Clach 3-1 Huntly
In the same week that saw a Clach Legends game in support of Sophies Story and a landmark anniversary for Eastenders, the word that immediately strikes me is Family. Or perhaps Peggy Mitchell might say it, as "Fammleee!. Those complex dynamics that link human beings and our relationships. They permeate through each of us.
Of course there is no such thing as a perfect family. We all have our own peculiarities and the ability to be irritated by the actions of others. But we can always try and do better. Or as George Bush once urged the American people, be more like the Waltons,and less like the Simpsons.
There are probably fictional (or real) families that you can compare yours to. Hopefully it is not the Fergus Addams Family, or even worse, the Manson Family! The Mason Family on the other hand are only to be admired. They might still get irked by the usual day to day nonsense, but they are constantly demonstrating the very best qualities of Family. Support, unity and commitment being up there. Okay, there\'s probably more, but I do not want to give Keith a bigger head. Oh, and seeing him play last week brought back some fond memories.
And of course, the use of the word Family can extend to other parts of our lives too. Our work Family being an obvious one, but more significant to these scribbles(see,there is a point), is this weird and wonderful Clachnacuddin Family. The thing that binds us together. All those people who we have shared experiences with in our pursuit of happiness through football. We are all in this together. Through the good times and the bad.
This evening, on a chilly and still evening, we welcomed Huntly F.C. to a magnificent looking Grant Street Park. In what was a fairly hastily rearranged fixture, a smaller than usual crowd came wrapped up, in anticipation of seeing two in-form teams,doing battle. And it was a cracker. Heralded by Craig Lawrie choosing the pre-match tunes(another example of maturity belying of his age), the stage was set.
From the off, both sides demonstrated their intent and sense of purpose. The pace was on the frantic side,and some of the early exchanges were tasty,to say the least. Everyone was going to have to be at their best. Without a number of key personnel, it was a sparse bench, with not even Duncanson making the cut. But this Band of Brothers have been here before, and they know, as with Family, that they have each others backs.
It was the aforementioned Craig Lawrie who had the first notable strike, firing comfortably over the bar. If there were any early match jitters then they were rapidly put to bed, through a quickfire double from James Anderson, with help from the goalkeeper and woodwork, and the Merkinch Messi himself, Troy Cooper, who capitalised on good work from Lawrie once again. My pre-match prediction of a 2-0 home win was comfortable for only so long, though, when it was spoilt by a moment of calm magic from Huntly dangerman Angus Grant, who chipped Logan Ross from twenty yards. It was almost Hoddle like. Look, I need to get a Spurs reference in there somewhere.
Sometimes, going 2-0 up can bring its own challenges though. Our visitors had literally no other option than to throw caution to the wind, and they constantly demostrated why they are in such good form right now. But we also showed our class and confidence, and a great bit of play from Anderson, led to a rasping volley from Cooper sadly going straight at the keeper.
It was 2-1 at half-time, in a thoroughly entertaining game. It was also the Player sponsors hospitality day this evening, and I was pondering on who I might want to sponsor for next season. Obviously Jacob is up there, that goes without saying, but right now its a bit like being a kid in a sweet shop. Who would you choose?
The second half started in a similar vein. High tempo and high energy, and with both sides committing to attack. Allan Macphee looked impressive this evening, as did Greg Morrison, who is rapidly becoming a fan favourite.
Lawries hard graft, though, ended with him having a further chance, followed by being subbed by Davidson.
James Anderson, whose hold-up play was pure class tonight, continued to look dangerous, and he came close to extending our lead on a number of occasions.
Fergus Adams also looked good, as did MOTM Ben Cormack, who demonstrated again just what a consistent performer he is.
But for me, a perfect example of just how tight knit this Family of players are was the delight from everyone, when Scottie Davidson slotted our third goal home to the delight of everyone. We all know what a great player he is. Its about time he realised it too. I would not be surprised if he went on to score the winning goal against Brechin on Saturday. Dare to dream Scottie, Dare to Dream.
Huntly went down to ten men close to the end, but it really didnt matter. We were the better team in a well fought out contest. And while it finished 3-1, it could have been more of a rugby score. Did I mention the rugby?
So,yes, this was yet another convincing team display, with, like a good family, everyone playing their part. Hopefully it will put us in good stead ahead of our trip to the historical Highland Town(Yes, its a town not a City) of Brechin, this coming Saturday. Safe travelling everyone. And right now, this Club feels like a good healthy family. We might not always see eye to eye, or even get on sometimes. And thats okay. We might even irritate each other from time to time. We are all human. Okay, apart from Josh Meekings, who is obviously Superhuman.
This Saturday, the team will also be adorning the Sophies Story logo on the shirtsleeve, and a QR code link to the Sophies Story KlasKlothing/Macron online shop can be found in the Club Superstore in the weeks to come.
Because, as Sister Sledge once sang, We are "Fammleee"
