Our cup runneth not over

PFFC 2 Arup 4 (cup)

Will, 3 February 2013

 

My overriding memory of this game was of being cold – bitterly cold. Regent's Park, as parks tend to be, is a very large open piece of ground. The wind howls across it, turning rain horizontal, and the hardiest men reach for the thermals and gloves. Even oor resident Scot, Ally, adopted this winter attire – and this is a man who tells tales of winter days so cold that the fat dripping from your meat pie would solidify on your arm leaving a tasty treat for afternoon sessions of double maths.

This was a must-win game for Philosophy if they were to remain in the cup. Even though we had lost to Old Wimbledoniains in the first cup tie, our fate was in our own hands. Arup had previously beaten OW 5-2, meaning a victory of any sort would put the Red Men above OW on goal difference.

Despite starting brightly and grabbing an early lead from an own goal, we never really established ourselves in the game and, in the end, it was a comfortable victory for Arup which knocked us out of the cup. We were 2-1 down at half time, which soon became 3 then 4 as Arup's fine striking pair scoring a couple of cracking volleys. Ally finally gave the Red men something to cheer with a spectacular chip running on to a defence-splitting pass from Simon and lobbing the Arup keeper.

This ended any realistic chance of silverware for the Reds with only pride and league respectability left to play for.

 

PFFC (3-4-2-1): Kadeem; Andrea, Michele, Rob; Simon, Matt, Ally 1, Kieran; Omer, Will (James 45); Dylan, Colm, og 1