Sunday 28th January 2007
Team line-up: Barlow, Higgins (Perrett), Harris, Taylor, Slater, Barrett (Bennett), Jelbert, Boucher, Utting, Galagher, Davies, Seecharan (not used).
Sunday 28th January 2007, Civil Service sports ground, London, England, saw the form league 1 side, current league leaders and bookies favourites take on an under-performing Crewe side in the quarter final of the Cup. Higgins’s elite squad, combining the talents of yoof and experience, and fresh from a demolition of the Irish were eager to extend their season long unbeaten run at the expense of the team from the Potteries.
The team had a new look about it. The squad rotation system was again in evidence following the withdrawl of 3 key players - Tett (brusied foot), Howard (hamstring) Callum (played the week before). Thankfully Higgins could count on the return of defensive experience, welcoming back himself and Harris in defence, combined aged 94, and Gappy into midfield. After spending two weeks on the bench Gappy was relieved that his step down to Saturday semi pro football had not cost him his starting place in the side. Much to Bennett’s amazement Boucher started his second game on the trot at right midfield, owing much though to Perrett’s disappearance with his Metro bride-to-be from Thailand. Taylor had a new haircut.
Norwich lined up with their usual formation but with the ghostly white presence of Barney “hair dryer” Slater pushing into midfield. The game kicked off and a scrappy opening 20 minutes followed. Norwich never looked comfortable during the early exchanges and could not settle into their normal free-flowing passing game. The back three looked concerned by the presence of the bald, wild eyed Crewe front man, who traded head butts with any of them who came within range. Thankfully a pre-season honed against our own mercurial wild eyed front man saw the back three soon take charge.
As the first half wore on, the Norwich engine room started to exert themselves onto the game. The midfield three’s efforts were tireless, Jelbert’s running, Gappy’s dribbling and Slat’s moaning. Finally the ball was passed out to Boucher on the right hand side who delivered a telling cross into the box for Davies to stoop and score with his head, 1-0 (Davies career goals 98).
The remainder of the half passed without much incident or interest and the half drew to a close. Bennett was overheard claiming that that was one of the most boring 45 minutes of his entire life; little did he know that the second half was to bring more of the same.
In the entire second half there were only two moments of footballing brightness, Boucher scored following neat work from Utting and Galagher on the left hand side, and Davies added a second bringing his career tally to 99 goals. The only explanation for his miss from 2 inches following Gallagher’s penetrating run and cross was that he wants to surpass the 100 mark with a hat-trick against league 1 title contenders Aberdeen the following week.
The second half did see much activity though on the sidelines as first Bennett and then Perrett were introduced to the action. Seech by this time had seen enough and when it was his turn to come on was no where to be found. Slats continued to show the combative side to his game with a constant tirade against his fellow players. One wonders whether the brooding presence of his dad clutching his lunch box on the sidelines was the cause of the gifted alice-band wearing tyro’s angst.
Following the final whistle the Norwich players were safe in the knowledge that this was job done, next up the Semi final. All that was left to do was for Gappy and Slats to compare semi pro careers and Higgins to see how many Norwich players he could cram into his Porsche.
January over, still unbeaten, top of the division and into the semi-final of the cup. As the seasons enters its business end, time for the real work to start.
Man of the Match: Tom Boucher
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