Old Boys Punk Park

With limited time to dwell on the mid-week loss to Gore, Lakers House of Travel Old Boys roared back into action at Waverley Park on Club Day for an end-of-round fixture against the old foe, Queens Park. Dubbed a ‘must win’ by Coach Lindsay and Manager Yorkstone, the squad was primed to secure three points.

Playing into a stiff breeze, Old Boys spent much of the first half blunting numerous Queens Park attacks. Promoted keeper, Alex Wright, repeatedly repaid the selectors faith with a number of athletic and courageous saves employing the little used ‘groin first’ method to secure a number of goal-bound strikes. Alex’s limbs and a well-positioned goalpost conspired to keep a blank sheet in the first half.

Further up the field, barrel chested de Garnham’s match was unfortunately cut short when he landed awkwardly on his knee, forcing a change. Veteran David Fosbender, at this point in the season a mass of sellotape, knee braces, and coat hangers, entered the fray and after a rookie-like five minutes, started to make his mark on the right-hand wing.

Five minutes from the end of the first period, Jared Cuff pounced on an opportunity. From the left flank, he skinned his counterpart and blazed a path towards goal where he beat the approaching keeper with a well-directed shot.

1-0

Old Boys began the second half with a more assured approach, buoyed by the one-goal lead and the favourable wind. The back line of Ethan, Hamish, Danny, and Edwards started to deliver clean ball to the midfielders and attackers, which ensured a greater share of possession and more pressure on the Queens Park goalkeeper.

In the midfield, cement-headed Scotty Donaldson dominated the aerial game while Mike Preddie pressured all comers with probing runs.

20 minutes in, Cuffy doubled his tally for the day with a quality goal. At pace, he latched onto a bouncing ball at the edge of the 18-yard box and rifled a volley fractionally inside the right-hand-side post. A quality brace for the team’s top scorer.

2-0

For the remainder of the match, Queens Park remained an occasional threat with their speed up front but the Old Boys defence continued to extinguish any half chances and fleeting opportunities. As a pack, the team did just enough to turn away threatening corners and free kicks.

Mani Gill iced the match five minutes from the close with a well taken breakaway goal. Outpacing the tiring QP central defenders, Mani chased down a through ball and calmly slotted a goal between the approaching goalkeeper’s legs.

3-0

No Old Boys match is complete without a bustling and robust play from Elliott Dawson. This was no exception. The second-half sub capped off proceedings with an all-time bruising goal. The following happened in the space of about five seconds. With the ball at Ethan Stout’s feet on the right-hand side, Dawson made an unchecked run from left back. Stout delivered a curling and dipping cross into the area. At alarming speed, Elliott slammed into it sending the ball goal bound towards a defender and the goalkeeper. The ball ricocheted back towards Dawson, whose momentum and mass again sent the deflection goalward. Elliott was equal to the third deflection as, like a loose fridge tumbling down a mountainside, he smashed the ball into the goal in a cartwheeling mess of kneecaps, elbows, and vigourous hip thrusts. Only the QP defenders, unfortunate enough to be in between Elliott and his target, will ever know the full force and venom of his surging run.

4-0

And that is how the match ended. Goalkeeper Alex deservedly claimed Player Of The Day honors.