Lobster Pot Foot Ball Club

(April 12th 2003)

John McEwing Named as Lobsterpot's Player of the year!!!

(March 27th 2003)

Lobster Pot 0 North Village 1

So the season's end has come, and we signed off with a battling performance where, in spells, we played some decent football and were well worth at least a draw. Thanks to Saleem for going in goal and for Martin McHugh for coming into the line-up at short notice.

We've got the field to enable us to keep the Tuesday night training going throughout the summer; as long as we can get 10/12 guys out it will be worth a run.

(March 22nd 2003)

Lobster Pot 14 (McLaren 4, Rosney 3, Leese 2, McEwing 2, James 2, Berkeley) Prison Officers 2

Well, we did the job and got the three points needed to ensure we can look forward (if that's the right term) to another season of Commercial League Division "A" football next season. Special mention must go to Saleem, who played up front, at sweeper and in goal during this game, and managed to confirm once more that he is much better at the last two than the first one!!!

Highlights of the game were Sweaty's Ronaldinho impression for his first goal, the thunderbolt volley which was PORC's second goal and the most bizarre bit of play I've ever seen - their keeper taking the ball to the corner flag to play for time ten minutes from the end so that we wouldn't score any more goals!!

The BFA have told me this morning that our last game of the season against North Village is tentatively scheduled for this coming Wednesday night, 26th March, 7pm kick-off at BAA Field. Please can the same squad that played at the weekend keep Wednesday night free and I'll confirm the exact time and venue later today or tomorrow morning.

(March 1st 2003)

Pot 0 Key West 5

This was a performance which was not quite as bad as it sounds from the scoreline - we played the first ten minutes with ten men, it was only 1-0 at half-time, they had two dubious second half penalties and we missed one of our own - but nevertheless another disappointment in our search for the elusive victory which should secure our "A" Division status.

(Feb 15th 2003)

Pot 1 MR-Onions 2 (Berkley)

Well, after a great first half of football where we totally dominated our, supposedly superior, opposition but didn't put away enough of our chances, two second half goals courtesy of the fact they had several lanky buggers in their team cruelly robbed us of at least the point we deserved to take from this game. Nevertheless, an encouraging performance, a repeat of which should stand us in good stead for taking something from our three remaining fixtures.

(Feb 8th 2003)

Pot 2 Vasco Mariners 0

A battling performance from the boys secured three invaluable points on Saturday to keep us in with a very good chance of avoiding the drop. Pretty it wasn't, but it's the points that count. If we keep this up, relegation should be avoided.

Unfortunately, I understand that MR Onions did us no favours by losing to St Georges over the weekend, meaning the latter are keeping pace with us on 17 points, leaving Vasco adrift in ninth spot on 12 points. BAA may well get drawn into the relegation dog fight as they were on 16 points before Saturday's matches.

We still need to turn in a few more decent performances to make sure of safety, starting with the game against MR Onions next Saturday, which is a chance to deal them the defeat we should have inflicted before Christmas.

Cheers

Jez

(Feb 1st 2003)

Pot 0 Robin Hood 5

Well, on a surface which is the worst I can ever remember playing on (surely the clueless and disinterested ref should have called it off midway through the first half?), we actually played some half decent football at times and the scoreline definitely flattered the Hood. We were not helped by gifting them at least 3 of the goals, but defending was never going to be easy on a paddy field of a pitch.

A game best forgotten as we move on to the far more important task of beating Vasco next Saturday - a result which should all but guarantee "A" Division football for the Pot for another season, providing we can either pick up another win against Onions, Village or Key West or put the league's whipping boys, Prison Officers, to the sword on the last day of the season.

Training as usual Tuesday 6.15pm at Prospect (let's try to start before 6.30 lads) and please can we have a better turn out of the likely players for next Saturday's game than we managed last week.

Cheers

Jez

(Jan 25th 2003)

St George's 0 Pot 3 (Allison, Berkley, McLaren)

Well, its a long time since our last win and an even longer time since our last clean sheet, but we managed both on Saturday with a determined battling display. Well done to all the lads who played - especially the super-sub player-manager ;-) That win should go some way to helping us avoid the drop, but there's still plenty to be done to make sure of it.

Let's hope we can take some of that form into next Saturday's match versus the Hood.

Training as usual Tuesday night, 6.15pm at Prospect. Obviously the hard work from last week paid off, so more of the same will do us the world of good again.

Jez

(Jan 11th 2003)

BAA 4 Pot 0

With Vasco losing on Saturday, that makes Vasco with 9 points in 9th spot (but with a game in hand) and St Georges and ourselves with 11 points in equal 7th. Guess who we've got a week on Saturday - St Georges.

For those who don't know - we lost 4-0 to BAA on Saturday.

Training Tuesday as usual - we all need it.

Jez

(Jan 4th 2003)

Tuff Dogs 6 Pot 3 (Berkeley(2), Allison)

Well, a torrential downpour greeted our first game back after Christmas and the first outing of the fancy new red and white quarters kit.

A first half of incessant rain ended 2-2 (two opportunist efforts from Troy for us), after the ref decided to play on after considering calling the match off after half an hour.

Puddles were brushed out of the goalmouths, sand put down and the game got underway again. A perfectly good goal (an OG as I challenged a defender) was disallowed by one of the most incompetent opposition linesmen we have ever had the misfortune to witness before we sneaked another (a very well taken effort by Sniffer) to go 3-2 up.

Unfortunately, whilst our new kit meant we looked like a proper football team, we showed in the last half an hour that this didn't guarantee we played like one. A shocking spell of play where we lost the plot completely left us on the end of a real hiding from a team we all would have badly liked to have beaten by the time the final whistle went.

Lack of fitness? Lack of fight? Lack of team work? Lack of skill? We can't do much about the last one at our ages, but the others can be sorted out to some extent - starting at training tonight. 6.15pm at Prospect and Jim wants all the squad to attend and be ready to put in some hard work. We've been far too sloppy the last couple of games and it's got to stop if we aren't to get drawn into a relegation battle.

Cheers

Jez

(Dec 14th 2002)

Key West 5 Pot 2 (Berkeley, Mukkudem?)

Oh dear!! Injuries, absences, hangovers and general lethargy combined to produce our worst display since the dark days of the first few games of the season. Key West could have had at least 10 if they were more ruthless in front of goal, could shoot straight and Brian didn't have another blinder.

Saturday was evidence of how bad we can be if we are not all fit and ready to play and work hard for each other. We are simply not good enough to stroll through games and get away with it. Let it be a lesson to us all.

Anyway, no training this week, nor over Christmas. Our first game back is January 4th v Tuff Dogs. As our usual Tuesday training falls on New Years Eve, please can everyone try to make training at 8pm on Thursday, January 2nd, to shake off the Christmas cobwebs.

A few guys (including Daz, Brett, Mackie, Steve P, Troy) haven't replied re the New Years Do on 4th January - I'll need to give the Lobster Pot numbers before I go away on Firday, so can you let me know if you're coming or not. We have over 20 attendees already and it's sure to be a good night.

Cheers and have a good Christmas

Jez

Pot 2 (Leese, Allison) Onions 2

Well, two points dropped more than one won after being 2-0 up with ten minutes to go, although on the balance of play probably quite a fair result.

It does show how far we have come since the abject defeats at the start of the season that we are disappointed not to beat MR Onions. However, now we have drawn with two and beaten the other of the top three teams in the league, we really do have to start believing in ourselves a bit more, especially when in the lead. We are more than a match for any team in this league and that's a fact.

Revenge mission v Key West to come before the Xmas break. Anyone carrying knocks from the Onions game (and I know there's a few, myself included), let me and Jim (jim_mclaren@ajg.com) know ASAP if it looks like you may not be fit for next week. Dave - are you available for next week as it's a 1pm kick-off on Saturday at St Johns? Purleeeeeeeezzzzeeeee try to make it, sniffer!!!

Training as usual Tuesday (6.15pm) and Thursday (8pm) this coming week.

Finally, please can those who have not yet got back to me re the New Year Do (4th Jan) drop me a note about their availability.

Cheers

Jez

Minors plays major role in Cup victory

By Colin Thompson
cthmpson@royalgazette.bm

Lobster Pot 1
Key West Rangers 2 (aet)
A last-gasp extra time goal by super sub Desmond Minors fired Key West Rangers to a 2-1 win over Lobster Pot in this FA Cup first round replay at Devonshire Rec. last night.
After the Commercial Division rivals missed crucial opportunities to settle this affair before the end of regulation time for the second time in 48 hours they had to endure 30 minutes of additional play.
Rangers, guilty of squandering more than their fair share of chances, finally forged ahead in the second minute of extra time when striker Tillman Darrell positioned himself well inside the six-yard box to stab home Craig Critchlow’s flighted cross from the right flank.
But just as they had done on three occasions during Sunday’s first encounter, Pot refused to throw in the towel and a Jeremy Leese header from a Troy Berkeley cross saw the teams draw level at 1-1 with just four minutes remaining in the second period of extra time.
Rangers then had several more late chances to retake the lead but as had been the case earlier in the match they were either thwarted by the heroics of Pot ‘keeper Brian Ward or by the poor finishing of their forwards.
However, with penalty kicks appearing to be the only way of settling this affair Minors found a way through Pot’s defences in the last seconds to finally settle this tie after 240 minutes of action and steer his team into the next round.
“Last year the guys went out in the first round so this year we thought that our chances of making it through to the second round were greater when we were drawn against another Commercial Division team,” said relieved Rangers coach Stevie Bean.
But the coach said that usually when teams give up leads like they had on Sunday and again last night they came out on the losing side. That they had emerged victorious owed much to their battling spirit.
“Much credit should go to my players for hanging in there and fighting as hard as they did,” Bean said, adding. “Their performance wasn’t that bad for a team that doesn’t train.”