F.R.O.G.S. 5 - 2 Streets of London

F.R.O.G.S. took all three points Tuesday night with a triumphant win over visitors Streets of London.

In a display of former days, the Streets of London team never really got started in the game in what seemed like a constant onslaught of attack from the home side.

Despite managing to slot home two goals, the Streets were lucky to find the goal mouth for most of the game, although at one point midway through the second half there was enough life to suggest they might pull something out of the hat.

The two goals came from unlikely sources. A volley from defender Sheikh Andy Wylie and a surprise scramble into the back of the net from an unlikely substitute, "Wade".

Despite only being 3-2 down at the time, the Streets failed to capitalize on the short-lived opportunity and F.R.O.G.S. put the game to bed late in the second half.

Streets fans were seen leaving the stadium before the final whistle adding insult to injury.

After the match Kevin "the Guvnor" O'Brien was disappointed with the performance. "As of late our games have been good, we played poorly tonight and allowed them to run through on us multiple times. There was lethargy in the team." O'Brien added "I am going to have to step up the training routines before the next match".

The defeat drops the Streets into second place in the table behind front-runner Arsenal.

[Due to some technical glitches this match report has been abbreviated. We expect the full reports to resume with the next match. We apologize for any inconvenience caused]

Daley Goal Stands Despite Controversy

The emphatic win by the Streets of London over BASOM was the talk of the town Wednesday - but it wasn't the final score that was craving all the attention. The media is still in a frenzy over who scored the fourth goal.

Dave Scribner's shot was allegedly tucked home by Myke Daley. But some experts believe Daley's shoelaces touched the ball only after it had crossed the line.

And photographic evidence clearly shows Daley's shoelaces touching the ball after it crossed the line - which would mean that Scribner scored the goal as pundits point out. But the foot in question is Daley's right foot not his left and it is a well known fact that Daley can't score using his right foot.

Either way FIFA has ruled the way the referee saw it (or didn't as the case may be) and has awarded the goal to Daley with Scribner receiving the assist.

BASOM 0 - 5 Streets of London

The Streets of London took BASOM to the proverbial cleaners last night in a rampant display of superior footballing skill, the win putting the away team at the top of the table, if only temporarily.

Kicking-off into the setting sun with an ambient air temperature of 88 F, the Streets of London were ready to quash the home team rivals.

BASOM began rather lethargically and it was evident that the Streets fitness might be a crucial indicator in the outcome of the match. The early accurate passing was also indicative of what was to come.

The first real threat from the Streets came when Vadim Winkler, recently returning after extending his contract with the club by another three years, made a dramatic run down the right flank after receivng the ball from right-back Andy Nelson.

Winkler's pace easily surpassed the BASOM defenders and the cross into the box was almost enough to see Dave Scribner capitalize.

Moments later Ed Gatjen, who also returned to the team after his apparent abduction the prior game, made a similar run down the left after receiving a through ball from Tom Hillesland.

With attacks occurring down both wings, BASOM were stretched the width of the filed. Each time BASOM made an attack, it invariably spread their offensive line thinly, causing the midfield and defenders to pull out. This opened up the space for the Streets to counter with [very] surprising speed.

The BASOM back line was in such disarray from the get-go that their offside trap was beaten time and time again by the Streets forwards.

The first goal came after an "inspired" substitution. Scribner was pulled off to be replaced by Kevin "The Guvnor" O'Brien.

The very next attack began when Nik Mussor put a ball through to O'Brien on the edge of the BASOM 18-yard box. O'Brien set up Daley for the shot, but the BASOM keeper did well to stand his ground and block the first attempt. As the ball dropped back down from the save just inside the 6-yard area, Daley rose to head volleyed the ball home over the top of past the keeper.

BASOM tried to counter after the restart but could do little to thwart the energy of the Streets. 10 minutes later the Streets would be two goals ahead.

Mussor's throw in deep in the BASOM half of the field found Bobby Madriago. A swift turn from Madriago and a deft touch into the path of the energetic Winkler was enough for the German to strike low into the bottom right of the goal.

With the Streets 2-0 up so early into the game, BASOM began to get agitated but were able to keep their composure enough to break the Streets back line.

A through ball to a BASOM forward found him almost one-on-one with the keeper. Fortunately Nelson was fast enough to get back and put the ball wide of the post before the shot was taken.

In what would be the first of many bizarre decisions, the referee called an indirect free-kick inside the 6-yard box. The resulting shot was easily deflected off the line by Gatjen.

Moments later Nelson was again at the center of a questionable call. A loose ball midway in the Streets half was picked up by Nelson. As he turned to launch it back down the right wing, he was shoulder barged by a burley BASOM midfielder. Holding his ground, the midfielder merely bounced off Nelson and hit the ground. In bizarre call number two the referee called a foul against Nelson.

The noise from the crowd was deafening but the referee wouldn't be undone by the decision.

Thinking there couldn't be any more poor decision so close together, the entire field was again stunned when a deliberate back-pass from a BASOM defender to the goalkeeper was considered a legitimate play.

The poor decisions, although in the favor of BASOM, went against them as the Streets resolve to find another goal set in.

Late in the first half Nelson throw-in almost at the corner flag found Winkler. The german turned on the edge of the 18-yard box and laid the ball back to O'Brien who chipped the ball just past the penalty spot and into the path of Neil Oldham. Oldham's speed (practiced from his driving skills) was enough to get to the ball first and slam the ball into the net for the third goal of the night.

Realizing that the potential for a whole host of goals was on the cards, O'Brien put another perfectly placed ball into the path of Steve Sims. Somehow Sims managed to put the ball wide of the left post and collapse over the top of it at the same time despite being no more than three feet from the goal mouth. The stadium erupted with a chorus of chanting as Sims piked himself up.

Sims is clearly magic
He wears a magic hat
And when he saw the ball near goal
He tripped up over that

Which was soon followed by

Sims Ohhh
Sims Ohhh
He went round Dave and Joel
He missed the open goal
Sims Ohhh...

Just as the first-half came to a close, the crowd felt the tension in BASOM's defense. BASOM's central defender picked up a yellow card for engaging in unsporting behavior when he got in a verbal dispute with one of the linesmen.

The half-time break must have had plenty of words of wisdom from O'Brien in the dressing room. All too frequently we've seen the Streets ahead by two goals, occasionally three, only to see them throw it away in the second half. Tonight would be different.

After the break Sheik's Baxter and Wylie both took to the back line and it wouldn't be long before Baxter would be called into action to clear a shot from close in.

BASOM tried to break down the Streets and for a few minute began to get the upper hand But it would all come to nothing. The easy passing would return to the Streets and the low through balls would keep finding the wingers and forwards.

15 minutes into the second half and the fourth goal was in the back of the net. Mussor crossed the ball to Scribner who shot home. There is still controversy over who actually scored the goal, although it has officially been given to Daley who's shoelace touched the ball as Scribner's shot went across the line. It is possible that the official goal tally might still end up in Scribners favor once the still and video evidence has been gathered.

Another break for the Streets 2 minutes after the fourth goal sealed the win. Hillesland put a fantastic ball into the path of Mussor who's shot easily found the back of the net after a short sprint towards goal.

By this time there was nothing BASOM could do to get back into the game as their fans began to exit the stadium.

With little to nothing to do all game, Don Bradshaw wondered back to the tunnel as the game was called for full time.

After the match we caught up with O'Brien who was clearly ecstatic over the win. "Fantastic, simply fantastic. I had a great game. The boys had a great game. Steve could have scored if he had his eyes open on that sitter, but apart form that I don;t think we put a foot wrong. Did you see my assist?"

When we asked Steve Sims about the miss he had a viable reason for not finding the back of the net. "There was a total eclipse today. I think that is what threw me."

The Streets go top of the table until the Arsenal result comes in when they could drop back into second place. But the win clearly shows they have the ability to outplay any team in this league - as long as they don;t give away the game in the second half. And last night, they definitely didn't let it go.

Beckham to Join The Streets of London?

While the recent signing of Ronaldo away from Manchester United might have been big news, that could easily be topped after rumors emanating from California this morning that Sheik's Baxter an Wylie are in the market for England's most recognized international, David Beckham.

At last night's LA Galaxy game, Beckham was jeered and booed by his own fans after his recent comments about not enjoying the quality of football in America and considering a switch back to AC Milan. The situation escalated after he attempted to confront one of the supporters following an exchange of unpleasantries.
The drunken supporter was escorted from the ground while Beckham was restrained by security personnel.

But the news this morning indicates that Beckham might stay in the USA after all. An alleged telephone conversation between Shiek Wylie, Sheik Baxter and Mr. Beckham himself seems to indicate that a move to the Streets of London might be on the cards.

No official word has come from Beckham's agent or the club, but we did manage to catch up with Streets of London manager Kevin "The Guvnor" O'Brien.

"I think it would be an honor to have such a legend join us. It speaks to how we play - with passion and skill. He wouldn't go anywhere that the level of football isn't better than at the Galaxy. It surely puts us on par with AC Milan as a potential home for him. What's more is we speak the same language."

Asked whether O'Brien thought Beckham would be a good fit for the team he added "it's perfect. We're a team of old men with super-skillz. Someone distributing the ball from midfield like David can would make us unstoppable".

Streets of London striker Mike Daley would surely benefit from Beckham's quality of distribution. Daley is so excited that he is already practicing his phrases to use when he begins playing with Beckham. We overheard the following phrase, although we don't exactly know what it means: "Oh David Beckham stop it!".

Neither LA Galaxy or AC Milan were available for comment on the rumors.

Scribner Party Gets Out Of Hand

According to rumors coming out of the Sacramento region, Streets of London striker Dave Scribner is being questioned this evening by El Dorado Hills police after his 40th birthday party got out of hand (or in hand as the case may be).

Apparently there were various "toys" available for guests of the party. Some attendees were claiming that "when Viagra doesn't work there's always a cucumber" - whatever that means.

Although the integrity of this news publication prevents us from actually showing the faces of those who are alleged to have been involved, photos of the event have been posted to the internet. We have managed to identify the faces of Scribner and defender Jon Taylor with both appear in the same shot mocking the elderly.

Nobody was available to return the calls from the Scribner residence as we went to press.

Streets of London 3 - 2 F.R.O.G.S.

The Streets of London claimed their first win of the season Tuesday night after an eventful clash with away team F.R.O.G.S.

Before kick-off the home crowd had a warm welcome to Streets of London defender Chris Hayhoe after his long absence from first team action. Also returning from his injury that sidelined him last week was striker Mike Daley. To round off the returnees, left-back Andy Wylie was considered fit for play.

Changes to F.R.O.G.S. meant that the Streets would be playing a very different team than the one they encountered two seasons previously and it showed in the first 10 minutes of the opening half.

F.R.O.G.S. instantly applied pressure with quick passing and fast runs down both flanks, but the defensive back line did a good job of holding the opposition at bay despite the attempts outside the 18-yard box.

It would take the opening 10 minutes before the Streets began to find their composure, although much of their forward momentum would be through the middle of the park.

The first real opportunity came from Ed Gatjen after he picked up a through ball from Nik Mussor. Gatjen's pace easily left the F.R.O.G.S. defenders behind and he had only the keeper to beat as he came into the box. His shot was composed but was just wide of the post.

"I know what I wanted to do", said Gatjen after the match. "I had this desire to shoot early, but I resisted. I knew if I hit it hard it would go skyward just like Vadim's shot last week. And the last thing I needed was that embarrassment so I decided to place it. Next time I'm going to try and place it inside the goal instead of outside the goal".

Throughout much of the first half the Streets had the upper hand with good solid passing through the midfield. Frequent breaks to Daley and Kevin O'Brien would occasionally end up off-side, but generally the possession was good.

And the effort would pay off 30 minutes into the game when Kevin "The Guvnor" O'Brien passed the ball to Neil Oldham who found Daley. The clinical finish was surgical precision and put the home team in front - and deservedly so.

F.R.O.G.S. had little to come back with as their substitutes took to the filed. In surprising fashion they took the pace-setters off the field and any potential was completely stripped from the team for the duration for the half. They looked slow in comparison to the Streets and had few consistent passes or ideas in attack.

The change benefitted the Streets even further five minutes before the break. Another key play involved O'Brien setting up Daley for his second of the night. The finish was as clean as the first and set the potential for a bountiful evening.

The break changed the game again. F.R.O.G.S. put there faster players back up front. The Streets of London just hung out. The net result was a second half very different from the first.

F.R.O.G.S. applied more pressure than they did in the opening 10 minutes of the first half and it was only a matter of time before they pulled back the first goal. A defensive mistake on the edge of the 6-yard box was all that was needed. The F.R.O.G.S. forward turned quickly on Mussor before shooting from close range.

There was little anyone could do to prevent the ball from finding the back of the net.

Feeling the opportunity to get back into the game, F.R.O.G.S. kept up the intense effort to find an equalizer. 20 minutes after the first, they were presented with a golden egg.

With Mussor at the near post after a corner there was little chance of the ball finding the back of the net. It was, however, Jon Taylor's turn to gift a goal opportunity in a moment of madness.

As the ball was shot towards goal, Taylor used his outstretched arm to push the ball over the goal line, just wide of the post. Although lucky not to receive a card for the offense, Don Bradshaw was faced with the unenviable task of trying to save a penalty.

The F.R.O.G.S. forward stepped up and swiftly dispatched the goal to bring the score level.

With 5 minutes left on the clock it looked as though the Streets of London would, one again, give the game away as they have done so many times. But there was a little more fight in them than usual and it would be a spectacular finish to a game with very two different halves.

The last corner the Streets of London would win was to be the pivotal point where they would reap the benefit of their effort.

Mussor stepped up to take the kick. As the ball made its way into the penalty area Daley was in the perfect position to attempt to claim his hattrick. But it would O'Brien that would take the glory as he left the ground in uncanny fashion to meet the ball in the air.

With the floodlights reflecting off his head in the same fashion as they reflected off the ball, the two made contact and he drove the ball home. Despite the keeper getting a hand to the ball, the header was too clean and too powerful to stop.

In the last 5 minutes of the game O'Brien had managed to find the winning goal.

After the game we caught up with two players that were really influential in the score-line.

When asked why he handled the ball in the area, Taylor's answer was understandable. "Donny keeps calling for the ball and I know when he needs to get it and when he doesn't. In this case I realized that I was better than Donny and I went for the save. And to be honest it was a great save. I don't personally know why we can't have two goalkeepers in each end. A regular one and a defender keeper like myself. Makes perfect sense to me."

O'Brien was on a high after the game and despite Taylor's give-away was proud of his team. He said after the match "we won by playing hard and defending when we needed too. But what's really important are the goals. I don't know if you noticed but I was instrumental in the first goal, assisted Mike in the second and scored the winner. Did I mention I scored the winner?"

The Streets of London now miss a week before their next fixture due to league travel schedules. It will be a test of their new found resolve to see if they can beat BASOM away on July 21st.

Streets of London 1 - 1 Folsom United

The Streets of London faced-off against Folsom United in the hottest game of the year so far. With temperatures close to 100 F (37 C) the last thing the Streets of London needed were fewer players than the opposition. But in what seemed to be a common recurring theme, the Streets started with 9 players as the game got underway.

Folsom United tried to capitalize early on with their numbers by pressuring the Streets of London. Although fast with their runs, they were unable to find the finishing that they needed to gain the upper hand.

Jon Taylor, after arriving from the dug-out late, made his way onto the pitch with a bottle of Gatorade - a testament to the extreme heat and the capability of such a powerful energy drink. Despite calls from the linesman for Taylor to put down his bottle, he drank it undeterred giving him the electrolytes he needed for the game.

This segment is brought to you by Gatorade. Gatorade. Bring It. Jon Taylor does.


With Taylor now taking the team count up to 10, the Streets were able to apply some pressure of their own. Vadim Winkler was released on a number of runs down the right hand side with through balls from Andy Nelson, Tom Hillesland and Nik Mussor. But temperatures remained high, Winkler was forced off the pitch from over-exertion, although he would later return after a short rest.

At mid-point through the first half a battle down the Streets left side between Mike Lefebvre and any Folsom United player within touching distance resulted in Lefebvre being shown the yellow card for unsporting behavior.

Shortly thereafter the Streets luck would again be tested when Taylor was judged to have handled the ball inside the area. The inbound shot hit Taylor's arm as he tried to protect his body. Although it was clear that there would have been no advantage to either team had the ball not hit Taylor, or as a result of hitting Taylor, the referee saw otherwise and pointed to the spot.

Mohammed stepped up for Folsom United with a clear opportunity to put the away team in front. Don Bradshaw's commanding presence between the sticks was more than sufficient to intimidate the small striker who put the shot wide of the left post.

The Streets would come back from the threat with a vengeance. A poorly passed ball in the middle of the park was intercepted by Mussor who set up Neil Oldham who's one touch strike from 25 yards out breezed over the keeper and into the top of the net.

Moments after the goal later a free-kik on the edge of Folsom United's box presented a second opportunity for the Streets. Mussor and Oldham set up the kick. Oldham launched the shot over the wall, but the keeper was just able to get his fingers to it and tipped it over the bar.

Clearly Oldham has his sights set on the Golden Plimsoll that has been coveted so highly by Mike Daley over the last two seasons.

With the Streets 1 up and the half-time whistle minutes away the first half was almost a wrap. But Folsom United had one more chance to now level the game. A cross from the Streets left side close to the corner flag came in from the setting sun. Nelson was the first to the ball, albeit unexpectedly, and he headed towards his own goal. Bradshaw, predicting the defenders every move was on hand to collect.

Going into the break with the lead was a welcome situation to the home side who were beginning to show signs of fatigue under the heat.

Minutes after the second-half kick off, the Streets would get their third and final shot of the game. Kevin "The Guvnor" O'Brien released Winkler with a perfect pass through the defenders. Winkler, with only the keeper to beat, had to do nothing more than slot the ball into one of the corners. Unfortunately the precision accuracy of the German was more like a misfit from a Russian Lada and the ball sky-rocketed into orbit.

Taylor would again be at the center of some controversy late in the second half. He was clearly fouled on the edge of the Streets 18-yard area as the Folsom United forwarded body-checked the defender. Upset by no foul being given, Taylor ranted and raved at the referee. His (unprintable) words of wisdom fell onto deaf ears and Taylor elected to take matters into his own hands.

The next opportunity Taylor had to tackle a Folsom United player, he elected to play by Rugby Football's tackling rules instead of FIFA's and took the attacker down. The referee clearly had no choice but to show Taylor the yellow.

It would be in the next three minutes while Taylor served his sin-bin time that Folsom United would capitalize and find the equalizing goal.

In the space left by Taylor's departure from the field, Folsom United's midfield used the gap to slide the ball through to their strikers who found the back of the net.

And as the game came to a close there were more close calls for the Streets of London as Nelson had two more shots at Bradshaw, although Bradshaw was more than equal to the defender turned striker.

After the game Kevin "The Guvnor" O'Brien was frustrated on many fronts and he wasn't shy about verbalizing his disappointment. "I was expecting a full squad. I had commitments from players and some of them just didn't show. The lack of discipline cost us 2-points as well. When we are already under pressure from having less players, it's 100 degrees out the last thing we need to do is lose our cool. That's what happened. We very nearly lost all three points, we are lucky we came away with a draw."

The Streets of London will be playing their next game at home against F.R.O.G.S on July 7th. Hopefully the long weekend will give them an opportunity to regroup and get their heads back in the game.