Lions tamed ......................................
The game began with an uncharacteristic early pass from Rick Geary which landed perfectly at the feet of one of the opposition on the edge of the penalty box. The resultant shot brought the best out of Dean Herbert who dived to his left to make the save and was then kicked out for a corner by Randy Hosler. Five minutes into the game Robbie Keam passed through to Jimmy Butler but the effort didn't come off. A left wing corner from Hosler in the seventh minute was headed out by a defender straight to Danny Jensen who shot the ball over the bar. A good move down the right by Larry Thorlakson ended with a cross which Keam connected with but he couldn't cause any damage with his header but even if he had it would have been ruled out for off-side. The Classics took the lead in the tenth minute after a right wing corner came out to Hosler who shot for goal. The keeper dived but the ball hit Butler on the back of the foot and bounced up and over the despairing goalie who could do nothing but watch as it entered the net. Five minutes later another run from Thorlakson ended up at the feet of Butler who had a good effort but the ball scooped to the left of the upright. There was confusion in the ranks as most of the opposing players seemed to be called Ali Baba or Open Sesami as most of the calls from the opposition sounded like something out of the 'Forty Thieves' but if they planned running away with the points the Classics had other ideas.

    

In the 23rd minute an indirect free kick was awarded to the home side on the edge of the box. Chris Arcari tapped the ball to Jensen who fired the ball through the wall and beyond the reach of the keeper to put the Classics 2-0 ahead. Another deliberate mistake from Geary gave the Lions another chance but their player blasted the ball high and wide over the net. On the half hour mark an obstruction gave the Lions a free kick on the 18 yard line but the ball was safely cleared away. Jensen gave away a direct free kick on the right side of the penalty box. As the shot came in, Herbert struggled to hold the ball and was eventually bundled over to relieve the pressure with a free kick for a foul on him. The opposing number 15 received a severe lecture from the referee for his part in the incident. Minutes later Hosler put a decisive ball through for Butler who ran through and cooly slipped the ball to the left of the keeper giving him no chance. Hosler was having a great game and the pass was so inch perfect that it might have been slipped through the eye of a needle. Hosler had to leave at half time.

    

The second half almost started in disaster. A first minute back pass to Herbert was picked up and an indirect free kick was awarded. Luckily for the Classics the resultant kick cannoned off the wall and away to safety. Five minutes in another free kick was awarded for a hand ball by Geary. This time the Lions waited not and caught the defence flat footed as they chipped the ball over the still forming wall to give the visitors a lifeline. Alfie Deglan tried a snap shot but it went wide to the left of the keeper. Dave Moore did a great impersonation of Jim Eden with a tackle that he would have been proud of. In all honesty he was a little slow getting to the tackle and it was really technically the attackers own fault for being too fast. He also made a seven course meal of his fall and rolled over that many times that he must have been dizzy when he eventually got up off the floor. Nothing came of the resulting free kick. With time running out another free kick was fired into the defensive wall by the visitors and with six minutes left Chuck McGill made a good run down the right and did enough to win a corner. The Lions probably had more overall possession (they probably had the lion's share) but let themselves down by some woeful finishing as most of their attempts were off target. The Classics slowed down the game near the end to hold on for a well deserved and thoroughly hard worked for victory.

Final Score: Classics 3 Burnaby Lions 1 (3-0)

Stats
GK: Dean Herbert