Oifuto Pitch 1 (dirt) ko 9am.

Weather: fine.

After the long winter lay-off BEFC could not have landed two more difficult games to start the season. The previous week had seen us pitted against the newly formed Hibernians, who are likely to fill one of the top three places in the league at the end of the season. Despite the 1-3 loss, all concerned thought it a good performance after a poor start had gifted the Hibs two goals in the first ten minutes. This week it was the defending champions, Swiss Kickers, who had gone through the previous season with a 100% record: nine wins, no draws or losses. With the lack of match practice, and key players like Bridge, Biffer and Big Vern not available, clearly, any sort of result would be warmly welcomed.

Against this background, the management came up with a strategy for the match to play a pressing midfield game with the four in midfield playing as a tight unit. From an attacking point of view, this sacrifices width and puts an onus on the full-backs to make some intelligent runs down the flanks to provide the wide outlet from time to time. Defensively however, it allows the team to close the ball down quickly in midfield and stop the opposition running through the that part of the pitch. They are forced to play it wide where the threat is more easily contained. (copyright eCarlos 2001).

However, as was the case the previous week, BEFC started poorly, playing very deep and giving the ball away too cheaply, especially in our own half. As a consequence, the first twenty minutes or so saw the Swiss camped in the British half of the pitch, and they could, perhaps should, have won the game in this period. However, the BEFC defence, ably marshalled by "Errol" Flynn and with Matt T as ever giving full-blooded commitment, did well to restrict the opposing forwards to a couple of half chances which hit the bar and post, and rode their luck on the one occasion that the Swiss did break through, their centre forward producing a wonderful turn on the edge of the box to beat his man but then shooting wildly over the bar with only the keeper to beat.

Having weathered this early storm BEFC gradually got into the game and had their best spell of the match in the 15 minutes before half time. The Swiss were clearly getting frustrated and tired at their failure to break through the twin defensive lines of our back and midfield fours; Tim, who had been working his socks off covering runs from the other midfield and denying people space, now found a bit more time and space himself to move into attacking positions. Jan, hampered by an early muscle problem, continued to play a more conservative holding role, but Tomo was active in moving inside to claim the ball and Al exploited the extra space on the right wing to produce our best attacking moves down that side. Donaldinho was not able to get forward as often on the left side, and with, Simon C, had pretty much a full-time job keeping SK's tricky right winger under control. Although we did not test their goalkeeper, with Wools orchestrating moves from the 'hole', BEFC clearly ended the half the better side and had plenty to look forward to in the second half.

BEFC continued after the break to play with great discipline and shape, and, to be fair, as one would expect, so did the Swiss. Goalmouth action was at a premium as the teams broadly cancelled each other out. The best move of the game came with a break down the inside left channel involving Tim Williams and Jun, who had added pace to our attack since coming on at half time. Unfortunately the ball did not run as kindly as it could have, and Tim's off-balance shot was easy for the keeper. Tomo had a centrally placed free-kick from twenty yards which left the keeper helpless as it cleared the bar by a matter of six inches or so. Defensively, including midfield and the forwards we produced a first-class performance. Masa could not reproduce Wools guile in prompting the attackers, but was very mobile in making runs for others and working hard to close down their defenders with the ball. Special mention too for Simon Collier who was running himself into the ground, helped in rotation by the Barman and Donaldinho, to keep the Swiss at bay on their favoured right flank.

Mid-way through the second half and the game looked certain to be two points on the pools coupon. Then the Lobster went up for a straightforward take at his near post and somehow the ball squirmed through his hands dropping invitingly their number nine Carl to poke it home from three yards. The Lobster's first half injury (a suspected broken finger that turned out be possibly career-ending ligament damage) may have played its part, although he had done well a little earlier to beat away a shot from inside the area. Admirably, there was no sense of BEFC giving up after this set-back, but a second keeping mistake a few minutes later, letting in a long range shot, sealed the result before it could be seen whether BEFC were capable of making a comeback. The relief on the Swiss side was evident as they celebrated the second goal; their captain/manager told me afterward that at the time that the first goal went in he was not expecting anything more than a 0-0 draw.

BEFC had a chance for a consolation goal toward the end with a second central free kick, a couple of yards further out than the first one. Tomo, having got his range with his first effort, and preferring the extra distance offered this time to allow him to get the ball over the wall and down again, was just about to the subject of my laying a tenner with William Hill when, inexplicably, Wools stepped up and put a soft lob into the arms of the keeper. The fact that the keeper, a previously unseen (by this observer anyway) SK substitute, dropped the ball before recovering it on the ground, suggested that the Swiss might have some justification in claiming a deserved victory on the grounds that they managed to test our keeper more than we did theirs.

Having side that, neither side could have had any real complaints had it ended 0-0. Another good performance from BEFC, but still no points on the board (ok - we actually have two for playing twice but you know what I mean). The important thing from now is to keep up this standard of play to ensure that by the end of the season we get points our talent and commitment deserve. Oh, and we still have BFC to play in the league, and win in that match and a mid-table place would make for a very satisfactory start in the top flight.

Team: Bystedt, Flynn, Thornington, Cooper, Spivey, Flett, Williams, Johansson, Woolhouse, Masaya, Jun, Shalabi, Collier, Crowley

MAN OF THE MATCH: Matt Thornington