Mens 3rd XI

Match Report

Slazenger 3s rolled into Aire Valley looking to extend their winning streak to four games, and the lads certainly weren’t leaving until they’d had their fill. The Slazenger Arms was open for business, the goals were on tap and three precious points were waiting to be pulled.

The visitors wasted no time getting the first round in. Just three minutes into the match, John found himself one-on-one with the keeper after a perfectly poured pass from Scott. John kept his cool, took the keeper on and slotted home to make it 1–0. A quality finish, served straight up.

Aire Valley weren’t prepared to let Slazenger drink them under the table, however, and equalised five minutes later. The game settled into a competitive affair seeing a green card for potty mouth Seth who muttered “for god sake”; before Tim restored Slazenger’s lead five minutes before half-time. John turned provider this time, laying the ball on a plate for Tim to finish and send Slazenger into the break with a 2–1 advantage.

The second half began with Aire Valley determined to spoil the party, and ten minutes in they pulled the score back to 2–2. The atmosphere was getting tense, the pints were running low, and Slazenger needed someone to step up behind the bar.

Step forward Tim, who decided a second helping was in order.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Slazenger won a short corner and worked it around beautifully. The move found Trevor, whose shot was saved by the keeper, but Tim was lurking in the perfect position to gobble up the rebound and fire Slazenger back in front at 3–2. Two goals for Tim, three points for Slazenger, and one very happy landlord.

The remaining minutes were spent protecting the lead, with the Slazenger defence putting in a shift worthy of a lock-in. Will was particularly outstanding at left back, producing an incredible performance to keep Aire Valley at bay. His efforts earned him Man of the Match, although the voting was a close-run affair, with Sammy, Jack, Simon and Tim all picking up a few votes of their own.

Then came the final whistle — or at least, what Slazenger assumed was the final whistle. One solitary blow rang out, seemingly for a foul, leaving the visitors standing around wondering why everyone had stopped playing. It took one brave player to ask the obvious question: “Is the game over?”

Thankfully, the answer was yes. Three points safely secured, no need to call last orders, and another victory added to the books.

Slazenger have now won four games in a row, scoring 18 goals and conceding just 4 in the process. The form is flowing nicely, the defence is keeping things tidy, and the Slazenger Arms is becoming a very difficult pub to leave with anything other than an empty glass.

Final score: Aire Valley 3s 2–3 Slazenger 3s

🍻 Goals: John, Tim ×2

🏆 Man of the Match: Will

📈 Winning streak: 4 in a row

🍺 Recent record: 18 scored, 4 conceded

Same time next week? Landlord’s round!