Forget the scoreline of 2-1 to Marconi.
But for luck, refereeing and not so good finsihing it could have been, and probably should have been 6 or 7-1.
There is no doubt tht Marconi's decision to postpone its games due to Olympic call ups, has so far been a successful strategy..going into this game we could boast of a win away aginst the Strikers and a draw at Parramatta...but I always worry that th l onger we play games in rapid succession, the more likely that player fatigue will lead us into the path of a banana skin.
And there is no bigger banana skin than the team that is propping up the table..and whom we seem to have great difficulty in putting to the sword.
Alex Brosque was lively early on, as was Brenadn Renaud and they both teamed up to lay on a couple of chances..one which Bugsy hit skywards, in search of the missing Beagle satellite, and another where he headed teheball goalwards, only for to hit a defender's arse on the goal line and somehow stay out.
Alex Brosque was pulled down for a penalty, and I have to say that there was never any doubt among us that it was going to be missed, the debate centred more on how NickCarle would miss it....it was just one of those games you see, where no matter what you did, the ball just would not go in the net.
As it turned out Nick hit a fairly innocuous shot to the goalie's left and Utting managed to dive and palm it away..and the ball was subsequently cleared to safety after goalmouth scramble number 148 of the night.
The Kingz had the odd breakaway, and there was aways the possibility and concern of a goal against the run of play.
Enter Chad Gibson who took a superb free kick after about half an hour from an angled 25 or so yards, when he placed the ball low into Michael Utting's left hand corner to put Marconi 1 up.
Marconi seemed to be chugging along like an old suburban steam train..just doing enough to reach its destination, without extending itself to set any speed records.
A one nil lead does not inspire confidence (until the ref blows the whistle) and I have to admit that I was calling on the ref to blow for half time, as I perceived a last ditch first half effort by the Kingz to get back in the game by grabbing an equaliser.
Michael Turnbull in goals, was superb in plucking crosses out of the air..and is probably now at a stage where he could play in Europe.
Previously he was known as a Dracula style goalie (ie terrified of crosses) but it seems that goalkeeping coach Jimmy Fraser has worked wonders.
Half time came, and given that GKW only had thongs on, the normal trip into the club for refreshments had to go west, and it was a case of boozing al fresco and casting a lecherous eye over the Stalionettes.
Second half, more of the same, except, well, its the first time where the opposing goalkeeper has engaged me in a verbal joust without me having initiated it!
Michael Utting started calling out to our small band behind the goal *before* we had even said anything to him....in a good natured way it must tbe said, and much fun was had by all!
Both us, and it appears the Kingz keeper!
Now it must be said thta I closesly observed the technical side of young Michael's game and it appears that he rarely 'catches' a ball with his hands.
He appears to me to 'catch' the ball with the inside crook of his elbows.
Fine, if close to one's chest/stomach, but a dodgy strategy if your arms are extended away from your body .
A couple of times he did this, and while he managed to keep hold of the ball, it was looking a bit dicky as it bobbled up and down his arm.
Obviously, I commented to him about his unorthodox style.
Second half was more of the same, with probably at least another 4 'should have been ins' before Nick Carle, running away from goals, latched on to a superb Brosque through ball, spun, and hit an angular daisy cutter passed Utting into his bottom left corner.
I had been telling Michael all night that he wasn't protecting his near post well enough, so I'm claiming a part 'assist' in this one, as he watched stranded at the near post, as the ball sped into his far post.
2-0 up and coasting.
Alex Brosque hit the bar from four yards after Utting had a 'flap' at a ball, and as so often happens, Kingz then ran up the park, direct from the rebound, eluded Michel Bell and slipped in their consolation goal as time was running out, just to make us feel a little nervous.
"See, if I'd caught that one, we wouldn't have scored" offered the Kingz goalie quiet unsolicited, and his self deprecating humour was very well received by us.
Now, I always try and engage the opposition in banter, in an attempt to lessen their concentration on the game, and I say agian, its nothing personal, as I have told Andrew Marth, and Hendo to naem just a couple in the past.
This time though, I was spared the effort, and Michael is welome to join us behind the goals in future..as he was offered last night.
There was one final bit of controversy though.
The referee was standing about 6 yards from where Joe Spiteri was quite clearly pulled down from behind, inside the penalty box and yet the referee waved play on.
We were probably about 12 yards away , so our vision was clear.
It was quite a baffling decision, and one really does wonder what goes through the minds of referees at times.
Here we had a blatant breach of the rules, but whether becasue it was getting late, or the ref didn't liek Spiteri, he did not award the panalty that quite clearly and unbiasedly, should have been awarded.
I do believe that had the exact same thing occured just *outside* the box, then he weould have blew for it.
2-1 will do us, we did enough, as I say, just like Thomas the Tank Engine, but as the games progress, I' afraid our firemen are going to have to dig into the coal supplies in the tender a bit deeper and stoke the boilers with a bit more relish.
By the way, Hibs also won a game of significance during the week, thank in part to a former team mate of luke Casserley, one Danilel Andersson who played with the Marconi full back at AIK in Stockholm,..so its been a good week fitba wise, with uncertainty over which continent I shall be spectating in come mid March as a result.