Gladiators! To Arms! This was the cry from Capn Bas before this game.

VETS 2 were very short of players this week and had to play away vs the team just above us. A fixture we have often lost, occasionally drawn, but never won! 11 gladiators, just, is all we could muster for this key battle.

Mazza in goal, Bas and Hughie central defence, Jake Lowe right back and Alex at left back. George and Ady in mid-field, and new boys Jeppe Rasmussen and Ben Castel on left and right. Mark Newbould and Chris FF upfront.

No nonsense 4-4-2, give everything you can! And how much they GAVE!!! From the off we were pushing them as far as we could.

Possession was quite even, but it was more challenging playing up-hill and into the very low sun. Still, with steely discipline we kept them away from any significant chances in the first half. Even a bit of juggling with the ball by Mazza was only to tease them a little. Solid defending from Jake on the right and Hughie in the middle made sure they were never free to exercise much pressure on us. At the same time George and Ady worked hard in midfield to spoil, win and harry them off the ball. Jeppe and Ben, completely new to the fight, got stuck in as well.

From our side we had a couple of half chances in the first half, as well as two good ones from Ben and Jeppe that STRING managed to block or clear for a corner. The constant pressure on their defence every time the ball was in their half meant that we forced many a throw-in simply out of fear!

0-0 at half time but we were the stronger side! They were just not able to penetrate the defence with anything significant.

The second half started off much the same as the first. Jeppe now up front as he was short on puff, with Mark back to left midfield to be screamed at left back Alex Knott, whose clever defensive work ensured that nothing got past him all match.

Still we kept chasing them down and forcing them to turn, but they were still trying to stretch us where they could. Their main attacker was having a miserable day against Jake, and was forced to trudge across to the middle or other side to try and shake him off (he didn’t manage a single shot all day, only the occasional cross). Still, in stretching the defence he was able to fashion a small opening for their left mid-fielder who, with 15-20min to go, latched onto a cross alone at the far post and scored!

S**t 0-1 down and not really deserved at all! Was this history repeating itself again?? We NEVER seem to get the rub-of-the-green against this lot!!

After a minute or two in the doldrums, though, we turned it around! Ffinchy won the ball on the right touchline coming back, played in-field to where George took it and played a sublime pass straight through the heart of their defence to where Mark Newbould had timed his run (yes a run, not a jog), one step to the side of the keeper and Mark scores GOOOAAALLLLL!

1 – 1 Now the blood was up! We pressed them and a few minutes later won the ball back on the halfway with Ady, pass out to Alex who curled one into the left corner flag where the ever energetic Ffinchy was running, who took the ball round the remaining defender and slotted past the keeper GOOALLL!!

2 – 1 up, double punch combination and exactly what they have done to us in the past here.

For the next few minutes they tried to pick themselves up and mount a counter attack, but we were just too disciplined to let them. Winning and passing the ball where we could, Hoofing it where we needed to, no mercy, no quarter given! Then the knockout blow.

Cleared ball forward was only partially knocked back allowing a nice pass into Mark, who from outside the box let rip a fierce shot that the keeper was only able to parry… for Ffinchy to come storming in and finish GOOALLLLLL!! 3 – 1 and the Knock-Out.

They threw everything they had at us after that, but apart from one goalmouth scramble they just couldn’t penetrate the defence. Even with the ref helping them the last 20 mins with some really dodgy decision making (after being very even for most of the match), they could NOT force it through… Game over and an historic 3 – 1 win!

No hiding today, this was true gladiatorial stuff, we had the bare 11 (they had 13)…. "Morituri te salutant”!! Everyone played well today with many playing in completely new positions due to those VETS who were away!

Giant performances from ‘murmillo’ Jake and ‘essedarius’ Hughie. Bas and Alex heaving the heavy axes to blast it clear where neded, as well as a true fighting display across the whole of the midfield. This was a well deserved victory and finished with a round of Saint Joseph beers in the String Penelope bar! MOM was clear winner Chris Ffinch who ran and ran and scored two excellent goals!!

…Jeppe…. Just one small point, as a fierce Danish warrior you might want to consider face paint, an axe, or some other frightening weapon to intimidate your foes, but not a woolly hat!

And finally a message to the other VETS 2 players away this weekend (getting manicures, waxing, fashion shopping etc….), from our own BAS "King Henry V” TEN HOLTER…”

And VETS 2 gentlemen in England Bruxelles now-a-bed shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s Joseph day”.