Hachioji Park, May 8th, 2009.
BFC wobbled but they didn't fall down. A soft penalty perhaps evening out Sala's lucky equaliser, BFC ground out a 4-2 win to reach the Cup final which they will want to play on a grown-up's pitch this time please!
Little if anything can, or should, be noted about a first half which will be rued as 40 minutes (two hours if you include train into the country, changing, warm-up etc.) we will never get back. Both sides were very poor, let's leave it at that.
Before Jon Day, a Mars bar cuddlier than in his debut album years, could become the 'two-goal' headline grabber, he was furiously smoking fags down to the butt after being ignored on the edge of the box by a marauding Pablo Pomares.
A recurring BFC theme for the 13 years I have been at BFC and even the expanding Japanese contingent are getting in on the act these days, Imai spitting feathers at halftime over Sakai's insistence on 'bombing on' without faxing his intentions beforehand. Handbags.
The game finally sprang to life after some lineup tinkering at halftime and BFC broke through 10 minutes in when Aranda whipped in a free kick that Day headed in under the bar with Pomares, Himmer and kitchen sink thrown at a vicious delivery.
There's a quote from Brian Clough somewhere out there (I could Google it but can't be arsed) about teams being most vulnerable when they have just scored etc etc etc.
An obvious foul throw from the left, missed by the ref, Sala win a free kick, from which a very tasty cross is turned into his own goal by Habu, not three minutes after BFC had gone ahead.
With 20 minutes to go it was suddenly 2-1 to Sala as BFC went off the boil, Shige smashing in a superb shot from 25 metres to coos of 'kakko ii!' from Sala's WAGs.
No BFC-Sala game is complete without some touchy-feely and a late one from Morson triggered more handbags: Sala's bench giving it 'Come one then!' and Morson going 'Anytime!' -- Chavtastic! Pure playground and highly amusing.
Yamagishi also tends to be a central character to these clashes. He had been largely a liability to BFC in this match, not squaring the ball to a wide-open striker with BFC two-on-one on Sala's goalkeeper.
A nailed-on goal became another embarrassing moment when Yamagishi chose instead to look for a penalty, flinging himself to the ground under the keeper's challenge under his furious team-mate's nose.
This howler is already on YouTube. But Yamagishi's reluctance to pass to his open team mates has led to a growing list of players who do not like to play on the same team, an issue that may need addressing next season.
It would have been a very long train ride home for him had BFC lost this one, but he made an impact when in the build-up to BFC's penalty, his run prompting a rush clearance that hit the arm of a defender.
With referees like this, if you shout loud enough ... It look soft to say the least, but Aranda made no mistake with the spot kick. 2-2.
Dispensing with the headless chicken impression, Yamagishi then popped up to head in an Imai cross, in a surreal snapshot, the ball bouncing into the far corner in slow motion with Sala keeper Mignon going down in installments.
BFC's fourth, though, was real quality. Seventeen-year-old Denham bringing a ball down on his chest and playing a pinpoint ball through to a streaking Day, who swept the ball first-time into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to seal the victory.
The last time BFC made the Footy Japan Cup final they played on a Subbuteo pitch without a goalkeeper and were destroyed by Hibs. On this evidence they may have the tools to go one better for the first time if they're given a pitch for adults.
Let me just say that again: '...a streaking Day ...'. You're welcome!