Back to the Pond with old and new faces

In a rare and fleeting nod to democracy within an organisation otherwise ruled with the subtlety of a polite oligarchy, the Football Dads and Kids were graciously allowed to vote on a burning question: “should we play Pond or Palace during school breaks?”
While the vast majority (48%) were ok either way, the others were mostly in favour for the Pond. The Palace pitch – still regarded as the greatest for royal visibility – was scorned due its infamous slope and the incomprehensible lack of throw-ins. Paride’s commitment to carry the goals and Thomas’s allegiance to continue to bring fresh soil were instrumental in giving further strength to the Pond’s advocates.
With Resolution 602-a, the Board accepted the outcome and agreed for match to be always played at the Pond (unless decided otherwise).
In truth, the Palace pitch poses a few challenges. The most notable one is probably the presence of tree branches hanging across both flanks, which force the wingers to tread carefully in their runs to avoid losing an eye in the process. The obvious solution would be to trim those branches but this has been categorically ruled out as we suspect it won’t improve our relation with the Parks Police.
That said, these issues are secondary. While they value the quality of the pitches, the Football Dads are always ready to play in every circumstance. They’d happily organise a match on the International Space Station if needed. So it was game on, with some welcome returns and some exciting new additions.
Leo, aka “the hero of Cobham” made his long-awaited return, reclaiming his spot as one of the most talented young lions.
On the opposite side, the Colours introduced a rookie, Michele, who made one of the most impressive debuts in recent times. Wearing a Roma Totti’s shirt, the young italian played with the finesse and strength of the legendary Nr.10.
The match was incredibly balanced. The Colours maintained a slight lead for most of the game, with both Michele and Al finding the back of the next. However, goals from Daoud and Jonathan allowed to Oranges to get even.
As the game neared its conclusion, the score was tied at 4-4, and Francesco had the chance to seal the victory for the Colours with a penalty. After his hat-trick last week, he was supremely confident, but ultimately missed, bamboozled by Alessandro’s antics in goal. Moments later, the Oranges claimed victory with a golden goal from Giuseppe. That’s football!
The Man of the Match award went to Rafi, Julien’s son, who returned after a long absence. Not only did he play a flawless match and contribute an assist to his Oranges team, but he also displayed maturity and intelligence on the pitch worthy of a young Iniesta. We hope this award inspires him to play more often!
COLOURS-ORANGES 4-5
COLOURS: Paride, Hossam, Al (1), Julien, Leo, Michele (1), Oliviero, Francesco, Chuck
ORANGES: Alessandro, Hannes, Johannes, Jonathan (1), Daoud (2), Avery, Philip, Giuseppe (1)