Match report The Old Boys took the tours of East Anglia this weekend to play newly promoted Pelicans, who Noddy kindly labelled a club he wished would cease to exist. With Señor Tap-ins, Tim Robinson, Birthday boy, Callum Lidell and newest member of the Leigh-on-Sea Dash Daddys Alfie Hibbard not fancying the trip with the BABs (Bang Average Boys); it meant a well deserved call up for a regular Norfolk journeyman-Jack Summers. With his last first team game being a Dereham away trip it didn’t need a rock, paper, scissors match for this man to get in breaded into the team. Insight from self-proclaimed no longer angry man, Billy Taylor, highlighted the opposition’s main man being a South African- it seemed to take us hearing one sentence to identify him amongst a team from the depths of rural Norfolk. After a redesign of the Old Gold and Black socks the game got underway with chances coming like a Jack Head pre game snack- thick and fast. As the boys got used to the wet and bouncy Pelicans pitch, Noddy’s fresh Astros seemingly struggling the most, we grew into the game nicely. Despite the early positive signs, it was the home team that took the lead. The umpire deciding back sticks were fair game and then deciding to recreate Mike Dean from Spurs vs Villa in 2015. This unjust conceit of the opening goal sparked the Old Boys into action as we started to play the best hockey so far this season, creating some good chances. A flurry of shorts and a reverse stick shot from Giles just whistling over the crossbar by mere millimetres- can’t fully recall but it may have been a 2 on 1 against only the Pelicans keeper, Billy screaming for a slip pass- details are hazy. As Michael Scott said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take- Wayne Gretzky” The half-time whistle came rather premature for us as things were clicking nicely. Encouraging words and Haribo sponsored nutrition allowed the boys to continue their strong attacking play into the second half. Some tackling Roy Keane would have been proud of from the home side led to periods of numerical advantage for the travelling Seasiders. Unfortunately it was the Pelicans in their purple and black kit, the birds must look different up there, who grabbed the vital second goal. The overseas opposition midfielder moving like a Springbok through our midfield, found space to play a reverse pass into our D leading to a close deflection past John. Another regrouping required from the travelling first team and a quick response needed for us to get anything from the near 6 hour round trip. Ben Cotton, still very much in limbo whether to embrace the chips et la beans nickname or move onto peteacher73 since his return from university, opted for a quick change of footwear- changing from the concrete slabs to his playmaking boots. Parking himself High on the left-side he played a lovely aerial peaking higher than a Church spire past the Main part of the home side defence to Giles who was Stationed in the D. Giles then dispatched, on the second try, past the Pelicans keeper to silence the rather large crowd. The final ten minutes of the match were played out in frantic fashion as we hunted for an equaliser but to no avail as the game ended 2-1 to the home side moving them to the peak of the Prem East league. A long journey back on the bumpy roads of Norfolk, most common road names mentioned above, but many positives to take from our best performance this season looking on to a sellout Warners next week. Match of the match went to Billy Taylor, presumably some underhand payments to voters, for clocking more yardage than Dave Catchpole ever has in a game. Jacket of shame this week was an open one with el Card Collector, Jack Andrews, not adding to his portfolio but fell to myself, Giles, for my attacking faux pas mentioned earlie