Football: Men’s 7s make light work of Heythrop

Football

Men’s 3rd – 2 Sussex 2nd – 1

A fine afternoon in Fulham yielded a impressive 4-0 away victory for the Imperial football 7th team against a strong Heythrop side whose Kensington location made it as close to a derby game as any possible outside Varsity week.

Equipped with armfuls of food from some of Gloucester Road’s most reputable food outlets, the ever-professional 7s proceeded to the tube, soon arriving at Putney Bridge to meet the rest of the players. After an accidental and brief detour via the private Hurlingdon Club, which was met with stern and disdainful looks from the gatekeepers, the pitch was found in nearby Hurlingdon Park. The team quickly found the changing room (whose size suggested it had actually been designed for 18-a-side Aussie Rules Football) and pulled on the (literally) hole-filled rags which were masquerading as the 7s’ kit for the season.

The rare presence of a referee for the first time in the season was a welcome one, and he quickly got the game underway with Heythrop losing the toss, leaving the 7s to kick off. Talismanic left-winger Ed Lambourn had been self-diagnosed with a severe pulmonary embolism, and was therefore unavailable to play for the first time this season – a game in which his devastating pace would surely have been useful, against a defence which exhibited about as much speed as a paralysed snail. His placed was filled by Mikkel Kranker, who had an excellent match in his first game for Imperial. The lack of a natural goalkeeper in the squad prompted tough-tackling midfielder James Davies to offer his services between the sticks.

After a largely even start, both teams were pressing and it was Heythrop who came closest with a shot powerfully struck against the post in the first 10 minutes. Imperial’s three in central midfield seemed to be working, with Ben Ganesh, Chris Gunasekara and Sergei Palmer passing with precision and tackling with vigour. The referee’s decision not to use linesmen was a poor one, and lone striker Mo Alsagoff was called offside a couple of times when the spectators’ opinions suggested otherwise.

The deadlock was broken on the twenty minute mark, with winger Ephraim Haffner-Staton, who had looked dangerous on the right, cutting inside past two defenders and hitting a powerful shot into the bottom left corner past the keeper. Shortly after, an accidental kick in the head forced solid centre back Steffan Schulz to be substituted for Ross Maske, making his first appearance for Imperial. The injured German had been one of the team’s most consistent performers so far in the season, with his commanding defensive play alongside Dom Wood combining smartly with surprising attacking ability in front of goal – he went into the game with two goals already to his name.

It took just a few more minutes for the second goal to come, with Ben releasing Ephraim on the right hand edge of the box who took a few touches before finishing coolly with a Robin-van-Persie-versus-Norwich-esque chip, his second of the game. As the first half came to an end, there was time for yet another goal to give Imperial a 3-0 lead into the break. A through ball from the midfield released Mo who easily outpaced the static Heythrop back line only to be met with the onrushing keeper. A smart sidestep to the right and a few subsequent touches left the keeper stranded and the delightful chipped cross that followed allowed Mikkel to fire home from virtually on the goal-line – a debut goal for the stand-in left midfielder.

The only other incident of the first half was a rare yellow card for right back Duncan, as he committed an excellent foul on a Heythrop midfielder on the edge of his own box to prevent an incisive counter-attack. The two full-backs, captain Alex Meyer-Forsting (a.k.a. Major Foreskin) alongside Duncan himself had both been excellent all game, preventing any kind of threat from materialising down the flanks.

Any fighting spirit from Heythrop which had seemed to be absent for most of the first half seemed to return at the beginning of the second half, as the game took a more even stance. Winger Bhavik Bhatt replaced Chris and took up a left midfield role, with Mikkel moving into the centre. The fourth and final goal came midway through the second half, as another punishing through ball down the right flank released Mo on the halfway line, who promptly outran the haggard Heythrop defence and fired confidently across the body of the keeper low into the corner of the net – his third of the season.

For the final ten minutes, Sergei took up position in goal, allowing James to inject some of his tough-tackling and enthusiasm into the centre of midfield. After being unsure of his own ability in goal, James had looked every bit the professional keeper, with a confident performance. The only incident in the last few minutes was a penalty for Imperial being waved away by the referee after talking to Ben, who proved the 7s’ sportsmanship, even though a penalty would surely have led to a fifth goal.

Soon after, the final whistle blew, signalling celebrations from Imperial to accompany their most convincing result of the season. Ephraim was given man of match after his sterling performance, which had resulted in two goals for the right winger. With performances like this, the 7s are sure to quickly rise up the table – form which could not have come at a better time, as more challenging matches lie in the weeks to come.