It felt as though I was lining up against the firing squad on duty for Faithfold in the Maccabi Masters Football League on Sunday.
Having become Chigwell Athletic’s bogey team over the past couple of seasons, it was no surprise to see them line up with top-scorer Adam Stolerman and Steve Summers in attack once more. We had somehow managed to tame them a few weeks ago, even though we needed a large slice of luck, with Stolerman hitting the crossbar no fewer than four times.
However, Richard Slater drafted in some top-quality reinforcements for our latest meeting in Ilford, where Faithfold were taught a lesson. In fact it was the nearest I’ve come to playing against the Harlem Globetrotters.
Dean Nyman, who still looks and runs around like an 18-year-old, and Alex Levack, whose match for London Lions Vets had, just our luck, fallen victim to the weather, joined what is an already talented squad. And it would be fair to say they ran us ragged.
Four goals flew past me during a frenetic opening 10 minutes, most of them into the top corner. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, knowing that more would follow.
It was 9-0 at half-time, I think, and I was having nightmares about Chigwell’s name flashing up in lights on the adjoining results page, with the dreaded double digits scoreline in brackets (12, yes twelve). In fairness we changed our tactics a little and did well to restrict them to just the three in the second half. I spent the next day recovering in a dark room. It will take a very good team to stop them from winning the title.
In this week’s JC Podcast, I’ve addressed the decline of Maccabi football. The MMFL is more competitive than ever, but there are clearly more and more players who enjoy the leisurely pace compared to the cut and thrust of the MGBSFL.
* Maccabi GB are holding an open football training session with a view to taking a Junior Girls football team to the 20th Maccabiah Games in 2017. Players must be born between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2002 for the session that will take place on Sunday at Rowley Lane at 5pm.
* Tributes having been coming in for Howard Keeney, the former south Mancs manager who passed away. John Gregory and Mick Harford were among the mourners at the levoyah of a larger-than-life figure who I can best describe as the life and soul of the changing room. He will be greatly missed.
To get more from Life, click here to sign up for our free Life newsletter.