Soccer Footy Soccer

I had a stressful morning coaching Sport Boy's soccer team this morning. It was the final game of the home and away season before the knock-out finals start next week. We were playing Vasse. They had 15 players to choose from. We had the bare 11 because DJ was sick. At half time we were down to 10 because Georgie was too sick to continue and for a ten minute period in the second half we were down to 9 after Sport Boy copped a heavy knock and came off injured. It wasn't the first time he'd been knocked over and he was feeling pretty sore but managed to drag himself back on the pitch and even contributed to the first goal of the game, scored by Jacob.

Five minutes later Vasse equalised with a header from a corner although our kids protested that the ball had gone out before curving back in and apparently the kid who kicked it confirmed it but the goal stood, 1-1.

I should say that by this time I was not having a very good morning, frustrated by the refereeing and particularly a blatant foul from behind on Sport Boy as he was running toward goal that wasn't paid followed by the incident where he got hurt. My parental instincts were spiking into the red zone and I was having trouble concentrating on the rest of the game.

Some relief came in the last few minutes when Ben C scored a fantastic goal from a free kick outside the area to restore our lead. The final score was 2-1 and there was a mixture of celebration and relief at the final whistle.

I told the kids I was especially proud of the way they played through adversity, particularly when we were down to 9 players.

I came home to watch the footy: Geelong beat Fremantle at Kardinia Park by about 5 goals, the best news being that Brad Ottens played for the first time since round 2 and got through the game unscathed. The finals start next weekend so it was good to get some players back and a win on the board. In fact, with that win the Cats have set a new record, becoming the first team in history to win 18 games or more in a season in three consecutive years, as well as equalling their best ever sequence of 22 successive home wins.

I then watched Essendon beat Hawthorn to once and for all knock the Hawks out of the finals, the first reigning premier to fail to make the finals in over 10 years.

I took Sport Boy back to soccer for his Country Week team training while I hunted down a couple of garage sales. One of them turned up two treasures, the first being a box of model aeroplanes for $15 complete with a full set of enamel paints. The second was the garage sale Proprietor, an 81 year old gentleman named John who is selling up and moving back to England to be with his sweetheart, a lady two years his junior called Jean who he first met in 1946! Emigration, marriages and the subsequent deaths of their respective partners followed before a brief reconnection in 1980 saw them renew acquaintence. But a further 28 year separation kept them apart on opposite sides of the world until last year when John went to visit her in the UK. They hit it off so well that he's making the big move and going back to England to be with her!

I took his picture on my phone but unfortunately can't get it to upload to the computer or I would post it here but I did ask him if it was alright to get in touch with the local paper and get them to come and do a story about him. It's too good a yarn to leave untold I reckon.

Spike worked this afternoon and tonight is out at his girlfriend's place: "I'll be very late home tonight" he informed me as he was leaving!

SB and I went to church tonight. Noel is away so Ozzie was preaching which is always an "interesting" experience!

We came home and I cooked a BBQ dinner while SB watched "Bend it Like Beckham".

I've been following the Premier League scores while I've been blogging: Spurs playing Birmingham at White Hart Lane. It looked certain to finish 1-1 but in the last seconds of injury time Aaron Lennon just scored the winner to give Spurs 4 wins out of 4 to start the season which is easily the best start they've had in all the years I've been following them. Come on you Spurs!