Anyone for a cuppa?

Saturday 23rd February

CML North Division

Easington United 2 Brodsworth Welfare 2

"One or two lumps?"

Low Farm's first CML game since 24th November was always likely to throw up several challenges.  The ravages of the winter, which had seen the main pitch stage just two games of any type in the intervening period, meant this was never going to be a surface for "total football".  The visit of Brodsworth - one of the form teams in the league - presented its own difficulties for a home side still reeling from a collapse at Ollerton Town seven days previous.  And finally, with Club Secretary (and regular char lady) Judy away in Spain for a month, Tea Hut duties were going to fall to someone else.

Now it's well known that Chairman Doug and Vice Chair Mickey Bo' are willing to turn their hands to most things but even they would be sorely tested this particular afternoon - and that was with only 27 spectators in attendance.
They weren't the only ones.  Without thinking things through, I'd offered to do the first stint from half-twelve, which would cover the arrival of the match officials and the visiting club.  With Brodsworth having already informed me they would have no accompanying committee members save for manager and assistant, I foresaw no problems.  How wrong could I be?

Usually Judy prepares a decent buffet for match officials and visiting entourage alike.  today they had to make do with a few biscuits and cake offerings, bought as almost an after-thought that morning.  Thankfully, the lack of numbers meant we got away with this.
What I wasn't prepared for was the onslaught at the serving hatch the moment the Brodsworth minibus pulled into Low Farm.  Poor old Shotgum Burt and me were made to feel like Stanley Baker and Michael Caine with our visitors from South UYorkshire playing the part of the Zulu hordes.
It's fair to say, the arrival - later than anticipated of Messrs Clubley and Wilson - was akin to the Relief of Mafeking as far as I was concerned.
The way our season has been going it would be tempting to point to this pre-match entertainment as being more interesting than the game itself.  However, this was a home performance that the lads could take plenty of positives from, as can be seen - along with pics - in the "official" match report.
Obviously, our visitors' take on proceedings was slightly different, although remaining pretty fair on the whole.

Sharp Frost on a cold afternoon

The return of Frosty from self-imposed First Team exile played a huge part in our picking up a moral-boosting point.  His pace and quality of finishing have been assets sadly lacking from our line-up since September.
But it wasn't just the returning frontman.  There was a steely resolve about the side, the type of which has also been absent far too often this season - not least at Ollerton last time out.  The question now was would it last to the end of the season?