[Points: Introduction—a battle royal-description of the match—goal—excitement—conclusion.]
"A game of football is never won or lost till the last long whistle". How true the statement is I could not have known had I not witnessed the most exciting football match played in our town recenty.
It was played between Allied Sporting and the local Town Club in the F.A. Cup Final. Right from the word 'go' it was played at a hectic pace. It was a game of fluctuating fortune. The first half was a barren one. At mid time in the second half the local Town Club scored a somewhat lucky goal and then the drama started.
The Town Club fe back defensively and took time wasting tactics. This caused their downfall. Under constant pressure, Town Club defenders became panicky and with barely five minutes to go their defence finally gave in. The Allied Sporting right-out dodged past a couple of defenders and centred accurately just beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. The right striker who was following the ball jumped up and the ball was inside the net in a flash. A huge roar echoed all around.
Excitement ran high and our pulses started beating fast. The Town Club players were now visibly exhausted. Their skill vanished all the ten players started to kick the ball aimlessly. They just wanted to hold on. Soon a pile diver by one of the strikers of Allied Sporting players shook the bar. They were working beautifully to score-and it came just before the final whistle.
With the spectators shouting hoarse and the excitement at the highest pitch, the link man of the Allied Sporting eluded one tackle and darted down the line. He passed the ball accurately to his team mate. The player dodged past a couple of defenders and passed the ball to one of his unmarked team mate just on the edge of penalty box, who immediately sent a rocket-like left footer. The ball flew into the left hand side of the net before the helpless goalkeeper could flung across to save the goal. The spectators gave a full throated shout 'goal' which echoed round the whole stadium. The Allied Sporting players hugged each other in joy. I was stunned by the goal for a few seconds but definitely appreciated the better team. Crackers burst all round and there was a great jubilation amongst the Allied's sup porters. Football has become a game of 4 S'S: stamina, speed, shooting and skill. How clearly the Allied's players exhibited the supremacy over the local Town Club in each of these qualities!
