With the dark nights drawing in and everyone eventually finding their way to the relocated changing room, Dave and I got the picking underway for the first semi-final.

The game started positively for the Yellows. Nick following my instructions to a tee and taking Tom out early on. Tom hobbled his way back up the field and swapped with Dave in goal. Dave came out, dribbled his way through on goal and toe poked the ball through my legs. 1-0.

Our reply didn’t take too long, a shot from Andy H was blocked and the ball bounced back outside of the area, Nick was on the end of it and drilled it low past the keeper. 1-1.

At around the halfway point, Tom, now fully recovered from his earlier injury was back on the pitch. He spun around his marker, took a shot on goal that I saved but hit straight back into his path, which he slotted into the side of the goal whilst I was helpless to stop it on the lying ground. 2-1

At this point I asked for a keeper change and Mike volunteered to go in for the remainder of the match. I wanted to change not because I felt I needed to come out, but because I’m the sh*ttest keeper at the club. However, with hindsight, I realise I’m actually the second worst keeper at the club!

Within a few minutes we were back level, nothing to do with me, but the work of Gary and Nick up top to grab the equaliser. 2-2

Somewhere in amongst one of our attacks, for the second consecutive week, Nick took another cleared ball at point blank range straight to his gut… karma still not finished with him yet for doing the same to his dad a week earlier!

The whites had an attack down their right flank and lofted the ball into the box. A glancing header from Dave with no real power, was directed straight at the keeper. An easy save you would think, but Mike just stood there, let the ball slip through his arms and then through his legs. Abysmal keeping! 3-2

Behind again but playing well. Chris had been having a great game up to this point, breaking up the game, covering ground, playing the simple passes. But in a moment of panic, as a result of pressure down our right side in our own half, turned around and played a blind pass back to our keeper, perfectly weighted for Tom to run onto and slot in. 4-2. A mountain to climb now with 10 minutes to go.

We managed to get another goal back yet again. As Gary was about to shoot on goal, Jay came charging in from behind him, blocked his effort and then hit the deck like a sack of spuds. He stayed down on the ground hoping for a foul, no chance! Nick picked up the pieces and rocketed in his third to put the game 4-3. Game back on with 5 minutes to go.

We almost immediately followed that goal with another, when Harvey, in the white’s defence, decided to play a ball across the box with me bearing down toward him. I took a 50/50 guess he’d play it across, I was right. I lunged out, the ball connected with my knee sending the ball just wide. Harvey relieved I’m sure!

Game end 4-3.

Thanks to my team for your efforts, and good football by both teams.

Good luck against the Evans’ in the final Dave!

MoM - Nick, not only for his hat-trick and clinical finishing in this game but for keeping my cup dream alive with the injury time turnaround in the first round too!