Imperial footballers in cup shock!
Men's Football
Kings College 1st XI 1
Imperial College 3rd XI 1 2-2 aet.
Imperial Won 6-5 penalties
This was a game with everything that has come to be expected from a true cup upset and one that will live long in the memory of every third team member. The work rate and quality of every player on the pitch was outstanding and deservedly reflected in the glorious result.
With team captain Greg stuck on the toilet, club captain Shatters was drafted in to call the shots. Conditions ripe for an upset, a howling wind and a mud pit for a pitch, the game got under way. It started a very tight affair with few chances going either way, both defences very much on top. Kings had clearly underestimated the task that lay ahead of them. Demetris and Leon were proving good outlets on the wings affording us a few chances up top with Dave. Kings' dependence on the central midfield was all too evident; they were trying to force everything through the centre, a very bad idea. With Silva nullifying their most potent threat, a man/machine that had, the previous week, ripped the 2nds apart. Pete was left to sweep up in front of the defence, a job carried out in a typically convincing and aggressive manner, whilst Richie P was the creative spark going forward.
Nearing the end of the first half, with Kings' frustration becoming clearer to see, a long and rather speculative ball was pumped upfield. The Kings' defence should have dealt with this quite simply but true to the form of the IC attacking line, Demo did not give up and, after a mistake, found himself one-on-one with their shaky excuse for a keeper. The ball was clinically dispatched past the goalie with the confidence that was now running through the team, 0-1. Half-time arrived with people on the side lines quite rightly deluded into thinking we were the higher team on this pitch!
The second half began with a response from Kings. The attacks started to build: MacAdie, Shatters, Pat and Tim stood firm at the back though, rocks upon which each wave of attack from Kings would inevitably break, with Mike Pursey comfortably cleaning up behind. Having put in such a spirited performance, heartbreak was just around the corner though. A half cross/shot was attempted from the Kings winger with only five minutes to go. The ball was going well over the bar until the conditions intervened to save Kings; the ball stopped in the wind and crept under the bar into the top corner, 1-1. Extra time ensued with both subs Pires and Gassmann on the pitch.
At the start of extra time came what surely should have ended any chance for us. Pursey, in goal, got taken out in a fifty-fifty challenge. So, down to ten men, no subs were left, and with Tim, our left back, filling the gap left by Mike, we continued. After a string of fine saves from our new keeper, came what we had feared most, a Kings goal. Their striker managed to latch onto a long ball over the top and flick it past Tim, 2-1. With the task now more daunting than ever, the thirds battled on into the second half.
Kings conceded a free kick just outside the box on the left and were quite rightly concerned with what was to come. IC's big men lined up in the area, ready to attack the cross but Pires had other ideas. He had his eyes set on the top corner. They all got whipped in with all the curl and ferocity he could muster, their keeper left with no chance of saving his ripper, 2-2. Having equalised with ten men and an out-field player in goal, IC were quite happy to settle for the draw.
A penalty shoot-out without a proper keeper: easy, we thought. The confidence within the team was all too evident with Richie P demanding the first pen. Remaining slots in the line-up were snapped up with enthusiasm by the rest of the team. Richie got us underway with a fine penalty, one to set the tone of the shoot-out. Pete, Gassmann, Pires and Pat all following suit accordingly. 5-5, and onto sudden death. Stand-in keeper Timmay, as if to rub it in their faces, was number six and carried out the job in a typically clinical manner. With the pressure of failure clearly mounting on Kings, their winger buckled, sending the ball skyward, leaving IC to go on to the next round, 5-6 on penalties.
Wild celebrations duly followed with the 3rds being joined on the pitch by the 5ths who had been cheering us on throughout extra time. In the face of a Herculean task, deemed impossible from every observer, the 3rds pulled off the greatest upset in the history of the ULU Challenge Cup. Every player had put their all into this performance, outstanding across the board without exception; we deserved every bit of this result. From here we move one step closer to the final and start our charge up the table, with boosted confidence and a sense of invincibility.
