Maccabi Bxl

“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, mate.” – Saul, circa 3pm.

The thirds finished the season with a match against league leaders Maccabi. It was a massacre. Gabri was gunned down by his own hamstring after 2 minutes. Shortly after that Andrea rolled his ankle on a land mine. Maccabi scored a lucky goal. Piet almost scored from outside the box. 1-0 half time. Piet gave us all a motivational team talk at half time. This was his last game for the 3rds after 20 years and we were the best 3rds team he’s played with in all those years. We decided then and there that we had to do it for Piet.

Anyway, we immediately conceded from a looping, deflected shot. 2-0. Then Theo got hit with a cannon to the face and had to go to hospital. Some of his teeth stayed on the pitch. A tooth for every goal. Now playing with 10, we dug deep. We looked to Piet. You could see it in his eyes. There was no way he was losing his final match. Not on his watch. Not with the captain’s armband on. Enough was enough. Then Noel marched forward into No Man’s Land and dislocated his shoulder. Now down to 9, everything was going against us. “The horror… the horror,” Gav muttered as he looked at the battlefield. “Medic, MEDIIIICCCC!” screamed Timo as he desperately tried to push Sylvain’s intestines back in. Shane was found walking in circles near the corner flag. Shellshock. The match finished 2-0.

Despite that the 3rds finished the season in high spirits. We reached our aim of top 4 and had a terrific run in the second half of the season where we won a silly amount of games and played some terrific football. Special thank you to the captains – Saul, Gav and Matt – for all their hard work and for giving up so much of their time over the past year to ensure the season was a success. We all owe them endless beers, or in Matt’s case, manual labour. He’s currently looking for “an actual plasterer and someone who can handle delicate tile work”.

MOTM was Piet. The greatest of servants to the 3rds for the last 20 years. His legendarily long legs will be missed.

Those we hold most dear
never truly leave us,
they live on in the kindness
they showed,
the comfort they shared,
and the love they brought into our lives.
Rest (those legs) in Peace Piet.

Today’s match was a real challenge from the start. We faced one of the league’s top contenders on a natural grass pitch that was far from ideal, with strong winds making it difficult to play our usual game.

We struggled in the first half, spending most of our time chasing the ball and unable to get a foothold in the game. We started the second half with more energy and created two clear chances through Shane and Brais that could have changed the momentum of the game. The match ended without any further major incidents, perhaps as our opponents eased off the pressure.

While it was a difficult result, we have a lot to work on in the coming weeks. We are more motivated than ever to show what a united team we are, with a great feeling both on and off the pitch.

Result 2-0 loss

MOTM Ahmet