Bury Rovers vs BBFC

After a tough game we managed to do the double over Bury Rovers this weekend with a well earned 5-3 victory, putting us joint second in the league with one game left before the Christmas break.

As always with Bury Rovers the match from start to finish was hard work and we never really played at our highest level, but we always looked likely to score when counter attacking. After a strong start to the game Bury Rovers took the lead against the run of play, with an uncharacteristic spill from Driver allowing an easy finish. We continued to work hard and it always looked like 'when' rather than 'if' we would pull a goal back. Our first goal came from the style of football which has served us well all year, a good break down the wing by Flan and Mark was in the box to convert Flan's cross.

At half time we all knew we could get a win out of the game, knowing the points were important for us in staying in the hunt for the promotion places. We started the second half well and were unlucky to off had a goal by Carl disallowed. After a couple of changes we quickly got ourselves in the lead through Carter's well taken goal and we looked like we would go on and score more. Unfortunately a rather controversial free kick gifted rovers an equaliser, things seemed like perhaps they were not going to go our way.

Then our luck momentarily changed when Rees decided he would grab his first goal for the club from just inside the Rovers half when his long ball into the box looped over the keeper and went straight into the goal. However yet again Rovers were able to find an equaliser out of the blue following a well taken goal. In the last 10 minutes however through battling hard and pressing Rovers all over the pitch we managed to grab two late goals, Mark capitalising on a mistake from the keeper and Carl scoring a good header from a well placed corner.

A good win despite not playing our best football, however what we did do is work our socks off for the full 90 minutes and it was through perseverance and continuing to believe that we could win that we were able to score two goals in the last 10 minutes Next week against Thurston is likely to present a similar game and we will need to ensure we tackle them in the same way we did Rovers this weekend. Well done to everyone for another good result for the team, one more to go to top a really good 2012 for the Boy!

Come They Told Me, Rum-pa-plum-plum

Little Plummer Boy

Stoke-By-Nayland vs BBFC

The cup run continues and Black Boy march on to the last 16 of the Suffolk Primary Cup!!

After a few unexpected incidents before the match the fixture would see us without any subs, Taff in goal in place of an incontinent Driver and the one knee wonder that is Mr Plummer in Midfield! In truth we won the game in a pretty comfortable manner and were easily the better team over the course of thee 90 minutes.

The defense were solid and it was only on the odd occasions we got caught slightly by their counter attacks. In midfield there was a good mix of short passing with both wings, along with some well placed balls over the top of their defense. Up top we caused their defense problems all game with our pace, good positioning and some well timed runs. Set plays this week also saw us looking far more dangerous when attacking, but also more solid when defending.

It was also really good to see 5 different players get on the score sheet and everyone being in really good spirits on the pitch. Whilst it was through complacency that they pulled two goals back, for the majority of the game every payer worked hard and battled to ensure we got the result. In previous weeks we have been punished for not holding on to leads or for not taking are chances when they fall, so this week hopefully will see us learn from everything we did well and carry it into the last two games of the year.

Next week we have a break and then we have two back to back league games which we need to make sure we take full points from in order to finish the year in the top 3.

Great result and a huge well done for everyone who worked flat out to pick up a thoroughly deserved win.


Graham Cassidy & The Plumdance Kid
Now with Bonus Disc of extras and out-takes

RF Saints vs BBFC

Really unfortunate result this weekend in a match which everyone came away knowing we could have easily won and that we probably played the best football. I can not personally knock any individuals performance on the weekend, everyone worked hard and we looked the better side for large spells of the game.

Unfortunately luck did not seem to be on our side this weekend......Carter got booked before kick off, we hit the bar, had a shot cleared off the line and Driver slipped over allowing a real blooper of a 3rd goal for RF Saints. Whilst it is gutting to lose, everyone's attitude was spot on this week and despite the result we should all take several positives from the performance and know that if we play that style of football every week we will finish towards the top of the league.

Several players played some of their best football I have seen to date this weekend and it is noted by myself. I said at the start of last week that places are up for grabs and several peoples performances since that point have improved and it is really good to see people developing on the pitch. The only area to look to build on is in the final third of the pitch. Again this week we had several chances but our conversion rate is not as good as it should be given the players we have.

It is positive however that we are creating the opportunities, so lets show some confidence in our ability if an opportunity presents itself and I am sure we can start finding the back of the net more often.

Great performance, shame about the result. Bring that style of football to this weeks cup tie though and we should be in for a good game!

Plummer From Another Mumma
Relocating Children since Jimmy Saville

BBFC vs Wortham

After a few tricky weeks it was good this week to get a good comfortable win against Wortham. In a match which we always should have been looking to take 3 points from we went about the match in the right manner and we were dominant through out. I think everyone would agree it would have been nice to have scored a few more goals but what was even more important was to see everyone looking calm on the ball and overall playing good football.

Wortham never really gave us too much to worry about, but what we did have to deal with defensively we did very well. We all need to take the positives from this week and ignore the few minor incidents which no one needs to dwell on or concern themselves over. We have a tough match against RF Saints this week who are in good form so we need to have our heads up and look to play another confident and composed match of football.

Well done on the win, lets look to use it as a catalyst to pick up our form again.


Plum & Plummer
...Plumming to a cinema near you this pummer!

BBFC vs Elephant & Castle

Well, we have not quite been at our best in recent weeks and we struggled on Saturday against a very good Elephant and Castle side who were the better team for much of the game. I don't mean to moan, but I don't know whether we have started to think we can just turn up and get results or whether we are just struggling a little bit for form right now but we must make sure we get back to basics and a bit of hard graft this week when we host Wortham.

We did not look up for the game when we kicked off on Saturday and were under the cosh for much of the first half where our clearances were being returned quickly to our back four and we struggled to get close to our opponents all over the pitch with their pace and short passing game. Frustration got the better of Carter after he lashed out and could have been sent off on another day.

Driver made a couple of good saves and Rhino looked very accomplished at right back aside from one tackle which was a nailed on booking from about 10 minutes before he made the challenge. It wasn't long before the Trunk were ahead but the mighty boy were level quickly with a corner from Carter (who else?) which swerved straight in thanks to the blustery conditions. I'm sure he will claim he meant it.

From then on though, there were only one team who were going to win it and we were thankful to Driver, Jock and Rees after half-time for keeping us in the game. We seemed to tire though with several players soldiering on with knocks and despite playing some good football at times, when we got possession, there was not much urgency to find some space and provide an option - a crime that we were all equally guilty of. Any raids forward often led to players being caught out of position on the counter-attack.

One good Elephant and Castle move resulted in them taking the lead and this was quickly followed by a rocket of a free-kick as Driver screamed at his defence that he didn't need a wall. The final goal was a matter of sloppiness though as Leighton gave the ball away and another missed tackle let E&C through to finish us off with a scoreline they probably deserved.

It is a shame that we have gone out of a cup so tamely that we really stood a good chance of winning but maybe this is the defeat we needed to realise that we are far from unbeatable and we can start fresh this week and go back to the ethics of hard work, simple football and working for each other which saw us start the season so well. Up The Boy!


Charlie Leighton Baines
Everton & England Left Back

Wortham vs BBFC

Another good cup win for the Boy which sees us reach the dizzying heights of the 3rd Round for the Primary Cup and a glamorous away trip to Stoke-by-Nayland.

Another new team for us to play this week in Wortham and therefore we really did not know what to expect out of the game. In truth the first half we were slightly sluggish and seemed over relaxed on the ball and when making passes. As a result we gifted Wortham two sloppy goals, something we had got out of the habit of doing this season.

None the less we still had the majority of possession and created several chances but just could not find the back of the net. Phil pulled us level about 20mins into the half but only for Carter in a moment of generosity to lay a through ball for their striker to take the lead again!

Second half we really got going and were on top of Wortham for the remainder of the game. We started playing some nice football and made the most of stretching the play allowing us to get behind their defence with relative ease. We grabbed ourselves 4 very good goals in the half, Charlie with a great free kick (after me telling Carter to bugger off and leave it!!) and Phil got a very cultured finish after some great play in the build up.

Mark Austin opened his account for the season after making a well timed run for a simple tap in and Carter got a deserved goal after some great play down the wing and his cross finding its way into the net. In truth we probably could have scored more with Flan and Chris W having good chances, but in the end it was a very convincing win. 

After a slow and shaky start it was good to see us turn up the play after half time and take the win which always looked like being ours. Next time lets just make sure we are switched on from the first whistle so we do not have to fight from behind so early on in the match. Well played again though and good to be back to winning ways!


Tinker Taylor Soldier Plummer
Graham Le Carre

Thurston vs BBFC

Well these match reports are getting more repetitive and shorter by the week at the moment!

Thurston gave us a very difficult game this weekend and for long periods we were having to really dig deep and work our arse's off to make sure they did not take the lead. Our reward for all that hard work paid off by Pete getting his first goal for the club.

This weekend was probably our biggest test of the season and a point would have been a fair result....however at the moment with the commitment and positive attitude buzzing about the squad we were able to pick up all the points.

Probably the highlight of the entire match was actually how every player reacted to Pete's goal.......it was great to see every single player look genuinely delighted to have taken the lead and see everyone congratulate Pete. From that point on everyone seemed to know we could win the game and everyone encouraged each other to keep working right until the last minute.

It was far from an easy game and the result easily could have gone the other way, but in saying that we all worked hard for the win and took our chance which is ultimately what football is about. 

Yet again well done to all for another win and great to see the team spirit high and us playing with a belief that we can get a result from every game.


Graham Plumstorius
Paralympic Champion

BBFC vs Bury Rovers

For the first time I am aware of the mighty Black Boy have gone the first month of a season undefeated and have survived two first round cup ties! A big congratulations to all players for what has been a fantastic start for the squad. Competition for places is high and I can honestly say I do not think one player has had a poor start to the season.

This week we probably had our biggest test so far with Bury Rovers. A very different opposition to previous weeks and the first time an opposing team has matched us player for player in strength and aerial ability. It was not a great game to watch...or play in from what people said after the game, passing was restricted and the game became more about long balls and pushing each other.

Despite falling behind twice in the first half we pulled ourselves level at key points, ensuring we did not go 2 goals down allowing Bury to go overly defensive. Second half was a tough battle again but we managed to find the winner from a great lob from Phil...who was unlucky not to grab his hat trick towards the end with what would have easily been goal of the season!

Whilst the football wasn't pretty and players did not have their best games we seem to be in a winning mentality at the moment and that is never a bad thing. Picking up 3 points from a tough game like this weekend without playing your best is the sign of a strong squad, and that is what we are this year so instead of worrying over things that didn't work lets focus on keeping this undefeated streak going and go into every game knowing we are good enough to take all the points.

Good result to top off a great start to the season, well done all.

Graham Plumwalker

Jedi Master

Thurston vs BBFC

Saturday saw the Mighty Black Boy trying to maintain their unprecedented unbeaten start to the season in our first round cup match against Thurston. So, with a strong squad and a real determination to do well in the cups this year, we started the match on the front foot with a few half chances and long range efforts on the Thurston goal.

Phil was working hard up front on his own chasing balls and harrying defenders into mistakes while Charlie's long throws were causing problems in the opposition box. The Wager brothers and Shanks were bossing the midfield while Carter and Austin were industrious down the wings. It seemed inevitable the goal would come sooner or later and eventually it did when Mark drifted inside and set the ball up for Chris to volley in from the edge of the area.

Thurston's attacks were rare but when they came forward they looked dangerous and were getting good crosses into the box. When one such ball was headed half clear, another sweet strike saw the hosts equalise and I think we were all worried that after dominating, we would be pegged back out of nowhere just like last week.

The difference this time round though was that we gathered ourselves and concentrated better and just kept plugging away before Carter poked home and gave us a half-time lead that we probably deserved.

The half-time message from Graham was clear, we must put the game to bed to prevent any comeback should Thurston up their own game in the second half. Something that thankfully we did courtesy of some good link-up play forced two own goals within a matter of minutes. First, Austin and Leighton linked up down the left before the latter's cross could only be steered in by a defender while moments later a similar cross from Carter on the right saw the same outcome. Now 4-1 up, we could see out the game with a bit more of a cushion, and learned our lesson from the Beck Row game.

It was just as well we got that cushion as Thurston really pushed and took the game to us from this point on and began to find spaces between our tiring players. Substitutions meant we could get fresh legs on but didn't quite get into our rhythm. Even when Thurston scored a great free-kick towards the end of the game though, we knew that the hard graft of the previous 80 minutes was enough to see us through.

Final score 4-2, and we can only hope to carry this form on to next week and end the month unbeaten. A good game had by all and another resounding win as the Mighty Boy go marching on to Wortham in the next round.

Charlie Leighton Ltd

"Supplying corporate advice to the fashion industry since 1986" 

Beck Row Res vs BBFC

In all honesty I think we all came away this weekend feeling like we lost 2 points rather than earned 1. Despite what seemed a harsh penalty call and a few ref decisions not being too favourable, it can not be ignored that we missed about 10 genuine goal scoring chances and simply did not play well enough to win the game back once the scores were 2-2.

Despite that though we have to focus on the positive that as a club we no longer accept a 2-2 draw in a game like that as a good result, it shows how far our expectations and what we are capable of has progressed. Also despite the result being disappointing we were still the better team on the pitch and created loads of goal scoring chances without ever really playing near our best.

This weekend really should be the match which every week we look at and say we will not let that happen again. No body had the best of games but what was really missing was working together as a unit. When attacking we seemed to just chase long balls and ignored the simple one twos and short passing game which we use every week at training.......all the chances we did get came when we played that style of football.

Also I know I don't want to see us lose our heads and fall apart like we did around and after the penalty as we became our own biggest obstacle in going on and winning the game. We became nervous and were forcing passes and shots which were never there. 

Next week we need to just lift our game again, we are definitely now a top team in the league when we play well....but we need to make sure we show it every week and take nothing for granted. We always need to work hard and work as a team, losing focus and trying to win the game by yourself will just exacerbate the problems on the pitch.

Next week lets stick to simple football which we play brilliantly when we maximise it and lets try to make sure we are more clinical in front of goal. We have lots of players who can score goals in the team but we seem to not look confident in front of goal.....we are good enough so just shoot of instinct when you know there is a chance instead of over thinking what you are doing.

Thurston, after a brilliant first week lost to RF Saints this week so the whole league is an open playing field so lets stick to playing football the way we know how and we are more than capable of winning. 

Probably best everyone moves on from this week and we do not dwell on the result, but lets not forget it and make sure we do everything to ensure we don't let a result like that slip away again this season.

Graham "I've-come-to-fix-your-plumming" Plummer

Bury St Edmunds Male Escort Services (cash only)

BBFC vs RF Saints

For the first time I personally can remember, the Black Boy have started the season with back to back wins!

On a stupidly hot Saturday we entertained RF Saints who gave us a fair beating in pre season with us losing 7-2. Luckily for us pre season meant bugger all and despite having to wait right to the last minutes of the match we got the win we deserved.

I think it is fair to say we did not have the best of first halves with the heat seeming to sap a bit us energy from us. Whilst RF Saints were not dominating the game they did seem to be first to most of the loose balls and seemed to just be having the run of play, resulting in them scoring a goal after 25mins. We had plenty of our own chances in the first half with Phil and Shanks narrowly missing whilst Mark Austin was wrongly ruled off side for a chance he then finished well.

At half time we all seemed to know the game was there to be won and we all knew we should not be losing to a team like RF Saints but needed to up the effort and show a bit more of ourselves.

Second half we looked a lot stronger and seemed to have a bit more when going forward and put RF Saints on the back foot from the off. It did seem like our chance would not come our way with shots going just wide, being called offside for every forward pass but eventually we got the break through. After the ball seemed to be passed between every player in the box the ball dropped to Phil, who after looking like the shot was never going to get taken, slotted home to get us back level.

RF Saints had chances of their own on the counter, but we always looked the more likely to win. With 5 minutes to go the chance fell to Phil who placed his shot brilliantly to finish from the edge of the box.

Whilst the performance was not as strong as the previous week it was great to see us fight back after half time and take the victory. I know everyone was knackered at full time given the heat, but everyone worked hard and everyone should give themselves a pat on the back for the effort they put on.

It was also a match which saw us making 4 changes to the starting 11 from the previous week, 3 of which in defence. Whilst normally the attack take the glory this week I want to say a big well done to everyone in defence, especially those who were playing out of position but got stuck in and gave it their all for the team.....great to see that level of commitment and effort.

Next week we travel to the mole infested plains of Beck Row and we should be going there knowing we are good for the win.....but lets make sure we turn up ready to put in the work to get it (hopefully without a 1-0 deficit at half time!)


Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Graham Plummer
Bury St. Edmunds Town Crier

BBFC vs Garboldisham

Given this is the first match report of the year I thought I would start as I mean to go on by making this one a lot bloody shorter than most of last years!
 
Terrific start to the season and a result in all honesty most of us probably did not think would happen. We got the result by doing all of the basics of football brilliantly. We were first to nearly every ball, we commited ourselves to every tackle, we talked to each other non stop and we never stopped working for each other.

It would be really easy to go player by player and state how well individuals played, but in truth we won because collectively we put in a brilliant team display. Everyone who took part should be pleased with their efforts and you really have set the bar high for yourselves for the rest of the season!
 
The turn out at the pub was probably the best I have seen in the last year on a Saturday so it really has been a positive start for the club off the field as well.
 
But as ever we can not ride of the high of last week alone and we need to make sure we show the same amount of effort on and off the pitch every week for the rest of the season. If we play like we did Saturday with the same positive attitude and commitment we really could be set for a good season, and if we keep getting pub turn outs like Saturday I am sure this year will see more social things being set up by the club.
 
Great start, keep it going..........Up the Boy!


Graham "Flaming-Knee" Plummer
World Wrestling Intercontinental Champion

BBFC vs Westbury

BBFC secure first win of the season (no we do not care that they had 10 players, two of which were our own!)

After a last minute rescheduling fiasco BBFC were able to get a friendly against Westbury. After early concerns that the fixture may end up being 10vs10 whilst playing inside of a sauna house we were able to get 11 players together and assist Westbury in having a team of 10!

There was no doubt that the heat was a huge factor on the match and as such we decided on playing 4 quarters (also in memory of JJ's knee which surgeons have simply described as non existent). We looked the better of the two teams through out the match and really made the extra man on the pitch count. We utilised our passing well and Westbury very early gave up on chasing down the ball and allowed us to dictate the tempo of the game.

We looked good at holding possession up until the last third when we resorted to long balls or miracles passes to break through....despite our best chances coming through great pass and move play down the two wings. Despite our dominance Westbury took the lead following a mix up at the back which allowed the opposition a clear run through on Phil in goal.

Positively though we fought back immediately and looked to up our play after conceding, and it did not take long for Mark Austin to grab an equaliser after some great wing play from Carter.

The second half/last two quarters saw goals galore with the scores ending up at 6-3. The two goals from Westbury both came from counter attacks where we were caught pushed slightly high up and left ourselves 1 on 1 at the back, however given the heat I do not blame players for thinking bollocks to running back and forth for the full match.

On the flip side we saw some very good attacking football second half and were rewarded with 5 more goals. Phil grabbed the first with a well placed finish following reacting first to a deflection. Carl Wager was next on the act, again finishing well by reacting quickest to a rebound fro his first attempt. Older brother Chris capped an impressive full debut by scoring a well placed finish into the far corner having turned his man brilliantly. The last 10 minutes saw Carter take over the show scoring two great goals, first by bursting onto a long ball to knock the ball passed the on rushing keeper. Second goal again saw Carter run through onto a ball over the top, this time though Carter took a superb first time lob over the keeper who never stood a chance.

Great result and great to see us putting the ball in the net several times. Everyone seemed upbeat and that showed on the pitch with everyone talking and working well together, making us look a more confident and composed than the previous week. A big thanks to Garthy for helping mark out the pitch before the game and to Flan, Rhino and Bates who all played for Westbury in order to make sure the friendly took place.

Next week against RF Saints we should be full of confidence and look to take the pass and move football which dominated the game for us into next weeks fixture.

Professor Plum

Cluedo Suspect 

Brighton 2012

Like last season and the one before, and stretching back through history, so began another Black Boy Jolly and this year the destination was the good old English seaside town of Brighton. While the weekend may be a little blurry for certain members of the team, it may be best to recap simply with a string of words in true BBFC style. Here goes:

Weatherspoons, First Class Leighton, England Hats, Heart Ticket Stamp, Morning Beer, Banjo Strings, Ringo Leaves His Coat On The Train, Get Your Tats Out, Sean's Aftershock, Driver Arrival, Tabasco Pint, Sweatbox Triple Bunks, Beer Me, Steven Gerrard, Batesy's Shower Wee, "I'm An Individual", The Kremlin, Sweepstakes, Congested Pub, "Rape My Dog", Puke Arm, Taff's Sweden Celebration, "Theo Walcott Has Fingered My Nan", Shanksy's Dancing Technique, "The Elephant Maaan", England Win, Hed Kandi, Engaged Emma, The Fart Fan, Ladder Fun, You Ewok C*nt, Breakfast Cornetto, Driver's Lay In, Sealife Centre, "Look At You", Catalogue Pose, Kelp Slapping, Crazy Golf, The Boyband Photo, Sean Drives The Train, Smelly Loos, No Bob, Spotting Superhans, Leaky Ceiling, Triple Brighton Sausage, Su-Ling, Minesweeping The Bar, She's Going To Need Bigger Wings, No Large Groups, Frank Black Beats Up A Guitar, Jock The Blowfish, Driver's Pegging Technique, Hed Kandi Again, Charlie Steals A Girl's Coat, £1000 Kitty, Taff's Sea Piss, Ringo Headlines A Festival, 4am Coin Toss, Dave Neary: Eastern European Shoe Balancing Champion, The Cup Smuggler, Chinge, The Rasta Man, Cyclists, Gingerbread Ted, Pier, Deal Or No Deal, Leighton's Ticket Scarf, The French Cowboy And The Sheriff, Volvic Girls, I'm In The Mood For Dancing, Gun Confiscation, Looooong Train Ride Home, Diagnosing Thrush, The Dime-Bar Anecdote, Cottage Cheese Discharge, Human Centipede, Back In Bury, …Time For Another Beer!

And here are a few pictures to jog a few memories:

Morning Beer

Catalogue Pose

Cup Smuggler

You Ewok C*nt

England Hats

Jock The Blowfish

Usual Suspects

Charlie Leighton

Editor In Chief

BBFC vs BBFC Veterans

Saturday saw the return of the vicious child-devouring Elks to Bury St Edmunds to once more wage war against the Black Boy Cbeebies. Due to the home pitch goalposts being removed, the game was instead held at the British Sugar pitch which consisted of long grass at the edges and a bare salt plain in the middle. We couldn't have picked a better day… for a barbecue… but instead foolishly decided to settle our rivalry with a game of football which was greeted by groans from both teams as the smug subs bench dug into a crate of beer.

Having decided to take our final game of the season seriously, it gave the team another opportunity to pick names from the hat - with James Driver somehow picking out the dreaded "Bastard-in-the-black" ticket. And so, after practicing launching balls into the hedgerow rather than warming up Martin in goal, we lined up and got the game underway in the searing heat.

The youngsters certainly had the better of the early chances with the untested centreback pairing of Bates and Austin reduced to spectators for much of the time while the Black Boy carved out several half chances without anything clear cut. Our best outlet was Barrie Johnston who often dropped deep to link the play well and find through balls for our wingers. The Elk defence was however proving difficult to break down - that was until neat interplay between central midfielders Carl Wager and Charlie Leighton ended with the latter finding the corner of the net from around 60 yards, no make that 70, and with his previously unheard of right foot.

Following the goal, the game settled a little more as the players found their positions and began to play the ball around well without troubling the Veteran keeper who was mostly employed by taking a string of goal kicks which ranged from "I think that one has gone in the tennis courts" to "will someone drive to Great Barton and find that ball". When we did create an opening, Rees' good run was met with a finish which didn't match his movement as he skewed wide from close range with the goal at his mercy.

Thankfully a worse miss was just around the corner after Leighton picked out Michael Monksfield about half and yard out, only for the lumbering oaf to clear the bar by a distance. The half was brightened further with a spectacular run from right back by Rhino who covered about 3 miles by running straight down the line to the corner flag and the right along the goal line before handing the ball straight to the keeper and collapsing in a heap. It was reminiscent of playing a game of snake when your phone battery is about to die.

Half time saw team moral take a hit as the subs could chose where they were coming on to play and who they wanted to replace - as long as they could find 3 valid reasons why the other player was shit. And so the second half began in much the same way as the first which the Cbeebies keeping good possession without really threatening the goal. The difference this half was that everybody wanted to get in on the goalscoring act which soon came courtesy of Shanks making a mends for his earlier miss with a delicate chip over the Elk goalie. A third followed not long after when Phil delivered a short freekick into the box and Rees flicked on for Chris Wager to leap and power his close range header into the net.

As the half wore on, the heat began to take it's toll on both sides and the Veterans brought on a number of substitutes to keep things fresh, including the long awaited return of Paul Cruickshank from continuous injury. The result was that the Elks were coming more and more into the game and eventually they got their consolation goal in sloppy circumstances as Leighton gave the ball away cheaply and after several ricochets and missed tackles, the ball was eventually bundled home despite an airshot attempted clearance on the line. Finally Driver brought the game to an end and we could all relax, have a beer and enjoy the sunshine. The post-game trophy presentation followed the match so congratulations to the following people - all richly deserved:

Players Player Of The Year - Carl Wager

Own Goal Of The Season - Steve Flanagan

Golden Boot - Phil Cowlan

Chairmans Player Of The Year - Barry Johnston

Managers Player Of The Year - Gareth Adams

Lieutenant Charles Leighton

Black Boy Black-Ops Division

Barons vs BBFC

Well we made it! Final game of a long season saw us pitted against Barons who were vying for the title of Division 2 Champions. After much speculation of rolling subs or no rolling subs Barons insisted on 3 subs only as they wanted to go for the goal difference.

The game started as I think many expected it to, Barons controlled majority of the possession, comfortably playing the ball all over the park and it took us a little time to find feet. Barons made short work of this, overlaps down the wing and breaks through the middle soon saw them creating chances. Needless to say it wasn’t long before Barons were 1-0 up.

After watching the first 10/15 minutes of Barons bombarding us you could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be high scoring game. However it wasn’t to be, we showed some true grit and dug in deep with Jock taking control of the back four and Driver rushing out effectively and pulling off some fantastic Kodak moments. 

Eventually we started to settle down and play the game to our strengths and started to hit Barons on the counter. Some great passing between Marky and Wager saw us move into the dizzy heights of the Barons box were we managed to win a corner. Mark swung the corner in and ‘BAM’ Phil somehow managed to foul the goalkeeper, nod the ball in and look rather convincing about the goal. 10/10 for effort.

Barons soon rallied again though and we knew it was going to be a long match. 10 minutes before half time Barons managed to break the Black Boy defence and get their noses in front. Half time came and we rallied well, especially good to see heads hadn’t dropped and we were still focused on the match – lots of encouragement and constructive criticism received well by all. Stand in manager Shanks conducted his tam talk via panting, huffing and wheezing and this was an indication for the mighty egg-chasing Taff to enter the fray.

The second half saw pretty much of the same stuff with Barons throwing everything they had at us but unable to create any real clear cut chances. Sean came on 10 minutes in and shored up the midfield and I thought we managed to keep our shape well. As usual Phil could have done with a little more support up top, not having an lot to work with which is something we will look at next year.

All in all though, against a team that was going for the title and that wanted the goal difference against us I think we can be pleased with our efforts and the resilience we showed. It certainly bows well for next season.  

Lastly, Saturday marked Paul Thomas’ last official game for Black Boy youth. After 45 years at the club, numerous penalties and own goals conceded and many a young pup flattened, Taff will be moving into the veterans side next year. Taff has dedicated a lot of time to the running of the club and making sure we haven’t gone bankrupt. We would like to thank Taff for all his hard work and wish him every success with the veterans. I’m sure he will still be able to scare them enough into paying up!!


Senator Michael Monksfield
Presidential Candidate for "The Rainbow Party" in Gainborough Central.

Sporting 87 vs BBFC

This weekend saw a big game for us with a chance of going 3rd with a victory. Unfortunately we did not get the win but after one hell of a game we secured a hard earned draw to pretty much guarantee that we will finish in the top 5 this season! The game really was a game of two halves, a fairly crap one followed by a brilliant one!
 
First half started fairly evenly, both teams struggled to get going and chances were few and far between. On what was a very small and boggy pitch both teams were using balls over the top, giving Phil plenty of work to do to try and create chances. We won several throw ins deep in the Sporting half which created half chances but nothing clear cut. Sporting always looked threatening on the break relying on pace onto the long ball, Driver did a great job on several occasions coming off his line early to deal with any danger. In what was looking a relatively even half Sporting took the lead, some indecision at the back left a defensive header falling straight at the feet of a Sporting player to tuck past Driver. After the goal we seemed to go to sleep and shut off, not picking up our men or closing down quick enough and on several occasions were left playing an unmarked player onside with through balls. Inevitably Sporting got a second as their player headed in unmarked at the back post, a goal which pretty much summarised all that we were doing wrong in the half. 
 
At half time people came off looking frustrated but also knowing that they had not done enough. Luckily for all of you though I decided to actually deliver a team talk different to every other week and made some sense! We all knew that the next 45 minutes could make for a good season or an average one and going back on the pitch everyone seemed motivated to go out and put right the mistakes from the first half. Sporting are a good team but I think we all knew that we were making them look better than they were by not doing our basics right.
 
Second half from the off we looked a hundred times better, winning the ball and working it forward looking to find an early goal to change the match. In short we pretty much dominated the second half having considerably more of the ball and looking like the team carrying the momentum. Getting the first goal still was proving tricky but there was no doubt that we were taking the game to Sporting and they were getting pissy about it (especially Jock's little friend that was going to 'spark him out'!). After changing to a 4-4-2 after 15 minutes the come back came under way courtesy of a Flan special. After moving up front about 3 minutes earlier Flan managed to find the top corner (and a huge hole in the keeper’s hands) to put us back in the game with 25 minutes to go. After this goal it was good to see all players celebrating together and team spirit seemed to be at the highest I have witnessed this season.


From this point on the game looked like we would find the second goal but things seemed not to go our way. We did not get a blatant penalty, Austin was wrongly flagged off side running onto a long ball and the ball just did not seem to drop to us around the box. Sporting still caused problems with their speed and Driver made several good saves to keep the scores close, particularly his final save of the game which he tipped wide after a great shot from outside the box. Carter delivered a great cross from a free kick and it just seemed to miss everyone by a fraction and things seemed like they were not going to go our way. Then in the last minute we won a free kick about 30 yards out, knowing it was our final chance Driver sprinted into their box leaving Jock slightly confused stood on his own on the half way line! Phil stepped up to put the ball in having just been told by the ref you've got to score as this is the last kick off the game, and in poetic justice that’s just what happened! A great shot/cross/hit and hope went straight over about 12 players all trying to head the ball and just flew into the top corner! Fair to say everyone pretty much went nuts at that point, I nearly punched the Sporting manager and Phil tried out his new elaborate 'leg breaker' celebration. And then the whistle went and we had worked our arses off to take a point.
 
Despite a relatively poor first half the second half easily made a mends for it. Personally I think that was the most deserved point we have picked up this season and was the best team performance of the season. Second half every single player battled non stop to get back in the game, no one moaned or got in a strop instead everyone was talking and supporting each other on and it made the difference. After the game several people mentioned how much Sporting moaned in the second half and that was their undoing, so equally lets take that by communicating non stop and encouraging everyone through out the game we can easily play as well as any team in our league. 
 
Next week we have play Barons for our last game of the season, still with a chance of finishing 3rd if we can pick up the win. After the second half performance this week if we carry that into the Barons game there is no reason why we should not be thinking that we will go and win that game and finish the season on a high.
 
Well done all this week, another epic Black Boy performance. Flan Up!!


Prof. G. Plummer
Gainsborough University