French Flop in Yorkshire

Yorkshires Amateurs put on a brilliant display to defeat a disappointing Marseille 3-1. Amateurs have made no secret of their desire to compete at the top end of the table this term and to do so need to beat those in and around them. This being the case they got the perfect start as Amadeo Caviedes found the target from distance to give them the lead on 6 minutes. There really was only one team in it in the first-half and Amateurs dominated every facet of the game. They got a second goal their play merited when Hans Riegler once again displayed his prowess with a superb free-kick. The second-half was more of a level encounter as Marseille finally showed some ambition but it proved too late to save them from defeat. Fred Franklin headed home to make it 3-0 on 54 minutes and there was to be no way back for the season one champions. Alejandro Junior did make the score more respectable with a shot after a corner but it failed to mask a disappointing afternoon for Cathal’s side. The win sees Yorkshires Amateurs in second spot but level on points with the leaders while Marseille drop to fourth but remain firmly in the hunt.

Still at the top are ThunderCats F.C but they suffered a 3-1 reversal at AC Milan. Milan gave a textbook display on how to make the most of your opportunities as they scored every time they created a chance. ThunderCats didn’t know what had hit them as they found themselves 2-0 down after three minutes following some robust attacking from the hosts. Kaka was the man who did most of the damage as he began the game in sensational fashion. After being given the ball by Bernard Lormor he struck a clean shot past Amarante for the opening goal. He wasn’t to rest on his laurels and when his side was awarded a free-kick he stepped up to deliver a stunning effort which left Amarante shell-shocked. The game settled for a period before Milan launched their next attack. Forcing a corner Pippo Inzaghi found the space to prod home the third in the area to the sheer delight of the San Siro. TC regrouped for a concerted second-half effort but you sensed that even they doubted that they could come all the way back. Fabricio Cidade briefly raised hopes with a fine header but when Alirio Ramalhao was sent-off the game was over. Meelas was less than impressed with Milan’s victory, claiming their opponents tactics were ‘shocking’ while adding his side’s ‘teamwork values were excellent’ and they had more possession and chances. He praised Milan ‘for a great game’ but was swiftly moving his attention to Tranmere. MarkieRich was over the moon, saying succinctly ‘Get in there.’

F.C. Greatness beat Totaalvoetbal 2-1 as both sides continue to search for form. Totaal took the lead through youngster Richard van Mosen but were never entirely convincing in the game. Showing a lack of leadership they allowed Greatness to strike back quickly with a header of quality by Cristian Dagostino. Johan Juffing’s injury, while not serious, had a negative impact on the side’s younger players and from that point on Greatness dominated proceedings. Despite pressing they would still take until the 81st minute to score the winning goal as Martinus Benfari shot home in the area to the delight of manager Darren Calvert. Benfari said that ‘it was a great victory’ but also that they needed to kick on and ‘fight all the way to stay in this league.’ Robin Meeblind admitted that his Totaalvoetbal side are ‘not performing’ but assured fans that they’ll ‘continue to work hard despite our poor start.’ The work really does start now as they find themselves in the relegation zone with Greatness feeling a bit of relief after escaping it themselves.

Hun Haters returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Tranmere Rovers. Defying an average age of 23 the home side put on a display beyond their years. Tranmere will argue that things might have been different as they enjoyed the same amount of chances but it would be the HH’s superior finishing that would win the day. A penalty from Iain Emery gave the hosts a confidence boost in the eleventh minute and they were soon 2-0 ahead thanks to Dougie Gunn who shot home after a corner. Tranmere couldn’t make a penalty of their own count as Joe Urpani missed dreadfully and went in two behind at the break. They continued to push the home side all the way in the second-half and looked to have a foothold back in the contest when Ray Hearts shot past Boruc. They couldn’t find the equaliser they were looking for, though, and were punished late on as Gunn added his second of the game to complete a fine 3-1 win for the perennial title challengers. Neither manager was available for comment following the game but Celticchris will definitely be the happier with his side’s position even if the table is desperately tight.

Also 3-1 winners were AFC Stanley who put in a very assured display in defeating Reggae Reggae Sauce. Kirk Armitage was the game’s first scorer with a well-worked free-kick as Stanley began impressively. RRS have been on a good run of late and weren’t to roll over easily despite their shaky start; James Wade heading in a corner to serve as a reminder to Stanley that this game still needed winning. Stanley on the day, though, were simply irresistible and their forward lynchpin Thorbjorn Lind was on hand to score the go-ahead goal from a corner on 53 minutes. The hosts continued to be the more progressive side and they sealed the game with a header from Enrico Fuentes who arrived unmarked from midfield. Stanley move into the comfort of mid-table following the victory and Markham will, undoubtedly, be very satisfied with his side’s start to RM Invitational football. RRS will want to find some consistency to their performances but they continue to compete hard and are a credit to their manager.

Santos FC claimed their first RM Invitational victory as they were the latest club to put the youthful St Omer to the sword. The game was over as a contest by half-time as Santos seized the opportunity to get their season up and running. Adriano Ribeiro set them on their way with a shot in the penalty area on six minutes and the visitors were 2-0 up when Marcelo Afonso also netted from inside the area. The incomparable Torbjorn Alshammar scored his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-0 with a header and five minutes before half-time it was 4-0 thanks to a Fredrick Winnerljung header. The second-half wasn’t as one-sided but still saw the visitors create the majority of chances. Ribeiro added his second of the game to make it 5-0 but a momentary lapse at the back allowed Michael Radley the chance to score a consolation for the hosts from the penalty spot. Santos ‘keeper Rodenas was happy with his quiet debut in goal and went on to say that ‘Santos are a big club, and I hope to achieve many things with them.’ If every game has this result he surely will. Omer continue to build patiently and will know that to get to heaven sometimes you have to go through hell.