Doing a Daley...

And in Olympic terms I mean Thompson, not Tom!

Tuesday night happened to be the most multi-discipline event I think I’ve ever undertaken, but like the moustached maestro it was not achieved alone.

13 months ago the team was about to fold. A very challenging first season culminated in me going from player to injured spectator to manager in less time than it takes our greatest all-round athlete to throw a javelin.

“Don’t bother changing anything.... just play the players picked for you... no one really cares” was the advice (instructions) given by those with a different agenda - I ignored (challenged) everything ... and so began my mantra of “Doing things differently”

From yummy fresh food to focusing on yoga, new kits and new players, pitch repairs with clubhouse renovations, being a therapist as well as nearly needing therapy myself and reintroducing old standards with new thinking.

We have spent more, raised more and returned more to the club than before. In the coming weeks further improvements will start to take shape at the Hallowed Marks Hall ground.

None of the above would have been achieved without the support of others, the willingness to work by all and a few choice words to those that needed it. Not everybody felt confident about it, not everybody liked it, not everybody stayed the course. Change is challenging and I wanted to challenge for honours.

And so on Tuesday, everything everyone had strived for in the past 23 months came to a head, albeit 7 months late when any White Roding Vets team took the field for the first time in a Cup Final match.

Against familiar faces in Springfield, we entered the rain-soaked Aveley arena with numerous fitness issues and a few nerves. An expectant crowd of 200 saw a scrappy first half with few real chances and too many long balls. It was fair to say that our Chelmsford-based competitors were the more composed and took a deserved lead when Rod McGurk pounced on a defensive error. More drama was to follow when competition top scorer for Roding, Dom “Do my ankles look fat in these socks?” Boom pulled up with a calf injury.

The 2nd half saw Weathers take to the field with his combative style & flowing locks and a change of shape just before the hour mark gave greater width. Ev smashes a shot against the post from 30 yards. Within minutes of coming on and making a difference with calmness and vision, Molty was off again to make running repairs to a nasty looking finger injury that the Sawbridgeworth Spray and Nail salon reckon will take at least 3 coats of shellac and a new emery board to make good again. Once bandaged back up he was back on providing the reassuring calm needed. Holly missed (uncharacteristically) several chances including an open goal. Dean ran himself into the ground, Dan looked like he had never been away and James was immense in defence. Terry was everywhere, playing at least 3 different positions at once and seemingly not breaking sweat.

Then to make amends for his free kick faux pas, “Bubble member” Ev rifled home an equaliser from 25 yards. More was to follow when fellow “Bubble buddy” Weathers latched on a cross from Babs to rifle home a header from 6 yards.

Lux and Double D came on to use their experience in seeing out the game with positioning and pressing.

In total 27 players won the cup, not only the 11 that started or the 10+1 that finished it. A huge team effort, that focused on being better than before on 10 different disciplines rather the being good in just one.

Celebrations were Long, hard and hope to be repeated.

Saturday sees a return to league action and a hunt for another piece of silverware vs Great Baddow.