Soccer

Hi the lads went out and played...... Really really well!!!!!

It was a dark October night.  The game was on for 10:00 PM.  The venue was difficult to find yet a handful of hardy supporters showed up before the start of THE MATCH to do their thing for their heroic team.  The team them selves were a picture.  MEN, HARD MEN dressed in the PKS sponsored green shirts and culottes.  All but our wounded goalie sported the green, Aidan hopalong Hasset could have won hands down at Crocodile crocodile may I cross the River! The game started as many do , the ref was in black and the other team in a dirty white ( for visual reference) the Hardy few were ready to cheer and cheer they did.... Sometimes for people who weren't even playing.  But wait, excitement on the pitch, our men in skirts where heading for their goal..... With the ball... We shoot, we score, the supports rise in simultaneous applause and screams of congratulations....the ref calls a foul.  It was all for nothing. the score remained  0:0.  The next time the ball approached the opposition net it was a more careful crowd that watched expectantly looking out for any infringement that could rob us of another potential score but we were to be misled again... They shot they scored GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Though the cry was never made it being indoor soccer and the windows being of uncertain hardiness, the thought was building in the minds of the supports. Then, after a one man Mexican wave, it happened, a full out 12 person Mexican wave in both direction ... TWICE!!!  the score stayed 1:0 for 10 minutes. Then less than a few minutes before Half time the tables were turned, but we couldn't see what we were doing so we turned them back. Wishing we hadn't we witnessed a brilliant goal from the opposition.  You might say an unsavable goal. And there it ended, Or so I thought not being used to indoor soccer and thinking that both directions must be the same where there is no differences in terrain or awkward weather conditions to deal with, I presumed that those 24 mins of hard worked entertainment constituted a game.  Not so it was only half time.  

When our lads came back they looked just as refreshed as they did when they started.  The green was still green, and Aidan shone brightly.  We (the supporters you should have worked that out by now) shone just as bright until a mix up and a mess of legs arms and other body parts that I can't spell resulted in their ball going into our net...a GOAL, We were distressed, So distressed that we stayed quite for half a minute. Not long after that through some personal error of grave miscarriage of justice (or then again maybe it was a foul) Archie was shown the yellow card (we all sung happy birthday and he blew out the candles on the cake) and we were one man down for 2 minutes. Luckily enough or rather due to the immense skill of the other four players those two minutes didn't result in a change of score.  the supporters were trying to think up a song they could sing in public but could never quite work out in what key to start "come on you boys in green".

We improvised though and with hearty shouts of "score a goal" and "Get the ball" and other phrases too technical to mention one of their men was shown a yellow card ( they could only afford one card but I think someone had brought a red one as well).  The ref was very good at ballet and sometimes we had him climbing up the walls. Well with the opposition one man down our green boys took advantage and before you could finish an opera had scored two goals the score now 3:2 to us.  The voices of some well known Mexican dancer (well known in Omaha) had a distinct huskiness from all the shouting.  Now we were getting rowdy (OKAY we were rowdy all along) We even got to know some of the names : Aidan ,Archie,Tony,John,Cambell,Maurice,Ronan(and he sings too), Alan,Des,Brian but the tune to sing the names still alluded us.  Just when we thought we were safe. A 3:2 victory in a game we can be proud of when another upset..... We scored another goal.  Any  more upset and we would be jumping up and down in our seats. As it was we were rocking the stand somewhat. Well with 10 seconds to go we started a countdown you know 10 ..9..8 but the ref blew his whistle with 4 seconds to go so the lads could position themselves for the best advantage..... Who was he trying to kid, Clock started 4..3..2..1   0....... Final score 4:2 to the men in Green with the white skirts

Helen.