Jokers 2 – 2 Northern Alliance

Sunday 19 February 2006

Kennington Oval

k.o. 2 p.m.

Team: Linter; Lacey; Vere, Gromb, Read; Milner, Lynes, Mandolini, Perez-Tejedor; Stevens, Wilby.

Sub: Gamson (on for Stevens, 15)

Scorer: Wilby (2)

The last time the Jokers played Northern Alliance was on a baking hot day in 2004, when the Jokers achieved a win that would turn out to be good enough to earn promotion. Alliance still play in yellow and black, they are still a big team. The ground (crappy portakabins included) is exactly the same. Even John, the Irish ref, who would later play a starring role, was officiating as he had been two years ago. And yes, he does still have a cigarette at half-time. There were however, two major differences: it rained constantly throughout this match; and the Jokers didn’t turn up.

That’s not to say that individuals didn’t turn up. Twelve did, although the Jokers never really managed to cope with the absence of first-choice central midfielders Hyde and Seaton-Smith. Obviously big misses, but ones that the team has coped with before this season, most notably in the first win against the Elbow Room. For this match Lynes joined Mandolini in the centre of the park allowing Lacey to start at left-back. Gamson came on for the injured Stevens after quarter of an hour.

Although initially on the back foot, the Jokers managed to establish an early two-goal lead. When they got the ball down and played they looked more than a match for their opponents. The first was a beautiful team move, with the ball being played across the park, the third pass finding Read in space on the right. He hit a long crossfield ball to Wilby on the left-hand edge of the area, who checked inside his man to fire a rare right-foot shot across the keeper and in at the far post. The second was also a Read/Wilby combination, but less spectacular. Read’s throw-in from the right was brought down by Wilby, who turned and hit a left-foot shot that the keeper fumbled over his line.

But for the second time this season, the Jokers let a two-goal lead slip. On this occasion they managed to gift Alliance both goals. Shortly after the second goal, a free-kick was half cleared. As the ball was played back into the far post from deep, it was met by Read. Unfortunately, his left-footed clearance on the half-volley  was blasted against Perez-Tejedor and shot off into the bottom corner, despite Linter’s valiant efforts to keep it out.

Half-time arrived with the Jokers still a goal to the good and with the prospect of playing with a strong wind at their backs in the second half. The team had recognized that the Oval is a big, wide pitch and that if they could get it down and play, they would surely test a suspect keeper. Unfortunately, this never looked likely to happen and the team as a whole were lacklustre, failing to register a meaningful shot for the entire half. In contrast Alliance were certainly up for it and got back on terms through a penalty decision. With a 6’6” midfielder, Alliance were always going to be a threat from set-pieces and a corner saw said midfielder, Vere and Linter all going for a ball at the near post. All three ended up on the turf, but in the opinion of John, Vere had been responsible for “hauling” the Alliance player to the floor.

Following an interesting debate about the exact location of the penalty spot, which would have added to the tension had there been any in the first place, a powerfully struck blast straight down the middle beat Linter and Alliance were back on terms. Indeed, they could have won it as Linter was forced into a couple of stops and, from one corner, a miscued effort on goal was miscued by Lacey on the post straight back to an Alliance player eight yards out, who promptly miscued his own shot high and wide. The Jokers were forcing corners of their own by this stage as they sought to salvage a win, with one in particular resulting in a goal-mouth scramble. It was somehow appropriate that John decided that he had seen enough and that we wouldn’t have to get wet any more just as Milner curled in an inviting looking corner. With the ball heading into the area, John blew his whistle and the clutch of Jokers players in the box realized that their chance had gone and that a point was all they had to show for their efforts.

Yes, the unbeaten run is still intact, but this result means that all the hard work in beating the Elbow Room twice has been nullified, and one win in three doesn’t sound as good as fourteen unbeaten, but is equally true. There is still work to be done this season and we better get on and do it, or even promotion is not guaranteed.