Well-in’ Dulwich!

Welling United Supporters’ 2, “The Rabblers” 2
Saturday 5th April 2008
Internet Football League
at Perry Street, Crayford, Kent.

On an ‘ordinary’ Saturday morning this would be a difficult match for “The Rabblers”, never mind following a Friday night First Team game 6-1 Champion Hill stuffing of Sittingbourne, in front of our guests from over the English Channel, our old muckers from UR Namur, & a night of roistering not just in the Hamlet bar, but into the early hours at the ‘East Dulwich Tavern’ & beyond!

And now, with severe hangovers in tow, apart from Shaun Dooley going strong, who left the Belgians at their lodgings at 4.30am, only to have a quick powernap back home in Nunhead. And a few hours later here he was, with a can of Stella Artois still seemingly ‘superglued’ to his hand!

Welling were clear favourites for this match. After all we had yet to be victorious in an IFA match all season, & they were easily in the top twenty! We were again a ‘mix and match’ side, from our veterans, to a few of our younger players, & with James O’Shaughnessy being available we even had a rare teenager in the side. But still, we were the underdogs, & it was a simple case of ‘get stuck in & fingers crossed’ that we wouldn’t get as much of a hammering as our previous IFA game when we leaked thirteen for no reply against Watford!

But as the game got into it’s stride it was the Hamlet who were holding their own! And were certainly not overawed by their Kentish opponents, who looked both fitter & younger. Not only were we matching them but we scored a goal that old Hamlet hero, Peter ‘blobby’ Garland would have been proud of! The ball fell to Jack McInroy a good thirty yards out, if not more. Glancing only momentarily to glance skywards asking for help from the Lord, he hit the ball and it sailed sweetly over the home keeper & into the back of the net! Bringing back memories of THAT Peter Garland goal from the halfway line, all those years ago, at Gravend & Northfleet. Yes, that goal where a large numbe of Hamlet fans caned the on site bookies, with Blobby at 5 to 1! Now Jacks’ not a gambling man, so I hope the money he saved ‘backing himself’ this morning, he popped a few shillings extra into his Sunday collection plate to give thanks to his goal! Who would have thought that only fifteen days after Ferenc Morath became our ‘great old ancient’ by scoring at the age of 47, that forty eight year old fatherly Jack would usurp him? Magnificent!

Half time came, barely a second played for stoppages on our watches, & the talk in our camp was to keep it tight, hold onto the lead, & not throw it away. All too often in the past, we take the interval as time to completely switch off, failing to turn ourselves back on, conceding a goal or two before we do. Not today! Not long gone in the half and James O’Shaughnessy smacking the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box! A quality goal, from a quality player on his day, when he’s not sulking like lazy Kevin the teenager! But today he had one of his best performances for us.
Welling came back strongly, and attacked in waves, although we did have our chances too. What made the game interesting for me, watching from the sidelines, was how undisciplined the Welling lot became. They play under the banner of their fanzine ‘Winning Isn’t Everything’, but the way they whinged for England you would have thought otherwise. Constant ear bashing of THEIR referee, who I thought gave an extremely competent performance, & even arguing amongst themselves, when things weren’t going their way. It was actually enjoyable to watch.
On the downside they managed to influence the referee enough to pressure him to add time on every time the ball went out of play behind our goal, & claimed, somewhat unfairly that Andy was timewasting each time they missed the target & the ball ended up halfway across the pitch. If they really were that bothered they had enough subs on the sidelines to ‘act as ballboy’!


They did pull one back, it would be a bit ‘harsh’ to mention the last touch was from our own Nicolas Lucas, and that it was an own goal, but we still should have held on for the win. But, with all the time added on, a couple for knocks, the rest for Andy supposedly taking so long to get the ball back, I made it five minutes AT MOST of stoppage time. Where on earth they found time to equalize an amazing twelve minutes after the ninety were up I just do not know. I’m not saying they didn’t deserve a draw, but if they wanted it that much, by not earning it fairly we may as well have gone back from the kick off & scored the winner for them, if they were that desperate. As it was ‘drunken’ Dooley almost snatched a winner for us! Now that would have been sweet, though not to be!

A cracking point, and a superb performance from us, against a very good side, despite their constant moaning! Personally I wouldn’t like to pick a man of the match for us. I know they were impressed with Andy Murphy, but you could also have chosen James O’Shaughnessy, Nicolas Lucas or John Prendergast, to name but three.

Team: Andy Tucker; Phil Doyle; Jack McInroy; Nicolas Lucas; Larry Marsh; Ian Gannon; Steve Rickerby; Chris Garrett; Shaun Dooley; Andy Murphy; John Prendergast; James O’Shaughnessy; Ian Wright.