May 4, 2010

Old Camberwell reveal Malvern of old

The AC Boys arrived at the Stadium of Shite pumped and expecting to break out some serious dance moves. The excitement and anticipation of pre-game entertainment delivered by DJ Sparkles, pictured right, had many of the lads arriving with break dance mats in toe. This would bring about the first disappointment of the day with a no show from the DJ himself. With an early morning sms from his manager stating; “Sparkles can’t make it today. He’s been asked to do a wicked set at 21st Century nightclub in Frankston.” It’s clear to us all that he’s moving up in the world; I hope he has Cold Chisel on his playlist.

Am I bias? Well I guess a little, but once again AC dominated proceedings early, but like last week, just couldn’t get the ball past the keeper. The frustration amongst the playing group, and the sole WAG watching on was growing and one could sense something, or someone would explode. More about that one later.

The back four, lead by Rich Owen were doing a fantastic job and with Captain Cresswell and Flemo dominating the midfield it was only a matter of time.

Hendy, missing from the scoresheet so far in season 2010 was intent on making an impact in other ways. Finding the ball at his feet out near Cranbourne, he weaved around defenders with more reliability than Metro Trains. The Wee Weegie covered the inner South Eastern suburbs, stopping all stations, before arriving just shy of the box at Central Park; on time and as scheduled (journey outline pictured left).
From just outside the box he delivered a precision pass into the path of a runaway train, newbie Flemo who slotted his first AC goal….toot-toot; 1-0.
Could the tide be turning? Yep, unfortunately the wrong way though.
What looked like a reprise of the classic musical “Goalie chasing the bouncy ball without success”, this time starring Mr Wong, saw him caught somewhere around the penalty spot as the ball freakishly bounced everywhere, but into the keeper’s hands (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bb8P7dfjVw).
Unfortunately for Mr Wong, the ball was stopped from ending up road kill on Burke Road by the dastardly net; 1-1 and a tirade of abuse from Captain Creswell ensued.
Rich, not to be deflated by the mishap in goals, pulled out what can only be described as two of the best saves ever seen at the Stadium of Shite using deft reflexes by hand an foot to more than recover.

The unwell Marty Monster soon after found himself with a chance to recover the score line after being on the end of a delectable Hendy pass only to have his shot smash the upright and rocket away.

Frustration was bubbling and threatening to spill over. Ac’s dominance abated in the second half and the boys in red and black just couldn’t finish in the final third. Old Camberwell (OC) on the other hand were dominant from set pieces and around the box managing to slot home another two goals and hold a 3-1 lead.

You remember earlier I spoke of exploding. Well, the first instance was the return of the Dennis of old. A dangerous tackle from the OC midfielder, pinned the leg of the skinny right winger in front of the AC Members’ stand. The blood boiled, and the not so scary Dennis launched an attack stopping just short of swinging cut lunches. Which to be honest wouldn’t hurt a fly, but I think everyone held their breath, scared by the fact that the future Mrs Dennis was meters away with bag in hand and ready to pull the trigger with a follow up kick in the pants.

The second was a little more predictable, Steve, frustrated with proceedings and the fact that the lanky number seven was a twat; lashed out and connected a warning shot tempting things to kick off. Fortunately anger subsided and normal service was resumed.

The match then fizzled out to a devastating 3-1 loss for AC Malvern. Coach Norf Lundon couldn’t be contacted for comment, but Sparky (not related to DJ Sparkles) said “There’s always next week pal. We’re going for a lovely drive next week. A trip out to Berwick, I can’t wait. It’ll be canny fun” clearly missing the point about playing football.

AC Malvern 1 - 3 Old Camberwell
Flemo
Mannie Man of the match: Rich Wong
WAG Man of the match: Rich Owen
Interesting stat: Most assists for 2010 - Hendy
Berwick, this weeks destination, in summary
Former residents:

- Home of Australia’s first Olympian and gold medallist, Edwin Flack (800m & 1,500m)
- Former successful Celtic striker and unsuccessful Australian striker, Scott McDonald
- AFL games record holder, Michael Tuck
- 2009 AFL No.1 draft pick Tom Scully (Melbourne FC)
Other useless facts:
- Wikipedia tells me that “Berwick has its own large retailers including a Woolworths, a Coles and a Mitre 10”………how very civilised
- For those who get lost, set your Sat Nav with the following coordinates 38°02′28″S 145°20′56″E
-The most interesting fact is that the home ground of Berwick City (where Scott MacDonald started his career) is not in Berwick, but in Narre Warren North not far from Ersnt Wanke Road (for real) and within 200m of the former residence of Vanessa Amorosi. Bored yet? I am.......so, jump on your tractors and head out to support the boys this week.