Friendly XI vs Twyford Comets

An extremely tired sports cliché is “football, it’s a funny old game.”

But TRCC’s contingent were not smiling after another routine hammering by Twyford Comets.

A youthful team featuring a few wily veterans turned up on a glorious day to take on the Comets on the, quite frankly enormous, 3G pitch at the Piggott School.

“It’s as big as a football pitch can be” announced Comets Chairman Ben Gilbert as some of the older players looked on, the blood draining from their faces as they imagined just how much running they’d have to do.

The game started promisingly with TRCC’s youngsters’ ability to endlessly run countering the savvy of the Comets players who, you know, “knew how to play football”

The Comets took the lead, but TRCC came back through a belting Mark Hughes-style volley from Thomas Leggett.

The referee, noting the age of a lot of the players, had generously allowed the game to be divided into quarters, and, crucially to have “rolling” substitutes.

At the end of the first half, the score was 2-2, with TRCC’s second scored by Kieran Downes.

Tremendous efforts were put in by veterans Matt Ackerman and Lee Leggett, who showed impressive enthusiasm and fitness for a man of his years.

Young Ben Ackerman whizzed up and down the wing with effortless energy and the rest of us ran about and got stuck in as well as we could.

Sadly, as we’ve often seen, the football savvy of our opponents eventually took hold.

They had some excellent players whose nous and experience came to the fore in the latter part of the second half.

Attacks rained down on Harry Leggett’s goal, and the Comets striker, it has to be said, missed a number of “sitters.”

However, his team mates were more clinical in their finishing and the game finished at 6-2 to the Comets.

Despite the enormous pitch and superior opposition, the TRCC team had great fun in the match and we look forward to the return fixture at cricket in the summer.

Thanks to all those involved, and Twyford Comets for organising, especially finding a pitch as Stanlake Meadow was very much living up to its name.