Another last minute heart-breaking defeat for Nomads

(Submitted by Morty, late-late on Sunday evening)

I need help. I can’t let it go. Like a newsreel on repeat. I keep re-living the last minute of this game, over and over again. It overtakes my sub-conscious thought, and prevents me from sleep. I see that ball coming my way. I have it. It spins slightly, but I have it. Only I don’t. From the edge of my stick it crashes into my kneecap and dribbles apologetically over the goal-line.

When I do get to sleep, I have this recurring dream. It isn’t a good dream, always involving travel and the numbers 3 and 2, only they are always the wrong way round. Every time leading, every time, somehow, losing. It haunts me. It haunts us.

For the third away game in a row Nomads led, and for the third time in a row they succumbed to a late winner, in the quest for their first away win, nay point. All of them were epics in their own right, and all of them, ultimately, tragic.

Second placed Peterborough came out of the blocks fast, putting Nomads new-look defence under some sustained pressure. On Wednesday, at selection, we had the luxury of a number of options for our centre back partnership. Admittedly there was an element of flakiness around that availability, and one by one they all fell - Dave to his dodgy ankle, Barry to his bothersome calf, Mutu to the adjusted start-time, and Woody to Friday night squash. Losing one of those would be careless, two inconvenient, but to lose all four was a minor catastrophe.

And so we faced the second place team in the league with a 15 year old as our most experienced defender, alongside a couple of re-tasked veterans, as Tim and Arthur re-acquainted themselves with the back-four, and young-Mikey started (and finished) at right back in his second ever game. Fortunately we still had “old-head-Leo” as our stalwart 15 year old centre back, and so all hope was not lost.

Very early on we repelled a couple of ‘Boro short corners, with Keeper-John excelling. Simply because of what happened very late in the game, and to help with the therapy, I have to mention that Rick saved one of said short corner strikes on the line, at the right post, with a firm defensive block.

Anyway – the early pressure was all Peterborough’s, looking every inch a promotion candidate. But Nomads held firm and started putting together passes higher up the pitch. One such foray saw Rick self-taking a long corner, driving forward and slipping the ball to Julian at the top of the D, facing the wrong way, but heading left. Now, those of us who have watched a bit of Julian this season may guess where this story is going. Searching for that slight gap to unleash the Tomahawk is where, and Peterborough weren’t on the script as the ball flew from Julian’s reverse stick strike into the far corner of the goal with the keeper and defenders watching on, in what I assume was, admiration. Superb.

‘Boro fought back from this inconvenience, of course. Before half-time they managed to grab back parity with an equalizer and the game was opening up. Then things got a bit unusual as Arthur-LongStick Meadows (aka Skipper), hitherto excellent as left back, got himself the first card, possibly ever, for having a big foot in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But at half time the game was in the balance. Skipper returned to the fray for the second half, only to see Axeman-George departing soon after for an almost un-noticed misdemeanour of a tackle, and again Nomads were down in numbers (another recurring theme).

Things started happening as the second half progressed. Some of them quite weird. But amongst it all our makeshift defence, with Tim excelling, held firm, and our attack looked dangerous. With both defences playing well it needed a moment of magic to break the deadlock, and it duly came from the Peterborough forward who set off on a mazy dribble around 2 or 3 defenders before unleashing a Tomahawk of Peterborough origin directly into the same backboard as the Nomads’ one in the first half, to take the lead. A great goal – it has to be said.

Then, weird became disastrous for Nomads, first losing Axeman-Two, Ellis, to a mistimed tackle, closely followed by Paul after a sideline tussle, which was soon upgraded to a 10-minute yellow following a clearly uninvited discussion with the umpire as to the prevailing weather. So, suddenly down to 9-men, a goal down and with less than 10 minutes to play, Nomads had a mountain to climb.

Things then got even weirder. Excuse me whilst I try to unravel what then prevailed. Peterborough, clearly having read the ‘game management training manual’ started trying to play in their own half, as Nomads were now playing with only one forward. In realisation, Nomads’ midfield decided to throw caution to the wind and pressure them. Suddenly the game became open and stretched. With Nomads’ 9 over-committed ‘Boro broke with a 3 on 2 attack. From somewhere a whistle blew and momentarily everyone stopped. But it was only a signal for Axeman 2 to return to the field and, amongst general confusion, the game continued, fortunately without consequence to Nomads.

Thus restored to a mighty 10 men, Nomads propelled the ball via the ever eager Mikey down the right had side, in to Sugi inside the Boro half. Sugi does some things very well, and he duly delivered, powering in a looping run past floundering Boro defenders to the by-line, cutting towards goal, then slipping it to the supporting George for a joyous equalizer.

It was a crazy phase of the game with the ball going from end to end, but Nomads really believed that they could hold on this time, as Paul belatedly returned to the fold. Surely this time. The match report was already in planning – documenting the gutsy from-behind comeback to grab our first away point of the season.

Five minutes to go, keep them out of the D was the aim, and we were doing it. But with a bare 60 seconds on the clock Peterborough sent a hopeful cross onto the Nomads D. The ball bounced of John and unfortunately into the peerless Tim. Short corner, and in pretty much the last play of the game.

And I just can’t manage to forget the rest. Don’t make me re-live it. We need to move on.

Wisbech next week, Louth away, the next, where we can finally end the dream, the nightmare.

In summary, it was a battling performance that deserved better, against a very good opposition. John in goal was the clear winner of our MoM for a series of quality saves. DoD also had a clear winner. I’ll let you guess. Now I have to sleep. And try to forget.