Decliners Report:

Things didn’t go according to plan for this one with neither our keeper or the ref showing up. EM are a top bunch and it was agreed to go ahead without a referee and negotiate any decisions as we went. It might have been better for us if we’d also decided to go without a keeper, although our two volunteers made a valiant effort. EM soon took control of the game and had the lion’s share of possession without creating too many great opportunities. They came closest to helping us out with a goal when a defender hit their own crossbar following a corner. Just before HT Monday got the ball in the net but the scorer was offside. In a game where the Corinthian spirit was fully on display, everyone got on with it without complaint. Soon after HT, Monday finally took the lead after our second GK volunteer made a hash of a straightforward catch from a corner. Decliners then had their best period, which coincided with the dominant Monday CM taking a break on the bench. The Monday keeper made 3 great saves to preserve their lead. A second goal for Monday resulted from a strong challenge in the Decliners box. There were some howls of protest claiming a foul, but overall the Decliners side felt it was a legal challenge and the goal stood. In the final 20 minutes EM deployed their new voice-activated linesman which caused a bit of frustration, but not enough to dent what had been an excellent game played in exactly the right way. EM play a stylish, passing game and will be in the mix for the 50’s title if the season ever reaches its conclusion.