It was interesting talking to the Westside management team before this game. They have been struggling for players, like us, and for this game they had to draft in a host of their U18s to fulfil the fixture. We don't have that luxury, but we did have a squad at least today - but for 90 minutes you could tell which team had played together for years and one that hadn't even been able to train recently. We were played off the park.
It all started so well, which is a rarity in itself, when Alex fizzed the ball out to Ruben, who got to the byline and cut back for Ben to guide home after just 92 seconds. That was probably the only plus point of the game as the enthusiastic Westside took charge from then on, closing us down and making us panic, and using the ball much, much better. They had missed 2 great chances before they equalised - but somehow we went in at HT ahead when Ben won the ball high to prod Baba clear, and he made no mistake.
The second half, though, was a procession. They equalised quickly when we thought it was wise to put our smallest player on their biggest from a corner, and when the skipper was sin binned, it was a minor miracle we only conceded once during that time. But any thoughts of a comeback with 11 back on the pitch evaporated almost immediately when their burly striker was too strong for us and smashed home. They added another, but could have had more.
The season, and possibly this team, is limping towards the end. We have a cup game on 22nd to try and rouse ourselves and get something from a season that started so positively but went swiftly downhill.