And if last week showed that we really can score 6 goals a game, then AFCW 3 AFCW 2 shows that finally, finally, finally we can win crunch games. Indeed, as far as crunch games go, taking it to the runaway leaders, and actually outplaying them for large periods shows a club that can do it. More on why this is so later, but a brief rundown from what I can remember : they scored first with a free kick. We got back with what looked like a bit of a scramble from whoever it was, then got in front with a looping JS header. Cue much excitement. The Wallies then pissed everyone off by scoring again, with exactly the same free kick as the first one. Bloody typical, can’t anyone have variety in their goalscoring?
We nearly came a cropper when a rather heart attack inducing stunning goal-line clearance was expertly turned onto the crossbar and out again by Wardy. 2-2 at HT. Second half, we scored with a free kick, this time by Everard, who slowly but surely arose seductively behind the sensual cloth of the Wallingford defenders, who could not resist being penetrated. It has to be said we could have easily put another couple past them. Of course, what you’d really be interested in was the fact that we decided to play a bit like Southall today. OK, so we didn’t quite get to the GBH stage but we, ahem, put ourselves about a bit. And Wallies didn’t know what hit them (I can tell them – it was our feet) which I’m sure put them off a bit. Remember that old motto of winning the battle before you can play your football?
Enough of the boring shit here’s the stuff you’ve been waiting for.
Plus points: We won. We beat Wallies. Excellent performance all round. Way we came back. Holding our own. Looking like we could have repeated scoring 6.
Minus points: Our defence STILL shits me up
The referee’s a ……… : OK, he was that young kid who is much raved about. Gets a nice little writeup about him in Y&B and subsequently plays shite. OK, maybe he didn’t but he did seem rather reluctant to give us many free kicks and was rather liberal in rewarding the other lot for similar challenges. Hmm. Guess he was a bit tired, you know? After all, he was probably studying for his GCSEs and was allowed to stay up late on Friday to watch the news. As for their linesman, I hope he takes the guide dog next game.
Them: They must HATE Merton teams. After having to suffer the indignation of losing to Vile, they now come a cropper against us. Took about 15-20 down, met the man called Stilez (I promise NOT to rub it in for him). Looked like Man City, played a bit like them as well. At the end, they really looked like they didn’t believe it. See, this is what happens when you mess with genuine big clubs…
A policeman’s lot is not a happy one: Quite a few more OB than normal, I suppose that could be down to (a) the high profile, (b) having about 95% of Thames Valley down for the last game, (c) threat of Oxford and Celsi discussing the weather beforehand. Still, looks like nothing happened and they went away quite content and counting their overtime.
If I had a song, I’d sing it in the morning: Noise today came from the sponsors – PISA to be precise. In truth, it looked like an old-style WFC awayaday with them turning up looking like they’d been drinking from 9am. The previous morning. Difference is, here they got to use the sponsor’s lounge as well. And guess what – they made more noise than everyone else. Those who can remember what they were singing will not need me to remind them what was being sung..
Point to ponder: Do you reckon that we did well today because we kept pre-match hype to a minimum? No boasts about going top, no “this is the big one”, no hyperbole causing us extra pressure. Have lessons been learnt? One would hope so, such bigging it up beforehand was never the Wimbledon style.
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Your humble and esteemed editor saying he wasn’t going to touch alcohol and actually mean it. (2) The partner of our chairman getting whacked on the head with a football before the game and rather ever-so-dramatically falling down like he’d been poleaxed. I understand that W2K wanted to sign him up. (3) Witnessing a Newcastle fan in black-and-white stripes carrying a shrink-wrapped AFCW shirt and an old fashioned rattle. I have no idea whether AFCW tried to take the offensive weapon off him, but he was eventually allowed to keep the Newcastle shirt on.
Anything else? Yeah. Something felt right today as I was sitting in the traffic jam out of the car park after the game. It was quite hazy, we’d turned a big club over, Joe Sheerin was walking out (well, limping out) and looked genuinely chuffed at everyone saying “hello” to him. You know what it felt like? Wimbledon circa 1986. Seriously, I haven’t had that feel for a while. In comparison, I was around Selhurst Park this week and the place STILL makes me feel ill. Don’t know what it signifies, but somehow you got the feeling that the professional Wimbledon lost it down the road. Today, we may have got it back. Is the proposed Ks buyout having a positive effect?* Maybe, we’ll see, but right now, it feels nice…
* – yes, I know I’m still opposed to the buyout of Ks. It’s called journo license.
So, was it worth it? Actually, this sucked. We were outclassed, outfought and made to look big time charlies. It was embarrasing and I am never watching AFCW again.
In a nutshell: Bet we lose our next game