keep a clean
sheet was more than job done.
Mungo opened the scoring with a
tidy finish, before Joe put in
Coops to chip the keeper for a
second. Rich Wood's
cross-cum-shot made it three
before Coops returned the favour
to set up Joe to make it four at
half-time. Rich lobbed in
another long-range effort, Coops
headed home from close in and
chipped in for his hat-trick,
before Al Lee ran the length of
the pitch to slot home from
Joe's pass. With the back five
holding firm and keeping Meads
from having any really good
chances, this was a
straight-forward victory, though
a bit more cutting edge will be
required to keep up the title
push.
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
☻ |
| 5 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
☻2 |
| 8 |
Dave
Whippe |
|
| 9 |
James
Mungovan |
☻ |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻3 |
| 12 |
Fran
Murray |
|
|
15/12/07 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III 2 Old
Tenisonians IV 2 |
| 1 |
Mark
Veitch |
|
The Thirds were unable to avenge
their sole league defeat and
last year's cup final defeat,
but a draw was the least they
deserved following a battling
showing against an excellent
Tenisonians side. Tenisonians
started brighter and took a
deserved lead when impressive
stand-in keeper Veitch was
beaten by a smart finish. The
oppo's ex-QPR youth team
midfielder was running the show,
but he would never have come
across the beast that is Gibbs
before. In a titanic battle, a
microcosm of the match, Gibbsy
harried, hassled and hacked at
the playmaker, and as he
gradually gained supremacy, so
too did the Comics, as they
began to run riot over the
tiring youngsters. A great team
goal levelled matters, as Joe,
Coops and Goddard combined, with
Coops slotting home after
Goddard greedily miscontrolled.
It was all Comics, but a
defensive mishap involving
Goddard and Zarno, aka the
Chuckle brothers, put them
behind with ten left. The Comics
swiftly replied when a Coops
cross was tackled in by Rich
Wood's shins, and only a
ridiculous save from their
keeper prevented Joe from
grabbing a winner. Still in our
hands...
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 5 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
☻ |
| 8 |
Paul
Foley |
|
| 9 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
|
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
|
05/01/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III 7 Old
Bealonians V 1 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
PK Whitby reports: "The handsome
noblemen of the Economicals
would not normally have a
romantic dalliance with the
white-stiletto-wearing Beals
Essex girls, but the LOB Cup
allowed the two to gyrate
frenetically for a passionate
and sweaty 90 minutes. It was
tight and steamy, but early on
Coops slid home on the turf, wet
as it was with eager
anticipation, before adding a
second when his throbbing purple
drive entered the moist folds of
the opposition's hungry
goalmouth and exploded all over
the line. Beals' passion turned
to rage, and the
men in the Comics' back-four
would joke about it ceaselessly.
This allowed Joe Williams to
bring off multiple climaxes, as
he pounded away like a
jackhammer four times until the
away goal was sore with ecstasy.
PK Whitby
Pirate came hard and late to
complete the roasting. At the
final whistle, the Comics
celebrations of handling a
number of tits was sullied
somewhat by the arrival of a
great big pussy, who wanted to
give Coops head. He seemed many years
younger than him, and his
commanding, somewhat sour demeanour stood in sharp
contrast to Coops' sunken cheeks
and..."
The
full text of this article is not
currently available online.
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 5 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 8 |
Gaz
Carter |
☻ |
| 9 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻4 |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻2 |
| 12 |
John
Mills |
|
|
26/01/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Parminterians V 0 Economicals III
5 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
For
the second round running, the
Comics travelled north, both in
location and by divisional
height, and came away with a
thumping victory to move into
the LOB semis. Pre-match talk
was all about injuries, as Dave
Gibbs was struggling with a
severe case of pram-buying
and Al Lee was out injured
following an incident at a
children's party the previous
week. With blood coming from a
hole in his foot, stigmata was
diagnosed and the world wondered
if this was the second coming.
Certainly the cries of "oh sweet
Jesus" could be heard when
Goddard announced that Titus Franble would be playing
centre-back. But fears were to
be unfounded as his 90-minute
transformation to Franavarro led
a fine outing by the back five
against a strong Parms team.
With the rearguard solid,
results are normally a formality
as the offensive firepower shone
through once again. Joe notched
two poacher's goals before
half-time and completed his
hat-trick on the hour. Mungo
creamed home from the edge of
the box and then a
length-of-the-field move
involving Goddard, Coops, Pirate
and John ended with Coops
sweeping home smartly for a
great team goal. Whether this
made up for an earlier howling
miss is debatable. Rio
Frandinand went down
Platoon-style near the end due
to the strain on his hamstrings
of his first true effort for the
Comics, while Pirate did his bit
for team spirit by asking about
deaf footballers, "do they put a
bell in the ball?" Bring on the
semis!
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 5 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 6 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 8 |
James
Mungovan |
☻ |
| 9 |
John
Mills |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻3 |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
|
09/02/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Fulham Compton III 0 Economicals III
7 |
| 1 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
The
Comics returned to league form
with a bang as they ended
Fulham's good recent run with a
resounding victory. Inspiration
came from the 'new' kit, ordered
originally by Pirate's great,
great grandad, with the
complaints letters to the makers
passed thru the generations of
Carters along with alopecia and
an exhaustive list of
alternative words for vagina
(though sadly only 'sex'
remained after years of soiling
by the perverted welshmen). The
kit was a perfect fit...for a
giant ostrich...but the Comics
rarely got it dirty as they
strolled to a big win. Joe was
his usual deadly self, with
three smart finishes for his
trademark hat-trick. John Mills
came off the bench to grab a
brace, their Peter Crouch right
back smartly finished in his own
net, and then Menno improbably
finished the rout with a header,
his first goal I can recall in
14 years of knowing him. And so
the travelling fans (Sean and
Staples) went home fat and
happy...their team had won, the
dog got a walk, Deirdre didn't
lose anymore fingers and Coops
failed to score. Rich Wood led a
post-match sing-song with the
greatest hits of Will Smith, or
'Big Will' as he's known, due to
the huge estate he will leave on
his death courtesy of gash CDs
going at £17 a pop to scrawny
white boys moving on from their
boyband phases. The Comics
celebrated long into the
afternoon as Al Lee was wined
and dined at Fulham's
Michelin-starred barn with a
cold hot dog at HMV prices. As
with his dire banter, the prices
made no sense.
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
☻ |
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Lee |
|
| 5 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 6 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 8 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 9 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻3 |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
|
| 12 |
John
Mills |
☻2 |
|
16/02/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Heathrow Seniors 2 Economicals III
7 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
The
Comics played poorly but still
managed to thump a game Heathrow
Seniors side on a bobbly pitch
in Feltham and keep up the title
push. Three goals up early on
through a Goddard header from a
corner, Mungo's cross that
floated in and Joe's selfish
finish, it looked like a
massacre was in the offing.
However, Heathrow battled hard
and grabbed a deserved goal
before half-time. They came
close to another as the Comics
went through the motions, with
Coops' elderly joints failing
him, to be replaced by the
better-looking Williams brother
(we'll call him frying pan,
rather than fire).
The Thirds never really got out
of second gear in the second
half, but they did at least slot
home some nice goals, with
Goddard, Mungo and Joe
completing braces and Steffen
getting one to go with his six
howling misses (leading Gibbsy
to apoplexy). Heathrow grabbed a
late second, but it was
comfortable enough. The
hamstring victims on the side
struggled to enjoy the
spectacle, unnerved as they were
by the local paedophile watching
a few yards from them in his
grubby mac, who was showing an
unhealthy interest in one
pre-pubescent young boy. Top of the
table clash next week, and the
Comics will need to play much
better to win that one.
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Goddard |
☻2 |
| 5 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 6 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 7 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 8 |
James
Mungovan |
☻2 |
| 9 |
Steffen
Issleib |
☻ |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻2 |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
|
| 12 |
Tom
Williams |
|
|
01/03/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III
3 Old Aloyisians IV 2 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
The
Comics claimed another lofty
scalp from the northern section
and moved into the LOB final
with a commanding display that
was not reflected in the final
scoreline. Early chances were
missed and the oppo looked a
good side, but the Comics
gradually gained the upper hand
and ended up dominating most of
the match. Tempers frayed early
as Zarno was the subject of an
act of violence, possibly from
one of his victim's relatives,
but it was a good-natured game.
A fine through-ball from Sam
found John, who slotted home at
the near-post past a chocolate-wristed
keeper. John added a second
before half-time as the keeper's
clearance bounced off his silver
ear hair and into the empty net.
Not classic goals, but the
Comics were by now rampant and
only the linesman's flag
prevented Joe from making it
three. Yes, Joe, now to be known
as 'Joemas' or 'Jermain DeJoe'
as the combination of slightly
better defenders and the offside
rule rendered him relatively
ineffective. The strength in
depth was in evidence as the
impressive Goddard and Tim were
replaced by Rikos and Rich Wood,
enabling the intensity to be
maintained. Coops went close to
grabbing a third, but made no
mistake with a similar
opportunity. That should've been
that, but Abudy lost his
bearings to allow a 50-yard
effort in, and then Aloyisians'
impressive striker pulled
another one back in the dying
minutes. The Comics ensured no
further dramas, with the
defensive unit almost perfect.
Next stop Wembley!
|
| 2 |
Menno
Faulkner |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 5 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 6 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 8 |
Tim Orme |
|
| 9 |
John
Mills |
☻2 |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
|
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
| 12 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
| 13 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 14 |
Fran
Murray |
|
|
08/03/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III
5 Old Tiffinians IV 1 |
| 1 |
Mark
Veitch |
|
A
make-shift Comics side overcame
adversity to record a
comfortable win over an aging
but competent Old Tiffs unit.
Several key players were missing
- Sam had decided that seeing as
he sleeps in all day he might as
well be a student and was
playing a final at LSE, Pirate
had gone egg-chasing, and
Goddard had decided to eschew
the game in favour of a merking.
The Comics started flat into a
strong wind but were soon two
goals up courtesy of
high-quality strikes from John,
set up by Joe, to finish off
flowing moves. Tiffs made
accusations that he was not a
division six player - they
should watch him other weeks. No
one accused Joe of being a
ringer, for the second week
running. John completed his
hat-trick with a slightly
lower-quality scuff, and Kiwi
Mike notched a fourth just
before half-time with a run and
deflected shot that he begged
Lampard-like to be credited with
post-match. Coops missed his
standard open goal, but more
than made up for it with a
cucumber-cool chip of the keeper
just after the restart. This
should have opened the
floodgates, but Fran's fragile
hamstring pinged again, and the
ten-man Comics struggled through
the last half-hour, possibly
lucky to only concede one.
Goddard checked in post-match to
discover that we had lost 2-1
due to various calamities, which
hopefully ruined his evening.
|
| 2 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
| 5 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 6 |
Mike
Warren |
☻ |
| 7 |
James
Mungovan |
|
| 8 |
Tim Orme |
|
| 9 |
John
Mills |
☻3 |
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
|
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
|
15/03/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals III
9 Old Wokingians V 0 |
| 1 |
Mark
Veitch |
|
The
Comics took another step towards
the double with a thumping
victory over basement-dwelling
Wokingians. The scoreline belied
a rather rusty performance, as
Woking battled hard and stopped
the Comics from playing in the
first half on the Berrylands
hockey pitch. One goal was all
the thirds would have to show
for their first half showing,
with Joe smartly tucking away a
chance after good work from Sam
and Coops. The second half was a
different story, however, as it
all went a little surreal, as
Joe seemed to scored a goal
every two minutes to finish with
seven. No mean feat, although
about three of them were from
less than a yard and off various
unusual body parts. Al Lee added
an eighth as he powered home a
corner, and then 'Oops' finally
got on the scoresheet after a
plethora of misses and miscues.
Sam had a curate's egg of a game
- a number of assists and 3.8
miles covered during the first
half according to his pedometer,
which strangely had 'stopped
working' so it was unable to
record his second half efforts,
although the snail trail in the
opponent's final third gave a
clue. Meanwhile, at the back,
Rikos dominated, while Al Lee
covered genuine, not
made-up-by-Sam ground, and the
cricket score meant the mascot
could be risked for a run-out.
But even a snail would be
insulted to be compared with the
skipper, who must have had his
Easter egg early, judging by his
slow-motion dribbling, as he was
regularly robbed by obese
strikers, to be followed by the
trademark shrug. It's a good job
for the third best centre-back
that he picks the team.
|
| 2 |
Alex Lee |
☻ |
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 6 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 7 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 8 |
Tim Orme |
|
| 9 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 10 |
Joe
Williams |
☻7 |
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
| 12 |
Doug
Hancock |
|
|
29/03/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Meadonians IV 1 Economicals III 0 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
The Thirds fell at
the final hurdle in an LOB cup for a
second year running, but there was no
shame in this defeat against a
Meadonians side from five leagues above. Yes,
the Comics had dished out plenty of
giant-killings already in the cup run,
but this was a big, fit, strong and
skilful side, and to keep it so close
was a credit to the boys. In horrendous
conditions, the Thirds faced a strong
wind in the first half and could barely
get into the Meads' half. The
favourites, roared on by a huge crowd,
peppered the Comics box with crosses and
pressure, but the back-four stood firm
(while Gibbsy could stand - which was
about 10 minutes before his ankle
doubled in size). Whenever the
outstanding defence was breached, Abudy
stood firm with excellent handling in
the wet conditions. 0-0 at half-time and
the Comics entertained thoughts of
victory with the wind at their backs.
The second half was even at worst - we
probably had the better chances, and
Meads could have had no complaints on
the second half showing if they'd gone
down. But it was them that stole it at
the death with a decent strike from
outside the box that gave Abudy no
chance. Some sporting applause and
prize-giving was followed by a whole
chicken and then beers in the George and
After-Skool - the only game in town.
Coops drank, and smoked, Pirate declared
his love for rugby, and Goddard proposed
to Lindsay. Quite whether she would want
to spend the rest of her life with a man
who brings a man with a torn hamstring
and another who's run 14 miles that
morning is anyone's guess. But we can't
blame Goddard for the loss. No, it was
Rich Wood's fault.
|
| 2 |
Dave
Gibbs |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 6 |
Rikos
Leong-Son |
|
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 8 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 9 |
Joe
Williams |
|
| 10 |
John
Mills |
|
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
|
| 12 |
Fran
Murray |
|
| 13 |
James
Mungovan |
|
|
05/04/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Old Tiffinians IV 0 Economicals
III 5 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
The Thirds put aside
their cup disappointment and returned to
winning ways in the league with a
comfortable victory over Old Tiffs. It
was a wretched pitch and poor
conditions, but the Comics played some
lovely football and never looked in
danger against a spirited opponent. The
opener was controversial, as Joe looked
offside from a cross, which came back in
only for a hapless Tiffs' defender to
turn into his own net. The second was a
tasty team goal, as a flowing move
culminated in Joe volleying home John's
pinpoint cross. Coops added a third with
a tap-in from Rich's cross, before an
ankle injury to Joe disrupted the team's
flow a little. The second half was a
stop-start affair, and the Comics huffed
and puffed for a long time without
making further inroads, until Tim
finally added a fourth with a sweet
strike from outside the box. Special
guest star Matt Scott completed the
scoring with a close-range header, the
only surprise being that it didn't
bounce off his shin, like every other
ball that cannoned off the man with the
touch of a rapist.
|
| 2 |
Sam
Lehmann |
|
| 3 |
Mike
Zarno |
|
| 4 |
Alex Lee |
|
| 5 |
Alex
Goddard |
|
| 6 |
Matt
Scott |
☻ |
| 7 |
Gaz
Carter |
|
| 8 |
Rich
Wood |
|
| 9 |
Joe
Williams |
☻ |
| 10 |
John
Mills |
|
| 11 |
Chris
Cooper |
☻ |
| 12 |
Tim Orme |
☻ |
|
12/04/08 |
Team |
☻ |
|
|
Economicals
III 4 Old Thorntonians III 1 |
| 1 |
Abudy
Taha |
|
The Thirds put down
the table-topping Thorntonians to put
them in the box seat for the title on a
day of four seasons at Berrylands. The
oppo are no doubt a good side, and
stunned the Comics with an early strike;
Sam was confused by Al Lee's new-look -
gone were the acne and cricket stumps,
but he had acquired a woman's haircut -
and the mix-up allowed the Thorns
striker to smartly lob Abudy. However,
it wasn't long before the strikeforce
was creating openings left, right and
centre. Despite Joe's plastic surgery
making him look like Colin Jackson, and
John's bad sunburn, they bewildered the
Thorns defence with | | |