Harvest FC 2009/10 Lincolnshire League Champions without a training session; so just how did they do?

Most of the credit goes to the management Mathew and Jon Bryant for getting a team out every week. Many a Saturday morning they spend chasing for a replacement player due to a late injury or last minute work commitment. Not once did team get to have a ‘football’ training session. They did not need one; 90% of team was playing two games of futsal every week; did it help? Just look at the statistics, team was top with a goal difference of +82; which does not tell full story; a second Louth Town dropped out with four games left to play; had they remained the goal difference was pushing 100 off 28 games played. With three games left we travelled to Skegness assured by LFA that we would be collecting league winners trophy after game. Hour before kick off, with a bare eleven squad, LFA rang to say Louth Town had been removed from league along with our 6 points. We now needed a point against Skegness to be Champions. With bare eleven players it was decided I should sign (players could sign up until kick off as long as referee signed form) just in case; just in case of what I have no idea. The referee was astounded to be given a signing on form with date of birth 1946, making me 64! Thankfully everyone stayed fit and I missed making my debut.

The serious point here is that Harvest won the County League scoring with an average goal difference of 3 goals per game; if we had hit 100 goals scored target that would have represented 3.6 goals per game; it does not show on table but team conceded less than a goal per game. And we never trained football once; but we did play futsal. Draw your own conclusions.

1              Harvest  FC                    28            23          1             4               82           70

2              Hykeham Town               28           20           4              4              68           64

3              Sleaford Town Res’         28           18           7              3              35           61

4              Ruston Sports                 28             18           5              5              38           59

5              Skegness Town               28           14           7              7              21           49

6              Lincoln United Res’         28           14           5              9              16           47

7              CGB Humbertherm         28           14           4              10           13           46

8              Louth Town                     28             11           3              14           -13          38 *

9              Skellingthorpe P.F.C.      28           10           6              12           -1            36

10           Heckington United          28           9              6              13           -21          33

11           Horncastle Town              28           9              5              14           -11          32

12           Lincoln Moorlands Res’    28           5              2              21           -45          17

13           Grimsby Borough Res’    28           4              5              19           -73          16 *

14           Boston Town Reserves    28           3              6              19           -54          15

15           Cleethorpes Town Res’    28           3              4              21           -55          13

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 For 39 minutes 30 seconds Bradley was on the rocks; in final 30 seconds they won game. Amazing. Under 20’s vs. +35’s everything was pointing to the old guard giving way to the new. The mental strength needed for Bradley to win this game was mind numbing.

Referee John Drew match report:

Had you paid to see this you would have been more than satisfied. It had everything as a game of Futsal, apart from substitutes so it was going to be hard. Lions charged from the start and opened a lead only to be pegged before the break at 2-2. Throughout passing was sublime and incredibly fast meaning both goalkeepers had to work incredibly hard: and they did. But proceedings for the last ten minutes just got better and better and Lions were in front; just! Bradley relentlessly piled on pressure and Lions responded equally. In the last minute Bradley’s Dave Smith spied an opening and blasted a goal to seal what onlookers thought was a deserved equaliser at 5-5. But, neither team were satisfied and relentlessly ke

Lions manager Stu Orr will not have slept a wink of sleep after such a mentally destroying match

pt the tempo of the match going looking for that elusive winner. As the clock counted down with just seconds left the Lions pressed but an intercepted pass in their half gave Bradley one last opportunity of an above head height long range pass to an unmarked Jim Allen who rose to meet it and headed majestically past the Lions keeper to win the match. 

Player of the Match: Both goal keepers – Kirk (L) & Dave (B) Outstanding

Two new senior teams make debuts, Toto FC and team Rhodie Clarke.

A very creditable first match performance from Rhodie Clarke who matched Me2 in the first period. However, the Me2 machine with their defend and break tactics won the points with 6 unanswered goals in the second. Undoubtedly more to come from RC in forthcoming weeks.

Toto gave Payzone a creditable game, Payzone greater experience just too much for the game Toto team. First game is always the hardest, you learn so much.

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