Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Match of the year !!

3rd Anglo-Scottish Folklorists Youth Cup Final (played over two legs)


Match report :

The first leg was a strangely muted affair, with Edinburgh proving unable to exploit their home advantage. The visitors opened the scoring, with Carter turning in a sound performance in front of goal. For the home side, Wiseman never got any power
behind his shot and did not trouble the keeper. (Wiseman’s on-pitch weaknesses, though, were more than compensated for by his post-match conviviality).

The leg was not without controversy. Cowdell was cup-tied and prevented from playing for the visitors in the first leg. Edinburgh could not capitalise, though, with Masoni falling foul of the match officials for persistent diving. The game was threatened with disrepute as this skilful player first ignored, then disputed the linesmen’s decision, and the match dragged into extended stoppage time. At the death Scott restored some pride for the home team, equalising with a magnificent solo effort. The teams went into the second leg all square.

First leg: Edinburgh 1 - Sheffield 1

Although the scores were level at the break, Edinburgh’s weaknesses definitely left the psychological advantage with the visitors. Evidently buoyed and well-prepared, Sheffield came out strongly in the second leg. Sticking closely to their game plan they launched attacks from all over the pitch from the first whistle, and Edinburgh seemed unprepared for the onslaught. After Bradshaw had scored a good goal in the opening minutes, Edinburgh were left chasing the game for the rest of the afternoon. Bek-Pedersen equalised for the home side, although there was an element of luck involved: the tall Dane took a deflection off a passing swan-maiden, and the keeper was stranded. Bannister quickly put the visitors ahead again with a richly-deserved first goal that surprised her, but nobody else.

There then followed one of the more eccentric moments of individual skill in this engrossing contest. The nimble feet of midfield maestro Poole wove their magic, bamboozling Edinburgh’s defence, the match officials, his own team-mates, both mascots, the caterer and himself. There was a heated and baffled argument between the referee, the linesmen and the fourth official before they (rightly) decided to allow his goal to stand. This knocked the stuffing out of Edinburgh, who could not conjure up the quick response necessary to get them back in the game. Their cause was not helped by the performance of Koehler, who seemed unfamiliar not only with the rules, but with the game. Koehler was hampered by being totemically related to an eyeliner pencil (MHG: kohl). Deep in his own half he failed to gather a cruel back-pass from Wiseman and was easily dispossessed by Thomas, who scored with a spectacular long-range strike.

To their credit Edinburgh continued to make a game of it. Starting from an unpromising position Ahlander launched a mazy run which eventually saw the limp-haired Swede going all the way through to score. Sheffield, though, were trusting their advantage to individual performances now. With half of the midfield leading a diversionary run down the players’ tunnel for a cigarette, Thorgeirsdottir went through on her own to restore the three-goal lead. McPhee pulled a good goal back for Edinburgh before Cowdell (finally allowed on the pitch) sealed the victory with a clinical headed goal in the dying minutes.

Second leg: Edinburgh 3 - Sheffield 6
Sheffield won 4-7 on aggregate.

Match officials
Referee: Shaw (Edinburgh)
Linesmen: Klein (Uppsala), Lindahl (Houston)
Fourth Official: McKay (Edinburgh)

After the match the crowd were entertained by a display from Dr Lyle’s Cosmological Majorettes and Medicine Show. There were no incidents in the tunnel.

Match description courtesy of on Paul Cowdell!!!

Later on I invited the Sheffield contingency home for a fullfledged Icelandic traditional meal, of smoked lamb, bechamels sauce, potatoes and dried fish ;-) Followed by Brennivín, and everyone duly developed hairs on their chest!! ;-P Elena of course, took it upon herself to keep the guests occupied and making them feel welcomed and appreciated (the young male ones at least ;-)


After this remarkably filling and well earned meal, we headed back to the centre to Sandy Bells, one of the more notorious folky pubs in Edinburgh, where I found much to my surprice that I knew quite a number of people ;-P Great fun following a great weekend and an excellent experience !!
(Primarily because noone booed me down, and Carl Lindahl suggested Terry should have awarded me a ma instead of a Ba for my paper ;-P it takes little to make little souls happy)

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