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Hit the Bar Vs Devote Design Wed
New opposition were on the cards this week, namely Devote Design Wed, who were also unbeaten so far this season. Not much was known about these boys, and their website www.devotedesign.co.uk didn't reveal much, apart from that they were a small Stockport outfit, famous for designing the prolific Globe takeaway logo, but with a rather disappointing company slogan: "why not call, we don't bite". They obviously saved all their aggression for after work, as HTB found themselves playing one of their most physical games to date. There wasn't much between the two sides in the first half, and goals were traded with the score 4 apiece at half time. Things weren't being helped either by the inept ref who picked up the SHORTSIGHTED SHIRTLIFTER award and who tended to give decisions based not on the rules of the games, but on who shouted at him the loudest. The start of the second half saw HTB needlessly give away two sloppy goals and play most of the second half playing catch-up. Fortunately, DDW swapped their keeper mid-way through the half, with the new guy having as much respect for boundaries as the Israelis. A converted penalty quickly followed and the deficit was soon down to one. Minutes from time, the keeper once again came flying out, and a second penalty was banged in. At 9-9, a tense final minute was played out, but the ref's whistle ended it before HTB could get the win they were craving. A big win for Riders of Rohan saw HTB slip to second, and share a tally of 7 points with 3 other teams.
Player ratings:
Squirrel - It's typical, you wait ages for a decent contender for Surerandomality Starman to come along, and two come along at once. An outstanding game with a tremendous amount of one-on-one saves, thanks to some excellent positioning and thicker-than-average legs. No doubt that he kept his side in the game and was unlucky not to get Starman - 9
Wes - This was also an exceptional performance. The accuracy and power of his shooting was top notch tonight and Beckham himself could learn something by watching the composure with which he tucked away the two penalties. Notched up 7 of the 9 goals and battled all night long. This week's SURERANDOMALITY STARMAN - 9
Dancing - A determined performance with mixed results. Got himself in a position to score a few times but couldn't find the target. Made some good tackles but was also guilty of being beaten on occasion. A reasonable game - 7
Nez - A very subdued performance by his standards and was perhaps slowed down by his bushy hair. Never really got into the game although at times his gritty tackling was a real asset to the team. Unusually didn't get on the score sheet, and didn't force that many saves either, perhaps the pressure of reaching his ton is taking it's toll - 6
G-Man - Inconsistency was the theme this week - at times he played well, tackled brilliantly and played some good passes, but at others he lost possession in dangerous areas and he even tried to lob the ball into an open goal, needless to say he missed. Got one goal but should have had more - 7
Ricky Organ - A pretty bog-standard game from the hairy-armed one. The notable highlight was that he somehow managed to score a direct free-kick, with DDW not realising that the easy way to stop such goals is to stand in front of the ball. He also covered the pitch to good effect although sometimes left behind a hole at the back - 7