A late check in from Paul S meant I was obligated into selecting our second leg league fixture for tonights match. However, being 1 goal up and having choice was at least one positive. I decided to go for the first pick.

With no goalkeepers available for either side, Paul and I both started in goal. I don’t think the lads were too impressed with my keeping skills before the match, which probably didn’t fill them with much confidence. At the same time, I didn’t appreciate Nick S and Jonny hammering 6 yard screamers at me left and right either!

I was expecting a pretty easy time in goal to be honest as usually on Wednesdays you could put your house on 90% of shots going a mile over the bar. This wasn’t the case tonight. Such was my luck even Jamie was hitting the target!

Over the course of the first 20 minutes Andy had at least four promising efforts. With the yellows having a man less he had all the time in the world to find his range and power up his shots. All on target and one very close to beating me that I tipped round the post. I couldn’t stop his fifth effort though, which he buried into the bottom corner from range.

I couldn’t see too much of our attacks from my end of the pitch, I recall James having a decent chance in the first half, but Stewie told me he had to make a number of decent saves to keep the yellows out.

Nathan the magician pulled another new trick out the bag this week. Much like last week where he played the ball to himself from a corner kick (off the goalpost!), this week he intercepted the ball from the neighbouring pitch, and then kicked their ball into our ball to halt Tom’s marauding run down the wing. It even got a few cheers and applause from the lads on the next pitch. Superb defending!

But much of the first half was spent dealing with possession dominated by the whites. Defensively we were being outnumbered by their attackers. So much so, as I’m standing between the sticks, Jay ran across me on his own unmarked. I noticed Tom in possession had spotted him too and being an expert at reading the game I decided to promptly fill in at right back to cover the pass. Unfortunately Tom was a bit more selfish than I’d anticipated and stroked the ball into the empty net.

The whites got a third shortly after, a pinpoint cross from Jay found an unmarked Tom who headed back across goal. 3-0.

We switched things around at this point, started to push up a bit more and take some risks and this paid off. Wave after wave of attack. Eventually, Nathan got us a goal back - rifling a shot home, straight through the inside netting.

Stewie who had just come out of goal made an immediate impact and belted another goal from some distance! 4-1

Our pressure continued however and Dave headed us straight back into it thanks to a cross from Jonny, flicking the ball on which looped over the keeper into the net. 4-2

Stewie’s voice which had been relaxed and calm at 3-0 had become strained and exasperated as he desperately tried to coordinate his team under the intense pressure from the yellows. One of the whites also tried to call time early… not on my watch, or the time keeper's (Neil De Zerbi) on the side of the pitch, so play continued for another minute or so but the whites managed to hold their ground (just) and survive the remainder of the match.

4-2 (6-5 agg)

A good competitive game.

Good luck Paul in the Captains, finalist last year so you only need to go one more.

MOM - Jonny, aside from being the only one on the night to wildly kick the ball over the fence, he was a commanding presence at the back and tracked back to make a hell of a last ditch block.