IC 3s take care of business against LSA

On the 6th of November – a sinisterly drab Wednesday (the kind that taunts at the beginning of a cold, dark winter) – ICUAFC 3rd Team played against LCA Business School 1st Team. The 5-0 score-line showed the match to be (ironically) not just business as usual for the opposition, and indeed the same was true of both teams’ journeys to the match. Whilst initial good news of the fixture’s relocation to IC home ground Harlington due to plague-like floods at the opposition’s pitches, the true tone was soon set as it became apparent that ‘Little’ Harlington – the bitter, besmirched and forgotten little brother to the main Harlington complex – was to be our allocated changing room. The public transport over to Harlington was dominated by characteristically uncharismatic 3s silence, when it became chillingly apparent that there was something off about the normal bus route to the grounds… a diversion. A gruesome traffic incident right outside the desired Harlington bus stop had left the 3s stranded, up the creek without a paddle… Luckily, a paddle wasn’t quite needed, though with the blustering wind a sail could have helped. Not so luckily however, it left the 3s with one last resort: to yomp it all the way to the grounds. There really was nothing fun about this diversion. Half an hour later – over 2 miles traversed, endless leafy puddles avoided, and even an idea for a new pub-crawl hatched (#Harling10) – we made it! However, this was only to find the opposition to be struggling yet more with the delays… This heathen trot to Harlington will never be forgotten – it’s minibuses all the way for 3s now (not actually true, but it should be)!. When the football finally arrived, the referee unfortunately had not. Despite beginning the match with an LCA player as the official however, the 3s had a quick start, taking advantage of the extra pre-match warm-up time. Francis Nwobu and Tyrone Scille hassled the LCA back four relentlessly, until an early reward came as great interplay between the front 2 lead to a sweet finish from Tyrone. A similar move soon after led to an even sweeter Henry-esque finish into the top corner from the in-form striker. With the referee being kind enough to join for the last 15 minutes of the half, it was 2-0 IC 3s, and despite some sloppily squandered chances to get that killer third goal, the team began to take full control of the match, with centre-backs Jack ‘The Fresher’ Peacock (a.k.a Club Historian) and Vincent Avena imposing their will in defence. The second half began worse for the 3s, with some careless passes leading to uncomfortable spells of pressure in the IC half. LCA’s best player, an all-controlling Yaya Toure type, was starting to influence the game more and more. Sanjiv Dutt stood firm in goal, sweeping away any half snippets at goal and organizing the defence in front of him. But at 2-0, IC were still in an uncomfortably vulnerable position. As more chances begged and pleaded and pled and entreated for the 3s attack, nerves began to jangle, with the memory of a recent 2-4 loss – from 2-0 up – etched all too vividly into the collective memory. Then, suddenly, a spark came: a booming Taha Butt challenge on the LCA playmaker lead to Faidon Mitzalis (a.k.a International Man of Mystery, IMoM) nicking the ball round the opposing full-back, which, after a series of slick slide-rule passes teasing the LCA defence, led to a clinical drive into the side netting by captain Myles Jarvis. That goal was critical in cementing confidence and expelling those cretins of concern that were creeping into the contest, and the 3s began to light up too hot and bright for the LCA men. It was fireworks time. Extended periods of goal-threatening pressure followed, with the quality in the IC team a class above their LCA counterparts: winning corners, deep throw-ins (courtesy of Miles Covers), and testing the keeper at every chance. A fourth goal came when one such corner dropped into the 6 yard box where numerous 3s were waiting. A series of half clearances and half shots led to the ball ricocheting off Francis Nbowu and rippling the side netting, capping off a stellar triple goal-and-assist match. The fifth and final goal came courtesy of LCA’s goalkeeper: a weak pass out from a goal-kick to one of his – now demoralised – centre-backs was sharply intercepted by Julian Iacoponi, who, despite taking a heavy touch (sending him on a direct crash course with both keeper and centre-back) executed step 3 of those famously infamous Pete Stillwell instructions – to WANT IT – and managed to crunch a finish through what was a heavy impact collision. Special mention goes out to Faidon Mitzalis who, on one of his frequent mazy runs foraying in and around the penalty box, was disgustingly skewered by an LCA player, leaving our beloved IMoM stuck on the sidelines with ankle damage for the coming weeks. #PrayForFaidon! Peace out.

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