Southside 0, Londrines Sports Club 3

We were a bit of a shambles to be honest.
No goals  and only two shots on target all night. Confusion reigned on the pitch as  Southside players ran round like headless chickens for 90 minutes. Someone should sack the manager!
At half time it was 0-1  and we  felt we were still in the game. Bobby and Jon had worked hard in Midfield, whilst Reece  and Mark B  performed well at centre back. It was great to see Lewis make his comeback after a one year absence and also i really appreciated Reece's offer to cover in goal until Geoff arrived.
After half time things went from bad to worse. The post match inquest  started on about 55minutes and continued on  pitch until the final whistle. Londrines  took advantage and  only Geoff's  heroics in goal  kept the score respectable.
I'm glad we haven't got any more competitive matches for a few weeks - we can relax and enjoy playing at the Dome  for a bit.
Thanks to everyone for all of their hard work , despite the run of disappointing results. Good times are just around the corner.

Dome + new fixtures

 Good news. We've secured our block booking of the Dome for another year. Weekly sessions start next Tues 4th October, 6.45-8pm. £5 per session payable in advance on the night. Everyone welcome but please do confirm attendance by text in advance.
  Also I've booked a re-match against Effra on  Thurs November 17th, 8.30 kick off.
I'm trying to secure the pitch for our cup games against  Ladywell and MRC Ewell. Possible dates are Mon Oct 31st , 7.30 K.O and Mon December 5th, 8pm Kick off. ( to be confirmed)
See you  on Tuesday.

Southside 2, Effra 5.

This was a really good, even contest for an hour.
It was 1-1 at half time. Younes  had levelled the scores with a  coolly taken penalty,  after I'd gifted Effra the lead. After the break Reece put us ahead with a well taken goal and things were looking good. Then Effra scored. Then we lost our shape , our discipline and started bickering with each other. The inevitable followed. Effra took advantage, playing good football to achieve a substantial victory and revenge for the 11-1 defeat we inflicted on them in the summer.
No time to  worry about this game. We're playing a Brazilian team on Monday ,so lets learn some lessons and sort ourselves out for  this exciting challenge.

M.I Cup 2011 Draw

Southside Fc are one of the four seeded  teams in this year's Milenium Invitation Cup.
We have  been drawn in a group with Ladywell FC and with MRC Ewell.
Ewell topped our group last year so it will be a good challenge.
Fixture dates  to be confirmed - hopefully we'll play Ladywell in October and then MRC Ewell in November or December.

Match v Effra this Thurs

 We've got an extra match this week- Against Effra - 8.30pm kick off on Thurs at Palace.
The game will be much tougher than the 11-1 victory in the summer. We'll need to play really well to get anything out of the game against a side who have won five and drawn one of their last seven games.
 Anyone wishing to be included in the squad must text or e-mail their availability in advance.
Anyone who just  turns up on the night will only get a game if we  are short of players.

I'm trying to sort out  the problems with the dome bookings and will let everyone know when the Dome sessions can resume.

See you all on Thursday.

Southside 1, Brixton3

" I would have saved that".. announced Geoff, arriving even more fashionably late than usual , as i picked the ball out of the net.  1-0 to Brixton.  We had been holding out under pressure against a very good visiting side for 20 minutes before  a Brixton attacker curled a shot into the top corner to end the deadlock.
Brixton found the net again soon after - clearly offside, but to general amazement the ref  gave the goal.
Geoff took to the pitch, shortly followed by Big Paul, who plugged a big gap in Midfield.
From this point onwards, Southside  were at least equal to Brixton. Only Southside's strikers will know how they missed a number of excellent chances to score.
At half time, the mood was positive and  Southside went on to dominate the second half. Still we couldn't score, until Mark D surged through midfield  and burst the net with a clinical strike from 20 yards out.
We had chances to level the game , but with the clock running down,  Brixton scored another  disputed goal to make it 3-1.
 Southside probably deserved at least a draw, but in truth we should take  lessons from the way Brixton played. Their well organised , simple passing game offers a template for us to follow.
A second defeat  in a week then, but  a much improved performance and much better team spirit  than was evident on Monday.
 We're at the Dome for the next couple of Tuesdays, before we return to action against a Brazilian team on Monday Septemeber 26th

Southside 3, Grafton 6.

Oops! 3-1 up after 15 minutes, Southside players lit their cigars and put their feet up to ponder  yet another excellent victory. Why wait till full time to celebrate? Grafton, hardly believing their luck poured through the huge gaps left by Southside all over the pitch. Soon the  game was level. Complacency turned into panic  among the Southside ranks; 3-4, 3-5, 3-6. As Grafton's 65  year old striker celebrated his 3rd goal, i knew we had reached a new low.
  It wasn't all bad. A depleted squad  made space for several new players who all worked hard. Nikki  at left back was one of the few players to show composure on the ball.
We haven't become a bad team overnight, and with a bit of hard work,  performances will improve.