London Titans Football Club

London Titans 4 Romans AFC 0
November 26th 2006
by Ben Ford

I wouldn’t be as bold as to describe this as a grudge match, however…. Today we found ourselves playing the winners of our Birthday tournament so there was certainly an element of pride at stake. Although billed as a friendly, after recent training sessions where the lads had managed the unthinkable and silenced Coach Tomnay with their improving fluidity and silky skills, the Titan lads were, as they say, up for it.

You could have been mistaken for thinking otherwise during the first ten minutes however, as Titans got off to a rather sluggish start. I’m not convinced that there wasn’t an infamous Grandad Nixon house party the night before to blame for the slow start, but Romans looked more comfortable in possession at the outset. They kept the ball well and passed around the quagmire of the midfield with good composure, spreading the ball well to both wings and causing our wing backs some nervy moments. Shots on goal were restricted to outside of the box though, too far away to trouble “Little Phyllis Scolari” keeping watch between the sticks for the first time.

Eventually Titans came to life and managed to retain possession better. Bearing in mind I was playing the blind linesman job I had to squint quite hard to really believe that I witnessed a goal from Nixon. Indeed, after some crafty work on the left between Luka, Neil and himself the old man managed to slot home from close range. 1-0 Titans.

With tails up, and the strange feeling of having taken the lead, there was a slight scare for Titans as Romans burst straight back into the game with a shot whistling just over the top right of goal. A warning sign that didn’t go unnoticed by captain & manager for the day, Paul Wheeler. Vociferous cries to rally the Titans were backed up in equal measure from “Woo-hoo” Nixon up front, still on a high from his goal scoring antics. You don’t need me to tell you that Luka’s loud verbal musings were echoing around the centre of the park.

Whilst Vee was taking time out to beautify himself with a quick mud bath in the middle of the park every five minutes, much to the crowds amusement, it may have gone unnoticed that Matt Barker managed to miss an open goal. Didn’t escape my attention though Matt…

As the half wore on Titans began to build a head of steam, working hard for each other on and off the ball. It is hard to remember much of a threat from the Romans in the last 25 minutes as Luka and Vee bossed the midfield, Neil and Matt pulling the Romans out of shape leaving Tom and Rich to run at the defence. The work ethic paid off as Tom managed to nod home our 2nd of the afternoon. Had to pinch myself at that point.

As a spectator I think goal of the afternoon would have to be awarded to Luka. Bringing the ball under control off his chest with wonderful skill, then shaping to fire a thunderbolt into the top corner with a gracious and deft Drogba like turn, he mis-kicked, but somehow made it look deliberate, and effectively lobbed the keeper from just outside the box. 3 nil.

Neil dutifully added the fourth before half time, and although I’m quite sure it was a goal of great class, I was either blinded by the sun or simply staring into space mouthing 3-0 over and over with a quizzical look on my face. Much more likely the latter. And so it was 4-0 at half time.

Here is a concise version of the second half as it was nowhere near as exciting as the 1st. Romans started much the better again, visibly stung by the leaking of 4 goals in the first half. In fact Romans had the upper hand for much of the 2nd half but resolute defending, coupled with the lack of drainage, helped preserve a clean sheet at the Titan end.

During the last 10 minutes Titan tails were up once more and there were a good few “Carry on Shooting” moments as the ball wedged itself in the mud and countless boots were flung in what would have been its logical path. In fairness, 5 or 6 nil would not have been unreasonable but for the conditions.

As a spectator this was actually a joy to watch. Alright, an improvement. Every Titan involved in the game worked hard, concentrated well, thought about their use of the ball, their tackling and their spatial awareness. I can’t wait for the Falcons….

Leicester Wildecats 6 London Titans 1
November 5th 2006
GFSN League
by Matt Baker

“It was our best defeat so far this season” (Gez, Titans’ Coach)

Before our match against Leicester we would have been disappointed with a 6-1 loss and a bottom place position in the league, however the above statement is true and another learning curve has passed, so before any mention of the match, another quote:

“Streetlife! It’s the only life I know!” (Any Titan)

True to form the Titans were out in force the night before the match (namely club Streetlife) and apart from bargain jugs of cocktails, a highly-strung bouncer, mild inter-team relations and two stolen signs from the Hotel Ibis, the night passed without incident!

Back to football. Titans were in high spirits (and spirit levels!) and a confident pre-match Titan team talk set the mood for this important tie. Both teams started brightly with some good build up play and it only took 17 minutes before Leicester scored their first. The Titans have learned by now that letting our heads drop is not the way to win matches and after assured Titan possession from the restart, Matt Baker was bundled down in the box for a penalty. Penalty practice paid off with Baker firing in to make it 1-1.

The match continued in the same manner and the Titans were starting to put more pressure on the home side, but this only lasted ten minutes and a frustrating second Leicester goal made it 2-1 to the Wildecats. Even this goal didn’t seem to dampen the Titans spirit and so we pressed on. In spite of this, some poor passing and bad communication cost us a third goal: 3-1 to Leicester. The Wildecats had found a rhythm and a few mistakes helped the final scoreline to Leicester 6 Titans 1.

A much improved performance from the Titans even warranted a mention from the Leicester manager on our irrepressible desire to carry on fighting when five goals down. So our search for the first league point continues although confidence is growing amongst Titans. Next month is Derby day in the GFSN league with Titans playing Leftfooters in London.

Watch this space…