The foreign legion is called

This week it is easier to blame the sun for not setting ... the 4ths got the benefit of that daily occurrence (we had to play into the dying sun and raged against the dying of the light (Dylan Thomas to the uneducated)... but age may also have been a cause.

It started well enough ... the foreign legion were available and called up (if a little rusty! no names being mentioned) so the generalissimo's plans were coming along nicely, a nice structure and most players on time this week (Caleb's travel distances are increasing).

Playing with the sun on our backs we settled well into the game a balance of age and youth all over the team - and it appeared everything was going our way, when Miles and Alistair combined on the right to release Sam who beat the keeper one on one ... 1-0 up and things looking good.

But the good times did not last - while the fab four at the back were asleep a soft goal was let in - the less said the better.

Half time at 1-1 it still seemed going OK, but that was delusion - the sun was now lower in the sky and directly into our eyes (As a team we are heliophobic) and basics start to fall apart ... easy balls were missed, passes went astray, tempers shortened.. voices raised, and sure enough another 2 soft goals were conceded.
It's funny, not being able to clear the ball from defense leads to more pressure and concession of goals, who knew.

Good chances were created and Gordy did show a lot.. its all the talking at the Strength and Conditioning coaching during the week, he can now talk a good game.

Many short corners were given away late (raging against the dying of the light again - Old age should burn and rave at close of day) I keep blaming looking into the sun - it burns ...it burns (maybe that was Dracula)... but we conceded none of these, we wanted them to score from play only.

The team talk at the end summed it up --- one player said 'I didn't play well today and I was the best player' no arguing with that.
Things can only get better, off to YM next for a further bit of local rivalry, in the respectable middle of the table.

But we lined up the 4ths to win after us.. we wore out the sun. We did go gently into that good night (to paraphrase Dylan Thomas again, not the fact that it was also the first Saturday of the month).