Match Days Three and Four
Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Steve Dettre 2 – Raffaele Lombardi 1

A double round this week, after a week off last week and, first up, Raffaele got his first view of Steve’s Tocca figures. He seemed to be a little put off over the first half as everything that ran into Steve’s Goliaths stopped dead in its tracks. Steve took advantage of Raffaele’s hesitation and ground out a convincing two goal lead by the half time break. Raffaele took a deep breath at half time and came back stronger and more confident in the second half. After an even 10 minutes, Raffaele pulled one back, making for an tense finale. Steve, however, was able to remain solid and pick up his first win of the league.

Gordy Dudley 0 – Paul Magee 3

On the other table, Gordy started out much as he had in his first game – being put under pressure by a more experienced player but holding his own where it counted, on the score board. Paul did manage to put one past him but Gordy was still in the match, down 1-0 at half time. In the second half, Paul’s experience showed through as his solid play saw him get through Gordy’s defenses another two times, closing the match out at 3-0.

Raffaele Lombardi 1 – Eliot Kennedy 0

Backing up for the second game, Raffaele’s touch (these have been his first games in over 20 years) was really beginning to return. A little bit of luck also went his way as Eliot, who slammed 6 home in his last game, again peppered the goals but, this time, could only manage to find the woodwork, not the back of the net. Four times over the course of the game the ball rebounded off the crossbar. Raffaele, however, was not just defending and he took advantage of Eliot’s misfiring radar, slotting home a goal of his own during one of his forays forward. In another tense finish, he held on solidly to earn a famous victory.

Rob Retalic F – Steve Diasinos

A late withdrawal by Rob means that Steve took the points and the 4 goal advantage. Steve is adamant that it was a ploy by Rob to keep his goal difference relatively healthy, as Steve is certain he would have put 6 or 7 past Rob. Rob has not yet used his right of reply.

Eliot Kennedy 8 – Gordy Dudley 0

Eliot was very disappointed with his efforts shooting in his earlier game. Unluckily for Gordy, he became the victim of Eliot’s frustrations. As had happened against Paul two weeks ago, Eliot dismantled Gordy’s defenses with great regularity – 6 times in the opening 15 and a further 2 times in the second half. Eliot did mention something about taking it easy at one stage but, with the taste of blood in his mouth, proceeded to renege on that promise.

Adrian Elmer 3 – Paul Magee 0

It took about two minutes before Adrian finally got a touch of the ball in the last fixture, Paul playing a completely dominant role. Adrian’s close flicking was letting him down and it was all one way traffic. However, Paul was struggling to convert possession into goals, hitting the side netting on more than one occasion and seeing a few drilled shots well saved. Then, towards the end of the half, Paul left himself wide open at the back and a quick counter-attack saw Adrian trickle the ball into an unmanned goal to take a 1-0 lead to the break. The main point of discussion, though, was a ‘smashing’ foul committed by Paul in the first half. It is believed that this was the first such foul committed competitively in Australia since the new law was brought in in early September. All who witnessed it agreed it was a henious foul, incredibly ugly play and completely against the spirit of Subbuteo.

In the second half, Paul committed more players forward but this time struggled to break through Adrian’s much more disciplined defense. As his desperation grew, so did the number of attacking players and, on another counter-attack, Adrian deftly chipped to the far corner to double his lead. As the clock wound down, Paul finally got in front of an open goal with Adrian’s travelling ‘keeper stranded. His shot, however, from a fairly acute angle, cannoned of the upright and out for a throw, summing up his frustrations for the entire game. A final, quick fire counter from Adrian saw the ball hit the back of Paul’s net for the third time just a fraction of a second before the final whistle.

So, heading to the midway point of the tournament, Adrian sits on top on goal difference from Paul with Steve Dettre looking good with a game in hand. Eliot’s goal difference is mind boggling but Raffaele’s victory over one of the favourites sees him take on the mantle of dark-horse. Paul has just one double header next week to finish his quota before heading off for HSC marking, so will need some good results to put distance between himself and the pack. Steve Diasinos is waiting patiently for another game while Rob has apparently run off with his tail between his legs. Gordy will hopefully recover from his unfortunate finger injury which put him at a disadvantage tonight.