The Omen........
Ths ksajdndjk isioijcn ksdjn nfhuh ndiugfu ytyqtwppp iejhe jiennf iuhrtujknznn....... Whoops! Sorry! This was started during the three bottles of bubbly! Now it's worn off so back to business. It was a depleted Classics side which started the new season and the starting line up only had two substitutes as Warren Crowley had been held up in traffic - he increased the number by one. Seven players had resigned from last season, either on a permanent basis or by means of a short hiatus. However, the remaining squad is still a talented bunch of likeable reprobates. The Classics kicked off and had the ball in the net in the second minute. David Breen began the move which Pat O'Krane took over before stroking the ball out to Gordie Macklin. Macklin fed the ball to Jimmy Butler, making his 100th. appearance for the club, who gratefully accepted the opportunity to hammer the ball home for the perfect start. Two minutes later Butler hit the post much to the relief of the home keeper. In the 9th. minute the Classics were awarded a free kick inside the box after a push on a forward which the referee interpreted as an obstruction, rather than a penalty. The ball was laid back for Randy Hosler who struck the ball goalwards but his effort must go down as a missed opportunity, along with the 79 other chances which the forward line and midfielders wasted. Many chances fell to increase the lead but they had all left their shooting boots at home aso a possible healthy half time lead was squandered, and the visitors left the field holding the slim 1-0 advantage.

The second half began much the same as the first with the Classics having the ball in the net, this time in about 90 seconds. The initial damage was caused by Hosler, who's jinking right wing assault released Macklin who, in turn, laid the ball through to O'Krane who finished with aplomb. It became 3-0 in the 51st. minute when an O'Krane-Lorenzo Arcari combination released Jeff Dickson who confidently put the ball away. This was followed minutes later by another clever piece of wing play from Breen down the left which left Butler to finish off the move for his second goal of the match. Brian Griffiths was on hand to clear a rare Aldergrove attack off the line although, in honesty, the ball was merely trickling towards the line. O'Krane missed a one-on-one with the keeper and the ball bounced wide of the target. Just ten minutes later Butler completed his hat-trick with a finish which cannoned into the net off the right hand goalpost - a fitting way to score it! At five goals to the good, it gave the defenders opportunities to move forward so more and more attacking play was mounted from the rearguard. It paid dividends ten minutes from time as Griffiths scored with a great chip shot from outside the box which gave the poor home keeper no chance.

Now for The Omen story - Dave Moore had been flown in from the UK, at great expense to the club, in an attempt to bolster the numbers. He arrived on Friday evening after a combined journey of 24 hours. International clearance was given by the FA for him to play but, due to jet lag, he awoke at 4:00am on Saturday and at 3:00am before todays match. He was very conscious of some kind of an omen as he was making his 666th. appearance for the club, a daunting number indeed. However, it turned out to be a good omen as he was on hand to drive the final nail into the Aldergrove coffin after he had ventured forward for a succession of corners. O'Krane centred the ball for Gene Crowley who laid the ball back to Moore when he popped up in the six yard box to drive home the 7th goal of the match in the dying seconds. He scored his last goal (at either end) against Point Grey Legends at Cloverdale Athletic Park on 7th. January 2007 so he was due one! It was that long ago that the team contains a few 'blast from the past' names. Check out the match report (and pictures) at this link.

Stats
MWG: Jimmy Butler
Hat Trick: Jimmy Butler
Crap Award: Not awarded