RateTheRef

JCFC has long nurtured a vague dislike of London, but this has now undergone a change - to a complete loathing. Setting out at 5pm, the first difficulty came at West Brompton station, where it proved impossible to buy a ticket. The substitute was a bus, which changed its destination part way, before coming to a halt for 20 minutes outside Harrods. From Knightsbridge to Dollis Hill, the Underground was efficient, but the further bus encountered heavy traffic with delays in Neasden. Finally, though, JCFC arrived in time for the 19.30 kick-off (much appreciated) of

Episode 2
Friday 9th October 2020
FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round
Edgware Town   4   v   1   Tring Athletic.
Joe Casey (Edgware?); Mustafa Ahmed, Alejandro Benitez Cano.

Mr Casey deserves credit for allowing the match to go ahead when the floodlights were defective - pools of light in the corners, the rest of the field pretty gloomy. As such it was hard to hazard a guess as to his age: taking to the field he looked very young - and good movement reinforced this - but otherwise he could have been anywhere between 22 and 55. Given the prevailing gloom, and JCFC'S seat behind the goal, he was sometimes difficult to locate.

Edgw0are took the lead on 11 minutes.The one-man Edgware wall was then  pole-axed when struck on the head by a free-kick. Mr Casey could perhaps have been a shade quicker to stop play, but did restart correctly. On 25 minutes the Tring keeper fumbled a high ball and Edgware gratefully added a second, countered four minutes later by a goal for Tring. By one of those annoying coincidences, the time expired the moment the keeper returned from retrieving the ball and took the goal-kick.

Edgware's third came soon after the restart,. There was a yellow for a home player, followed shortly by a warning for a Tring man and his captain, who required four shouts of "Andy" to ensure his presence. A lovely little dink almost over his shoulder gave Edgware their fourth. There could have been a fifth, but first the Tring keeper made a good block and towards the end an attacker dithered rather than poke the ball home. There were a couple of late cautions, one for each side.

Mr Casey had had a good game. One palpable corner had been given as a goal-kick, but in other respects he had looked pretty sharp. In the interests of journalistic accuracy (oxymoron?) JCFC had made his way round.towards the steps to get a better angle on Mr Casey's age. At closer quarters he was clearly nearer the lower than the upper.figure suggested earlier. He was definitely too young to look like Ian Hislop ...yet!

If successful in buying a rail ticket, JCFC 's match of choice this afternoon may result in a Major surprise.