Date: 24th February
Place: Hackney
Marshes
Reason: to help the York City Trust raise money
They say desperate times call for desperate measures, and what could be more desperate than calling on LOFT to provide a team for a football tournament. Still, after the triumphant performance in the Northampton 5-a-side tournament in January (click here to read the report) we were more than up for proving our worth. Unfortunately, this was an 11-a-side tournament. Even more unfortunately, we only found this out 24 hours before we were due to play…
Do not underestimate LOFT's efficiency and ability at persuading or even just bribing people, as in the end, around 25 people showed up at The Home Of Football to take part or cheer on the brave troops. And it wasn't pretty.
We weren't helped by the conditions: it was freezing cold, blowing a gale and raining consistently. But it was immediately obvious we were never going to be serious contenders; we weren't even playing in the same colours, and the fact that the team had only met that morning rather hampered communication on the pitch.
It was unsurprising, therefore, that we lost all our matches; but two of our defeats were from teams who went on to be semi-finalists (Sky Sports) and losing finalists (BBC London) and had clearly played together before/brought in a load of Sunday Leaguers. Unfortunately the third team we lost to (the Yorkie Bars)had never won a game in their 18-month existence (3 draws, 18 defeats...). BUT we only lost that one 1-0 and we could have won if "the luck of the green" ((c) Paul Brush) had been with us. Honest.
Anyway, our swift exit meant that we got to the Birkbeck first, which was the important thing. Oh, and York raised over a grand.
Thanks to everyone who turned up on a freezing wet day at a ridiculous time
to play and watch. Even more thanks to those who dragged friends down for the
day (Paul West, Anna, Aidan, Rachel…) And once more, thanks to the Orientear for
the shirts…
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