Old Boys 2, Maroons 5

Without doubt this was the highlight of our 2009 season and perhaps the best result from us in three years. After a draining and dispiriting loss to the Mako's on Saturday, and the sorrow drowning trivia night, we arrived with heavy legs and some sore heads, knowing that defeat would leave us in third place some eight points from the summit.
A day earlier we had huffed and puffed for 75 minutes before finding the target but it took us just two to get moving on Sunday. Jon S, one of the few operating on fresh legs, got to the byline down the left and crossed for Ant to power home a header.
In the earlier game against the Old Boys we went 2-0 up before surrendering 5-4, and the first part of that scenario was playing out again as Gary J sped through the centre and played a perfect ball into Ant. His shot squeezed through the keeper and in for 2-0.
We kept pushing forward, Ant almost grabbing a first half hat-trick when his right foot curler grazed the outside of the post with the keeper beaten. A third did arrive when TH10 was flattened just outside the box. As Ant prepared to take the freekick, the Old Boys moved a defender back into the goal and TH10 moved to the six yard box. The keeper spilled the ball obligingly in front and TH10 poked it home.
The Old Boys remain the best team we've seen playing the ball out from the back and through the midfield but our defence was giving little space or latitude to their strikers, including the niggling brute up front.
The ref was blowing up for regualr freekicks and we suffered a second soft penalty in two days when a ball bounced up into the arm of Jon S as it was tucked tightly to his body.
Their No.14 placed the penalty weakly to Pete's left and the keeper continued his amazing run of success in penalties. A rough count makes it four saved from about eight faced.
Just before the break, however, the Old Boys clawed one back. Another handball call outside the box, this time against Paul E, allowed them a freekick which went around the wall and straight in. Getting a wall set and the keeper in the right spot has never been one of our strengths and certainly one for training this week.
It was 3-1 at the break and Paul E departed along with injured Dave D. Gary J had been flattened (he always is by the Old Boys) and was forced to sit out as well, leaving us down to 12 players for the second period and mindful of our past failures to hold onto good leads.
We dug in for the start of the second half but were under enormous pressure which intensified when the niggling brute finally found some space and crashed a shot into the bar, only for the No.14 to bundle in the rebound.
At 3-2 we started to wobble but with Fergus sitting in front of defence and Dean, Phil, Ian, Graeme P and Kev all throwing themselves into challenges we were just doing enough to keep them out. The midfielders were helping us clear quickly and threaten on the counterattack and with 15 or so to go we restored our two goal cushion. Jon got clear down the right and lifted the ball into the box. TH10 apparently gave the defender who was about to head clear a little nudge (this is unconfirmed - TH10, the ref and linesman all claim to have been unsighted but everyone else is convinced there was a foul) and then headed wide of the keeper for 4-2.
OThe Old Boys were enraged and in the aftermath the referee threatened to take his ball and go home before order was restored.
Again we battled at the back, clearing a succession of corners before we finally got the breathing space we needed. After a foul five yards outside the area, Ant stepped up and curled a screamer into the far top corner for his perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header).
TH10 should have helped himself to a hatrick as well after Shane's clever pass left him bearing down on the goal like Willem Janzoon sailing full bore at the Australian coastline in a successful bid to become the first European to sight the mainland...
The defenders fell away (like the 'oon' in a certain trivia question answer) and TH10 had a few minutes to pick his spot. Unfortunately that spot was some 15 metres wide of the far post.
The Old Boys were whingeing and moaning at the final whistle but those of us who had the energy were laughing. Especially when No.14 came out with the comment of the day. "You guys are like Helensburgh..."
Could it be a compliment?
The fun didn't end there. Paul E, having rung in for a report, received an SMS saying we had lost 5-3. Think it spoiled his lunch.