Jokers 1 – 3 IDS

Team: Linter; Lynes, Vere, Gamson, Fernandez-Corugedo; Tatum, Hyde, Norry, J. Perez-Tejedor; Mandolini, Wilby

Sub: C. Perez-Tejedor (on for Gamson, 70)

Goal: Hyde (pen.)

Despite taking the lead, Jokers lost yesterday to confirm that they will enter the crunch match against the Fowlers occupying a position in the bottom two. With Gromb and Milner forced out through injury, Keen and Read unavailable, the team lined up with Fernandez-Corujedor at right-back and Tatum at left midfield, with Norry playing in the centre. Early omens were good, as IDS kicked off with ten men, following the normal delaying tactics of swapping ends that accompanies winning the toss in such circumstances.

Early promise dissipated once the match actually kicked off however. IDS proved to be a team well-equipped to retain possession and it was very much against the run of play when the Jokers opened the scoring mid-way through the half against a now full-strength IDS. A free-kick was lofted into the box by Lynes where Tatum rose to head it, only to receive a crack to the back of the skull. The ref waved away IDS protests to point to the spot. Hyde immediately stepped up and placed a firm shot to the keeper’s left to give Jokers the advantage. Minutes later, good work from Perez-Tejedor found Mandolini in the box and his cross-come-shot was turned into the net by Wilby at the far post, only for the ref to rule him offside.

This let-off galvanised IDS and ten minutes later they scored to restore parity. The number 10 pulled the ball back from the bye line to find the very useful number 4. He drilled his shot through Vere’s legs and past Linter. The rest of the half proceeded in much the same way, with IDS enjoying most of the possession, but Jokers looking good on the break, forcing the keeper into a half-stop that bobbled past the post.

At 1-1, half-time saw the Jokers still well in it, but they were to be undone by five minutes of madness early in the second half. IDS started brightly and Jokers were soon on the back foot once again. The breakthrough came from some poor defending from a throw-in, the number 10 making a diagonal run behind the defence which no-one tracked and he once again squared the ball, this time for the number 11, who crashed the ball past Linter. Minutes later the Jokers’s problems deepened as Lynes control let him down and the number 11 stole the ball and passed it inside to the number 15. With the 11 continuing his run, the defence was drawn away and the 15 planted the ball into the corner of the net from twenty-five yards to end the game as a contest. Gamson retired from the action, disillusioned with the beautiful game, to be replaced by Christian Perez-Tejedor at right-back with Fernandez-Corujedor switching to central defence. There were further half-chances for the Jokers, who shot straight at the keeper a couple of times. Wilby was caught in two minds when well-placed, initially shaping to shoot, he then elected to try to find Mandolini, but did neither. At the other end, Linter was called on to make a couple of fine stops, one in particular from the number 4 was top-class and he alleges that the opposition later called him ‘the best keeper in the division’, although, since no-one else was within earshot, this has to go down as (improbable) hearsay.

To lose to IDS, currently second in the league, is no disgrace. Indeed, both the result and the Jokers’s performance were better than their 4-1 defeat to the same opposition earlier in the season. With goal difference still an important factor, to lose 3-1 was not catastrophic against a team who crushed GPR 10-2 recently. Still, it represents another match from which the team have emerged with nothing and means that the remaining matches against Fowlers, GPR and PA assume still-greater importance. With PA also riding high, Jokers need to ensure that they get a least one win from their relegation ‘12 pointers’.