Don’t Mention the Seven- Nil Scoreline
Some of the squad returned to developing their football skills and knowledge at the first Friday coaching session of the year; the others sent uninhabited bodies along to Oxstalls and continued with their Xmas festivities. Coach Harris was not happy and threatened to re-invent his alter-ego ‘Bad-Cop’ for the game on Saturday.
With Harris enjoying a lie-in, Coach Wixey did his absolute best not to mention Tottenham’s seven-nil thrashing of Tranmere to photographer and Tranmere fan Hickey. He was not very successful on many occasions and asked others not to mention it to him either. They were unsuccessful as too. Hickey just trudged away and mumbled something about inflating his prices to cheer himself up.
Luckily ‘Bad Cop’ had woken up and forgotten the previous evening’s session; instead he concentrated totally on copious coughing fits every thirty seconds. Bee arrived extremely early and Wixey thought it would be good to spend the extra time in getting to understand what is going on inside his mind as they set out the warm up area. Twenty minutes later Wixey admits defeat and returns to listen to Harris coughing instead. A second opportunity arises when the conversation turns to Shakespeare. When Bee is asked by Coach Owen what he knows about the great man, Bee’s response of a grin and four “Uh’s” stops Harris from coughing to shake his head and immediately texts his friend and Longlevens teacher Lewis Cook, with some constructive criticism regarding the questionable teaching standards at the school. On realising that the other representative of LJSl is Boakes, Harris feels sorry for upsetting his teacher-friend, but sends him more abuse and constructive criticism anyway. Bee just grins.
As the players arrive, Wixey and Harris begin to worry. Ball is showing off a new earring, Taylor and Mason seem to still be asleep, Villiers is late and worst of all Mulraney has not been to the hairdressers at all that morning. Harris’s Bad Cop is being readied…once he stops coughing.
Villiers leads the warm up well and things start to look up. Wixey’s first team talk nearly brings it all back down though as the players take twenty guesses at their prime focus of the day. The previous evening’s talk is completely forgotten as some give the first footballing term to come to mind and others simply point to their head. Eventually ‘Attitude!’ is shouted out. Wixey and Harris remain worried.
They needn’t have bothered though as the team began the game well, showing the effort and desire missing in the hours leading up to the game. The visitors, St Albans, were forced back as the hosts took control of this Geoff Richards Trophy league match.
Villiers’ intelligent run and a perfect through ball from Fisher in the first minute set the tone, but the keeper saved well. It was to be ten minutes into the game before Gloucester took the lead. Taylor’s flag kick hit the base of the far post before Ball poked home from close range.
The away side then had their best spell of the match and threatened to make a real game of it as they had done in the previous two meetings this season, with each team having returned a 2-1 victory. Excellent performances in defence by Ball and Werner, backed up by solid games from Mason and Boakes in goal however, ensured that the Gloucester backline was not breached. And it was Ball who set up the second goal by winning the ball near his own penalty area and sending Villiers through on goal with a clip over the top. The striker expertly slid the ball past the advancing keeper to put the home side two up.
After the break, Gloucester, with Kennedy and Jones energetic in central midfield, added good passing football to their first half effort and the chances began to flow with regularity. Fisher scored a vital third goal to dash any Saints’ hopes of a comeback, netting after good work from Taylor, Ball and Villiers, before Mulraney’s long through ball to Fisher saw the striker slot the ball neatly past the keeper for a four-goal lead.
The powerful striker gained his hat-trick by holding off and beating two defenders before driving in from the edge of the area following yet another long pass from Ball. Jones capped a fine individual display by netting from an impossible angle that deified the laws of physics and Mulraney completed the scoring with a strike into the bottom corner of the net to give The Yellows a seven-goal victory. A great all-round performance that shows what this team is capable of and a fantastic way to start the new year.
Well done boys, you managed to keep Bad Cop at bay and thankfully stopped him coughing for virtually the entire game.
Photographer Hickey was not happy though as it reminded him of the previous night’s result again. Wixey again was not successful in not mentioning it. Hickey thought it was a conspiracy against him personally when the A-Team neared the same scoreline, but he was saved by the final whistle as their game finished just six-nil.
One of the aims of the GPSFA is for the boys to undergo new experiences and meet new people. Bag packing is one such opportunity. At first all were a little reticent, but after a few goes they all took to it and were soon seen chatting away to customers as if they were old friends. The comments I received from many as they left Sainsbury’s were very pleasing indeed and reflect well on everyone and their families.
A great day for the GPSFA.
Gloucester: Boakes, Mason, Ball, Werner; Taylor, Kennedy, Villiers, Mulraney, Fisher; Jones, Bee.
With Harris enjoying a lie-in, Coach Wixey did his absolute best not to mention Tottenham’s seven-nil thrashing of Tranmere to photographer and Tranmere fan Hickey. He was not very successful on many occasions and asked others not to mention it to him either. They were unsuccessful as too. Hickey just trudged away and mumbled something about inflating his prices to cheer himself up.
Luckily ‘Bad Cop’ had woken up and forgotten the previous evening’s session; instead he concentrated totally on copious coughing fits every thirty seconds. Bee arrived extremely early and Wixey thought it would be good to spend the extra time in getting to understand what is going on inside his mind as they set out the warm up area. Twenty minutes later Wixey admits defeat and returns to listen to Harris coughing instead. A second opportunity arises when the conversation turns to Shakespeare. When Bee is asked by Coach Owen what he knows about the great man, Bee’s response of a grin and four “Uh’s” stops Harris from coughing to shake his head and immediately texts his friend and Longlevens teacher Lewis Cook, with some constructive criticism regarding the questionable teaching standards at the school. On realising that the other representative of LJSl is Boakes, Harris feels sorry for upsetting his teacher-friend, but sends him more abuse and constructive criticism anyway. Bee just grins.
As the players arrive, Wixey and Harris begin to worry. Ball is showing off a new earring, Taylor and Mason seem to still be asleep, Villiers is late and worst of all Mulraney has not been to the hairdressers at all that morning. Harris’s Bad Cop is being readied…once he stops coughing.
Villiers leads the warm up well and things start to look up. Wixey’s first team talk nearly brings it all back down though as the players take twenty guesses at their prime focus of the day. The previous evening’s talk is completely forgotten as some give the first footballing term to come to mind and others simply point to their head. Eventually ‘Attitude!’ is shouted out. Wixey and Harris remain worried.
They needn’t have bothered though as the team began the game well, showing the effort and desire missing in the hours leading up to the game. The visitors, St Albans, were forced back as the hosts took control of this Geoff Richards Trophy league match.
Villiers’ intelligent run and a perfect through ball from Fisher in the first minute set the tone, but the keeper saved well. It was to be ten minutes into the game before Gloucester took the lead. Taylor’s flag kick hit the base of the far post before Ball poked home from close range.
The away side then had their best spell of the match and threatened to make a real game of it as they had done in the previous two meetings this season, with each team having returned a 2-1 victory. Excellent performances in defence by Ball and Werner, backed up by solid games from Mason and Boakes in goal however, ensured that the Gloucester backline was not breached. And it was Ball who set up the second goal by winning the ball near his own penalty area and sending Villiers through on goal with a clip over the top. The striker expertly slid the ball past the advancing keeper to put the home side two up.
After the break, Gloucester, with Kennedy and Jones energetic in central midfield, added good passing football to their first half effort and the chances began to flow with regularity. Fisher scored a vital third goal to dash any Saints’ hopes of a comeback, netting after good work from Taylor, Ball and Villiers, before Mulraney’s long through ball to Fisher saw the striker slot the ball neatly past the keeper for a four-goal lead.
The powerful striker gained his hat-trick by holding off and beating two defenders before driving in from the edge of the area following yet another long pass from Ball. Jones capped a fine individual display by netting from an impossible angle that deified the laws of physics and Mulraney completed the scoring with a strike into the bottom corner of the net to give The Yellows a seven-goal victory. A great all-round performance that shows what this team is capable of and a fantastic way to start the new year.
Well done boys, you managed to keep Bad Cop at bay and thankfully stopped him coughing for virtually the entire game.
Photographer Hickey was not happy though as it reminded him of the previous night’s result again. Wixey again was not successful in not mentioning it. Hickey thought it was a conspiracy against him personally when the A-Team neared the same scoreline, but he was saved by the final whistle as their game finished just six-nil.
One of the aims of the GPSFA is for the boys to undergo new experiences and meet new people. Bag packing is one such opportunity. At first all were a little reticent, but after a few goes they all took to it and were soon seen chatting away to customers as if they were old friends. The comments I received from many as they left Sainsbury’s were very pleasing indeed and reflect well on everyone and their families.
A great day for the GPSFA.
Gloucester: Boakes, Mason, Ball, Werner; Taylor, Kennedy, Villiers, Mulraney, Fisher; Jones, Bee.
