After the midweek mist of 31 emails, 4 text messages, 8 phone calls, babysitter hunts and road accidents the Vets 2 gladiators actually turned up with a strong squad.

On a pitch where our firsts beat LTC 1-4 (and stayed behind well lubricated and fed on sausage rolls but mostly liquid bread) we had the chance to break the title run of LTC. Unbeaten and 19 points from 21, quite a contrast with Vets 2 who are on 6 from 24.

The squadding complete we actually had the luxury of 6 defenders, 3 forwards and 3 midfielders. So on demand we could play the trusted English 4-4-2 with Gutierrez and Riley in the middle, Back four of Brian-Alex-Paul and Bas, Mazza on goal, Chris F and Jake on the wings and Kenny and Timme up front. Neil W and Hughie as subs.

The first 3 minutes we had no touch of the football. LTC passed the ball well, found their nr. 23 fast forward supported by Nrs 5 and 8 who, together with their captain, pushed forward strongly.

But after about 5 minutes we found our game and started our deep passing to targetman Kenny. 10 minutes in, Chris F found Jake on the right wing, who unleashed a cross/shot from the top right corner of the 18 yard box. The ball turned towards their goalie who could not handle this strange occurrence of actually being challenged. He dropped it straight in the path of Kenny the Stealth bomber who needed a controlled touch to put the good guys ahead.

You couldn’t write the script. Kenny happens to be in Brussels this week, we needed a forward with Mark unavailable, in front of the entire Firsts entourage Kenny adds to his tally as club record goal scorer. Careful not to break a limb while celebrating he slo-mo’ed his slide in front of a friendly crowd.

15 minutes in and Vets 2 ahead against the top team.

Unlucky then that soon after, we had our own share of misfortune. A shot straight at Mazza bounced off right in front of their No5 who pushed it in for 1-1. So no clean sheet then despite the plan.

A quick break-away from their forward which Brian seemed to render harmless but he got his toe to it and pushed it into the bottom corner. 2-1. Soon after LTC changed their formation and used all three subs, giving us a second chance because stamina and willpower would come into play and we had Neill and Hugh in reserve.

Halftime talk: no big changes, Neill for Jake who had some penetrating runs and good passes.

The second half saw Vets2 win more duels and find more space. Kenny acted as target man and was able to feed both Timme and Chris F with headers and through passes. On one of those from a long ball Kenny flicked it sideways, Timme was played through. He tried to chip the keeper, but the keeper managed to get his finger-tips to the ball, only for it to bounce kindly for Chris who, following up, finished calmly for 2-2.

This was looking like our game now. We won more duels, got more aggressive and had another 3-4 chances including a well placed shot from Neill, a shot across goal from Timme and a saved shot from Chris F after a good through pass. With Alex and Paul pushing forward and Hughie neutralizing their No23 it was ours to win. A few scares after freekicks but the crowd felt an upset in the air. Lady luck was not with us as final passes in front of their goal did not connect, noteworthy one crosspass to Ffinch that Ken did not want to touch. Or should touch. But fatigue took its toll and Kenny slowed it down anyway which meant it did not get through.

Both teams seemed to settle for a point until the final 30 seconds. We stopped one of their attacks and tried to pass our way forward. A disconnect in the central circle caught us by surprise as we were moving forward, a quick forward pass left which left us exposed. Bas could not close the angle and Mazza, on popular request, came off his line but neither of us got there on time. This made it easy for their forward to pass it in from distance for the excruciating 3-2 in the last second. Because that was it. Final whistle.

Man of the Match Mike Gutierrez who was playmaker in midfield, some beers afterwards during which LTC admitted they did not expect us to play that well given our position on the table. A draw seemed likely and fair but, not for the first time, we was robbed.

Your scribe liked the fact we kept our positions, worked hard, had a lot of combination play but need a bit more precision in our passing. Not to mention the positivity on the pitch. Onward and upward!