Exco went down to their first defeat of the season, deservedly losing to an older but fitter and technically superior Dynamics team who also had the edge with a plethora of substitutes on a hot and humid Friday evening compared to a bare 12 for the Co. Goals from Nick Day and a superb strike from super-sub Mark Eade couldn’t paper over the cracks as Dynamics ran riot in the second half and were only prevented from scoring more by great goalkeeping from the evergreen Mark Devonshire and some profligate finishing by the Dynamo forwards.
The first half was all even at 1-1 with chances for both sides but the inevitable “running out of steam” in the all exco midfield of Johnson, Wise, Jensen and Wong happened early in the second half leaving an already fragile back four including Thomo, Col, Tim and Oggy more exposed than Erica Roe at Twickenham circa 1982.
The game was played in great spirit and was well officiated by Bobby Lawson who, after previously mentoring the league Chairman for many years, appears to have finally had some reciprocity and taken some advice from his protégé on the dietary front.
The post-match inquest inevitably turned to Neil Jensen’s barely adequate performance on debut followed by a man-of-the-match-box-to-box-25-yard-screamer-in-the-first-minute in the very next game for HKFC Rovers but the “Club versus Country” and performance enhancing drugs murmurings from a vociferous minority, fueled by draft Peroni lager, were doused by that model of sobriety that is the league secretary and by the end of the night the shouts for an inquest by means of an Extraordinary General Meeting and a full report to the World Anti-Doping Agency had tuned to whispers.
Big thanks to Dynamics for being wonderful hosts and we look forward to a re-match next season.