DRAW: 0-0 vs Bat City – The Goal That Wasn’t, 10 Badgers Strong, and The End of the New Jersey Curse!!
Desperate times in Badtertown. Five losses in a row. A third of the team carrying some sort of injury. Low numbers for a game up north at NEMP. Things weren’t looking good for the Honey Badgers yesterday as they lined up to face Bat City. Cameron Road started with 10 men, and finished with 10 men, although Ol’Schwarzy arrived fashionably late and got himself all dressed up to play within a few minutes of the kickoff.
Heeding the late text plea, Andy showed up and slotted into the midfield on the right with Chappy on the left and Schwarzy and Ciro in the middle. Derek was the tiny tip of the spear as Peterson pushed up a bit as a false nine. The back line was Big Dave, Guillermo, Jeff Z and Brian Parks who also showed up despite some injuries.
The Badgers started off brightly with a 15 pass opening salvo to get into Bat City territory. They were doing well right out of the gate, and the attack down the right hand side with Parks and Andy was something that was working all day long.
Bat City weren’t troubling the Honey Badgers too much, even with their hulking skyscraper of a forward. They actually had a few players that Ciro would have to use a stepladder to see eye-to-eye with, and also a few with some good shooting boots on.
And then came the referee induced chaos.
Andy worked hard with the ball down the right and crossed it over to Peterson whose beautiful first time volley found the back of the net, and then exited it through one of three holes in the webbing. It was an absolute beauty….THAT THE REFEREE DIDN’T COUNT!! Say what?! The ref claimed it went outside the goal, which was nonsense. Half the Bat City team admitted it was a goal. Obviously, the Badgers were fired up and hot for a bit. Derek probably saved Guillermo from a red card with a red card of his own for a friendly little chat with the referee. Chappy did bring the oranges in Adam’s honor, but failed to also stuff a tiny pineapple into his backpack which could have saved Sweet D.
So, in what was par for the course for the season so far, the Honey Badgers were down a goal and down a man for the rest of the game.
After tempers calmed and the Badgers got back to focusing on the game and not the incompetence of the referee, they got back to playing some pretty sexy 10 man fitba. They never really looked like the were missing a man, even on the big pitch.
Oranges in Adam’s honor at halftime, as Cameron Road tried to put the first half behind them.
The second half started and the Badgers were facing 16 Bat City players and going against the wind. Time for a heroic stand like the 300 Spartans at the Hot Gates of Thermoplyae.
Bat City were putting some pressure on the Badgers, ripping off some big crosses and shots, but none them troubled Jaybone too terribly.
Going forward, Andy was on a mission down the right and did get in on goal…. before a sniper from the skatepark took him out and he crumbled to the ground in typical Over 40 fashion.
Ciro and Schwarzy were doing a nice job of passing and moving, as their short game was on point, but Cameron Road just couldn’t find the breakthrough they needed, even with the Bat City keeper going on several long-distance walkabouts.
At the back, Chappy hung deep with Big Dave to try and secure the shutout. Big Dave deployed his trademark slide tackle, and Chappy even got a Big Dave approved one inside the box during the latter stages of the game.
Bat City were a good opponent and the game was quite cordial, and they were definitely the more frustrated team for not being able to beat a 10-man Cameron Road. But this was the stand the Honey Badgers needed to break the curse of the new jerseys. So despite all the early game drama and the lack of players available, Cameron Road played some of their best stuff of the season and there’s reason for a little optimism heading into the final games of the season.
Man-of-the-Match: As a Captain and good friend for decades, Andy never ceases to amaze. Heeding the last minute call for players and battling some serious health problems with serious side effects, he showed up with the proper uniform, brought some beers, and absolutely ran all over the pitch for the badge. Legend.
Post-Match-Report: Well, CRU absolutely crushed the post game as Bat City left town early, probably knowing they escaped a 1-0 loss thanks to the referee. Jefe wasn’t there, but his spirit lingered as the boys celebrated the turning around of their season. Chappy fell for a rookie mistake, as he had faced the rest of the team, lounging in his chair, when Jaybone slow-walked a very very very cold icing down his backside.
