HOLKER OLD BOYS 2005

The latest report from the Blackburn and Darwen Robins comes from the 2ND Division game at the end of October.
Seeing as I was travelling north after the game and Michelle couldn’t make it, the troops were left without transport and had to make do with wandering around Darwen market with their respective spouses. My own spouse and I set off in plenty of time so that I could drop her off in Barrow. Just as well we did because we missed the turn off and had to double back and we weren’t the only ones! Got to the ground at 2 o’clock and had a pint with several Robins supporters who were already there. The team and officials drove up in a convoy yet some of the Goomers still managed to get lost. The kick-off drew nearer but where were the missing 5 players? They were having an extended tour of the Lake District! They finally turned up just before 3.00 causing a ten minute delay which was quite handy for me as it took that long to tie up the flag in the gale force wind-it kept blowing through a hole in the fence and wrapping itself round the brambles.
Not surprisingly it was a slow start to the game with the late comers still ‘warming up’ 15 minutes into the game. We gradually started to put a few passes together with the two new boys, Theophanous and Khan both prominent.
A couple of half chances came and went before a great run by ‘Fish’ ended with a terrific shot which hit the angle of post and bar before being cleared. We picked up the loose ball and a great move down the right ended with a superb cross which found Daz who gleefully lashed it in for one-nil. With the home side making very little impression despite the advantage of the wind we really had a chance to turn our superiority in a commanding lead. But of course, we’d just gone over 300 minutes without a goal and with Eastie still missing through injury, we lacked the killer punch and half time arrived without further goals.
A few long range shots in the 2nd period and we’ll trounce this lot, or so I thought.
As I came out of the club the game resumed and the Old Boys leading scorer Southwood, who was having a stinker, hit another poor shot from 25 yards which looked to be going wide. That of course was until Bobby dived, flapped out an arm and deflected it into the net! That certainly geed up the home side and they finally began to enjoy more possession. The rain started bucketing it down and with the hurricane blowing into our faces behind the goal it was like Siberia. When we eventually make it to Europe, I suppose we’ll have quite a few games in conditions like these in the Eastern states.
It was now anyone’s game but we kept giving the ball away too easily, especially from the back and we always looked the more likely to present our opponents with a chance. At the other end, Khan, Rogers and O’Neil were all foiled by some latch ditch defending but the long shots which we should have been hitting from 30 yards never materialised as we persisted in trying to ‘walk it in’. It came as no real surprise, given the run of results we had been ‘enjoying’ recently, that the Old Boys scored what proved to be the winning goal 8 minutes from time.
Despite the game going on till almost 5 o’clock we failed to really test the keeper and the defeat was our seventh in a row, a club record. I went to get the flag down but the ties were so wet and my hands so numb that it took over five minutes, in which time I got soaked to the skin.
Well at least we’re good losers; we’ve had enough practice over the last 18 months! It was off to pick the missus up and then onto Brough where I ‘spread the word’ in the pub we stayed at.
If you missed this trip, you didn’t miss much. But to the dozen or so who boosted the attendance to an above average 45, well done-true loyal supporters amongst the best in the league.
Join us for the next away game and remember…

Rally round the robins!

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