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OiFuto, Sun 10th Dec. Somebody else is down to write the official report but I was moved (after 8 beers) to write something myself about today’s adventure at oi futo.
 The pitch had the consistency of recently poured concrete in places but elsewhere was truer than expected. Last week Vags beat Barbs in the league, with some to spare by all accounts, and a win today a foregone conclusion in most minds.
Whatever was in our minds, the display was brittle and half-blooded in the first half. What I mean is everyone who came into possession tried like mad but the rest stood off absent mindedly. In other words there was 10 solitary efforts working away to no effect most of the time. The back line stayed back, the midfield stayed in the middle and the forwards came back to pick up balls that weren’t on offer otherwise.
Barbs had a stocky striker and small fast wingers and the first goal went through our defense like a hot knife in butter. The second soon after, a penalty from a hack down in the box by Ian that reflected our general frustration at not doing better. For the rest of the half we lived perilously. To some it looked like we were playing crap (compared with the previous week) but to this observer, were just weren’t gelling (no pectin) – the jam was runny, berries falling off the bread onto the floor. No shortage of effort individually, just no synergy or something like that.
 Second half Ian took a rest, battered by yesterdays BFC game and Roppongi, and Ged joined him, feeling it was an off day. Reminiscent of the BEFC performance 2 weeks agon the Vags slowly turned the screw and penned the Barbsin their own half. By the middle of the second half we really were camped out in their end yet the actual quality shots on goal were rare. Muzzy and Simon were killing each other trying to get the ball up front and Maz was outstanding in being just about everywhere the ball was free, springing up like a jack-in-the-box to get his bald skull on every ball that came his way. Truly an inspiration to us on this occasion – all we need is one per game.
It was like a training drill by the time a Barbs player asked the Referee for time remaining. All play in their half, our defense line over the halfway line. 12 minutes left. Still 2-0. Then Alex, playing solidly in left midfield, attempted homicidal folly with a Ravanelli-lookalike Barbs player and was promptly dismissed. Down to 10 men the Vags were like cornered rats. Doomed to an ignominious defeat we threw everything at them and then a penalty. Simon reliably delivered, again, and a goal difference of 1 stood with 7 minutes left. Again the pressure massed, nobody made any mistakes – there was no second-guessing or daydreaming, just full-blooded attacking from 9 desperate players. The Barbs fell into a state of shock as we rolled inexorably towards an equalizer. Tom was getting forward on the right when a scuffle spilled the ball to Gary, already deep in the Barbs half although playing central defense. He dinked a pass through to Tom who sent an exquisite cross towards the box and, unsurprisingly, it was Maz who steamed in to bury an unstoppable ball past the swishing keeper. 1 minute later the ref blew an end to the game. The Barbs in an absolute daze and the Vags jubilant having once again recovered a result from a potentially hopeless situation.
The cup game meant a penalty shoot-out and the Vags missed none, Barbs missed 2. Not a nice way to conclude a game and the Barbs will no doubt feel robbed, but credit must be given to the perseverance and conviction of the Vagabonds to pull of yet another nail-biting win to continue a 7-game unbeaten streak.
Man of the match – Maz.
Report by Gary Quinn.
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