Men’s Football beat King’s in ULU plate final

An incredible season of football for Imperial College Football Club culminated in two cup finals, having already seen a league win for the 4s, and a narrow miss on promotion for the 3s. With the 1s cup final played on the Saturday, the 5s were out to set the cup final bar on the preceding Wednesday.

The team were up against a Kings College 3rd team whom they had already beaten twice in the year, the 5s were keen to end a fantastic season on a high.

The second term had seen the 5s unbeaten until the final league match, winning 10 of 13 along the way; an exceptional record. Unfortunately Imperial’s 4s prevailed in the final league game of the season, ruining the 5s chances of causing an upset and leaving the plate as the team’s final chance for silverware.

With so much riding on the game, Imperial understandably started the game nervously, takingl 10 minutes for Imperial to settle and gain an ascendency in terms of possession. However when ball reached midfielder Flo ‘Hitzelsberger’ Klein at the edge of the box, the german non international fired an absolute cannon of a strike into the far corner to give IC a 1-0 lead.

The cup final was a few weeks ago now, and the more time passes the better this goal is in my memory. It was undoubtedly a stunner though.

With nerves somewhat settled, Imperial finally began to dominate possession and look more composed on the ball. However just a few minutes later a long ball over the top caused an unexpected error from a man who had previously been regarded of as one of the brightest males in north London of African descent. As the ball sailed harmlessly to ‘keeper Dave the Save, Ogunbiyi inexplicably tore down the opposing striker Tom Daley.

With the ball nowhere near the Kings player, the penalty was a harsh decision, but one has to wonder what such a smart man was doing. Once again, Haringey council’s 1994 committee were placed under scrutiny.

Unperturbed by Dave’s reputation and ensuing nickname, the Kings captain slotted home the penalty to level the scores.

However, almost immediately, Imperial responded. A good move saw the ball spread to danger man Andy down the left wing. His pull back met Bizzel who went pow and stepped over the ball allowing it to run across the face of goal. Former captain and 5th team veteran Mike ‘two bites’ Ridge was there at the back post to finish, in a fashion which was reminicent of a Hollywood-esque script. One must ask how many nights he must have spent dreaming of this moment; the ball was directed perfectly towards him and the goal was gaping however, Ridge missed. The ball hit his standing foot and ballooned, fortunately he had a second bite at the cherry as the ball landed at his feet. Ridge’s second attempt was more successful and he scored much to the relief of the rest of the team.

The second half saw Imperial dominate further, creating many excellent chances to put the game beyond King’s. However none of the chances came into fruition. You may not know about him, but Bizzel was absolutely dominant in midfield. Combinations of Andy , Captain Pricey, Flo, Wozza and Sim looked dangerous up front, and Mike lead the line exceptionally. Although the goal never came, the 5s played out the remainder of the game in the opposition half and finished the game on top despite the addition of further goals which their performance deserved.

I’d also like to use this opportunity to thank those who came but didn’t come on, and those who came to watch. Imperial’s fans were a joy. Constantly enquiring as to the whereabouts of King’s fans and friends, their chants were innovative and vocal.

Tactical advice was also on tap. Right back, and 5s captain in waiting, Adam Watkin was consistently reminded to hold the line to his displeasure. Man of the match was mobo award winner failed.