Last Updated: Saturday, 6 January 2007
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Some say it is unbecoming to enjoy the struggles of others. Gord, for example, has taken the high road after Croatia’s victory over England and has chosen not to mock his limey teammates. (Also, beating England isn’t that big a deal any more. Now if Croatia had beaten Cyprus…) But when the struggling "other" has given you a number of miserable days in the past, I think it’s OK to laugh at them. So, just like Screech laughed at Zack when Kelly wouldn’t put out, long-time Covesiders, who have been on the end of a number of substantial beatings from past Norvan squads, enjoy seeing Norvan battle Malones to stay out of the NSCL cellar. And our lads really enjoy beating Norvan. So in spite of the awful weather on a rainy October day at Inter River park, the Covesiders were all smiles after a 4-1 victory. In spite of the recent abysmal (that means really, really bad) attendance at practice, we had good numbers out for the game. Bernie called the team together for his usual “It’s a big game” speech, and started Cloudy in net, Dave H and Randy J in central defense, and Martine on one side and Doc on the other. Cam returned from a knee injury to man the centre of the park with Rob Paul, and Rod manned one wing and Gord the other. Tim and Rosie started up front. A strong contingent on the bench included Amar, Graham, Gino, Randy A, Chef Speers, and Ken Eadie, who has just returned from his guest appearances on Deadliest Catch (look for him in this week’s episode—he plays “Crab Pot #7”). I think Harp was there too but he was concealed behind his enormous coffee cup. We’re still missing Fergie, but I finally tracked him down with the Canadian military in Afghanistan. For the story, see: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15239501/?GT1=8618 After your scribe’s superb work winning the toss the game got underway. In spite of the weather, the traction was remarkably good, but the ball was skidding around and it was sometimes tough to anticipate bounces. And, like past games, our off-the-ball movement was poor and our passing was erratic. (When only six guys show up to practice on a weekly basis, perhaps this isn’t all that surprising.) The first break came our way when Roddy cut in from the left wing and got his usual powerful shot away. (This previous comment is “ironic”, involving the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. It is, however, not “sarcastic”, as sarcasm is typically intended to make its victim the butt of ridicule and I think we should all be nice to Rod because he can’t kick a ball very hard). Anyway, Rod’s powerful blast deflected off a Norvan defender and looped up and over the keeper. Duzzi claimed the goal and it gave us a 1-0 lead. Another difference between this Norvan team and past ones is their chippiness. They seemed to have a particular tendency to foul from behind (insert Rod and Rosie joke here), and they grew increasingly frustrated with the ref when he (quite correctly, most of the time) called a foul. This was the first game I remember this year when their coffee cub bitched at the ref more than our coffee club. No more goals came either way, and we dripped into half time with a 1-0 lead. The second half started well, as some good passing and some nice work from Rosie sprang him free, and he slotted past the keeper for a 2-0 Coveside lead. But before you could say “Let’s play tight for the next 10 minutes,” Norvan was on the board. A free kick looped into the box and was bundled into the net by a Norvan forward’s thigh, nuts or gut. 2-1 and the next goal was going to be a big one. Norvan continued to push forward in search of the tying goal, but they failed to create much beyond some shots from outside the box. At the other end, our soon-to-be-departing Martine was unlucky when his free kick flew almost over the fence. The culturally sensitive remark of the day was made by someone with a soul patch who shall not be named, who observed that Martine's shot almost cleared the fence because that’s how his family escaped Mexico in the first place. In order to address this cultural insensitivity, I have taken the liberty of suggesting some movies that will provide some education about Mexican culture: The Three Burials of Melaquiades Estrada, Mi Familia, Nacho Libre, and Graham’s personal favorite, Mami Culo Grande (Big-Assed Honey). Meanwhile, back on the pitch Norvan was pressing to tie the score. A well-struck free kick brought a good save from Cloudy, whose limp-wristed swat down of the ball was both effective and feminine. The best chance came from Roddy’s clinic on defending inside his own penalty area, but the resulting shot went wide. As time ticked on and Norvan began to tire, we began to create chances on the counterattack. From one of these breaks, a Gino header from a free-kick beat the keeper but found the post. This was the second time in the half that Gino hit the post--was it time for him to eat a snake again? (remember foreshadowing?) But Rosie kept the ball alive on the end line at the edge of the six-yard box. He spotted Dave “Rob Feenie” Speers open in front of the net. Since Dave was jumping up and down choking himself he was kind of hard to miss. Dave nodded Rosie’s cross into the unguarded net for a 3-1 lead and we had some breathing room. With only a few minutes left things seemed well in hand, but to Norvan’s credit they kept battling. But they were leaving themselves open at the back, and Rosie put a breakaway just wide before someone who can actually finish got his chance. (See note earlier on ironic comments). When Gino got the ball about 40 yards out with his back to the net not much looked on, but when Norvan’s central defender strangely directed all his teammates to cover our left wing, Gino ran unhindered into the area. He faked the keeper into going down and, with a sublime piece of skill that looked more Brazilian than Italian, lobbed a chip over the keeper and into the net for a 4-1 lead that, soon after, was the final score. The final result may have flattered us a bit, but we were deserving of the win and continue our undefeated run in the NSCL—just like Norvan used to do. We enjoyed our usual post-game beers and laughs under the tent as the rain grew heavier. Chef Speers outdid himself (and, it should be said, showed some real cultural sensitivity by trying to make Martine feel at home) with some outstanding chicken fajitas. Next week will be yet another big game, this time against Freybe. And with Rosie and Cloudy out of town, this might be a good week for a stronger turnout at practice (and a good time for Jason to return—any word, Rob P?). See you all at practice and next weekend. Hasta la vista, amigos. |
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