Mens Merlins beat Berkhamsted Development 2 - 1

Saturday 27 February 2010
Maidenhead Merlins 2 (0) Berkhamsted 1 (0)
Mair 2 King

With only 9 players including the latest recruit Ed “the Wizard” Watson from Wallingford in goal the Merlins strode onto their favourite Bray 2 pitch against one or other of the Berkhamsted developing veteran sides, who kindly donated a surplus player in each half.
The lack of yoof in the Merlins squad (Poison flying, Shockwave broken hand) was partially compensated by the welcome return of the evergreen Tom Wilkins. Vice Captain Tugboat, absent last week on an extended PGA tour (but seen with a dark haired woman near Bisham Woods) was not only fined a jug for his misdemeanour, but also forced to play with contrition alongside Captain IMOZ at the back. There were, however, two advantages to this admonishment - most Berkhamsted attacks were snuffed out and the ball cleared incisively to the flanks and secondly, there was none of the bickering heard at the back in recent weeks.
Much as Berkhamsted built their attacks from midfield so the Merlins midfield of Squadron Leader Bowes, Spud and Slow tried to stem the flow, increasingly successfully as they found the ability to counterattack. Once the halves had regained possession it was Tom Wilkins whose tireless running, mostly with the ball, made the difference as he turned provider to Tin Tin. However Catweasel Clemence, the outstanding Berko ‘keeper was in no mood to be turned over having played for and against us in the previous week’s tourni, and seemed to have the measure of Tin Tin’s repertoire of shots and several Merlins short corners. He even outwitted Squadron leader Bowes forcing him to shoot wide after a magnificent solo run from midfield, to keep a clean sheet up until the interval.
Having wiped his Captain’s boots clean at half time, Tugboat was released from his defensive detention and stepped up to support the midfield who pressed on up the slope to threaten the Berkhamsted goal. The opponents seemed to lose some of their shape and after a lot of Merlins pressure Tom Wilkins managed to wriggle past both a Berkhamsted defender and our own Blocker Wood to deliver a pinpoint pass to Tin Tin who this time drew Catweasel one way and then slotted home from the other direction, to take a well earned lead. Realising the need to finish the job, the Merlins pushed forward, Spud Murphy and Squadron leader Bowes both now running freely at the Berkhamsted defence. It wasn’t all one way, Berkhamsted using their slope advantage with the longer ball to win a couple of short corners in succession. Ed the Wizard repelled several goal bound shots with great agility and it was only a subsequent goalmouth melee that allowed John King the half chance to slip the ball into the Merlins net.
Undaunted, the Merlins dug deep and found, well, not much left in the tank actually. However, just when you least expected it Blocker, appearing in a cameo role just inside the Berkhamsted 25 yard line, beat the first of two defenders and now inside the ‘D’ fed the ball to the predatory Tin Tin who this time made no mistake despite pressure from an advancing Catweasel, drilling the ball into the bottom corner of the goal to finish the game off. Hot showers and food followed with a thoroughly deserved man of the Match award for Tugboat, seen carrying several jugs of bitter to the table, shared with the gregarious Berko team, always welcome at Bray. Thanks too, for their sympathetic and unobtrusive umpiring.