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Sep. 14th, 2008 07:17 pmOn Thursday, Adi Aymes informed Trevor that there'd been too much rain on the pitch during the week so the girls couldn't use it today. Thankfully our opponents, Southampton Saints, were willing to swap the home and away fixtures round, and so this morning I set off for the Gang Warily leisure centre in the New Forest.
Remembering from my last visit, four years ago, that you got a good lunch there, I arrived just after noon...to find the bar wasn't open today. The sole sources of sustenance in the vicinity were the crisp, chocolate and drink vending machines in the centre, and a burger van in a nearby car park where a car boot sale was in progress. At around 1 pm Jade, Sabrina and I all strolled over to the burger van, where Simon was already tucking into a burger he pronounced 'beautiful'. I went for a bacon roll - not bad.
Meanwhile, just after the girls arrived the news was broken that we weren't playing on the main pitch - we were on the outside pitch, with foot-long grass. I later heard from Julie, a lady I used to know connected with the Saints, that Blackfield & Langley FC, who control the main pitch, had decided they no longer wanted the Saints ladies churning up their grass. Welcome to women's football.
Erin, fully fit again, was reinstated in goal. Of course, I said nothing to any of the club officials, but I'd have stuck with Sadie. With Sally out we gave a debut to Kerry - the Irish girl whom Sabrina may or may not have been trying to get to flirt with me last week (they and their friend were having a little private joke today when I met them on arrival, but Sab was OK to me for the rest of the afternoon). We won comfortably 4-1, Jodie opening the scoring quite early with a lob over the keeper. Kerry played very well and scored our second, a scorcher into the top of the net. Chelsea's parents told me Kerry's a full Ireland international, and Sab told me we've also signed a Northern Ireland international, Trudy, who's away on international duty this week but should be making her debut next week. Quite a feather in our cap.
On the sidelines Jade freaked out because there were spiders roaming around - she can't stand them. One of them crawled into her tracksuit bottoms, driving her bananas. She frantically yanked off her tracksuit bottoms, trainers and all (her visual comedy antics prompted Penny to suggest she'd get Dick of the Day, though in the end she didn't) and gave them a vigorous shaking to get rid of the thing. When it crept onto Jade's chair moments later, Jade leapt up, Jenna D picked the spider up and made as if to put it on Jade - who got up and ran like billy-o along the side of the pitch. She came back after Penny killed the spider, but when a second one got into her jumper she insisted they all go and sit on the opposite side of the pitch.
At half-time I was walking across the pitch when a familiar voice said hello. It was lovely Michelle. She'd come along with her sister and a couple of pals, as they all had friends who play for both sides. We chatted for a little while, and she asked if I was still supporting the Hawks. I replied yes and she said, smiling sweetly, "Aren't you going to come over to Portsmouth Uni?" I said I'd get along to one of her games when Hawks weren't playing. She agreed with me that Sadie should be our #1 goalkeeper. She said she had to go talk to her friends, so with a 'catch you later' I loped off to the vending machines, my heart in a whirl.
Telé made it three but soon afterwards aggravated her dodgy ankle and had to come off. After Saints pulled one back we brought on Charlie for the last 20 minutes; she overcame her lingering leg injury to turn in a fine performance, and near the end Jodie tapped a free kick back to Lizzie, who smashed home a beautiful net-ripper from 20 yards out.
And so to the journey home, thinking of Michelle.
Remembering from my last visit, four years ago, that you got a good lunch there, I arrived just after noon...to find the bar wasn't open today. The sole sources of sustenance in the vicinity were the crisp, chocolate and drink vending machines in the centre, and a burger van in a nearby car park where a car boot sale was in progress. At around 1 pm Jade, Sabrina and I all strolled over to the burger van, where Simon was already tucking into a burger he pronounced 'beautiful'. I went for a bacon roll - not bad.
Meanwhile, just after the girls arrived the news was broken that we weren't playing on the main pitch - we were on the outside pitch, with foot-long grass. I later heard from Julie, a lady I used to know connected with the Saints, that Blackfield & Langley FC, who control the main pitch, had decided they no longer wanted the Saints ladies churning up their grass. Welcome to women's football.
Erin, fully fit again, was reinstated in goal. Of course, I said nothing to any of the club officials, but I'd have stuck with Sadie. With Sally out we gave a debut to Kerry - the Irish girl whom Sabrina may or may not have been trying to get to flirt with me last week (they and their friend were having a little private joke today when I met them on arrival, but Sab was OK to me for the rest of the afternoon). We won comfortably 4-1, Jodie opening the scoring quite early with a lob over the keeper. Kerry played very well and scored our second, a scorcher into the top of the net. Chelsea's parents told me Kerry's a full Ireland international, and Sab told me we've also signed a Northern Ireland international, Trudy, who's away on international duty this week but should be making her debut next week. Quite a feather in our cap.
On the sidelines Jade freaked out because there were spiders roaming around - she can't stand them. One of them crawled into her tracksuit bottoms, driving her bananas. She frantically yanked off her tracksuit bottoms, trainers and all (her visual comedy antics prompted Penny to suggest she'd get Dick of the Day, though in the end she didn't) and gave them a vigorous shaking to get rid of the thing. When it crept onto Jade's chair moments later, Jade leapt up, Jenna D picked the spider up and made as if to put it on Jade - who got up and ran like billy-o along the side of the pitch. She came back after Penny killed the spider, but when a second one got into her jumper she insisted they all go and sit on the opposite side of the pitch.
At half-time I was walking across the pitch when a familiar voice said hello. It was lovely Michelle. She'd come along with her sister and a couple of pals, as they all had friends who play for both sides. We chatted for a little while, and she asked if I was still supporting the Hawks. I replied yes and she said, smiling sweetly, "Aren't you going to come over to Portsmouth Uni?" I said I'd get along to one of her games when Hawks weren't playing. She agreed with me that Sadie should be our #1 goalkeeper. She said she had to go talk to her friends, so with a 'catch you later' I loped off to the vending machines, my heart in a whirl.
Telé made it three but soon afterwards aggravated her dodgy ankle and had to come off. After Saints pulled one back we brought on Charlie for the last 20 minutes; she overcame her lingering leg injury to turn in a fine performance, and near the end Jodie tapped a free kick back to Lizzie, who smashed home a beautiful net-ripper from 20 yards out.
And so to the journey home, thinking of Michelle.
