Old Trinity 2-7 Middle Park

As the World Snooker Championship reached it’s halfway point far away at
the Crucible Theater in Sheffield , it was a fitting setting for the
Parkers to take on Old Trinity on the immaculate surfaces of the Trinity
College complex a world away in Melbourne .

A lush playing surface in this league, however, does not mean Club Med,
a rub down and shiatsu (except maybe from Johnny), and with no changing
rooms or showers in the conventional sense, as well as searing heat for
april in Melbourne , it was destined to be a day of extremes.

After the obligatory and condescending pre match chastisement from the
provincial league 3 ref, the match got underway.

A closely fought first 10 minutes was spectacularly unsealed as Micky
‘lightening’ Lofthouse burst forward down the left flank and whipped in
a pinpoint cross for central midfield powerhouse Big KeV to expertly
glance into the bottom corner. Greek God and Gaffer, Stratos Xynas, duly
took a bow in the knowledge that he’d had his wide men practicing
crossing all week in training.

1-0 and off the Parkers go again, although it seemed, onto another
emphatic win and clean sheet. This was reinforced when on 18 minutes,
having successfully concealed his extremely bad hangover before the
match by avoiding breathing anywhere near the manager, new signing Nate
‘speedy’ Meadey struck from the edge of the box to double the visitors
lead.

12 goals scored and 0 conceded was the scores on the doors for the
season as Middle Park looked to stamp their authority on the game.

The match took an unexpected turn when a routine trinity goal kick
quickly turned disastrous when, anticipating another shank from the
hapless home keeper, the parkers pressed and despite another miss-hit
goal kick, Nate could only get a fraction of his bald head to the ball
as it went on to fall kindly to the trinity attack. Within seconds the
trinity forward swung his foot at a cross from the channel only to see
his effort luckily nestle inside the far post.

Brian and the Parkers had conceded their first goal of the season, but
more importantly, it was now ‘game on’.

Middle park were clearly rattled leaving the field for half time, the
prospect of an easy stroll on a sunny afternoon swiftly snatched away by
an inferior team that now had the bit between their teeth and momentum
in their favour. Halftime odds on Bet365 for Old Trinity ‘to win’ went
from 150-1 at kick-off to a tempting 10-1 at halftime.

You could be forgiven for wondering what exactly Strati gave his players
during that 15 minutes given what unfolded infront of the strong away
support in the second half. It was either a heavy dose of a cool, calm
and collected reality check that this team is full of ‘winners’ (and 2-1
UP!), or something that the boys usually go and see Big KeV about.

Either way, the Parkers wasted no time in restoring the natural order
when Stevo, a welcome return to the line up after the well publicized
Hunter ValleyGate cup scandal the previous week, smashed a superb strike
into the top corner in emphatic fashion leaving Trinity in little doubt
of what they were up against. And for the young Trinity hopefuls, wind
truly BEATEN out of their sails, it was only going to get worse.

Wave after wave of Middle Park attack left trinity heads truly spinning
at times, the Don and Furness linking play beautifully to the widemen and making runs into the box,
but it was star striker George with a poachers finish from an attacking
Parkers throw-in that led to 4-1 and the match as a contest well and
truly over.

The ever consistent Furness, seemingly carrying a slight injury, was replaced
by new signing Miles in the 60th who immediately proved to be an exciting
addition to the Parkers sqaud and was at the heart of some slick passing
moves in attack.

Soon after, ‘Senyor’ Gav replaced ‘Safa’ Wayne at right back, and this was followed
by Big keV claiming a well deserved 3rd goal of the season with a good
finish for 5-1. Stevo duly chipped in for his brace with a messi-esc
dribble through the Trinity defense, 6-1.

Cruising, and with goal ‘sniffitus’ fully embedded in the psyche of each
MPFC player queuing up to get their names on Teletext, Old Trinity
caught the solid-all-season Bri off guard putting his whiskey bottle and
cigar down by the post, leaving him only able to make a half save and
trinity getting a meaningless 2nd goal. ‘Meaningless’ to Trinity that
is, but for Middle Park and especially the solid centre half duo of
‘Angry’ Ali and Northern Ireland international, ‘Nani’, it was
unacceptable. Fortunately, it was not possible to make Ali any angrier
than he was so the game carried on.

Just to make a point, as the ‘Hoff’ does, Stevo responded to Trinities’ unexpected 2nd by heading in
a cross for his hatrick, rounding off a fantastic afternoon for the now
T-Total winger, and a superb physical and mental showing from Middle
Park.

In the end it was another extremely good, and well deserved result for
the Parkers, FT 7-2, Strati hadn’t felt this good since Greece won the
European championships in 2004, and to celebrate his hatrick, Stevo
partied with the lads like it was 1999 and didn’t drink a thing.

Line up: Brian, Wayno (Gav 65), Ali, Nani, Lofty, Kev, Matt (Capt), Mickey (Miles 60), George, Stevo, Nate
Subs (used): Gav, Miles

Goals: Kev (2), Stevo (3), Nate, George